‘Good Vibrations’ is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record charts in several countries including the United States and the United Kingdom. Characterized by its complex soundscapes, episodic structure, and subversions of pop music formula, it was at the time the most expensive single ever recorded. ‘Good Vibrations’ later became widely acclaimed as one of the finest and most important works of the rock era.
Also produced by Wilson, the title derived from his fascination with cosmic vibrations, as his mother would tell him as a child that dogs sometimes bark at people in response to their "bad vibrations". He used the concept to suggest extrasensory perception, while Love's lyrics were inspired by the nascent Flower Power movement. The song was written as it was recorded and in a similar fashion to other compositions from Wilson's Smile period.
From the start, Wilson envisioned a theremin for the track. AllMusic reviewer John Bush pointed out: "Radio listeners could easily pick up the link between the title and the obviously electronic riffs sounding in the background of the chorus, but Wilson's use of the theremin added another delicious parallel—between the single's theme and its use of an instrument the player never even touched."
The making of ‘Good Vibrations’ was unprecedented for any kind of recording. Building on his approach for Pet Sounds, Wilson recorded a surplus of short, interchangeable musical fragments with his bandmates and a host of session musicians at four different Hollywood studios from February to September 1966, a process reflected in the song's several dramatic shifts in key, texture, instrumentation and mood. Over 90 hours of tape was consumed in the sessions, with the total cost of production estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
‘Good Vibrations’ received a Grammy nomination for Best Vocal Group performance in 1967 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1994. The song was voted number one in Mojo's "Top 100 Records of All Time" and number 6 on Rolling Stone's 2004 and 2010 editions of its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" lists. It was also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". In later years, the song has been cited as a forerunner to the Beatles' ‘A Day in the Life’ (1967) and Queen's ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (1975).
Label – Capitol
Songwriters – Brian Wilson, Mike Love
Producer – Brian Wilson
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]I-I love the colorful clothes she wears
And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair
I hear the sound of a gentle word
On the wind that lifts her perfume through the air
[Chorus]
I'm pickin' up good vibrations
She's giving me excitations (Oom-bop-bop)
I'm pickin' up good vibrations (Good vibrations, bop-bop)
She's giving me excitations (Excitations, bop-bop)
I'm pickin' up good vibrations (Good vibrations, bop-bop)
She's giving me excitations (Excitations, bop-bop)
I'm pickin' up good vibrations (Good vibrations, bop-bop)
She's giving me excitations (Excitations)
[Verse 2]
Close my eyes, she's somehow closer now
Softly smile, I know she must be kind
When I look in her eyes
She goes with me to a blossom world
[Chorus]
I'm pickin' up good vibrations
She's giving me excitations (Oom-bop-bop)
I'm pickin' up good vibrations (Good vibrations, bop-bop)
She's giving me excitations (Excitations, bop-bop)
I'm pickin' up good vibrations (Good vibrations, bop-bop)
She's giving me excitations (Excitations, bop-bop)
I'm pickin' up good vibrations (Good vibrations, bop-bop)
She's giving me excitations (Excitations)
[Bridge]
(Ahh)
(Ah, my-my, what elation)
I don't know where but she sends me there
(Oh, my-my, what a sensation)
(Oh, my-my, what elation)
(Oh, my-my, what)
Gotta keep those lovin' good vibrations a-happenin' with her
Gotta keep those lovin' good vibrations a-happenin' with her
Gotta keep those lovin' good vibrations a-happenin'
(Ah)
[Chorus]
Good, good, good, good vibrations (Oom-bop-bop)
(I'm pickin' up good vibrations, good vibrations bop-bop)
She's giving me excitations (Excitations, bop-bop)
Good, good, good, good vibrations
[Outro]
Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah
Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah (Bah-dah-dah, duh-dah, dah)
Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah (Bah-dah dah, duh-dah, dah)
Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah (Bah-dah-dah, duh-dah, dah)