"Smart Girls" is a song by American musician Brian Wilson from his unofficial 1990 album Sweet Insanity.[2] It was produced by Wilson, his former psychologist Eugene Landy, and Matt Dike.[1] The publishing credits Wilson as the sole writer, while an original acetate credits Wilson, Landy, and Landy's girlfriend Alexandra Morgan for writing.[3]
| "Smart Girls" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Brian Wilson | |
| from the album Sweet Insanity | |
| Released | 1991 |
| Recorded | August 23, 1990 |
| Studio | Studio Ultimo |
| Genre | Surf rap[1] |
| Length | 4:09 |
| Songwriter(s) | Brian Wilson |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Audio sample | |
Content edit
"Smart Girls" is a hip hop pastiche containing numerous Beach Boys samples, self-quotations, and autobiographical allusions.[4] The lyrics detail Wilson's infatuation with intelligent women as he acknowledges that his old Beach Boys songs showed only a superficial appreciation of women.[5]
The recording was reportedly at Landy's insistence.[6][7] Asked in 2015 about "Smart Girls", Wilson said, "Yeah, we were just having a good time. Yeah, it was fun. We were just kidding."[6]
Release edit
Wilson and Landy, acting under the guise of their corporate banner Brains & Genius, produced a cassette single of "Smart Girls" to promote Wilson's 1991 memoir, Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story.[8] An insert that was included in the cassette stated that 250 copies were created and sent as gifts during the previous Christmas.[9]
Reception edit
Author/musician Jason Hartley wrote: "What is important was that Wilson was embracing rap when many older rockers thought that rap wasn't real music. As ridiculous as 'Smart Girls' may seem to you today, at the very least, Brian Wilson was on the right side of history."[5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b Stereogum (December 3, 2007). "Brian Wilson's Psychotic Surf Rap". Stereogum.
- ^ Vena, Jocelyn (March 26, 2015). "Brian Wilson Explains Scrapped Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey Collabs". Billboard.
- ^ LeRoy, Dan (2007). The Greatest Music Never Sold: Secrets of Legendary Lost Albums by David Bowie, Seal, Beastie Boys, Chicago, Mick Jagger and More!. New York: Backbeat Books. pp. 267–272. ISBN 978-0879309053.
- ^ Lambert, Philip (2007). Inside the Music of Brian Wilson: the Songs, Sounds, and Influences of the Beach Boys' Founding Genius. Continuum. p. 323. ISBN 978-0-8264-1876-0.
- ^ a b Hartley, Jason (2010). The Advanced Genius Theory: Are They Out of Their Minds or Ahead of Their Time?. Simon & Schuster. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-4391-1748-4.
- ^ a b Herrera, Dave (July 10, 2015). "A Q&A with Brian Wilson". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
- ^ Carlin, Peter Ames (2006). Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Rodale. p. 270. ISBN 978-1-59486-320-2.
- ^ LeRoy 2007, p. 271.
- ^ LeRoy 2007, p. 272.
Further reading edit
- Horton, Matthew (2014). "Sweet Insanity". In MacDonald, Bruno (ed.). The Greatest Albums You'll Never Hear: Unreleased Records by the World's Greatest Artists. London. ISBN 978-1844037773.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Reiff, Corbin (October 4, 2019). "The strange story of Beach Boys visionary Brian Wilson's lost rap song". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
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