It would be hard for me to disagree with that statement. Thanks a lot for watching and commenting. Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you. th-cam.com/users/timsmolens You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains. th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website. th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
@@harrisbeatsfrankou6304 - Indeed, wonderful song. I guess it’s always gonna come down to The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Two of the greatest bands ever…
The piece totally deserves it. A masterpiece of composition and chord progression. I tried to play it, it is really hard to to play it totally correctly. There are a few Beatles songs that I also struggled with. But those are top of the field artists.
Great song writers can write complex music. Genius songwriters can write complex music that doesn't sound complex. Also, can we take a moment to acknowledge that Tim has a lovely singing voice? (Adding the reverb was a good touch.)
Brian says that this song came from God... and that he wrote it in 4 minutes. I believe him. The chord progressions are truly unbelievable. I've worked on playing this song on my piano most of my life and it almost makes me cry. You are right... Brian knew how to blend several instruments and voices on the same part to create a unique and beautiful timbre. Many of those instruments are kind of buried in the mix so that we hear something brand new. We'll never hear another one like it. Very good analysis Tim.
I prefer to explain that it’s in the key of A but shifts between A Ionian (major) and A Lydian (major #4) which features prominently at the ending looping turnaround lines: At the start of the phrase the D# note leads up to E while at the end of the phrase the D natural note (on the E chord) resolves down to C# (on the A chord) which is truly a magnificent display of “Modal Interchange” Sir McCartney’s judgement was very accurate.
As a beginning piano player, most of this was way over my head. But your ability to dissect the unique chord structure, and show how it makes for such a beautiful song, just blew me away. Very impressed with your mastery and presentation.
Thanks for this breakdown. That was fun! That half-diminished chord, even if it's just momentary, "makes" some of the best progressions in pop music. Jimmy Webb's "Galveston", The Beatles' "Here, There, & Everywhere", & "Penny Lane", come to mind (not to mention lots of Motown hits). I heard McCartney say that he didn't know what to call many of the chords he used, but he knew them intuitively. Brian seemed to have more of a handle on notation & the technical part, but it never spoiled his particular genius.
The half diminished (minor 7 flat 5) chord is definitely a feature of lots of piano-centred hits, like "Bridge over Troubled Water" (where it's featured on the "er" of "over", for instance)
100% yes. There is overt complexity but being subtle with it is much more difficult to achieve. Thanks for watching! Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you. th-cam.com/users/timsmolens You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains. th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website. th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Thanks. Great music often leaves the impression of simplicity, even though it's layered, complex, & subtle. Also: the arts have taught me that - if you're gonna break the rules, then 1) know what the rules are, & 2) break them creatively for a good reason. Otherwise, you're just all over the place, & people's reaction will be, "Please stop!". tavi.
Just might be the only existentialist love song ever written re "I may not always love you". Like many other sublime examples of the best music of any genre you care to name, time seems to stand still whenever I hear this song
Really good analysis. Great performing too. I like how you notated the chords in the verses. Imo the pivotal bit in there is to take note of the chromatic movement. I'm guessing this is one of the things that piqued McCartney's ear. E/(B) (C)dim7 E/(B) (Bb)mi7b5 (A) E/(G#) and then we finally get a full step movement to F#mi7.
Great analysis. I agree that the bridge is brilliant-with such disorienting harmonies and with a new melodic line I didn’t realize it was just the verse transposed until I sat down to learn the piece. And then you think: what could be more unimaginative than just transposing the verse… but then the end of the bridge just melts so seamlessly and perfectly back to the final verse that the workmanship is just astonishing, like a mathematical tiling puzzle-and all the more impressive in that the casual listener still doesn’t realize anything has happened.
Awesome analysis! I’d say the Bbmin7b5 chord on “I’ll make you so sure about it” is a Tritone substitution which leads back to A as the tonal center. While a Bbmin7b5 is very close to an Amaj7 chord, it is also the exact same chord as an E7 but with the Tritone, Bb, in the bass. This move is often used as a sub for a V chord, which is how I believe it’s being used here.
There is a Db in a Bbmin chord, but it is D natural in an E7. There is an Fb (E) and a Ab (G#) in the chord though. So Bbmin7b5 is actually an E6/Bb chord, not an E7/Bb.
I remember when this song first came out. I was immediately struck by it's beauty, and it was around the same time that another brilliantly beautiful song was released, Cherish, by the Association. Two of the most moving and emotional songs ever released just a few months apart. So very happy to watch this breakdown, simply loved it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ With a convenient 12 Bar structure it might be the best example of key changes around the circle of 5ths, I truly love it for the sound and the harmonic theoretical beauty
If God is the divine nature of that which we can’t possess or conceive of, then this is the perfect musical expression of that. It’s complex in a way that seeks not to draw your attention or be lauded, it simply exists and it changes your life and warms your soul every time you hear it. Magical.
