The SMiLE Project

If you don’t know about the smile project, it’s one of the most famous unfinished albums in all of history. The Beach Boys (mainly Brian Wilson) was working on what he called “a teenage symphony to God” when life stress eventually led him to drop the project and back out of writing all the songs for the Beach Boys. 

As someone who loved Pet Sounds the first time I heard it all the way through (the album before SMiLE), I just had to give it a listen. If you haven't heard pet sounds go listen to it!!! Seriously, it has so many great songs! Anyway, I just had to hear what SMiLE was all about.

But it was never finished right?

Well yes, technically it was never finished at all. Some songs were never recorded for it (the element songs for example, only Fire was recorded). But in 2011, the Beach Boys released the Smile Sessions as a reconstruction of the original idea only using recordings from the original recording of the album. This is how I was able to listen to what some argue would’ve been the most influential album of the 1960s.

So what do I think? (Warning: My Music Opinions Ahead)

After listening through the entire album front to back without interruption twice, I came to this conclusion: SMiLE is a very experimental album for its time, and once you get past that there is a lot of beauty to be found. That said, not every track is the holy grail of psychedelic composition. Below is my categorization of every main track on the album into 4 categories.

Great-

Good-

Fine-

Skip-

So now you know my ranking, I’m gonna break down each song's place and what I like/dislike about it. I’ll discuss its place on the album and things I find interesting about it (Warning: SMiLE enthusiasts, I just listened to the album, I don’t know everything about it). I don’t know how close any of these songs were to their original ideas and I won’t be going too in depth. Regardless… HERE WE GOOOOOO

Track Listing:

Our Prayer-

Starting off the album, this choral-like piece definitely sets the stage for a very different type of album than most listeners would expect from the Beach Boys, even after Pet Sounds. I think this song is Great due to its amazing harmonies and ethereal quality that draws you into the album. (It’s also short too, making you just want more of those sweet voices without tiring your ear). Brian’s work as an arranger is really set on display here as the entire track is purely vocals. This allows listeners to hear his beautiful vocal arrangements without having to find an acapella version.

Gee-

While the previous track was a brief introduction to the album, Gee is a brief introduction to the Heroes and Villains theme that will come up throughout the album. The song is built out of three parts, the introduction, the Heroes And Villains theme, and the coda. The introduction helps transition from the acapella voices of Our Prayer, and shift it into a more typical popular song format. Then, the theme is introduced which will be the main subject of the next song. Finally, the brass coda, with stylings comparable to George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue, closes this song off as well as the next. This song is Good, and serves a great functional role in the album, but as a stand alone song, it is not a skip, but it isn’t super strong either.

Heroes And Villains-

Finally, the first BIG song on the album! Heroes And Villains is the center of the first part of the album and its theme can be found in a number of songs throughout the album including the last track Gee, and the next one. Its upbeat story-driven verses contrast with the more ominous parts that simply repeat the title of the song along with “just see what you’ve done”. This is broken by the “Margarita” section which brings the listener into a cantina where the singer shows his more melancholic side. This is quickly broken by “You’re under Arrest!” and an acapella siren which sweeps the listener into the next section of the song. This is then followed by the “boys and girls” section (one of my favorite parts), which is one of the most harmonically beautiful parts of the song. This leads into what I call “the breakdown” which rehashing ideas from the first verse in slower and more contemplative ways. Then the ominous section returns with its creeping bass and dragging chains to remind you that, yes, this is the same song. Finally, a beautiful, stunning, best climb ever up a scale pushes the listener right into the coda. A wild west inspired section that ends with the same brassy horn as Gee. Overall, this song is one of the best on the album and this version of Heroes And Villains will always be my favorite. This is a Great song, not only for it’s storytelling and sweeping sections, but also for it’s cohesion despite containing so many different sections. It's such a good song, I can’t get over it.

Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock)-

Ok, the exceptional streak is over, this song is Fine. Besides the little Heroes And Villains section (the theme returns!) this song doesn’t have a whole lot going on. I do like the parts with lyrics, but the plodding sections before always feel unnecessary to me. I wouldn’t skip this song, but it isn’t pulling a lot of weight on its own. I like the rehashing of the ominous section of Heroes And Villains with “bicycle riding”. The following section I find quite calming, with its lush vocal landscape drawing the listener in. The end section returns to the Heroes And Villains theme but with a bit of a twist that I enjoy (and then ending with the siren). Overall, it’s a decent song, but is much improved by the context of the album around it. Alone, it’s just alright and makes me want to listen to Heroes And Villains.

