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.
She's Mine
Carl Wilson Lyrics
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Just 'cause she acts like she might
Don't ask her she's mine
She would be yours for tonight
Don't ask her she's mine
She would do anything to get to me
Don't ask her she's mine
She'll tell you different but she ain't free
This situation's gettin' lewd
She tries my patience every once in a while
'cause she knows that I like her style
Don't ask her she's mine
Let me supply all the love she needs
Don't ask her-she'll
Give you my lovin' but she won't ever leave me
The lyrics of Carl Wilson's song She's Mine present a possessive and jealous perspective. The song tells the story of a man who is in love with a woman who seems to be attracted to other men. Despite her interest, the singer of the song claims that she is his, and that she would do anything to be with him. He warns other men not to ask her out because she belongs to him, and that she could never be free.
The lyrics suggest a toxic and controlling relationship, where one person claims to own the other. The concept of possession reinforces the idea that love is an object that can be taken away from someone, rather than a feeling that is shared between two people. The lyrics also suggest that the woman in the song has agency in the situation, but the man chooses to ignore it and insists that she is his. This can be seen as an example of toxic masculinity, where men feel the need to control their partner's actions and emotions.
In summary, the song She's Mine presents a possessive and jealous perspective on love, where the singer claims ownership over the woman he loves, despite her potential interest in other men. The lyrics suggest a toxic and controlling relationship, where the woman's agency is ignored.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't ask her she's mine
I don't want you to ask her out because she's already with me
Just 'cause she acts like she might
Even though she might act like she's interested, she's not available
She would be yours for tonight
If I wasn't in the picture, she might consider going out with you for just one night
She would do anything to get to me
She's really into me and will do whatever it takes to stay with me
She'll tell you different but she ain't free
She might tell you she's not with anyone, but she's actually with me
The girl can't help it if she can't be true
She's not good at being faithful to one person
This situation's gettin' lewd
This situation is getting complicated, and it could lead to something bad
She tries my patience every once in a while
Sometimes she does things that frustrate me, but I'm still really into her
'cause she knows that I like her style
She knows that I'm attracted to her and uses it to her advantage
Let me supply all the love she needs
I'll take care of her and provide everything she needs in a relationship
Don't ask her-she'll
Don't try to get information from her because she'll
Give you my lovin' but she won't ever leave me
She might show interest in you, but she's never going to leave me for someone else
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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