The Beach Boys’ ‘Smiley Smile’ Was Used in a Drug Clinic to Help People Recover From Bad LSD Trips, According to Carl Wilson
The Beach Boys made an impact on the music industry. According to Carl Wilson, some of their songs were even used as “treatment” for people recovering from “bad LSD trips.” Here’s what we know about the album Smiley Smile and its hit song “Good Vibrations.”
The Beach Boys released ‘Smiley Smile’ and its song ‘Good Vibrations’
This surf rock group brings good vibrations. As the 12th studio album of the Beach Boys, Smiley Smile reached No. 9 on UK record charts, even if it didn’t receive as much success in the United States.
It featured 11 originals, including “Heroes and Villains,” “Vegetables,” “Fall Breaks And Back To Winter,” and other tracks. The collection featured songs written by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and other members of the Beach Boys.
In 2001, this collection was remastered, now available for purchase digitally and physically. In the 1970s, it was even used as a form of “treatment.”
‘Smiley Smile’ was used among listeners getting over ‘bad LSD trips’
Smiley Smile had a positive impact on several listeners. As one Beach Boys member, Carl Wilson described the impact of this collection on listeners recovering from a bad LSD trip.
“In Fort Worth, Texas, there is a drug clinic which takes people off the streets and helps them get over bad LSD trips,” Carl Wilson told the NME [New Musical Express] in 1970, according to Maui Time. “They don’t use any traditional medical treatment whatsoever.”
“All they do is play the patient our Smiley Smile album, and apparently this acts as a soothing remedy which relaxes them and helps them to recover completely from their trip,” he explained.
The Beach Boys sometimes wrote about their LSD consumption. According to Far Out Magazine, “I Know There’s an Answer,” originally titled “Hang On to Your Ego,” was written by Brian Wilson, Terry Sachen, and Mike Love about one of Brian Wilson’s trips. Mike Love was specifically outspoken about the lyrics.
“I wasn’t interested in taking acid or getting rid of my ego,” Love said, according to the same magazine. “The people that I’d seen indulge in those things exhibited behaviors and mannerisms that left much to be desired.”
‘Smiley Smile’ continues to earn praise from Beach Boys fans
Since its release, Smiley Smile has been added to most major streaming platforms. The most popular song, “Good Vibrations,” currently holds over 320 million Spotify plays. The track was also used in Jordan Peele’s horror film Us.
In 2011, the official Beach Boys YouTube account posted a music video for “Heroes and Villains” from “SMiLE Sessions,” with the animated production earning over a million views.
“After hearing this song, I felt as though [SMiLE Sessions] would’ve surpassed both Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s album (both are known for being revolutionary albums of the Beatles) had it been released,” one YouTube comment wrote.
