Formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961, the original group comprised singer-musician-composer and bandleader Brian Wilson, his brothers Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Wilson neighbor David Marks appeared on their first four albums and was a member from 1962 to 1963 as a temporary replacement for Jardine, who had left the group to pursue a career in dentistry.
On their first few studio albums, the group primarily played surf music, but this changed after 1964 as their songs became more sophisticated and autobiographical. The 1965 album Today! particularly represented this shift in sound. Bruce Johnston joined the group that same year. Session drummer Hal Blaine is quoted: "We all studied in conservatories; we were trained musicians. We thought it was a fluke at first, but then we realized Brian was writing these incredible songs. This was not just a young kid writing about high school and surfing."
Following their most esteemed work, Pet Sounds (1966), the band became symbols of psychedelic counterculture. The highly anticipated follow-up, Smile, was left unfinished, and Brian soon relinquished his creative hold on the group. A trilogy of lo-fi releases followed: Smiley Smile (1967), Wild Honey (1967), and Friends (1968). Brian would not be credited as a primary composer for any Beach Boys album until 1977's Love You, an album on the fringe of synth-pop, new wave, and punk.
In Brian's absence, the Beach Boys still managed to release music that was regarded favorably by fans and critics despite poor sales: Sunflower (1970) and Surf's Up (1971). South African musicians Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar played and sang with the band on the next two albums: Carl & the Passions - So Tough (1972), and Holland (1973).
Many changes in both musical style and personnel have occurred in their sometimes-stormy career: Brian Wilson's mental illness and drug addiction; the deaths of Dennis Wilson in 1983 and Carl Wilson in 1998; and continuing legal battles among surviving members of the group. With the release of 1974's Endless Summer they became a more popular touring act, playing their greatest hits. They have recorded 36 Billboard Top 40 hits (including four number-one singles), have had over 100 million sales, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Official site: http://www.thebeachboys.com
Break Away
The Beach Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now I'm free to do what I want to do
Time will not wait for me, time is my destiny
Why change the part of me that has to be free
The love that passed me by, I found no reason why
But now each day is filled with the love, that very same love
I can breakaway from that lonely life
And I can do what I want to do
And breakaway from that empty life and my world is new
When I laid down on my bed I heard voices in my head
Telling me now hey it's only a dream
The more I thought of it I had been out of it
And here's the answer I found instead
(Baby baby) found out it was in my head (baby baby)
(Baby baby) found out it was my head (baby baby)
(Baby baby) found out it was in my head (baby baby)
And I can breakaway to the better life
Where the shackles never hold me down
I'm gonna make a way for each happy day
As my life turns around
Come on we're free to breakaway (oh boy you jump for joy)
Now won't you come on (when you breakaway)
You're free to breakaways (breakaway)
Come on you're free to breakaway (breakaway)
Now won't you come on (breakaway)
You're free to breakaways (breakaway)
Feel the vibrations in all the sensations, breakaway
Feel the vibrations in all the sensations, breakaway
The Beach Boys’ Break Away is a song about breaking free from a life that doesn't satisfy us. The opening lyrics “Break break shake away, break breakaway. Now I'm free to do what I want to do” exemplify this message clearly. The song emphasizes the importance of freedom and the need to break away from a monotonous and unhappy life. This idea is further reinforced throughout the song as the singer struggles with the hardships of his life and ultimately finds a way out. He talks about the love that he lost but now each day is filled with “the love, that very same love that passed me by and that is why I can breakaway from that lonely life.”
The second stanza of the song talks about how time is a precious commodity that we should not waste on what is not essential or needed in our lives. Time, in this case, is the driving force behind change and the need to break free, “Time will not wait for me, time is my destiny, Why change the part of me that has to be free.” The final stanza talks about the power of the mind and the significance of thoughts. It touches on how we can create our reality by changing how we think and how we can break free from our minds’ limitations. All in all, Break Away by The Beach Boys is a song about self-discovery, the pursuit of freedom and happiness, and the power of our minds to create our reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Break break shake away, break breakaway
I need to break free and shake off whatever is holding me down in order to break away from my current situation.
