Here Today (The Beach Boys song)
| "Here Today" | ||||||||||||||||
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 Cover to 1968 "Darlin'" single release | ||||||||||||||||
| Song by The Beach Boys from the album Pet Sounds | ||||||||||||||||
| Released | May 16, 1966 | |||||||||||||||
| Recorded |
March 11 / 25, 1966 Sunset Sound Recorders and CBS Columbia Square, Hollywood | |||||||||||||||
| Genre | Baroque pop | |||||||||||||||
| Length | 2:54 | |||||||||||||||
| Label | Capitol | |||||||||||||||
| Writer | ||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Brian Wilson | |||||||||||||||
| Pet Sounds track listing | ||||||||||||||||
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"Here Today" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher for American rock band The Beach Boys, released on their 1966 album Pet Sounds. It is the tenth track on the album. It was later included as the B-side to the 1967 single "Darlin'".
The song's lyric is expressed from the perspective of a narrator as he warns the listener to prepare for the likelihood of his newfound love ending in heartbreak.
Composition
The song was composed and produced by Brian Wilson with the lyrics by Tony Asher about love being "here today and it's gone tomorrow," with the potential for heartbreak that never lies too far away "a brand new love affair is such a beautiful thing/but if you're not careful, think about the pain it can bring."[1] Tony Asher has said, "That's a song that has a number of little sections to it that are quite different. It was not one of the easier songs to write on the album. It was, as I recall, a song that I wrote quite a lot to, much of which we didn't use. It was sort of a struggle before we got a lyric that Brian was happy with."[2] Wilson has said, "'Here Today' was probably one of the mystery songs on the album. I don't really know what it's about. I liked it, but yet I didn't. I don't really identify with that song like I do with 'You Still Believe In Me', or 'Caroline, No.' It was just one of those songs in there, one little song."[3]
Bruce Johnston stated that the orchestral instrumental break of "Here Today" was influenced by late Baroque composers such as J. S. Bach.[4] Johnston also stated Brian was "redefining the word brilliant." He talked about the "unusual" break in the middle which he called "perfection". When discussing the Bach influence, Johnston stated "this is the break that Brian told me was influenced by Bach - and if you've heard any Bach at all, you'll know what he's talking about." Bruce also said he "wouldn't be surprised if every great musical talent of all-time is spinning around in Brian Wilson's great blender."
Stephen Davis, who reviewed Pet Sounds, stated that "Here Today" "portrays a pessimism and disaffection that jars with the previous optimism. It is the end of the affair..."[5] Donald Guarisco of Allmusic described the song as "a highlight of Pet Sounds" and "one of Brian Wilson's most ambitious arrangements."[1]
Recording
"Here Today" was the last song started for the Pet Sounds album. When the instrumental track was recorded on March 11, it was logged as "I Don't Have a Title Yet", likely a reflection of some of the confusion surrounding its writing.[2] Some ideas for the track's arrangement and production were extracted from ideas Wilson attempted with early versions of "Good Vibrations", recorded around the same time.[6]
Some studio chatter between Bruce Johnston and a photographer could be heard during the instrumental break (only in mono version release) and the subject matter was revealed to be about cameras. Then, Brian says, "Top, please," which was an instruction to the engineer to rewind the tape to the beginning of the song so the group could attempt another take of the vocals.[6][2]
Personnel
- The Beach Boys;
- Mike Love – lead vocals
- Al Jardine – vocals
- Bruce Johnston – vocals
- Brian Wilson – vocals
- Carl Wilson – vocals
- Dennis Wilson – vocals
- Additional musicians
- Nick Martinis – drums
- Frank Capp – percussion
- Terry Melcher – tambourine
- Lyle Ritz – string bass
- Carol Kaye – electric bass
- Al Casey – guitar
- Mike Deasy – guitar
- Don Randi – piano
- Larry Knechtel – Hammond organ[7]
- Jay Migliori – baritone saxophone
- Jack Nimitz – baritone saxophone
- Gail Martin – trombone
- Ernie Tack – bass trombone
Covers
- 1966 – Bobby Vee.
- 1998 – Thurston Moore, Smiling Pets.
- 2002 – Brian Wilson, Pet Sounds Live.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Guarisco, D.A. "Here Today". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Elliott, Brad (August 31, 1999). "Pet Sounds Track Notes". beachboysfanclub.com. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
- ↑ The Pet Sounds Sessions: "The Making Of Pet Sounds" booklet (1996)
- ↑ Essentials of music: Baroque composers.
- ↑ "Pet Sounds review". Retrieved 2010-12-16.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hickey, Andrew (2011). The Beach Boys On CD: Volume 1 1961-1969. lulu.com. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-1-4475-4233-9.
- ↑ "Larry Knechtel biography". Retrieved March 17, 2011.
External links
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