I’m In Great Shape-

This song has a very echoey mallet/keyboard instrument that grows more chaotic over its short 27 second long run. The vocals feel a little rough but they work in the song and overall I like it. Overall, I’m In Great Shape is not great, but Good (and if you don’t like it you only have to wait 27 seconds).

Barnyard-

Barnyard is a very interesting song, it’s filled with animal sounds and a piano track that almost drowns the vocals. It has good harmonies and an overall fun vibe (plus it’s short so it can sustain that without becoming old). With that in mind, Barnyard is Fine. 

My Only Sunshine/The Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine-

There is something very emotional about this song. The slow melting vocals melding with the strings create a distant, nostalgic, and melancholic sound that I could listen to for a while. But to make sure it doesn’t get too old, a little changeup takes place halfway through the song and shifts to revisit the vibes of the Heroes And Villains coda section during the fade out. Overall, this song is quite Good, but it just lacks the distinct features that the other great songs have on this album to make the cut.

Cabin Essence-

Ok to get this out before I start; The thing I like the most about this song is the “doing doing doing” part. Ok, with that said, this song goes between (what I would consider) a mediocre banjo section and what can only be described as the most intense vocal warm up of all time. Together, they somehow balance each other out enough to make it Fine on my ranking. The end of the song introduces the vibes that constitute a number of songs from the middle of the album. I will call this the “Surfs Up/Child” vibe. This vibe takes us into the next section of the album.

Wonderful-

This song's odd chord progression that balances between predictable and chaotic provides the perfect base for a Great song. The vocals are soft and capture the lyrics of a girl who returns to her wonderful world after experiencing heartbreak in the real world. The gentle harpsichord and horn lines support the lush harmonies of this song and it's so perfect. And it comes to its zenith when everything comes together and they sing “wonderful”.

Look (Song For Children)-

This song alternates between a few themes of this album. I see this song as mainly a contextual song that hops between the slow moving chords of the Wonderful and Surfs Up vibe (not actually the same progressions) and the more pointed staccato vibe of The Child Is The Father Of The Man (which this song goes into). Together these “vibes” as I call them act as the Heroes And Villains of the middle of this album and tie everything together. This song is the centerpiece of that interconnection but lacks any originality in itself. That fact alone unfortunately makes this song just Fine. Unless listened to in the context of the album, this song just leaves you wanting the sources of all the motifs and themes it contains. Even the march-like children's song sections serve as very early echoes of Good Vibrations and its thematic elements. I find this all very interesting but not particularly amazing as a stand alone song.

Child Is Father Of The Man-

I like this song, the quick, and surrounding chants of “the child, the child, the child” really draw me in for some reason. It exists within the vibe of Surf’s Up as far as mood is concerned and I also like that about the song. The harmonies are beautiful (I’m a sucker for harmonies ok), and they grow more intense as the song builds which lends itself to the feeling of being drowned in a storm that washes you up in the next song. I don’t know what they are singing about to be honest but it’s a vibe ok? 

Surf’s Up-

This song has some very artistic lyrics, whether you like that or not, it certainly adds to the feeling of this song. That’s what I think is important about it, the feeling. Each section of the verse is capped by whispers of “bygone, bygone” which are haunting yet comforting and always send chills down my spine. Each chorus starts with a large build to a clean cadence and then resets to start again. As the song builds, so do the sounds of gingling metal, glockenspiels, and brass slides and stabs that only build the feeling as the song grows. Then, the song turns into a new section with an alternative verse and chorus. I like this part less, but it works with the previous section's groundwork. This song is pretty Great, I haven’t heard a song with this specific atmosphere and it does a perfect job of fulfilling it. Finally, as the song fades away, Child Is The Father Of The Man returns to quickly bookend the song, and it's over.

I Wanna Be Around/Workshop-

After the sweeping vibes and feelings of the previous few tracks, now we get to relax to the vibes (vibraphone haha), which is great until the upsetting workshop noises start. And listen, ok, I KNOW IT'S IN THE TITLE! But I don’t like it that much, and because of that, this little track is a Skip. However, in context of the album it works well enough to potentially not skip, plus somebody screams “ow!” so that's fun and quirky.

