Discuss & Rate Beach Boys Songs Day by Day

Those wonderful Wilson brothers, with Bruce on celesta, and Ron Swallow - tambourine. The only vocal "Girl Don't Tell Me" needed was the one Brian wrote it for, Carl.

My favorite way to hear this is on the mono 7" 45. The b-side to "Barbara Ann", the Beach Boys Christmas single, 1965.

 

"Girl Don't Tell Me"

Kind of odd that there are no vocal harmonies, but not really necessary I guess. The song works well enough, I guess, with Carl steering the sailboat with his interesting and youthful lead vocal.

The "grand" or "gran" lyric is a bit odd and awkward, but OK, Brian, you're the boss. There are some unanswered questions, however, that leave the listener guessing. Did the protagonist really think that he would cry in front of a girl and expect her to write him back? Some girls might like crying boys, but not all of them, and probably not this girl.

I'll chalk this song up to some Brian cathartis at work, trying to free himself of some sort of girl trouble or mommy issues. It works on that cathartic level, but isn't a top shelf song, when you really listen to it. It's a tragic tale of crying and an unresolved expected letter writing relationship that never transpired. There's no resolution. There's no Murry entering the song (ala Marilyn in "Let's Put Our Hearts Together) and telling Carl to fight for romantic success. It's just one big poutfest.

The song presents a snooty "It's My Party" kind of vibe that doesn't really fight for success. Telling the girl not to tell him she'll write him is kinda lame. If he really wants to give her the business, he should toilet paper and egg her house. That'll teach her not to write him a consarn letter. Chicks dig toilet papering of the house, as it shows that you care enough to spend time and effort on her.

3/5

 

Your ratings for Girl Don't Tell Me:
1-0 vote
2-0 vote
3-1 vote
4-1 vote
5-7 votes

 

Today's song is Help Me, Rhonda:

 

Help Me, Rhonda - Hey, it's one of only four number-ones for BB in Billboard single chart. It's great in a catchy way, and it has to be 5/5.

 

No question 5/5 and a big improvement over the previous version.

 

Agreed. One of the essential Beach Boys’ performances. 5/5

 

5/5. NOt much to say about it though.

 

Help Me Rhonda - maybe their greatest achievement. Everybody sings along. You can't help it. I remember being at the 2012 reunion show, and by the end of Help Me Rhonda every man, woman, and child in the venue, from the front row to the balcony and back on the lawn as far as the eye could see, were singing along. It was an amazing force of positivity, and you could see the band on the stage responding to it. Brian might even have turned his head ever so slightly toward the audience to catch a quick glimpse of the magic his song had created. I'll never forget that moment until the day I die. If we could bottle this we could change the world.

5/5

 

5/5

How could it not be a 5/5?

Hugely improved over the first version.

 

5/5. Great bass line in the intro, and just the fact that he opens with vocal and bass is cool. Lots of cool stuff happening in this song.

 

Help Me, Rhonda
Essential Beach Boys. Al does great, it's an amazing melody and arrangement, a well-deserved #1 hit and another one of those great '60s pop songs that just sounds so darn effortlessly happy.

5/5

 

Kind of interesting how there wasn't a second thought about re-vamping an already recorded and released tune and including it on the very next album. Terry Melcher (of Bruce and Terry and The Rip Chords) recognised Help Me Rhonda's potential and recorded a version and told Brian Wilson they wanted to release it as a single and Wilson asked him not to as he had a new version planned. Melcher respected his wishes.

Jan & Dean had done the same thing with Dead Man's Curve in late 1963 / early 1964. The tune first appeared as an album cut on the Drag City album from November 1963, then was re-worked and vastly improved for single release some months later and appeared on the Dead Man's Curve / The New Girl In School album in March 1964.

Seems like nobody thought the fans would mind. To be fair, I never minded. The re-worked versions were improvements.

 

Fantastic Al lead with an incredible Brian arrangement make it a strong 5. Only wish Brian had assigned Al(and Carl) more leads back in the day as he had/has an amazing voice but band politics and egos most likely prevented that from happening even way back then.

 

4/5. Might have helped record sales, but they should not have put another version on the album. Single - and save it for a Best of.

 

Your ratings for Help Me, Rhonda:
1-0 vote
2-0 vote
3-0 vote
4-1 vote
5-9 votes

 

Today's song is California Girls:

 

California Girls - absolute 5/5. Basically it's a Pet Sounds song without introspective lyrics.

 

That it is. Brian Wilson reached a new production plateau with this -- and that magical intro. Interesting hearing Bruce Johnston on the outro. Long before I found out he was on the record, I'd hear that voice and think to myself, "who is that?"

5/5

 

5/5 even though it never moved me, not ever, but I can appreciate the musical and production values.

 

CG - 5/5. Perfect.

 

California Girls
5/5, of course. Brian Wilson's genius is on full display. It's one of the most perfectly arranged pop singles I know I've ever heard. The intro is a piece of brilliance all on its own, and then the rest of the song comes and is also perfect. I actually quite like the lyrics. They make me feel nostalgic, as if I was there in 1965 looking back on the first half of the decade.

 

5/5 I think their most iconic song

 

5/5 When a song you've heard a million times gets better with each listen, you've achieved perfection.

 

I said the same thing and it's the only complaint I had about the song. I never felt that he fit in to the mix on CG or some other songs he sang with them. Regardless, the song rates a 5.