I really appreciate your comments here and can fully relate to the sentiment. This is philosophy and great music is something that should turn our minds in that direction. Thanks for watching and I am glad you enjoyed it. Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you. th-cam.com/users/timsmolens You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains. th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website. th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Thanks for doing this, this chord progression is just so beautiful, I’ve become obsessed with it. One thought about the staccato transition: I really do think it should be in A. There’s no root position A, but that’s the same as the beginning with E. When it seems to go into C, it comes across a bit smoother since A and C are connected by Am.
22:30 that final drop back down into the verse after the bridge was inherent n subtly foreshadowed from the onset of the bridge prob in the chromatic half step descending bassline but how he knew how to do all of it can only he answered by he heard it in his head and played it exactly right
I really like how you said that analysing songs for a songwriter is the same as copying licks and phrases for an improvisor. Personally, I've used this analogy always for me but not many people talk about it. There's a notion going around that these artists didn't know what they were doing and so we also don't need to but it's actually not true. The Beatles, Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell, Sting and all the great songwriters had learnt these devices from other songs and eventually developed their own harmonic and melodic language. One has to put in the study, no other way!
Subscribed! I crave this type of harmonic analysis, and this is just that song that truly demands it. Bravo! Also, your voice is Fantastic for presenting this song!
Thank you for the way that you beautifully explain this masterpiece. It actually makes me appreciate the song even more, as you call out attention to various instruments and musical genres, so I get to relive the song without having to listen to it.
I really enjoyed your approach to analyzing this stunning song. I am amazed at your level of musical understanding. I think you offer many ways of thinking about this and other music. Thank you and new sub and thumbs up glad I found your channel and ill recommend you to other musicians and music lovers!
Wow, thanks for the immense props and I am so glad you enjoyed this video. Many more such videos forthcoming. Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you. th-cam.com/users/timsmolens You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and Pet Sounds. th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website. th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Tim Simolens, you have nailed it. You have gone through every nook and cranny of my own thought processes for this song. I think that instrumental section that modulates into the key of A, may have inspired Jimmy Webb with his chord interludes in Mac Arthur Park.
I took a deep dive this week into GOK, and this lovely, smart analysis was surely the high point. Thank you, sincerely, for this gift. (Why is it so cold in your studio? Hah!)
Thank you so much for the comments and the tip! I turned off my furnace in the winter so it didn't make noise! Check out my Beach Boys play list for a bunch more similar videos and come join me on Patreon. Thanks so much.
Keep in mind that "minor 6 chord" is a jazz/pop thing. In classical harmony it's always a half diminished seventh in first inversion. So that Bm6 can be seen as the viiø in A (G#ø/B) as well
Yes thanks for mentioning that. My analysis inherently has a pop/jazz bent although I do use the roman numerals as well. I am aware of the relationship between mi6 and mi7b5, and yes Bmi6 and Abmi7b5 have the same notes but can function differently depending on the progression. In this case it is a bit of semantics as either name would work but to my eye as far as a jazz progression the minor 6 looks better in this case. Thanks for the comment!
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching and commenting. Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you. th-cam.com/users/timsmolens You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains. th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website. th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
One thing I think is really cool that I didn't notice you mention is the chromaticism in the bass coming from those inversions. The bass moves chromatically starting from the first E/B in the verse and going through the chorus (aside from the whole step motion to and from the F#). The instrumental bridge that serves as the pivot for the modulation is so strange and wonderful. It LOOKS so much like it should be in C, but I can't help HEARING it like it wants to resolve to A. Great video, thank you!
Learning this piece for a wedding ceremony and this helped me greatly. I heard somewhere that the bridge is just the main progression transposed but i couldn't for the life of me figure out the key or logic behind it to do it naturally/musically (as opposed to just knowing to move everything up or down a certain number of steps like a robot). That Flat 5 half diminished chord going to the 4 is so killing! didn't even know that passing chord method existed, but now realize i've heard it other places before! may have to try using it in a composition soon. Kind of reminds me of the whole gospel 4minor6 (flat 6 in the bass) to 1 (5th in the bass) - V7 move. Thanks so much man this was gold! I appreciate the way you explain theory very much.
@@solidgoold thanks so much, check out my entire video in half diminished chords and check out my playlist page for lots of other Beach Boys deep dives. Thanks for watching make sure to subscribe
Thank you, I am so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching. Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you. th-cam.com/users/timsmolens You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains. th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website. th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Fascinating, and beautiful, video. I'm 74, taking piano lessons, and will make this song my next project. I thought for a short while that you were lip syncing the Beach Boys vocal track, your voice was so good... Subscribed to this channel, adding to my subs already of Kent Hewitt and Rick Beato.
