1st listen: What the hell is this 3rd listen: You know what, he did something really musically interesting here 50th listen: Brian was right, it's the greatest song of all time
100% agree. heard it once or twice and thought “man that was weird.” the other day my brother told me to put this song on and i then had my third listen. now this is my 50th listen.
@@jayvee5686In the heart of a thunderstorm that sent shivers down the spines of even the bravest souls, an elderly woman named Agnes huddled beneath her blankets. The rain battered against her windows, and lightning painted eerie patterns on the walls of her dimly lit bedroom. As the clock struck 3 am, a shrill ringing pierced through the storm's chaos. Agnes, trembling, reached for the phone by her bedside. The voice on the other end was trembling with an eerie excitement. "Agnes," the voice rasped, "it's Brian Wilson." Agnes's heart raced. Brian Wilson, the iconic musician from the Beach Boys? Why was he calling her in the middle of this dreadful night? "What do you want from me?" she stammered, her voice quivering with fear. Brian's voice grew manic as he spoke. "Agnes, I need to tell you about 'Shortnin' Bread.' It's not what it seems. It's a curse, a haunting melody that must be passed on." Agnes was bewildered. "What are you talking about?" "Listen carefully, Agnes," Brian urged, his voice a frenzied whisper. "The song, 'Shortnin' Bread,' it's ancient, dark. If you don't pass it on, the curse will consume you." Agnes's mind reeled with confusion. She had never heard of such a thing. "Why are you telling me this? What curse?" But Brian didn't answer. Instead, he began singing the haunting tune of 'Shortnin' Bread' in a voice that sent shivers down Agnes's spine. The melody was twisted, dissonant, and utterly terrifying. Agnes tried to hang up, but her hand froze over the phone. She couldn't disconnect the call. Panic surged through her as the eerie song continued to fill her ears. Outside, the thunderstorm raged on, a symphony of dread that seemed to sync with the cursed melody. Agnes felt a malevolent presence in the room, as if shadows were closing in around her. Then, Brian Wilson's voice grew even more desperate, "You must sing it to someone else, Agnes. Pass it on. It's the only way to break the curse." Agnes's heart pounded, and she knew she had no choice. Trembling, she began to sing the cursed song to herself, the words clawing their way out of her throat. She would have to find someone to pass it on to, someone who would take this dreadful burden from her. As the last notes of the cursed melody faded, the phone call abruptly ended. Agnes was left alone in the darkness, haunted by the chilling encounter with Brian Wilson and the horrifying knowledge of 'Shortnin' Bread.' The storm outside seemed to mock her, and she knew that her nightmarish journey had only just begun.
What I love in this version is the hypnotic single note of the low note horn that echoes out and begins each new measure. The synth is of course great too, but I prefer the 8 bit half interrupted scatterings of the bass in ding dang on love you. In fact, ding dang is just filled with cut off vocals and notes, it’s a total nightmare of amazinfness
@@arthurmilano2920 I've always wondered how they achieved the cut off vocal effect: "ding DA- dang, wooo! It's not like they could do it digitally, and cutting up tape seems impractical. Riding the mute button on the mixer? I think realistically they must have just sung it that way 🤷♀.
Numerous anecdotes have been reported about Wilson's obsession with the song: Singer-songwriter Alex Chilton recalled receiving middle-of-the-night phone calls from Wilson asking him to sing on a recording of "Shortenin' Bread"' ("He was telling me I have the perfect voice for it"). The Monkees' Micky Dolenz said that when he tripped on LSD with Wilson, John Lennon, and Nilsson, Wilson played "Shortenin' Bread" on piano "over and over again". Biographer Peter Ames Carlin wrote that Elton John and Iggy Pop were bemused by an extended, contumacious Wilson-led singalong of "Shortenin' Bread", leading Pop to flee the room proclaiming, "I gotta get out of here, man. This guy is nuts!" Musician Alice Cooper recalled that Wilson considered "Shortnin' Bread" to be the greatest song ever written, as he quoted Wilson for an explanation: "I don't know, it's just the best song ever written."
