Meaning of Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys

Three Grammy nominations, a top 10 spot on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, number one positions on the major charts in the US, the UK and several other countries are just some of the achievements of the famous song Good Vibrations. , which in 1966 made all music lovers happy by the legendary American rock band The Beach Boys.

The history of creation and the meaning of the song Good Vibrations

The composition was written by Brian Wilson (music, arrangement) and Mike Love (lyrics, chorus vocal riff).

According to Wilson, the main idea for the song came from his mother:

My mother often spoke to me about vibes. I didn’t really understand what she meant when I was a boy. Both the word “vibes” and the idea that such invisible emotions exist scared me. She also told me that dogs bark at some people and don’t bark at others, so we used to talk about good vibes.

Rolling stone

Some listeners think that the text resembles a description of the condition, which is commonly called “acid travel”. Considering that Wilson had extensive experience with LSD, this version does not seem unbelievable. However, not a single line of the song mentions drugs.

Mike Love, speaking about the history of the song Good Vibrations, claimed that he wanted to express the mood of the era in it, with its hippies, “summer of love” and psychedelic music:

It was a flower-inspired thing. Scott McKenzie wrote, “If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear a flower in your hair,” and that’s when “universal love” and all that was about to begin.
… Good Vibrations’ music was very psychedelic and unique in its way. It was just the instrumentals that were quite different from anything we’d done, like Surfin’ USA, California Girls, I Get Around and Fun, Fun, Fun, which I had a hand in making. I wanted to do something that captures the feeling of that life path and that time, but at the same time understandable to people. But I felt like this music was such an aberration and who knew how the Beach Boys fans would take it.
One of the never fading things I’ve learned is the boy/girl relationship, the attraction of a boy and a girl to each other. So I composed that catchy part of the chorus. It didn’t exist until I had this thought. It’s about “I’m pickin’ up good vibrations, she’s giving me the excitations”. Whether or not the word ‘excitations’ [«возбуждение»] in Webster’s Dictionary, it rhymes pretty well with “good vibrations”. It was something of a flowery, energetic poem that was meant to fit the zeitgeist and complement the surprisingly unique track that Cousin Brian had composed.

SongFacts.com

Brian was literally obsessed with the composition and called it a “pocket symphony”. Work on the song was carried out in several studios over the course of seventeen sessions, stretching over two months. The band members did not play Good Vibrations themselves, relying on session musicians. At least twelve of them were involved, so it is difficult to say who exactly performed the parts that were included in the final version. In total, about fifty thousand dollars were spent on the recording, which made the track the most expensive in history (at least for that day).

Release and achievements

The release of the single Good Vibrations was preceded by an unusual advertising campaign. First, a note appeared in Billboard thanking the listeners for the high sales of the Pet Sounds album. The article said that the record brought the band members “only good vibes” (“…nothing but good vibrations”). Later, the musicians used this expression several times in interviews with various publications, arousing public interest.

The single Good Vibrations was released in October 1966. Its back offered the instrumental Let’s Go Away For Awhile. It topped the Billboard Hot 100, the UK Singles Chart and the charts in several other countries.

In 1966, the song was nominated for a Grammy in several categories. It is featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll and Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Also, the composition is included in many other well-known ratings of the best tracks.

Clip Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys

Four music videos were made for Good Vibrations. Let’s see the one that is named official on the band’s YouTube channel.

Interesting Facts

Until 1994, Mike Love was officially not considered a co-author of Good Vibrations and many other The Beach Boys songs that were created with his participation.
In 2005, a musical called Good Vibrations, based on the work of the group, was presented on Broadway.

Good Vibrations Lyrics

II love the colorful clothes she wears
And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair
I hear the sound of a gentle word
On the wind that lifts her perfume through the air

chorus:
I’m pickin’ up good vibrations
She’s giving me excitations
I’m pickin’ up good vibrations
She’s giving me excitations
Good, good, good, good vibrations
She’s giving me excitations
Good, good, good, good vibrations
She’s giving me excitations

Close my eyes, she’s somehow closer now
Softly smile, I know she must be kind
When I look in her eyes
She goes with me to a blossom world

(Ahh)
(Ah, my my, what elation)
I don’t know where but she sends me there
(Oh, my my, what a sensation)
(Oh, my my, what elation)
(Oh my my what)

Gotta keep those lovin’ good vibrations a-happenin’ with her
Gotta keep those lovin’ good vibrations a-happenin’ with her
Gotta keep those lovin’ good vibrations a-happenin’

Good Vibrations Lyrics

I like her colorful clothes
And the way the sun plays in her hair
I hear the sound of a gentle word
In the wind that carries the scent of her perfume

Chorus:
I catch good vibes
She turns me on
I catch good vibes
She turns me on
Good, good, good vibes
She turns me on
Good, good, good, good vibes
She turns me on

Close my eyes, now for some reason she’s closer
Gently smile, I know she must be kind
When I look into her eyes
She goes with me to the blooming world

(Oh)
(Ah, God, what a delight)
I don’t know where, but she sends me there
(Oh God, what a feeling)
(Oh God, what a delight)
(Oh my God what a…)

Will always love the good vibes from her
Will always love the good vibes from her
I will always love the good vibes coming from…