7:03 also, the beginning two chords FEEL like a IV-I sequence, and that feeling is reinforced by the next two chords. That sequence doesn't feel like a I-V-vi-V. It's definitely more of a out-back-out-back feel to that line. I never tried to learn this song, so I never thought about this, or picked up that it starts with a IV-I, before. It's a really good song, worth learning, tho I don't think I could sing it. I could weave a melodic line thru the harmony, but I might have to borrow notes from the other voices, and I might not sing them in the right octave🤣. Still, I could overdub a different sound for the voices, playing them from the electronic keyboard. Good song
Just ran across this video - thanks for making it as this is one of my favorite songs of all time. I've often wondered not about its technical details, but instead how he came to construct it...I really doubt that any of the music theory beneath the finished product actually was part of its construction. I've always thought he came into a genius melody (and I mean genius) and then developed the chord structure underneath it. When conventional chords didn't work, he simply made up new ones that of course can be named since they're melodic. It's clear evidence he was a true savant, not unlike a child Mozart doing things he intuitively knew to be good but had no idea why. And if people have not seen the documentary on the making of Pet Sounds, it's required watching.
Thanks for the comments and watching the video. My feeling is Brian had more of an intuitive approach than an analytical, although analysis is quite helpful for those of us looking to learn the devices he is employed. I agree with everything you said, Brian occupies a special place in music history. Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you. th-cam.com/users/timsmolens You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains. th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website. th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
I have loved listening to music since I can remember, and "play" music somewhat. I love watching these types of channels because music theory is SO interesting and helps me appreciate the songs even more. What is also shows me is that I don't know shit lol This and so many other tunes that sound so basic and simple are masterpieces, and that goes to the magic that true musicians can create. Add stellar production and accompaniment, and long lasting, much beloved music is seared into our brains and, more importantly, our hearts. Music touches me like nothing else in the world, and absorbing what you teach is exciting. Love this type of analysis!
Interesting thing about the E vs. A key thing -- I agree that it clearly has an E tonal center in the intro, and doesn't sound at all like it's in A (I'm surprised that your ear used to be able to hear it that way!); if you had to pick a key that the song is in, it's definitely E. But when doing this song live, going back decades, the Beach Boys usually ended it on an A chord, so you get even more of a sense of ambiguity of key and a lack of resolution as the song ends. On another note (pun intended) -- Witchita Lineman is another song with shifting tonal centers that, other than in the intro, never again hits the I chord (F) for the rest of the song. Another brilliant composition.
I came here to post that Wichita Lineman was similarly cryptic keywise, and I agree about Maybe I'm Amazed being another. Both are entirely unlike (say) Morning has Broken, which simply (but beautifully) modulates repeatedly to and fro at the change of verse.
I'll never forget the moment I worked out that Bb-7b5 chord (to Amaj7). It still blows me away to this day. I feel like this use of a min7b5 chord dropping to a major7 chord a semitone below is almost without precedent. Typically you might see a fully diminished chord or a dominant or even a maj7 chord used in this way but half diminished seems very underutilised. Does anyone know another song that uses this particular progression/chordal movement?
I admire this analysis of a pop masterpiece. I'm a self-taught musician--not trained, & with little music theory under my belt, so please be patient with my ignorance--but I have a good ear. That beautiful, magical half diminished chord ("so sure about it") I think of as a modified version of C#m, with A# in the base (easy fingering on guitar). The A# in the base provides an extremely compelling descending-baseline transition following E/B, immediately before finally resolving to A. Most pop/rock songwriters would have put C#m there, but Brian Wilson isn't most songwriters. Some other gifted writers (even if not quite in Brian's league) have used this same sort of transition-to-resolution. You can hear it, for example, in two separate transitions in Elton John's "Your Song". "God Only Knows" is definitely a product of genius.
@@jackmartinleith You're observation is correct, of course. However, I feel that given its position and role in the song, the chord is better described as C#m/A# than as a variant of Bbm7 (as in the video). A straight C#m would work there--and as I say, that's what most pop/rock songwriters would have put there--but Brian's added A# in the base creates more drama and beauty in setting up the resolution to A major.
Yes, thanks, I always get caught up in introductions and providing context, thanks for watching! Enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch it and leave a comment. It makes me happy to see people are enjoying the content. Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists on my channel to find the videos that might interest you. www.youtube.com/@TimSmolens/playlists Enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh This video from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired group ISS, is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and Pet Sounds. th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website. th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
My pleasure! Thanks for watching. Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you. th-cam.com/users/timsmolens You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains. th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website. th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Great analysis. I could watch a breakdown of every Brian Wilson song from both Pet Sounds and Smile. The only other pop song that to me that sounds just as harmonically complex is Scott Walker’s - “It’s Raining Today.”