Vega-Tables-

This song is bonkers. I love “most of all” some might say (it's part of the lyrics). The harmonized laughter is the most insane part of this song, followed closely by the crunching, coughing, and mouth popping. Outside of this, the song switches between the “vegetables” section and the “brush a lot” section. I like how they play off of each other and sort of ignore a lot of the other themes of this album and do their own thing together. However, this doesn’t stop this song from totally fitting right into the album! It’s a Great song and it keeps growing on me the more I listen. (I might just be slowly losing it to this song though). Another important mention would be the ukulele coda with those sliding “ah” vocals which I enjoy quite a bit.

Holidays-

This song switches between what I would describe as a Thomas the Tank Engine piece (I like Thomas music, the classic stuff) and a reprise of the I’m In Great Shape instruments if they were playing a worse song. Overall, these factors along with the cool end section with rolling marimbas and quiet harmonies makes this song Fine.

Wind Chimes-

Wind Chimes really sounds like a song that could have been on Pet Sounds with different instrumentation. However, that said, it wouldn’t be a particularly good song even then. This one is pretty boring to me outside of the big sections that punctuate the song after the first section. Overall, I think this song is a Skip for me and I don’t have a lot to say about it. I don’t hate it, but I don’t find it that interesting.

The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow)-

This song feels like being on fire. The crazy whistles and sirens with the constant chromatic up and down of the background instruments really captures the vibe of the panic that fire brings. The next section feels like the pain of fire, the screeching almost feels like screams mixed with sirens that are much closer. This atmosphere is almost ironically pierced by vocals that seem to not care for the people in the fire at all. It’s a great depiction of how scary fire can be without being too scary in itself as a song. This song also has what could totally be a heavier song starting at the end of it which is not the vibe I ever get from the Beach Boys. Despite being so good at depicting fire, this is the only element song on the album (apparently Wind Chimes doesn’t count), and it doesn’t fit in as cleanly with the rest of the album. Alone, it’s worse because it does such a good job creating a feeling of fire that it doesn’t take time to create anything catchy or melodic. Because of all of this, it's a Fine song.

Love To Say Dada-

This song is very ethereal and echoey. It almost doesn’t feel like a song but an atmosphere that a video game character might hear entering an abandoned but magic cave. This of course is punctuated by piano and clip-clopping percussion and a “wawa” section that brings together some elements from other songs in the album. As the second to last track on the song, I understand this recap's purpose. But even then it barely stands within the album let alone by itself. Therefore, this one is a Skip. (Sorry guys, just not a big fan of this one).

Good Vibrations-

Alright, this is it, the most famous song on this album. Good Vibrations holds down the end of this album as the final theme that spans this albums numerous tracks. Despite not being in as many songs as the Heroes And Villains theme was, it still is able to wield a certain power over the album's shape. This is a Great song, the driving cellos holding the floor for rising harmonies is so unique yet easily gets into my head. The theremin adds more unique sounds to this song along with flutes that together fill out the high end of this song's frequencies (the cellos and organ help fill in the bass alongside the regular bass parts). This song loses intensity as it goes on as it slows down section after section. However, this doesn’t make it any less catchy or engaging as it goes on. After winding down to just a single shaker (and then building up a little bit), it erupts into a big harmony that will live forever in my mind as one of the best sounds I’ve ever heard (that “ah” is so good guys). Then it goes right back into the chorus before working its way to the end. From there it fades out as the cellos, flutes, and theremin dance around each other and that's it, the album is over.

Final Thoughts

Ok, that was a lot, I know. The funny thing is I barely scratched the surface of these songs' complexities, this album is much like a progressive album in the sense that it can yield many new discoveries over many listens. As I’m writing this section now, I have heard every song on the album 4 times at least (some of my favorites I’ve heard dozens of times), and each time I listened I picked up on more things in each track. This chaotic and crazy album won’t disappoint and while I do believe that the hype of “the best album ever” and the “greatest musical tragedy of all time” are overstated, this is still a great album. 

I implore you all to listen to the album once all the way through, that's it, and see if you find any songs that might make it onto your next playlist. This was a super fun dive into this album I recently have been exposed to and I can’t wait to dive into some more stuff soon.

That's the end ! (I don’t know how else to end it)