Now I'm free to do what I want to do
After breaking away from what held me captive, I'm liberated to do what I want with my life.
Time will not wait for me, time is my destiny
I understand that time is my destiny, and that I must make the most of each moment because time waits for no one.
Why change the part of me that has to be free
There is a part of me that is naturally free and shouldn't be changed or suppressed.
The love that passed me by, I found no reason why
I couldn't figure out why I missed out on love in the past.
But now each day is filled with the love, that very same love
However, now my life is full of love - the very same one that I once missed out on.
That passed me by and that is why
I now understand why that love eluded me before.
I can breakaway from that lonely life
I have the power to leave behind a life of loneliness and isolation.
And breakaway from that empty life and my world is new
By breaking away from a life that was unfulfilling, my world has opened up and become new again.
When I laid down on my bed I heard voices in my head
When I was still trapped, I heard inner voices that I couldn't get rid of.
Telling me now hey it's only a dream
These voices kept reminding me that everything that I wanted to do was just a dream.
The more I thought of it I had been out of it
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had been out of touch with myself and my desires.
And here's the answer I found instead
Eventually, I found my own answer to all those inner voices.
(Baby baby) found out it was in my head (baby baby)
I realized that all those voices came from within my own mind and not from the outside world.
And I can breakaway to the better life
Now that I've found my own answer and broken free, I can head towards a brighter future.
Where the shackles never hold me down
I am now free from everything that used to hold me captive.
I'm gonna make a way for each happy day
I am now determined to live each day happily and to the fullest extent possible.
As my life turns around
I'm finally starting to see a positive change in my life.
Come on we're free to breakaway (oh boy you jump for joy)
I'm inviting others to join me in breaking away, feeling free and happy.
Now won't you come on (when you breakaway)
Won't you join me in breaking free?
You're free to breakaways (breakaway)
You too can break free!
Come on you're free to breakaway (breakaway)
Join me in breaking away from everything that's holding you down.
Feel the vibrations in all the sensations, breakaway
As you break away, enjoy the positive vibes and sensations that come with being free.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: Donald Dennis, Philip Burrell, Sheldon Campbell, Sly Dunbar, Phillips Burrell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Les lumb
Soothing
Leslie Lumb
Love the opening verses beautiful words
Steve Skouson
Alan does an AMAZING job, with
his falsetto voice. Matt Jardine
should be so good. Dennis, well
he is Dennis. Wish I had 10% of
his singing skill. I have zero% of
his drum skills.
Carl, I think I've said enough. BEST
voice I've ever heard!
steve
Steve Skouson
Seeing Carl Dean bouncing like that,
and his AMAZING voice, just awesome!
I'd LOVE to see Carl bounce again!
Now, can we do something about
Sasquatch? Sorry, Sasquatch the
Monk! (I'm pretty sure you know
what Little DOUCHE Coupe I'm
talking about.)
steve
Steve Skouson
Who is the ID10T that looks like he escaped
from a weird monastery?
Alan, can you hit those notes? Can Matt?
You guys were AWESOME June 7th. (My
birthday present to me.)
Still miss Dennis Carl, and Carl Dean!
(Who named those Boys?)
steve
Bryan Grace
What an amazing song! Such an incredible band, what an era for classic music!
MrKaywyn
A classic which should have been a hit.
Allan Armstrong
It was a hit here in the uk
steve55 sogood
@Allan Armstrong Got to number 6. Always stick this on the pub' jukebox!!!!
xiropigado
Here in the UK, we never fell out of love with the Beach Boys
Ian Kearns
Maybe a hit here in Australia, I was only 4 yo but my older brother who was 14 played it a lot on his record player and it stuck in my mind for 50 years. It came to me out of the blue this morning and had to look it up.
Yossarian67
It was a hit in South Africa. The Beach Boys were GODS in our sunny country! Still legends.
Uetti
It's amazingly funny how Dennis is not able to hit the drums in time, not even ONCE.
I love him