Great song well explained and well sung mate 👍 Just listening to the lyrics of this song is enough to reduce a man to tears, then you realise that the music and melody are doing the same thing 👍✌️
For a truly wonderful piano arrangement/accompaniment Tim, check out Andy Williams 1960's cover version of God Only Knows. It's also hauntingly beautiful in its own way.
Like him or not, Mike’s egotism kept The Beach Boys music in the popular mind for decades allowing Brian’s genius time to develop an identity apart from the band. For that I am grateful.
@3:35 a possible answer might be "Witchita Lineman". It's in F but F is never played. It starts with a B#/C. I'm not much of an educated musician, so I might be wrong ;-) I saw the interview Rick Beato had with Jimmy Webb ...
Yes the Denver winter sometimes get cold and I turn my furnace off when I shoot videos. This shoot lasted a few hours. Thanks for watching the video and leaving comments! Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you. th-cam.com/users/timsmolens You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here. th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains. th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website. th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
I always figured that Brian came up with the title to the song when someone asked him "What key is it in?"
hahahaha
Haha brilliant comment
Very funny indeed. 🙂
Wilson’s God Only Knows is the crowning achievement of modern pop composition.
It would be hard for me to disagree with that statement. Thanks a lot for watching and commenting.
Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you.
th-cam.com/users/timsmolens
You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains.
th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D
If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com
I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website.
th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Yesterday is up there.
@@harrisbeatsfrankou6304 - Indeed, wonderful song. I guess it’s always gonna come down to The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Two of the greatest bands ever…
Love seeing someone absolutely geek out over Brain Wilson. He truly is the king
There’s an edit button in YT.
Not every brain is bothered by spelling mistakes @@DovidM
..... and has a great brain😂
The piece totally deserves it. A masterpiece of composition and chord progression.
I tried to play it, it is really hard to to play it totally correctly.
There are a few Beatles songs that I also struggled with. But those are top of the field artists.
Great song writers can write complex music. Genius songwriters can write complex music that doesn't sound complex. Also, can we take a moment to acknowledge that Tim has a lovely singing voice? (Adding the reverb was a good touch.)
I love how it never truly resolves almost to signify that nothing ever really ends
Brian says that this song came from God... and that he wrote it in 4 minutes. I believe him. The chord progressions are truly unbelievable. I've worked on playing this song on my piano most of my life and it almost makes me cry. You are right... Brian knew how to blend several instruments and voices on the same part to create a unique and beautiful timbre. Many of those instruments are kind of buried in the mix so that we hear something brand new. We'll never hear another one like it. Very good analysis Tim.
I prefer to explain that it’s in the key of A but shifts between A Ionian (major) and A Lydian (major #4) which features prominently at the ending looping turnaround lines:
At the start of the phrase the D# note leads up to E while at the end of the phrase the D natural note (on the E chord) resolves down to C# (on the A chord) which is truly a magnificent display of “Modal Interchange”
Sir McCartney’s judgement was very accurate.
This is a brilliant take
🤯
As a beginning piano player, most of this was way over my head. But your ability to dissect the unique chord structure, and show how it makes for such a beautiful song, just blew me away. Very impressed with your mastery and presentation.
The song's ambiguity is what's most beautiful about it. Impressionism & dream-like art can really take you away.
Thanks for this breakdown. That was fun! That half-diminished chord, even if it's just momentary, "makes" some of the best progressions in pop music. Jimmy Webb's "Galveston", The Beatles' "Here, There, & Everywhere", & "Penny Lane", come to mind (not to mention lots of Motown hits). I heard McCartney say that he didn't know what to call many of the chords he used, but he knew them intuitively. Brian seemed to have more of a handle on notation & the technical part, but it never spoiled his particular genius.
The half diminished (minor 7 flat 5) chord is definitely a feature of lots of piano-centred hits, like "Bridge over Troubled Water" (where it's featured on the "er" of "over", for instance)
It's in "She's Leaving Home" in a similar way like 5 or 6 times
Everything you said about how amazing this song is is absolutely true. Every single time I hear it. I am amazed again at the transitions. Great video.
The genius Is that with all the chordal complexity, the listener is unaware of it and just perceives it as one dollop of pure beauty.
100% yes. There is overt complexity but being subtle with it is much more difficult to achieve. Thanks for watching!
Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you.
th-cam.com/users/timsmolens
You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains.
th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D
If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com
I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website.
th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Thanks. Great music often leaves the impression of simplicity, even though it's layered, complex, & subtle. Also: the arts have taught me that - if you're gonna break the rules, then 1) know what the rules are, & 2) break them creatively for a good reason. Otherwise, you're just all over the place, & people's reaction will be, "Please stop!". tavi.
I’ve always loved this song but never appreciated why it is so good. Thanks for sharing the love!
The way you described the sneaky, beautiful chord changes as 'insidious' perfectly describes how this song has always felt to me. Very well said!
Thanks for sharing Tim, love them chords, that min7b5 chord is the shit
ISS is one of the best tributes to Beach Boys ever. Love your love for Brian. Xx
Just might be the only existentialist love song ever written re "I may not always love you". Like many other sublime examples of the best music of any genre you care to name, time seems to stand still whenever I hear this song
What always gets me is the end, where Carl goes up a half step on you. That along with Hal Blaine's single roll.
When he wrote it, it was so good, it only needed MINOR changes :) ... I'll go now
Boy am I glad to bump into this video!
The chord progressions are so beautiful they bring tears! The key changes shake us up back to reality, but then a new line of beauty follows.
Really good analysis. Great performing too. I like how you notated the chords in the verses. Imo the pivotal bit in there is to take note of the chromatic movement. I'm guessing this is one of the things that piqued McCartney's ear.
E/(B) (C)dim7 E/(B) (Bb)mi7b5 (A) E/(G#) and then we finally get a full step movement to F#mi7.
Great analysis. I agree that the bridge is brilliant-with such disorienting harmonies and with a new melodic line I didn’t realize it was just the verse transposed until I sat down to learn the piece. And then you think: what could be more unimaginative than just transposing the verse… but then the end of the bridge just melts so seamlessly and perfectly back to the final verse that the workmanship is just astonishing, like a mathematical tiling puzzle-and all the more impressive in that the casual listener still doesn’t realize anything has happened.
My goodness. It’s the verse, but transposed!
Not sure how I missed that chord progression. Hiding in plain sight. Pretty brilliant.
The bridge of "What's New" does the same kind of re-use of the A section (in the subdominant key) as a bridge.
This is great stuff...love this song. This kind of chord analysis brings me back to my jazz guitar lessons
My God you have a beautiful voice! Dana
I have heard this song many times and knew it was a great composition. But Tim's video makes me realize the utter complexity and beauty of the song.
Awesome analysis!
I’d say the Bbmin7b5 chord on “I’ll make you so sure about it” is a Tritone substitution which leads back to A as the tonal center. While a Bbmin7b5 is very close to an Amaj7 chord, it is also the exact same chord as an E7 but with the Tritone, Bb, in the bass. This move is often used as a sub for a V chord, which is how I believe it’s being used here.
There is a Db in a Bbmin chord, but it is D natural in an E7. There is an Fb (E) and a Ab (G#) in the chord though. So Bbmin7b5 is actually an E6/Bb chord, not an E7/Bb.
Wonderful presentation/analysis of a gorgeous, sublime piece of music. Thank you!
I remember when this song first came out. I was immediately struck by it's beauty, and it was around the same time that another brilliantly beautiful song was released, Cherish, by the Association. Two of the most moving and emotional songs ever released just a few months apart. So very happy to watch this breakdown, simply loved it.
Tim!! Great breakdown man. You really are up there with Brian Wilson as far as your composing, harmonies, writing & all around musicianship.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
With a convenient 12 Bar structure it might be the best example of key changes around the circle of 5ths,
I truly love it for the sound and the harmonic theoretical beauty
Fantastic.Thank you. Your analysis makes total sense which proves how great your explanation is.
Such a great tune. Off the top of my head I'd say David Bowie's "Life on Mars"" is fairly complex harmonically for a pop song.
I've always loved the transitions on this song and the tension they create. It gets you off balance.
If God is the divine nature of that which we can’t possess or conceive of, then this is the perfect musical expression of that. It’s complex in a way that seeks not to draw your attention or be lauded, it simply exists and it changes your life and warms your soul every time you hear it. Magical.
I really appreciate your comments here and can fully relate to the sentiment. This is philosophy and great music is something that should turn our minds in that direction. Thanks for watching and I am glad you enjoyed it.
Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you.
th-cam.com/users/timsmolens
You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains.
th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D
If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com
I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website.
th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
This is a wonderfully geeky (and very accurate) analysis- bravo!
Thanks for doing this, this chord progression is just so beautiful, I’ve become obsessed with it. One thought about the staccato transition: I really do think it should be in A. There’s no root position A, but that’s the same as the beginning with E. When it seems to go into C, it comes across a bit smoother since A and C are connected by Am.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this wonderful analysis. 🙂
Love it
Edit: The subtle Bmi7 that effortlessly brings us back from being up a fourth is crazy. What is this sorcery!
