"Feel Flows" is a song recorded by American rock band

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

from their 1971 album '' Surf's Up''. It was written by guitarist Carl Wilson and band manager

Jack Rieley John Frank Rieley III (November 24, 1942 – April 17, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and disc jockey who managed the Beach Boys between mid-1970 and late 1973. He is credited with guiding them back to popular acclaim and was ...

, and was one of Wilson's first songs.

Background and recording

The basic track of "Feel Flows" was recorded before Wilson asked Rieley to pen lyrics for the song. In 1971, Wilson explained to ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' how he produced the keyboard sound effects: Asked about the song in a 2013 interview, Rieley said: Wilson's lead vocals were recorded using

reverse echo Reverse echo and reverse reverb are sound effects created as the result of recording an echo or reverb effect of an audio recording played backwards. The original recording is then played forwards accompanied by the recording of the echoed or rever ...

. The saxophone and flute were both played by jazz musician Charles Lloyd, as

Mike Love Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bas ...

commented, "It's amazing. It's unlike anything we ever did."

Reception

Biographer

Jon Stebbins Jon Stebbins is a Los Osos, California-based musician, songwriter, documentary producer and author of four books about The Beach Boys, as well as two other books. Music career Stebbins was a member of a music band called 'The Point' which was ac ...

identified the song as a highlight on ''Surf's Up''. He said that Jack Rieley's lyrics were "nonsensical but fit Carl's airy jazz-rock song perfectly. The trippy phasing and synthesizer elements in 'Feel Flows,' which are tailor-made for a stoner's headphones, undoubtedly delighted more than a few hippies who stumbled upon the ''Surf's Up'' LP. ... as modern and progressive as the majority of 'heavy' music in the mainstream rock world of 1971." Conversely, biographer

Peter Ames Carlin Peter Ames Carlin (born March 13, 1963) is an American journalist, critic and biographer who has written for publications such as ''People'' magazine, ''The New York Times Magazine'', '' The Los Angeles Times Magazine'', and ''The Oregonian''. Seve ...

criticized the lyrics as "impossibly cryptic". ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

''s Jamie Atkins wrote that, "despite the hamfisted lyrics", the song "remains sonically intriguing, with the lightness of touch and natural feel for arranging that had served Brian so well."

''Almost Famous''

Director

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...

used the song twice in his 2000 film ''

Almost Famous ''Almost Famous'' is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe, and starring Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, and Patrick Fugit. It tells the story of a teenage journalist writing for ''Rolling Stone ...

''. It first plays during a scene in which the protagonist meets a

groupie The term groupie is a slang word that refers to a fan of a particular musical group who follows the band around while they are on tour or who attends as many of their public appearances as possible, with the hope of meeting them. The term is us ...

, and reappears during the closing credits. Crowe cited "Feel Flows" as his favorite Beach Boys song and explained that it contains "the happy/sad greatness that defines the group and the timelessness that allows The Beach Boys to tower over any attempt to classify them as simple poster boys for the California experience. It is the essence of the fulfilled promise of The Beach Boys and everything Brian envisioned for their creative journey." According to biographer Mark Dillon, the song received "new life from exposure in the film and inclusion on its Grammy Award–winning soundtrack."

Other uses

* In 1972, the song was used in the surfing documentary ''

Five Summer Stories ''Five Summer Stories'' is a 1972 surf film by Jim Freeman and Greg MacGillivray of MacGillivray Freeman Films. The last film of the genre by the duo, it explores the joy of surfing amid the backdrop of 1970s political and environmental problem ...

''. * In 2005, it appeared on a compilation album of music that has inspired the Welsh indie-psychedelic pop band the

Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian Ciar ...

titled ''Under the Influence''. * In 2021, the song's title was adopted for '' Feel Flows'', an archival release dedicated to the band's '' Sunflower'' and ''Surf's Up'' period.

Personnel

Credits from Craig Slowinski and Tom Nolan The Beach Boys * Carl Wilson – lead and backing vocals, vocal noises, electric guitar, bass guitar, pianos, pianos w/ taped strings, Baldwin organ, Moog synthesizer, jingle sticks * Brian Wilson – backing vocals *

Bruce Johnston Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a member of the Beach Boys. Johnston also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bru ...

– backing vocals Additional musicians * Stephen W. Desper - Moog programming * Charles Lloyd – tenor saxophone, flute *Diane Rovell - backing vocals *

- vocal noises *Woody Theus – bass drum, jingle sticks *

Marilyn Wilson Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford (née Rovell; born February 6, 1948) is an American singer who is best known as the first wife of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Raised in Los Angeles, she started her singing career in the late 1950s, initially as part ...

- backing vocals

References

{{authority control 1971 songs The Beach Boys songs Progressive pop songs Songs written by Carl Wilson Songs written by Jack Rieley Song recordings produced by the Beach Boys