All jesting aside, this demonstrates Brian's songwriting practices immaculately. He gets a very basic chord structure in his head, a loop, playing over and over again. Think Heroes and Villains, which was based off You Are My Sunshine. He creates variations on that loop, transitions that loop to what feels like entirely different, related songs entirely. The loop is key. There's a reason why he listened to Be My Baby over and over again. One powerful bassline to weave the entire song around. It's just how he works.
Elton John and Iggy Pop were also mutually bemused by an extended, contumacious Wilson-led singalong of "Shortenin' Bread", leading Pop to flee the room proclaiming, "I gotta get out of here, man. This guy is nuts!".
@@willemvanzeist no he wasn't it was Elton, he's correct dude. learn your music history before correcting people guys. Cooper was told at a "different time" how Wilson said its the best song ever made.
This version has the all-critical "shruti" note, that fixed, raspy synth drone that gives it a hypnotic effect throughout most of the song. They do that in Hindustani (i.e. India, Pakistan) classical music with a harmonium (or sometimes a shruti box), a little hand-pumped organ that plays one or more fixed notes in tune with the song you are singing or playing on other instruments. That's why I call it a shruti here. Think of the hypnotic drone in a song like Swing Town by Steve Miller, or the really pronounced one in Jet by Paul McCartney and Wings. Similar concept. The shruti is missing (or at least turned down to be almost inaudible) in the Light Album version, probably because they thought it was cluttering things up too much, kind of like a Phil Spector production, where he seemingly wanted to have 128 sounds or effects going on constantly in every song. Anyway, a drone like that has the ability to produce alpha waves in your brain, so in the absence of other cool drugs like pot, etc., drones may have to suffice for your high! And believe me, I learned to dig drones at an early age. I used to program my Apple //e with an ALF MC-16 sound card back in the 80's to produce some AWESOME drones that I would play in my sleep or when I wanted to relax!!!! BEAUTIFUL!!!! I have recordings of some of those drones just for the sake of the fond memories. ;-) Anyway, if you're interested, there are videos on here demonstrating the shruti box and you can more clearly hear the cool effect when it's isolated. In these songs we're discussing here, they were using Moogs to create the wonderful sounds, hence the analog, synthetic, raspy, brain-tickling aspects of the drones!!!
MY DAD WAS A LOUNGE SINGER DURING THE 30S AND 40S THIS IS THE ONLY SONG I REMEMBER HIM SINGING FROM MY CHILDHOOD I LEARNED IT ON PIANO AND BACKED HIM UP IN MY 20S😂😢
@@JustinEdwords he was a hermit and straight up obese banging teenagers at this time off his meds, if you Call that level headed than I gotta wonder you who you are bud🤦♂️
@@JustinEdwords I think it was probably a comes-and-goes kinda thing with him for years, when he wasn't hitting the drugs too hard he was just eccentric, other times he was probably really out there. We're all a little blessed he made it thru those times and continues to make beautiful music :)
@@MadMaxBS there are some interviews with him Around 1976 (his ‘comeback’ era) where he’s incredibly lucid. Way more so than the 80s. Landy did the most mental damage, altho he probably physically saved his life
I only know about this song because LA (Light Album) by the Beach Boys had a tune called "Here Comes the Night" on it. Back in the late 70's, a part of that song was used for the news theme on KAUZ channel 6 in Wichita Falls, TX. I discovered this by accident because I had checked the album out from the Sheppard Air Force Base library and heard the tune whilst listening to the album. This album also included "Shortnin' Bread" which I have also never forgotten. So here I am, 40-something years later to comment about it!!! Here is the Channel 6 news theme from then... th-cam.com/video/hK-9L6AOxPM/w-d-xo.html
One evening in the mid 1970's, Brian Wilson persuaded Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper to do harmonies on this song, which led Iggy Pop to declare Brian Wilson to be a certifiable Lunatic.
By this time in the Beach Boys career -- expecting anything to emerge from the studio outside of embarrassing, puzzling slop was asking way too much. They were making big cash through "greatest hits" albums being released and lazily mailing in performances while on tour.
