Born in Hawthorne, California to Murry and Audree Wilson, Carl Wilson was the youngest of the Wilsons' three sons. A contrast to the ambitious and melancholy Brian and the rebellious Dennis, Carl was a quiet, well-mannered young man who rarely if ever felt the brunt of the parental abuse often perpetrated by father Murry. As a teenager, Carl became enamored with the growing rock and roll scene, particularly Chuck Berry, whom he sought to emulate when learning to play the guitar. Carl's love of rock and roll is partly credited with shaping the early sound of The Beach Boys, and as a result, surf rock as a whole.
When The Beach Boys were formed, Carl became lead guitarist; his Berry-inspired lead guitar lines are a staple of many of their early, primarily surf rock-driven hit singles, among them their very first, "Surfin'" (1961). During the first three years of the band's existence, Carl rarely sang lead vocals. Notably, when Brian's production methods started to shift more towards session musicians, Carl remained one of the few group members to still contribute instrumental tracks, recording guitar leads during vocal sessions with his guitar plugged directly into the soundboard.
As the '60s progressed, Carl became a more confident singer and performer; following his much-vaunted lead vocal for "God Only Knows", featured on the seminal Pet Sounds (1966), more and more often he found himself in the role of a featured lead vocalist, a role previously dominated by Brian and bandmate Mike Love. Following the worldwide success of "Good Vibrations", throughout the '60s Carl would continue to lend his voice to (admittedly more modest) hit singles such as "Darlin'", "I Can Hear Music", and "Wild Honey".
After brother Brian's retirement as an onstage performer in 1965, Carl assumed the role of de facto onstage bandleader (contracts from this time stipulating that promoters would be hiring "Carl Wilson plus four other musicians"), eventually taking charge of studio sessions as well in response to Brian's continually decreasing role within the group. In the late '60s, Carl also made headlines as a conscientious objector to the ongoing Vietnam War; at one point, the Beach Boys were forced to go on tour without Carl due to his having to appear before the draft board.
Though never a prolific songwriter, the dawn of the '70s saw the genesis of Carl's first self-composed songs; previously released songs credited to Carl had been either surf rock instrumentals, or songs on which he was credited for arrangement ideas rather than songwriting. Together with then-manager Jack Rieley, Carl wrote two songs for The Beach Boys' 1971 album Surf's Up; namely, "Feel Flows" and "Long Promised Road", the latter of which he viewed as his "first real song." Subsequent Beach Boys albums would typically feature a couple of Carl Wilson originals, usually co-written with a bandmember or other writer.. Another notable song composed with Rieley was "The Trader", an anti-imperialist opus that opened side two of the Beach Boys' 1972 album Holland. This particular album was meant to be Brian's glorious return to the producer's chair, but a lack of interest on his part resulted in Carl having to take the brunt of the responsibility.
Throughout the '70s, Carl also served as producer for a number of other artists such as Ricci Martin (son of Dean Martin; Carl would later marry Dean's daughter Gina), and South African group The Flame, of which members Blondie Chaplin Rikki Fataar would serve as members of The Beach Boys for a couple of years. The lineup including Chaplin and Fataar would release the album Carl and the Passions - "So Tough" (1972), its title a reference both to a long-forgotten name once used for the group that would become The Beach Boys, as well as a nod at Carl's long-running de facto leadership.
By the early 1980s, The Beach Boys had split into several camps, the two most basic of which were "nostalgia" and "progress"; Carl was of the latter group. Frustrated with the band's continuing reliance on decade-old hits and half-hearted emulation of their '60s aesthetics, Carl took a leave of absence in 1981. During the years that followed, he would release two solo albums--Carl Wilson (1981) and Youngblood (1983)--which received favorable reviews but disappointing sales, not at all helped by a lack of record label support and promotion.
By the time Youngblood was released, however, Carl had already rejoined his old group. That same year, brother Dennis drowned in an unfortunate accident, and was given the unique honor of receiving a burial at sea, an honor usually reserved for war heroes. Though Carl would relegate songwriting and production duties to other bandmates and parties, he continued to produce his own recordings throughout the years. Notably, he performed co-lead vocals on The Beach Boys' last #1 hit, "Kokomo".
A habitual smoker since age 13, Carl was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1997; he would continue performing live with The Beach Boys until a few months before his death. Though his illness had stricken him to the point where he had trouble standing up, when performing "God Only Knows", he always respectfully stood for the duration of the song. Carl Wilson died in February 1998, only three months after the death of his mother, Audree Wilson. He was survived by his brother Brian, wife Gina Martin Wilson, and two sons by his first marriage, Justyn and Jonah. His gravestone is inscribed with the words "The heart and voice of an angel."
Posthumously, Carl has been featured on a number of recordings, most notably with supergroup Beckley-Lamm-Wilson (consisting of Gerry Beckley of America and Robert Lamm of Chicago, alongside Carl), on some of brother Brian's (whose 1998 song "Lay Down Burden" was dedicated to his late brother) solo recordings, and the continuing slew of archival releases by The Beach Boys. Though his Beach Boys vocal spots are usually given to other group members now, performances of "God Only Knows" have often made use of Carl's original, irreplaceable vocal tracks.
