Brian Wilson ‘Flipped’ Out When He First Heard This John Lennon Song
The Beatles and The Beach Boys were rivals during the 1960s, but they had mutual respect and admiration for each other’s work. Members of each band have publicly shared support and praise for the iconic music they both have created. Brian Wilson is a passionate fan of The Beatles, and he said he “flipped” out when he first heard this song written by John Lennon.
Brian Wilson ‘flipped’ out when he first heard John Lennon’s ‘Across the Universe’
Wilson enjoyed many of The Beatles’ projects, including 1965’s Rubber Soul. He never really cared about their competition on the charts, as both created great music while trying to one-up each other. In a 2015 interview with Uncut Magazine, Wilson was asked to share his favorite Lennon song. The “I Get Around” singer selected “Across the Universe”, one of Lennon’s tracks from The Beatles’ final album.
“My favorite Lennon song is ‘Across The Universe’,” Wilson exclaimed. “It had a great guitar sound. It flipped me out when I first heard it. And I thought his voice was especially good. He must have either taken some drugs or really concentrated hard because he got a very special vocal sound on that one. The other thing was the lyrics. They were so heavenly [sings the chorus]. And they were most likely drug-inspired. I thought they were really great. People say that song reminds them of The Beach Boys, but not to me. It’s unique.”
“Across the Universe” debuted in 1970 on Let It Be. It’s one of Lennon’s most celebrated Beatles songs and has been covered many times by artists such as Fiona Apple, David Bowie, and Rufus Wainwright. Speaking with Rolling Stone in 1970, Lennon said it was one of the best songs he wrote for the fab four.
“It’s one of the best lyrics I’ve written. In fact, it could be the best,” Lennon shared. “It’s good poetry, or whatever you call it, without chewin’ it. See, the ones I like are the ones that stand as words, without melody. They don’t have to have any melody, like a poem, you can read them.”
Lennon shared equal admiration for a song by The Beach Boys
John Lennon was often brutally honest with his opinions, and, fortunately, he had a positive opinion of Brian Wilson. Back in 1965, he reviewed a Beach Boys single that saw him at his most excited. The song was “The Little Girl I Once Knew”. The Beach Boys recorded the single during their sessions for Pet Sounds but didn’t include it on the album.
In an interview with Melody Maker, Lennon raved about the single and praised Wilson’s musical talent.
“This is the greatest! Turn it up, turn it right up. It’s GOT to be a hit. It’s the greatest record I’ve heard for weeks,” Lennon said. “It’s fantastic. I hope it will be a hit. It’s all Brian Wilson. He just uses the voices as instruments. He never tours or anything. He just sits at home thinking up fantastic arrangements out of his head. Doesn’t even read music. You keep waiting for the fabulous breaks. Great arrangement. It goes on and on with all different things. I hope it’s a hit so I can hear it all the time.”
It’s a lesser-known song by The Beach Boys as it was only a minor hit, but it’s still one Lennon truly appreciated.