I know theres a version they recorded with Harry Nilsson, and this sounds very much like him, but I cant find any evidence to suggest that this is him singing. I know DAMN well none of those beach boys are belting like that
1st listen: What the hell is this
3rd listen: You know what, he did something really musically interesting here
50th listen: Brian was right, it's the greatest song of all time
100% agree. heard it once or twice and thought “man that was weird.” the other day my brother told me to put this song on and i then had my third listen. now this is my 50th listen.
It’s like musical crack. Or musical Shortenin’ Bread.
just had my first listen. so far, your assessment is accurate.
@@nickj7980 how you doing now
And now?@@nickj7980
Iggy Pop fears Brian Wilson.
PAUL MCCARTNEY AND JOHN LENNON FEARED BRIAN WILSON ❣️👍🏻
An old dorky surk rock musician has a bunch of proto grunge rockers in a knickers twist.
@@patrickmcgrath5411they feared him until he wiped out in 66 ：）
i still find it hilarious that iggy pop, the rockstar infamous for harming himself live called brian nuts
"I gotta get outta here, man; this guy's nuts!"
Brian Wilson calling people up at 3am to tell them how good Shortnin' Bread is is my ultimate life mantra
I imagine some frightened person being like, "What's... Shortenin Bread??"
@@jayvee5686In the heart of a thunderstorm that sent shivers down the spines of even the bravest souls, an elderly woman named Agnes huddled beneath her blankets. The rain battered against her windows, and lightning painted eerie patterns on the walls of her dimly lit bedroom.
As the clock struck 3 am, a shrill ringing pierced through the storm's chaos. Agnes, trembling, reached for the phone by her bedside. The voice on the other end was trembling with an eerie excitement.
"Agnes," the voice rasped, "it's Brian Wilson."
Agnes's heart raced. Brian Wilson, the iconic musician from the Beach Boys? Why was he calling her in the middle of this dreadful night?
"What do you want from me?" she stammered, her voice quivering with fear.
Brian's voice grew manic as he spoke. "Agnes, I need to tell you about 'Shortnin' Bread.' It's not what it seems. It's a curse, a haunting melody that must be passed on."
Agnes was bewildered. "What are you talking about?"
"Listen carefully, Agnes," Brian urged, his voice a frenzied whisper. "The song, 'Shortnin' Bread,' it's ancient, dark. If you don't pass it on, the curse will consume you."
Agnes's mind reeled with confusion. She had never heard of such a thing. "Why are you telling me this? What curse?"
But Brian didn't answer. Instead, he began singing the haunting tune of 'Shortnin' Bread' in a voice that sent shivers down Agnes's spine. The melody was twisted, dissonant, and utterly terrifying.
Agnes tried to hang up, but her hand froze over the phone. She couldn't disconnect the call. Panic surged through her as the eerie song continued to fill her ears.
Outside, the thunderstorm raged on, a symphony of dread that seemed to sync with the cursed melody. Agnes felt a malevolent presence in the room, as if shadows were closing in around her.
Then, Brian Wilson's voice grew even more desperate, "You must sing it to someone else, Agnes. Pass it on. It's the only way to break the curse."
Agnes's heart pounded, and she knew she had no choice. Trembling, she began to sing the cursed song to herself, the words clawing their way out of her throat. She would have to find someone to pass it on to, someone who would take this dreadful burden from her.
As the last notes of the cursed melody faded, the phone call abruptly ended. Agnes was left alone in the darkness, haunted by the chilling encounter with Brian Wilson and the horrifying knowledge of 'Shortnin' Bread.' The storm outside seemed to mock her, and she knew that her nightmarish journey had only just begun.
You haven't lived until you've tripped with this song on repeat for 6 hours
Sounds like a regular Tuesday with Brian Wilson in the early 70s lol
Something to look forward to .........................
That synth bass makes me feel a way I can't describe with words
It makes you feel like Mama made you some shortnin' bread 🍞
What I love in this version is the hypnotic single note of the low note horn that echoes out and begins each new measure. The synth is of course great too, but I prefer the 8 bit half interrupted scatterings of the bass in ding dang on love you.
In fact, ding dang is just filled with cut off vocals and notes, it’s a total nightmare of amazinfness
@@arthurmilano2920 I've always wondered how they achieved the cut off vocal effect: "ding DA- dang, wooo! It's not like they could do it digitally, and cutting up tape seems impractical. Riding the mute button on the mixer? I think realistically they must have just sung it that way 🤷♀.
