"Richard Wagner wanted a different kind of movement; he overthrew the physiological presupposition of previous music. Swimming, floating—no longer walking and dancing."
Within the scope of pop music, the same can be said of Brian Wilson, a musical pioneer whose departure from mindless surf tunes with the Beach Boys to otherworldly "baroque-pop" changed the musical landscape of the 20th century, opening up doors to the experimenting musicians of subsequent generations. In his most experimental albums, Pet Sounds and Smile, Wilson forgoes mundane themes and traditional composition and instrumentation in pursuit of music that leads its listener toward introspection and self-exploration. Even the Beatles attributed their willingness to experiment on Sgt. Pepper to Wilson's transgressive, soulful work on Pet Sounds.
"God Only Knows" is one of the more recognizable tunes from the album. If you've heard it before, listen to it through the ears of someone hearing it in 1966 for the first time, whose only concept of music is early rock and roll with maybe two guitars playing the same four chords, a bass, drums, and vocals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybvruzd3XE0
Beach Boys- God Only Knows, Pet Sounds (1966)
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