| "Love and Mercy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Brian Wilson | ||||
| from the album Brian Wilson | ||||
| B-side | He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move | |||
| Released | July 1, 1988 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:56 | |||
| Label | Sire Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Brian Wilson | |||
| Producer | Brian Wilson Russ Titelman |
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| Brian Wilson singles chronology | ||||
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"Love and Mercy" is a song written by Brian Wilson for his 1988 debut solo album Brian Wilson. The song was released as a single on July 1, 1988 with the B-side of the single being "He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body to Move". The single however, failed to chart in either the United States or the United Kingdom, despite receiving mass critical acclaim. The song features Brian Wilson on lead vocals, as well as a lot of the backing vocals.
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The song was originally credited to both Brian Wilson and his controversial therapist Eugene Landy. However on later issues of Brian's debut album and subsequent re-makes and live performances of the song, the credit was amended to only include Wilson as the sole composer of the song.
The song originally included lyrics to another verse. The lyrics weren't used in the finished version but Wilson did perform the song with the added verse on a televised performance. The extra lyrics as performed by Wilson were:
"I was praying to a god who just doesn't seem to hear,
Oh, the blessings we need the most are what we all fear."
The "Love And Mercy" single backed with the rare B-side "He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move" was released through Sire Records in the United States in July, 1988, and in the United Kingdom in August 1988. It failed to make any impact on the charts.
A re-recording of the song was issued through Oglio Records as a single in November, 2005 along with a new Wilson composition, "Walking Down The Path of Life", that could only be purchased on the internet. A special Brian Wilson-autographed edition was also available for purchase at a much steeper price. According to the website responsible for selling the single, the proceeds from the single were to be put towards helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
"Love And Mercy" was first released on an album in 1988 on Brian Wilson's self-titled debut album with production by Brian and Russ Titelman. On later CD re-issues of Brian's debut album, the song has been released as a bonus track without the lead vocal. A re-make of the song was recorded for the 1995 soundtrack to the documentary I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, which was produced by Brian Wilson and Don Was. The remake of the song features a much more sparse production and a more relaxed lead vocal from Brian. Brian Wilson again re-recorded the song on September 24, 2005 with his new backing band and issued the song as a single with a new composition, "Walking Down The Path of Life".
When performed in concert, "Love And Mercy" is played with a piano introduction as well as being performed with a much sparser arrangement compared to the original version. The song has become the regular concert closer at Brian Wilson's concerts. Brian Wilson performed the song live as the encore on his 2000 live solo album Live at the Roxy Theatre and as the encore of his performance of SMiLE at Carnegie Hall.[1] Brian also, along with the Boys Choir of Harlem, concluded with the song at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 29, 2001. The concert, billed as "An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson", was filmed and later released on DVD. On January 15, 2005 Wilson performed the song as part of Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope which aired on NBC.[2] On September 10, 2005 Brian and his band appeared in Los Angeles on the ReAct Now: Music & Relief concert, which was a relief concert for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The performance included both "Love And Mercy" and his new song "Walking Down The Path of Life".
The boy's choir Libera ([1]) recorded a cover of this song on their 2008 album "New Dawn", and it was performed in December 2007 at the annual Kennedy Center Honors Awards, attended by President George W. Bush and a host of celebrities, as a tribute to Brian Wilson, opening with the dedication "Mr Wilson, we were born a long, long way from your California beaches, but the sunlight of your music can be felt everyday on the streets in South London" by Joshua Madine, age 13.
The Alt-Country band Golden Smog recorded a version of the song.
The song was used for a climactic scene in the film Orange County.