Today is the last day of August, filthy, disgusting August. Of all summer months, August is the worst. It saunters in, like the boorish, drunk uncle at a family reunion. Eventually, he’ll eat all the clam dip and lose his temper during what was a harmless game of badminton. Finally, he’ll tear off in his ‘82 Trans Am, but not before getting a good look at your cousin’s cleavage.
August is probably the most uncomfortable month of the year, especially in New England, where the constant humidity is interrupted only by the occasional electrical storm. The very name “August” translates from Latin as “crotch sweat of the pig.” To celebrate the end of this awful, awful month, theFiver is happy to invoke:
The Top 5 Beach Boys songs that have nothing to do with the beach, surfing, cruising or summer:
1. “Good Vibrations”
A tune for all seasons, you may also know it by its other title, “The best damn song ever recorded.” The genius of “Good Vibrations” can be summed up using this simple algebraic formula: Brian Wilson = Awesome
2. “Don’t Worry Baby”
3. “God Only Knows”
Thanks to Mike Love, Sunkist commercials and that episode of “Full House,” by the late ’80s the Beach Boys became firmly synonymous with family-friendly teeny-pop. It was easy to forget their earnest love songs that often fused simple sentiments with complex arrangements.
4. “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times”
Amen to that.
5. “Heroes And Villains”
Psychedelic pop whose complexity puts Sgt. Pepper to shame, “Heroes And Villains” seems to go against the grain in almost every sense. It even gets better with age — as rereleased on “Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE,” “Heroes And Villains” becomes part of a larger, bizarre and joyful opera.
The Top 5 Beach Boys songs that have nothing to do with the beach, surfing, cruising or summer
Ah, yes. September will soon be here… while I mourn the passing of summer, I welcome fall, if only for the fact that my apartment is no longer a sauna. Thanks for ushering summer out with this Beach Boys list. I remember listening to the oldies station as a kid (the Oldies 103 jingles are still fused in my brain); “Don’t Worry Baby” was one of my favorites.
The public perception of them was always so much less than what they really were (or could have been if Brian hadn’t had his breakdown). This could very easily have been a “Top 10″ list…just another reason to continue the Mike Love non-love-fest.
Nice photo, by the way!
Rockin photo!
Also love “God Only Knows” because it always makes me think of Love Actually, which is one of my favorite movies!
“Don’t Worry, Baby” – the classic love story of a man, a woman, and a muscle car.
I thought the photo was like a stock photo thing. If your name hadn’t been under it I never would have known. That’s totally awesome dude! I am sad to see August come to a close and may just decide to refuse to admit summer is over until maybe some time in December.
I felt the need to re-comment amd chime in with the others because that is indeed an awesome photo. I too would have thought it a stock photo if my attention hadn’t been drawn to your name underneath. You are a talented fellow…
Thanks for the ego-stroke, everyone! I took that photo at Ocean City, MD during vacation in ‘08. It was one of those days where it looked like it could be beautiful or the most frightening weather you’ve ever seen, all at once.