Legend Credentials:

No greater myth and mystique surrounds a musical legend than that which surrounds Brian Wilson. But no other figure in popular music has lived a life that justifies such interest.

Brian Wilson was The Beach Boys (his official roles included lead songwriter, bassist, singer, producer, composer and arranger). Formed in 1961 with his brothers Carl and Dennis, his cousin Mike Love, and a school friend Al Jardine, the group defined American pop music in the 1960s.

Initial appearances of a squeaky-clean boy band were misleading: Wilson was a visionary. His unique use of vocal harmonies; his individual style of lyrics; and his fierce studio perfectionism would soon push The Beach Boys into unchartered musical territory. He rightly considered The Beatles to be his only rivals, and they looked up to his work as a major influence.

Like many pieces ahead of their time, 1966’s ‘Pet Sounds’ sold only modestly on its initial release, but was slowly realised to be one of the all-time greatest albums. For Wilson, following it up would become an entire life’s work. The planned next album, ‘SMiLE’, was ambitiously described by Wilson as his "teenage symphony to God". Matters were to conspire against the album however – the rest of the band were reluctant to follow Wilson’s experimental path and his own personal and mental problems spiralled - leading to the cancellation of the project in May 1967.

The SMiLE sessions became rock 'n' roll legend. Wilson would refuse to even discuss the project, calling it "inappropriate music", until ultimately deciding to complete SMiLE as a solo artist in 2004.

Since 2004, Brian Wilson’s return to both the live and recorded music scene has marked a joyous reincarnation and a return to his rightful place.

The Original Song:

Taken from the aborted 1967 SMiLE album, ‘Wonderful’ and ‘Song For Children’ were written by Brian Wilson and American composer Van Dyke Parks. The original version of ‘Wonderful’ centred around a simple harpsichord, with the finally completed, fully-orchestrated version only performed live for the first time in February 2004.

In accordance with much of the myth surrounding these sessions, Brian Wilson claims that he and Van Dyke Parks wrote the song in a giant sandbox with a piano in it which had been built in Wilson’s living room.

Fittingly, Van Dyke Parks has since worked with Rufus Wainwright on several albums.

Classic Clip:

Fascinating documentary footage exploring just some of the amazing tales around the original recording of the SMiLE album.