That was brilliant and beautiful. Thanks, brother!
Thank you so much for this. Brilliant breakdown. Very personal, just like Brian’s music. You have a great voice!
22:30 that final drop back down into the verse after the bridge was inherent n subtly foreshadowed from the onset of the bridge prob in the chromatic half step descending bassline but how he knew how to do all of it can only he answered by he heard it in his head and played it exactly right
I really like how you said that analysing songs for a songwriter is the same as copying licks and phrases for an improvisor. Personally, I've used this analogy always for me but not many people talk about it. There's a notion going around that these artists didn't know what they were doing and so we also don't need to but it's actually not true. The Beatles, Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell, Sting and all the great songwriters had learnt these devices from other songs and eventually developed their own harmonic and melodic language. One has to put in the study, no other way!
Subscribed! I crave this type of harmonic analysis, and this is just that song that truly demands it. Bravo! Also, your voice is Fantastic for presenting this song!
Thank you for the way that you beautifully explain this masterpiece. It actually makes me appreciate the song even more, as you call out attention to various instruments and musical genres, so I get to relive the song without having to listen to it.
This is awesome!! Thank you for your time and effort.
What a masterclass!!! Thank you!
Excellent review on these chord progressions! Thanks for the lesson. (PS- 25:09 - Hey, I RESEMBLE that remark, lol!)
What an awesome video. Thank you so much for this. Killer job. Learnt so much. What a beautiful falsetto you have as well
I really enjoyed your approach to analyzing this stunning song. I am amazed at your level of musical understanding. I think you offer many ways of thinking about this and other music.
Thank you and new sub and thumbs up glad I found your channel and ill recommend you to other musicians and music lovers!
Wow, thanks for the immense props and I am so glad you enjoyed this video. Many more such videos forthcoming.
Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you.
th-cam.com/users/timsmolens
You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and Pet Sounds.
th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D
If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com
I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website.
th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Tim Simolens, you have nailed it. You have gone through every nook and cranny of my own thought processes for this song. I think that instrumental section that modulates into the key of A, may have inspired Jimmy Webb with his chord interludes in Mac Arthur Park.
I took a deep dive this week into GOK, and this lovely, smart analysis was surely the high point. Thank you, sincerely, for this gift. (Why is it so cold in your studio? Hah!)
Thank you so much for the comments and the tip! I turned off my furnace in the winter so it didn't make noise! Check out my Beach Boys play list for a bunch more similar videos and come join me on Patreon. Thanks so much.
Excellent...
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for supporting my channel! Come join me at High Castle Conservatory.
Great, Tim. Thanks a bunch.
Tim. Great.
Brilliant analysis - well done
Awesome analysis, and a tons of fun!
Keep in mind that "minor 6 chord" is a jazz/pop thing. In classical harmony it's always a half diminished seventh in first inversion. So that Bm6 can be seen as the viiø in A (G#ø/B) as well
Yes thanks for mentioning that. My analysis inherently has a pop/jazz bent although I do use the roman numerals as well. I am aware of the relationship between mi6 and mi7b5, and yes Bmi6 and Abmi7b5 have the same notes but can function differently depending on the progression. In this case it is a bit of semantics as either name would work but to my eye as far as a jazz progression the minor 6 looks better in this case. Thanks for the comment!
You got it Tim, and as you mentioned it doesn't really change the overall analysis. thanks for this video!
Súper interesting análisis. Thanks for Sharing
Masterful analysis. Thank you!
Thank you so much. Please subscribe and check out my playlists page to find many similar videos!
Absolutely superb walkthrough! thanks so much!
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you.
th-cam.com/users/timsmolens
You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains.
th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D
If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com
I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website.
th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
very interesting channel you have haha keep uploading videos!!
Yes. This song and the soulness is on the extreme outlying extension of music vibe spectrum’s utter pleasure. You know.
One thing I think is really cool that I didn't notice you mention is the chromaticism in the bass coming from those inversions. The bass moves chromatically starting from the first E/B in the verse and going through the chorus (aside from the whole step motion to and from the F#).
The instrumental bridge that serves as the pivot for the modulation is so strange and wonderful. It LOOKS so much like it should be in C, but I can't help HEARING it like it wants to resolve to A.
Great video, thank you!
Most beautiful song ever made
Learning this piece for a wedding ceremony and this helped me greatly. I heard somewhere that the bridge is just the main progression transposed but i couldn't for the life of me figure out the key or logic behind it to do it naturally/musically (as opposed to just knowing to move everything up or down a certain number of steps like a robot). That Flat 5 half diminished chord going to the 4 is so killing! didn't even know that passing chord method existed, but now realize i've heard it other places before! may have to try using it in a composition soon. Kind of reminds me of the whole gospel 4minor6 (flat 6 in the bass) to 1 (5th in the bass) - V7 move.
