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
Feel Flows
The Beach Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Recall senses sadly
Mirage like soft blue like lanterns below
To light the way gladly
Whether whistling heaven's clouds disappear
Where the wind withers memory
Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away
Feel flows (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Unbending never ending tablets of time
Record all the yearning
Unfearing all appearing message divine
Eases the burning
Whether willing witness waits at my mind
Whether hope dampens memory
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side
Feel flows (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel goes (black puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Encasing all embracing wreath of repose
Engulfs all the senses
Imposing, unclosing thoughts that compose
Retire the fences
Whether wholly heartened life fades away
Whether harps heal the memory
Whether wholly heartened life fades away
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side
Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away
Feel goes (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel flows (black puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel goes (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feelings to grow (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
White puff glisteny shadowy flow
White puff glisteny shadowy flow
White puff glisteny shadowy flow
The lyrics to The Beach Boys' "Feel Flows" are highly introspective and abstract, as the band explores the depths of the soul and the power of emotions. The opening lines, "Unfolding enveloping missiles of soul, Recall senses sadly, Mirage like soft blue like lanterns below, To light the way gladly," depict emotions as powerful, almost explosive forces that can either evoke a sense of melancholy or provide guidance and hope.
The second verse continues this theme, with the lines "Unbending never ending tablets of time, Record all the yearning, Unfearing all appearing message divine, Eases the burning," suggesting that emotions and experiences are recorded and kept forever, yet can also serve as a source of comfort and healing.
The final verse of the song takes a more optimistic turn, as the band asserts that emotions can lead to growth and positive change. The lines "Encasing all embracing wreath of repose, Engulfs all the senses, Imposing, unclosing thoughts that compose, Retire the fences," suggest that allowing oneself to feel deeply can break down barriers and reveal new possibilities.
Overall, "Feel Flows" is a deeply poetic and introspective song that explores the power of emotions and their role in shaping who we are and the paths we take in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Unfolding enveloping missiles of soul
The intense emotions that we experience are like weapons that surround and penetrate us
Recall senses sadly
These emotions bring back memories that make us feel melancholic
Mirage like soft blue like lanterns below
The soothing and dreamy quality of our memories is like a mirage or gentle illumination
To light the way gladly
These memories guide us and make us happy
Whether whistling heaven's clouds disappear
Even if things seem to be going well, they could change suddenly and without warning
Where the wind withers memory
The passing of time can cause our happy memories to fade away
Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away
Positive experiences can help to dispel negative thoughts and emotions
Feel flows (White hot glistening shadowy flows)
Strong emotions have an intense and dazzling quality, like bright and shimmering shadows
Feel goes (Black hot glistening shadowy flows)
Our feelings can intensify to the point of becoming dark and consuming, like blazing black shadows
Unbending never ending tablets of time
The passage of time is constant and unyielding, marking the moments of our lives like an unchanging record
Record all the yearning
Time documents our desires and longings, preserving them for us to revisit
Unfearing all appearing message divine
We are not afraid of the messages or signs that come to us from the spiritual realm
Eases the burning
These messages and signs can soothe and calm our inner turmoil
Whether willing witness waits at my mind
We are open to receiving the guidance and support of others who are spiritually aware
Whether hope dampens memory
Our hopeful outlook can help to mitigate the sadness associated with our memories
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side
Our willpower and determination can help us to overcome challenges, assisted by spiritual allies
Encasing all embracing wreath of repose
Our emotions can be like a comforting and enveloping blanket that wraps around us
Engulfs all the senses
These emotions completely consume and overwhelm our being
Imposing, unclosing thoughts that compose