@@arthurmilano2920finally some appreciation for that horn
That droning synth in the background is 👌
It really adds a subtle menacing edge that slowly ramps up as the riff repeats and repeats and repeats...
It’s giving good vibrations
Numerous anecdotes have been reported about Wilson's obsession with the song:
Singer-songwriter Alex Chilton recalled receiving middle-of-the-night phone calls from Wilson asking him to sing on a recording of "Shortenin' Bread"' ("He was telling me I have the perfect voice for it").
The Monkees' Micky Dolenz said that when he tripped on LSD with Wilson, John Lennon, and Nilsson, Wilson played "Shortenin' Bread" on piano "over and over again".
Biographer Peter Ames Carlin wrote that Elton John and Iggy Pop were bemused by an extended, contumacious Wilson-led singalong of "Shortenin' Bread", leading Pop to flee the room proclaiming, "I gotta get out of here, man. This guy is nuts!"
Musician Alice Cooper recalled that Wilson considered "Shortnin' Bread" to be the greatest song ever written, as he quoted Wilson for an explanation: "I don't know, it's just the best song ever written."
Imaging Iggy Pop leaving the room and calling Brian Wilson crazy is hilarious
Brian really is goofy
@@xdef1ne Yeah, that's the part that got me too! If you have Iggy Pop running from the room, you've demonstrated a special kind of crazy.
Its the greatest song ever made.
Racist
what ever.
They actually changed it to “Mommy’s little baby” to be respectful. Duh.
The Cramps did a fair version 👍😎
Why?
Brian Wilson playing Shortnin’ Bread for the 60th time in one sitting on speed like:
there's no mistaking Brian Wilson when he gets into a groove, there's no letting up
This bassline is fire.
I can’t stop listening to this, I guess this is my life now
Another hidden gem by the Beard Boys.
Brian is my favorite person ever
Ok. I’m sold. Brian Wilson is absolutely right. 👏
Brian had a hilarious/odd fascination with food, even in his non fat years.
Vegetables
doesent really have anything to do with him - but anorexic people are often OBSESSED with food, so weight really doesent matter.
My two year old thinks this is the best song ever written. To this day, he likes no other song as much as this one. Haha
Next brian wilson
Buy him a piano he's the messiah
That kid is going places!
Mozart
Wilson
Kenneth
@@dububro haha! Remember his last name lol.
All jesting aside, this demonstrates Brian's songwriting practices immaculately. He gets a very basic chord structure in his head, a loop, playing over and over again. Think Heroes and Villains, which was based off You Are My Sunshine. He creates variations on that loop, transitions that loop to what feels like entirely different, related songs entirely. The loop is key. There's a reason why he listened to Be My Baby over and over again. One powerful bassline to weave the entire song around. It's just how he works.
song sucks
But could he make Shortin Bread.
@@jamesblames he loved it
Thats what hip hop/urban R&B is.
Looping songs based on a powerful basslone and nice chord progressions.
so hypnotic its fucked up
Mama's little baby: Mama can we buy shortnin' bread?
Mama: We have shortnin' bread at home!
Shortnin' bread at home:
Elton John and Iggy Pop were also mutually bemused by an extended, contumacious Wilson-led singalong of "Shortenin' Bread", leading Pop to flee the room proclaiming, "I gotta get out of here, man. This guy is nuts!".
Alice Cooper was with Iggy actually.
It was Alice Cooper with Iggy .
Such a ‘stripe’ on Brian’s mid-70s “Rock n Roll medals” of debauchery,
Having fully weirded out Iggy Pop is a big one ;)
@@willemvanzeist no he wasn't it was Elton, he's correct dude. learn your music history before correcting people guys. Cooper was told at a "different time" how Wilson said its the best song ever made.
@@dawhoda1 how can you be so sure about that? Several stories confirm it was Alice Cooper, or do you have evidence it was Elton?
This jam makes me so frickin high.
Emcee Moniker got high and switched back and forth between listening to this and the Light Album version for like two hours lol
it needs to be waaaaaaaay longer
What’s so good about it?
