The 10 best songs by The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys is an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. Its original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and family friend Al Jardine.

SSPDaily writes, "The Beach Boys were one of the most influential bands of the '60s, distinguished by vocal harmony, teenage lyrics, and musical ingenuity. When creating their unique compositions, they were guided by old pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and black R&B. The musicians also often used classical and jazz elements and unconventional recording methods."

Here are the 10 best songs of this band according to the publication.

Wouldn't It Be Nice

"Wouldn't It Be Nice" is the opening track from the 1966 album Pet Sounds. Written by Brian Wilson, Tony Usher, and Mike Love, the song features a complex Wall of Sound arrangement, exquisite vocal performance, and is considered one of the band's best songs and a formative work of power and progressive pop.

Don't Worry Baby

"Don't Worry Baby" is a song by The Beach Boys from their album Shut Down Volume 2, released in March 1964. It was written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian.

The lyrics depict a boastful man who agrees to drag racing (racing, sprinting), which he later regrets, and his girlfriend comforts the "hero" with the main phrase of the song.

Originally, "Don't Worry Baby" was offered to the Ronettes, but it was rejected by their producer, and Wilson had to produce the song for his own band.

In My Room

"In My Room" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher. It was released on the 1963 album Surfer Girl. The single reached number 23 in the United States and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song is also ranked 212th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Caroline, No

"Caroline, No" is a song by Brian Wilson, released as his first solo record on March 7, 1966, and re-released two months later as the final track on the album Pet Sounds.

The lyrics, co-written with Tony Usher, describe a disillusioned man reflecting on his former love affair.

Musically, the composition features jazz chords and an unusual combination of instruments, including a bass flute, 12-string electric guitar, and a muted harpsichord.

I Know There's an Answer

"I Know There's an Answer" (also known as "Hang On to Your Ego") is a song by The Beach Boys from the album Pet Sounds. Written by Brian Wilson, Terry Sachin, and Mike Love, it was inspired by Wilson's experience with the drug LSD and his struggle with his own ego.

Musically, the composition features colorful arrangements, an unconventional structure, and a bass harmonica solo. Instrumentation also includes guitars, tambourine, piano, banjo, clarinets, flutes, electric keyboards and timpani.

Good Vibrations

"Good Vibrations" was written by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and immediately became a commercial hit, topping the charts in several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. It was the most expensive single ever recorded by The Beach Boys, characterized by complex soundscapes, episodic structure, and a rejection of the pop music formula,

Later, "Good Vibrations" was widely recognized as one of the best and most important works of the rock and roll era.

God Only Knows

"God Only Knows" is a song by The Beach Boys from the album Pet Sounds. It is a baroque love song, characterized by harmonic innovation and complexity, unusual instrumentation, and subversion of typical conventions of popular music, both lyrically and musically. It is often called one of the greatest songs of all time and the best by the Beach Boys.

Some critics have interpreted "God Only Knows" as promoting suicidal ideation, although the songwriters did not intend this interpretation. Others have compared the song's deceptively elaborate harmonic structure to the works of classical composers such as Delibes, Bach, and Stravinsky.

California Girls

"California Girls" is a song by The Beach Boys from their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). The lyrics, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, describe the respect for women around the world in detail, but they can not be compared to women from California, the band's home state.

The hit was released as a single along with "Let Him Run Wild" and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also reached the top ten in several other countries, becoming one of the band's most successful songs in its history.

Surf's Up

"Surf's Up" is a song by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks. It was originally intended for Smile, an unfinished Beach Boys album canceled in 1967, and then became the final track of the band's 1971 album Surf's Up.

I Get around

"I Get around" is the opening track from the 1964 album All Summer Long. The autobiographical lyrics, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, describe the band's reaction to their newfound fame and success, as well as their unease with the status quo and their desire to find new places "where kids will be in fashion."

The track was released as a single on May 11, 1964 and became one of the biggest hits in America since the "British Invasion". It also became the Beach Boys' first hit to reach number one on the US charts and launched an unofficial rivalry between Wilson and the Beatles. The single topped the Canadian charts and entered the top ten in the UK, New Zealand and Sweden. In 2017, "I Get Around" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.