Our intense emotions can give rise to powerful and creative thoughts
Retire the fences
These thoughts can break down the mental barriers that separate us from our inner truth
Whether wholly heartened life fades away
Even when we feel fulfilled and content, our lives will eventually come to an end
Whether harps heal the memory
Music and other forms of art can help to soothe and heal the pain associated with our memories
Feel goes (White hot glistening shadowy flows)
Our intense emotions can build up and then suddenly dissipate, like shimmering white shadows
Feel flows (Black hot glistening shadowy flows)
Our emotions can also intensify and linger, like dark and consuming black shadows
Feelings to grow (White hot glistening shadowy flows)
Our emotions have the potential to expand and develop, becoming even more intense and radiant
White hot glistening shadowy flows
Our emotions can be intensely bright and brilliant, like shimmering shadows that glow with a white-hot heat
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Carl Dean Wilson, John III Rieley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@scottslaught
Song interpretation from a website:
I think this song is about a soul going up to Heaven like missile shooting up from earth, traveling through the clouds, and for a moment sadly remembering the senses & sensations of being alive, then looking down and seeing the blue earth shining in patches (like lanterns of blue light) through the misty mirage of the clouds, and it cheers up the soul to see the beautiful earth below, as the soul's life on earth starts to become a faded memory, and a new stage of existence begins for the soul beyond the clouds ("heaven's clouds disappear") in the unknown:
"Unfolding enveloping missiles of soul
Recall senses sadly
Mirage like soft blue like lanterns below
To light the way gladly
Whether whistling heaven's clouds disappear
Where the wind withers memory"
Then a chorus describes the soul being purified before going to Heaven, whisking away the "soft shadows" of even the most minor sins the soul committed while alive, which feels like being purged as the white hot light of Holiness flows in, and the black sins flows out:
"Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away
Feel flows (White hot glistening shadowy flows)
Feel goes (Black hot glistening shadowy flows)"
The next verse is about when the soul is judged according to the eternal tablets of Holy Law (as described in the Bible) before entering Heaven, with all of the soul's deeds and thoughts and yearnings "recorded" like an open book, but the soul isn't afraid because it trusts God will make a righteous Judgement, and the soul hopes and has faith that its good deeds were witnessed even though it didn't keep count, and the soul's "wondrous will" to make the right choices even when it was difficult proves the soul's goodness:
"Unbending never ending tablets of time
Record all the yearning
Unfearing all appearing message divine
Eases the burning
Whether willing witness waits at my mind
Whether hope dampens memory
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side"
The next verse is about the soul being welcomed into the embrace of Heaven, where peacefulness and unity reign, divisions and "fences" are "retired" and don't exist anymore, and beautiful angelic harp music consoles and heals the soul for its beloved ("wholly heartened") life having faded away:
"Encasing all embracing wreath of repose
Engulfs all the senses
Imposing, unclosing thoughts that compose
Retire the fences
Whether wholly heartened life fades away
Whether harps heal the memory
Whether wholly heartened life fades away
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side
Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away"
The song ends by repeating the chorus, reminding souls still alive on earth that a white hot purging process is necessary before entering Heaven, so don't commit sins!
"White hot glistening shadowy flows
White hot glistening shadowy flows
White hot glistening shadowy flows"
@moreblack
Best ending credits to a movie ever.
@gilliankingston8259
Is that a particular movie or that you think it would be excellent to be played over the ending credits of a movie?
@devwhite9867
Almost famous??
@sharronfoxx69
@@gilliankingston8259it’s played during the end credits for the film, “Almost Famous”. It was very fitting and captured the film. Excellent choice by Cameron Crowe. It’s hard to hear this and NOT think about the film. 😊
@nolagospeltracts8264
This is beyond Pet Sounds.
@leetana5166
A song like no other... love Carl's voice. Always think of Almost Famous... 🖤
@carinedupont9376
Another proof that Beach boys-music is made in heaven!!!!
@juliebuys2195
Me too
@theresa42213
leetana ~ AGREED! Soooothing piece with soothing words, and soothing Carl voice. Brian is a wonderful composer indeed!
@markboller4313
Love the movie Almost Famous. Great soundtrack.