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
The Warmth of the Sun
The Beach Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That grows into day
The sunset at night
Or living this way
For I have the warmth of the sun
(Warmth of the sun)
Within me at night
The love of my life
She left me one day
I cried when she said
"I don't feel the same way"
Still I have the warmth of the sun
(Warmth of the sun)
Within me tonight
(Within me tonight)
I'll dreams of her arms
And though they're not real
Just like she's still there
The way that I feel
My love's like the warmth of the sun
(Warmth of the sun)
It won't ever die
(It won't ever die)
In The Beach Boys' ballad "The Warmth of the Sun," the singer is left heartbroken and alone after the love of his life leaves him behind. He waxes poetic about the beauty of the sun's rays, but begins to question their worth given his current emotional state. The dawn, the sunset, and living the way he is all seem trivial compared to the one love he has lost. However, in the chorus, he comes to a realization that, like the literal warmth of the sun, he has the "warmth" of his love inside him, and it will always be there to comfort him, even in the darkest of nights. He dreams of her and even though she is not physically present, their love is just as timeless as the sun.
This song speaks to the universal human experiences of loss, heartbreak, and longing. The Beach Boys use the sun as a metaphor for something vast, powerful and eternal, but also something that can bring warmth and comfort in our darkest moments. Though the singer may be lost in the night, the warmth of the sun remains, a beacon guiding him through his pain. The lyrics remind us that even when everything else around us seems to fade away, the love we carry inside us will always endure.
Line by Line Meaning
What good is the dawn
What is the use of the morning sun
That grows into day
When it becomes daytime
The sunset at night
Or the evening sunset
Or living this way
Or living life like this
For I have the warmth of the sun
But I still have the warmth of the sun within me
(Warmth of the sun)
Within me at night
Even at night
(Within me at night)
The love of my life
The woman I loved the most
She left me one day
Left me alone one day
I cried when she said
I wept when she told me
"I don't feel the same way"
"I do not have the same feelings anymore"
Still I have the warmth of the sun
Nevertheless, I still have the warmth of the sun within me
(Warmth of the sun)
Within me tonight
Even tonight
(Within me tonight)
I'll dreams of her arms
I will still dream of her embrace
And though they're not real
Even though they are not actually happening
Just like she's still there
It feels like she is still present
The way that I feel
This is how I feel
My love's like the warmth of the sun
My love is akin to the warmth of the sun
(Warmth of the sun)
It won't ever die
It will never die
(It won't ever die)
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHAEL LOVE, BRIAN WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Kokomo
This song is an absolute classic and I love the way that it lists all the major destinations in the Caribbean.
Philip Kassabian
on Surfin' U.S.A.
A great song by The Beach Boys hit all the major surfing destinations.
Philip Kassabian
on Catch a Wave
This song really gets you in the mood for surfing.
Philip Kassabian
on Surfer Girl
What a splendid song by The Beach Boys. They really were a great band.
Philip Kassabian
on Wouldn't It Be Nice
One of the greatest Beach Boys songs.
Les lumb
on Surf's Up
Love Good Vibrations ,God Only Knows however this is my fav Beach Boys song
Les lumb
on San Miguel
It captures the mood of the place, very atmospheric
Les lumb
on Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) [Single Version]
Great version by the Beach Boys it flows
Les lumb
on Break Away
Soothing
Leslie Lumb
on Break Away
Love the opening verses beautiful words