Thanks so much man this was gold! I appreciate the way you explain theory very much.
@@solidgoold thanks so much, check out my entire video in half diminished chords and check out my playlist page for lots of other Beach Boys deep dives. Thanks for watching make sure to subscribe
@@TimSmolens will check out that half diminished video for sure dude!
Awesome channel love it
Greatest illustration video ever...
Really talented thanks for the great breakdown music 🎶
Brilliant and fun breakdown. Thanks Tim.
Thank you, I am so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you.
th-cam.com/users/timsmolens
You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains.
th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D
If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com
I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website.
th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Fascinating, and beautiful, video. I'm 74, taking piano lessons, and will make this song my next project. I thought for a short while that you were lip syncing the Beach Boys vocal track, your voice was so good... Subscribed to this channel, adding to my subs already of Kent Hewitt and Rick Beato.
Fascinating video ! New subscriber !
Really nice video.
This is a great video, super helpful. Thank you for this. Would you possibly be willing to post your chord document to reference while practicing?
7:03 also, the beginning two chords FEEL like a IV-I sequence, and that feeling is reinforced by the next two chords. That sequence doesn't feel like a I-V-vi-V. It's definitely more of a out-back-out-back feel to that line. I never tried to learn this song, so I never thought about this, or picked up that it starts with a IV-I, before. It's a really good song, worth learning, tho I don't think I could sing it. I could weave a melodic line thru the harmony, but I might have to borrow notes from the other voices, and I might not sing them in the right octave🤣. Still, I could overdub a different sound for the voices, playing them from the electronic keyboard. Good song
Just ran across this video - thanks for making it as this is one of my favorite songs of all time. I've often wondered not about its technical details, but instead how he came to construct it...I really doubt that any of the music theory beneath the finished product actually was part of its construction.
I've always thought he came into a genius melody (and I mean genius) and then developed the chord structure underneath it. When conventional chords didn't work, he simply made up new ones that of course can be named since they're melodic. It's clear evidence he was a true savant, not unlike a child Mozart doing things he intuitively knew to be good but had no idea why. And if people have not seen the documentary on the making of Pet Sounds, it's required watching.
Thanks for the comments and watching the video. My feeling is Brian had more of an intuitive approach than an analytical, although analysis is quite helpful for those of us looking to learn the devices he is employed. I agree with everything you said, Brian occupies a special place in music history.
Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you.
th-cam.com/users/timsmolens
You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains.
th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D
If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com
I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website.
th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
I have loved listening to music since I can remember, and "play" music somewhat. I love watching these types of channels because music theory is SO interesting and helps me appreciate the songs even more. What is also shows me is that I don't know shit lol This and so many other tunes that sound so basic and simple are masterpieces, and that goes to the magic that true musicians can create. Add stellar production and accompaniment, and long lasting, much beloved music is seared into our brains and, more importantly, our hearts. Music touches me like nothing else in the world, and absorbing what you teach is exciting. Love this type of analysis!
Interesting thing about the E vs. A key thing -- I agree that it clearly has an E tonal center in the intro, and doesn't sound at all like it's in A (I'm surprised that your ear used to be able to hear it that way!); if you had to pick a key that the song is in, it's definitely E. But when doing this song live, going back decades, the Beach Boys usually ended it on an A chord, so you get even more of a sense of ambiguity of key and a lack of resolution as the song ends. On another note (pun intended) -- Witchita Lineman is another song with shifting tonal centers that, other than in the intro, never again hits the I chord (F) for the rest of the song. Another brilliant composition.
Another one from this era with an ambiguous center is Maybe I'm Amazed. I think it's in C but no sheet music I've found agrees with that!
I came here to post that Wichita Lineman was similarly cryptic keywise, and I agree about Maybe I'm Amazed being another. Both are entirely unlike (say) Morning has Broken, which simply (but beautifully) modulates repeatedly to and fro at the change of verse.
I had no idea the God only knows line is sung a fourth above that one time. Brian must have been impressed with himself when he did that.
I'll never forget the moment I worked out that Bb-7b5 chord (to Amaj7). It still blows me away to this day. I feel like this use of a min7b5 chord dropping to a major7 chord a semitone below is almost without precedent. Typically you might see a fully diminished chord or a dominant or even a maj7 chord used in this way but half diminished seems very underutilised. Does anyone know another song that uses this particular progression/chordal movement?
When will he begin talking about the chord progression? God Only Knows...