Heaven
Carl Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time I see your eyes
You could be the wind that keeps me floating
I could be in heaven for all I know
Heaven's a place for me to go
No one ever could have told me how
No one ever could have told me how
Heaven could be here on earth
I know your heart is very tender
Your soft touch the breeze of life
In your arms I feel a comfort
I surrender in your smile
Hold me close for just a while
No one ever could have told me how
No one ever could have told me how
Heaven could be here on earth
The gentle waves of love in motion
And the warmth of summer sun
In your love I need no compass
My direction has begun
Could you be an angel sent from god
No one ever could have told me how
No one ever could have told me how
Heaven could be here on earth
In Carl Wilson's "Heaven," the singer is expressing his profound feelings of love and how the person he loves has the ability to make him feel transported to another realm, to heaven. The ocean imagery that he uses in the opening lines of the song is a metaphor for the unknown depths of his love for her. He feels like he is sailing and every time he sees her eyes, he feels as if she is the wind that keeps him floating. This is a beautiful analogy for the way the person he loves gives him strength and helps him navigate through the difficult times in life. He believes that he could be in heaven because when they are together, he feels whole and complete. He goes on to sing about how no one could have ever told him how heaven could be on earth, but now that he is with the person he loves, he knows it is possible.
The second verse begins with the singer recognizing the tenderness of his lover's heart and how her touch is like the breeze of life. In her arms, he feels comforted and he surrenders to her smile. He then asks her to hold him close for just a while, allowing the listener to feel the intimacy and vulnerability of their connection. The chorus repeats the idea that heaven can be found on earth through the love and connection he shares with this person. The final verse is a culmination of all the feelings the singer has expressed throughout the song. He talks about the gentle waves of love and the warmth of the summer sun as symbols of the natural world that he has found in her. She has become his compass and he believes that she could be an angel sent from God. The song ends with the gentle reminder that no one could have ever told him how heaven could be here on earth, but now that he has found the person he loves, he knows that it exists.
Line by Line Meaning
It's like I'm sailing on the ocean
Being with you is like sailing on the vast ocean; a feeling of freedom and endless possibilities.
Every time I see your eyes
The beauty in your eyes never fails to mesmerize me.
You could be the wind that keeps me floating
Just like the wind keeps the sails of the boat moving, you have the ability to keep me afloat and guide me through life.
I could be in heaven for all I know
Being with you is so blissful and peaceful that it feels like I am already in heaven.
Heaven's a place for me to go
For me, the idea of heaven has always been a distant concept, but now, being with you feels like heaven to me.
No one ever could have told me how
No one could have ever described to me the feeling of being in heaven while on earth and being with someone I love.
Heaven could be here on earth
I never thought that heaven could exist on earth, but being with you has made me realize that it can.
I know your heart is very tender
I am aware that your heart is full of kindness and compassion.
Your soft touch the breeze of life
Your gentle touch feels like a refreshing breeze, invigorating and giving life to everything around you.
In your arms I feel a comfort
Being in your embrace feels like the safest place in the world to me.
I surrender in your smile
Your smile has the power to melt my heart and make me feel vulnerable in the most wonderful way possible.
Hold me close for just a while
I long to be in your arms and to feel your loving embrace for just a little longer.
The gentle waves of love in motion
The love we share is like the gentle waves of the ocean, in constant motion and always moving forward.
And the warmth of summer sun
Our love is like the warmth of the summer sun, bringing light and happiness into our lives.
In your love I need no compass
Being with you feels so natural that I no longer need a compass to find my way in life.
My direction has begun
With you by my side, my life has taken a new and exciting direction.
Could you be an angel sent from god
Sometimes I wonder if you were an angel sent from heaven to guide me and make my life better.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Carl Dean Wilson, Michael Sun, Myrna Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steve Skouson
Wolfsky9, seen you post on a LOT of
Carl's videos. I too, miss Carl Dean!
Awesome voice, as well as an AMAZING
person.
I'm just happy that we have these electronic
memories. Brian, honor your brothers. (Your
cousin, do what you want.)
steve
Cally Ann
How beautiful is this song? On a scale of 1-10 it must be 99. Sung divinely by the gorgeous Carl - Heaven!!!! I'm sure Carl is in heaven, looking down on us and seeing all the outpourings of love for him on YT. He deserves every one. Thank you for posting this.
Ron Wright
Absolutely the best voice of all the Beach Boys.
Marcus Bradley
Him and Brian I think.
Jacquelyn Keefer
yes
u
one of the best male voices of all time
Judith Ryle
I did not like to hear Dennis sing
mike maurer
and the most evolved
IainB1511
This man had the voice of an angel and the heart and soul to match. RIP Carl
Steve Skouson
Angels have the voice and soul of
Carl Dean.
They say never meet your heroes.
I cannot wait to meet Carl and Dennis!
steve
Joan Gute
I could watch this a million times & never tire of hearing Carl's beautiful voice.