@@Agos226 they arent all that different
This version has the all-critical "shruti" note, that fixed, raspy synth drone that gives it a hypnotic effect throughout most of the song.
They do that in Hindustani (i.e. India, Pakistan) classical music with a harmonium (or sometimes a shruti box), a little hand-pumped organ that plays one or more fixed notes in tune with the song you are singing or playing on other instruments. That's why I call it a shruti here.
Think of the hypnotic drone in a song like Swing Town by Steve Miller, or the really pronounced one in Jet by Paul McCartney and Wings. Similar concept.
The shruti is missing (or at least turned down to be almost inaudible) in the Light Album version, probably because they thought it was cluttering things up too much, kind of like a Phil Spector production, where he seemingly wanted to have 128 sounds or effects going on constantly in every song.
Anyway, a drone like that has the ability to produce alpha waves in your brain, so in the absence of other cool drugs like pot, etc., drones may have to suffice for your high! And believe me, I learned to dig drones at an early age. I used to program my Apple //e with an ALF MC-16 sound card back in the 80's to produce some AWESOME drones that I would play in my sleep or when I wanted to relax!!!! BEAUTIFUL!!!! I have recordings of some of those drones just for the sake of the fond memories. ;-)
Anyway, if you're interested, there are videos on here demonstrating the shruti box and you can more clearly hear the cool effect when it's isolated. In these songs we're discussing here, they were using Moogs to create the wonderful sounds, hence the analog, synthetic, raspy, brain-tickling aspects of the drones!!!
This is the one they should've put on LA.
I've been listening to this for like 5 hours now
I think Alex Chilton would have made a perfect singer for this song.
I wish I had isolated tracks so I could do an extended mix, maybe bring the vocals in around the 8 minute mark, about halfway through.
There is an extended version out there. Check it out!👏👏✌
Please do it! - Your cover of Mike Come Back to LA is the best!
I'm gonna need a clean 8 hour loop of this song, it's what Brian would want
@@cultofbunnyjust a Google search pulls it up?
I gotta get outta here, man. This guy is NUTS
the world does not deserve Brian Wilson!
Now I'm doing time for eatin' shortnin' bread.
when people tell me we live in a bad timeline, i remind them this exists in ours
MY DAD WAS A LOUNGE SINGER DURING THE 30S AND 40S
THIS IS THE ONLY SONG I REMEMBER HIM SINGING FROM MY CHILDHOOD
I LEARNED IT ON PIANO AND BACKED HIM UP IN MY 20S😂😢
Did their facial hair make them sing like this at the time..? So awesome
It was a combination of chain smoking and randy newmans influence.
Carl kind of sang like this on Wild Honey back in ‘67 though
cocaine and liquor actually
Yes
hypnotic
So simplistic and great.
If you listen close enough you can hear the beginning of synth pop and the beginning of 'Jump' by Van Halen
somehow i can’t get enough of this
Carl and Brian jammin' out!
Can’t stop listening to this. This is my 17358411th loop.
It totally works and now I'm soooo' hungry! I love that story about Iggy Pop freaking out listening to this being recorded.
Listen to this song and be forever changed.
So perfectly wonderful.
Best Beastie Boys song
Oh yeah this is a Shortenin’ bread moment
Carl deserves credit for his amazing lead vocal on this
I've never heard a better song, have you?
Yes
@@Paul-dw2cl stop lying. There is nothing better than Shortenin’ Bread
@@officialFredDurstfanclub you’re right
@@Paul-dw2cl Hahaha
Little saint nick
If Brian Wilson says it's the best song ever, then it IS. Subject closed.
Even though he lost all touch with reality and sanity during this period, he lost NOTHING of his musical ability.
Losing touch with reality and sanity opens you up to another side of musicianship and creativity.
He was actually still pretty grounded in this era, check out contemporary interviews. I dont care what anyone thinks, this rocks!