Sometimes things need context.... fast forwarding is an option too.
I admire this analysis of a pop masterpiece. I'm a self-taught musician--not trained, & with little music theory under my belt, so please be patient with my ignorance--but I have a good ear. That beautiful, magical half diminished chord ("so sure about it") I think of as a modified version of C#m, with A# in the base (easy fingering on guitar). The A# in the base provides an extremely compelling descending-baseline transition following E/B, immediately before finally resolving to A. Most pop/rock songwriters would have put C#m there, but Brian Wilson isn't most songwriters. Some other gifted writers (even if not quite in Brian's league) have used this same sort of transition-to-resolution. You can hear it, for example, in two separate transitions in Elton John's "Your Song". "God Only Knows" is definitely a product of genius.
"modified version of C#m"
Yes. B♭m7♭5 is an inversion of C#m6.(notes are C# A# G# E). A# is the 6 that's absent from your C#m.
@@jackmartinleith You're observation is correct, of course. However, I feel that given its position and role in the song, the chord is better described as C#m/A# than as a variant of Bbm7 (as in the video). A straight C#m would work there--and as I say, that's what most pop/rock songwriters would have put there--but Brian's added A# in the base creates more drama and beauty in setting up the resolution to A major.
I think of half dim chords the same way 👍
The flat 7 plus the sharp A8 minus the sus add 9 divided square root of c#7 make it something I can really appreciate. Dig it man, dig it.
chord analysis starts at 6:00
Yes, thanks, I always get caught up in introductions and providing context, thanks for watching!
Enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
This was well done!!! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch it and leave a comment. It makes me happy to see people are enjoying the content.
Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists on my channel to find the videos that might interest you.
www.youtube.com/@TimSmolens/playlists
Enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
This video from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired group ISS, is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and Pet Sounds.
th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D
If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com
I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website.
th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Tremendous analysis
Great vid! Ummm, what is a 2-5?
Great analysis thanks
Great analysis..thank you
My pleasure! Thanks for watching.
Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you.
th-cam.com/users/timsmolens
You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains.
th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D
If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com
I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website.
th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a
Great analysis. I could watch a breakdown of every Brian Wilson song from both Pet Sounds and Smile.
The only other pop song that to me that sounds just as harmonically complex is Scott Walker’s - “It’s Raining Today.”
Great song well explained and well sung mate 👍
Just listening to the lyrics of this song is enough to reduce a man to tears, then you realise that the music and melody are doing the same thing 👍✌️
Thanks for this. :)
For a truly wonderful piano arrangement/accompaniment Tim, check out Andy Williams 1960's cover version of God Only Knows. It's also hauntingly beautiful in its own way.
@johnpryer9395 I think that was Henry Mancini on piano.
Cheers for that Chris, that explains why that arrangement was amazing, as was the Wilson original of course!
If only there wasn’t a Mike, and Brian delivered Smile
Like him or not, Mike’s egotism kept The Beach Boys music in the popular mind for decades allowing Brian’s genius time to develop an identity apart from the band. For that I am grateful.
i am sure brian didn't know the song like you do... thanks!
@3:35 a possible answer might be "Witchita Lineman". It's in F but F is never played. It starts with a B#/C. I'm not much of an educated musician, so I might be wrong ;-) I saw the interview Rick Beato had with Jimmy Webb ...
@@AstrAir1 yes I saw that. Incredible!
Please like and subscribe so this man can afford some heat in his studio!!!😊
Yes the Denver winter sometimes get cold and I turn my furnace off when I shoot videos. This shoot lasted a few hours. Thanks for watching the video and leaving comments!
Please help my efforts to grow this channel by subscribing and ringing the notification bell. Also check out the categorized playlists ("Music Education Categories") from my various music projects on my channel's homepage to find the videos that might interest you.
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You may enjoy my new video exploring Brian Wilson's most complex background vocal (Heroes and Villains) here.
th-cam.com/video/I0mBS59BU_Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Znh1ok6hrgvhOzfh
The following video link is from my Beach Boys/doo wop-inspired vocal group ISS, and is the title track from our album "She's a Girl," an unapologetic homage to the Beach Boys SMiLE and employs a theme from Heroes and Villains.
th-cam.com/video/N1t4a3f4FSs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=SOblKCz8wyx71s4D
If you like it please consider buying the album on Bandcamp or timsmolens.com
I also have a wild sci-fi progressive group (that has to be heard to be believed) consisting of renowned international virtuosos called High Castle Teleorkestra. Here is our new video and we have a record available ("The Egg That Never Opened") on Bandcamp or the bands website.
th-cam.com/video/Iy3LRe88ieg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=n4QfIb5uvt0tqz2a