"My Solution" is a song by the 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 ...
that was recorded during the early sessions for their 1971 album ''
Surf's Up''. It is a novelty
Halloween song that features
Brian Wilson doing an impression of
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...
over a descending chord progression and test-tube sound effects.
The recording was officially released on the 2021 compilation ''
Feel Flows''.
Background
"My Solution" was written by Brian Wilson and recorded on October 31, 1970, shortly before the sessions for the group's album ''
Surf's Up''.
Photographs of the session show the band in Halloween costumes, including Wilson, whose face was painted green ''a la''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...
.
Band archivist
Alan Boyd said: "It’s kind of jokey track, Brian is playing a mad scientist and talking like
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...
while the Beach Boys are singing (recites lyrics) 'What I have done with my solution, my instant aim to evolution.'"
His colleague
Mark Linett
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fin ...
surmised, "It's just having the studio in the house, and deciding, 'Let’s do a Halloween-inspired, clubhouse kind of event.' I don’t know that it was ever intended to be released."
In a 1976 interview, Brian said: "We have a song called 'My Solution' which is a very odd song that has chromatic – strange chords, not regular triad chords. The notes are bunched up. It tells the story about how a guy found an old damsel outside his castle and decided to make her part of an experiment. ... It's about a guy who found his solution. It's a very odd, Boris Karloff eerie type of thing, so it's one of our more far out, left-field things that we've done."
Biographer
David Leaf
David Leaf (born April 20, 1952) is a Peabody and WGAW award-winning writer, director, and producer, known for his associations with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys since the late 1970s.
Leaf's 1978 biography ''The Beach Boys and the California ...
mentions "My Solution" in the 1985 edition of his 1978 biography ''
The Beach Boys and the California Myth
''The Beach Boys and the California Myth'' is a 1978 biography of the Beach Boys that was authored by American writer David Leaf, editor and creator of the ''Pet Sounds'' fanzine. It was the first full-length book written about the band, and an ...
'':
Another attempt at "My Solution" was recorded during the summer of 1980, though no vocals were recorded.
This version was retitled "Song Within a Song" in medley with "
Shortenin' Bread".
"Happy Days"
In 1998, Wilson reworked the melody into the verse of a new song, "Happy Days", for his solo album ''
Imagination''.
Personnel
Credits from Craig Slowinski
The Beach Boys
*
Al Jardine
Alan Charles Jardine (born September 3, 1942) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best known as the band's rhythm guitarist and for occasionally singing lead vocals on singles such as " Help Me, Rh ...
- group 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 ...
- group vocals
*
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 ...
- group vocals
*
Brian Wilson - group vocals, narration, Hammond organ,
Moog synthesizers, drums
*
Carl Wilson - group vocals, electric guitars (fed through a Moog)
See also
*
List of unreleased songs recorded by the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys recorded myriad songs, instrumentals, and alternate versions of tracks that have never been officially released. Only recordings that have been reliably confirmed to have existed are listed here. Some of these tracks circulate on ...
References
External links
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The Beach Boys songs
Halloween songs
Songs written by Brian Wilson
Song recordings produced by Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys bootleg recordings
2021 songs