@@JustinEdwords he was a hermit and straight up obese banging teenagers at this time off his meds, if you Call that level headed than I gotta wonder you who you are bud🤦♂️
@@JustinEdwords I think it was probably a comes-and-goes kinda thing with him for years, when he wasn't hitting the drugs too hard he was just eccentric, other times he was probably really out there. We're all a little blessed he made it thru those times and continues to make beautiful music :)
@@MadMaxBS there are some interviews with him
Around 1976 (his ‘comeback’ era) where he’s incredibly lucid. Way more so than the 80s. Landy did the most mental damage, altho he probably physically saved his life
This song makes me want to cry it’s so good
A version of this song was on the L.A. Light Album.
with Carl and Dennis the bass chorus. Brian isn't on that version, although it's his arrangement.
I'd prefer this version a thousand times
It's one of the best songs on the light album. A welcome change of pace for the closing track.
They honestly don’t sound all that different to me. They both rock
Awesomness!
damn right
Jay Rock!! Loved your work on Trailer Park Boys!!😄 You have great taste in music!✌
This song is so epic!
I, too, am doing time for eatin’ shortnin’ bread.
i’m glad you’re alive to tell the tale
I can’t push the headphones into my head any harder trying to have the bassline permeate my brain.
Very different take on an old song, i like it!❤😊
Welcome to Iggy Pop’s nightmare
This is perfect for Mr Pops voice!
Brian's magnum opus
If you didn’t think it could be weirder when abba covered pick a bale of cotton, here’s The Beach Boys version of shortnin bread
1:33 Heard "Estonia missin' that shortnin' bread" lol
Cool version! Nelson Eddy would approve it. 😁👍
I only know about this song because LA (Light Album) by the Beach Boys had a tune called "Here Comes the Night" on it. Back in the late 70's, a part of that song was used for the news theme on KAUZ channel 6 in Wichita Falls, TX. I discovered this by accident because I had checked the album out from the Sheppard Air Force Base library and heard the tune whilst listening to the album. This album also included "Shortnin' Bread" which I have also never forgotten. So here I am, 40-something years later to comment about it!!! Here is the Channel 6 news theme from then... th-cam.com/video/hK-9L6AOxPM/w-d-xo.html
One evening in the mid 1970's, Brian Wilson persuaded Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper to do harmonies on this song, which led Iggy Pop to declare Brian Wilson to be a certifiable Lunatic.
woohooo !!! !!!
🗿🗿🗿🗿
heavier than any Slayer album
Shruti... look it up. That's what makes this version superior!!! 🙂
I like the stripped-downness of this compared to the L.A. version.
is the L.A. version a remix? it sounds like the same lead-vocal track
@@Paul-dw2cl Lead vocal sounds the same, but bass vocal is Brian here and Dennis on LA, I think.
Also on the LA version you can still hear the synth bassline except it's really buried in the mix.
When you scare Iggy Pop you know youve reached legendary status...
Masterpiece.
Weird and cool!
Best fucking song ever
I have a 78RPM record of this song by Nelson Eddy that I inherited from my Grandmother.
Would it have been better to 10 mins of Shortin' Bread rather than 10 mins of disco Here Comes The Night on the LA album?
Heck yeah. Total trance😅
By this time in the Beach Boys career -- expecting anything to emerge from the studio outside of embarrassing, puzzling slop was asking way too much. They were making big cash through "greatest hits" albums being released and lazily mailing in performances while on tour.
Interesting. I’ve never heard The Beach Boys sound so much like Van Halen.
It's catchy but in the wrong way. Maddening
Called the doctor, the doctor said, we don't take no Medicaid😊
Whos on lead vocals
Brian and Carl
This is the song that plays in hell on repeat
one mans hell is another mans heaven, i guess
Nah this is what you hear when you roll up to heaven
@@madcap_9539It was a
Move over Beethoven, we have a winner.
th-cam.com/video/l6xcXGI4da8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=4IApM2eKdNx_cX_q What if this song became the alternative to disco?
I know theres a version they recorded with Harry Nilsson, and this sounds very much like him, but I cant find any evidence to suggest that this is him singing. I know DAMN well none of those beach boys are belting like that
It’s Carl
it’s always Carl
Some original versions of this song are considered racist-just thought i would let you know....
Nobody gives a fuck its culture and history. And it has meaning to keep today.
Let’s banish it! BAD BAD BAD! How dare they.
This version voids it's history entirely. This my friends is a musical evolution that transcends it.
Brown bread matters
The Wiggles did it, cancel the wiggles!