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Rating: Almost every day—or at least very often—one stumbles upon the latest voice of musical truth announcing the incredible revolution brought about by this or that group, in such and such genre. And even though many times the punctuality of these fierce judgments is—light of the facts—debunked, it’s certainly not a crime to have tried: in a world that—even in the musical sphere—sinks more and more into the indiscriminate and sadly flat non-sense of commercialization, it’s better not to pose as apologists for lost purism and to give recognition to those who proclaim themselves as manifest opposers of such flatness.
No, there’s really nothing wrong with indulging in a bit of healthy relativism in our judgments, letting oneself be carried away by the senses even when they lead you to musical shores unknown and unexpected by yourself. In the end, "revolution" is an overused and distorted word, moldy: records that haven’t changed a damn thing spin continuously in my player, warm my evenings, nourish my dreams; acclaimed and epoch-making works, Nobel of light music of all times walk miles away from my soul.
Quite a claim to see the two poles of personal taste and objective judgment of historical relevance, of the heart and the "mind," reunited syncretically in a single gift package.
Quite a claim to want many of them as well, to look each year under the tree for a new "Revolver," a handful of "Astral Weeks," of "Hejira," of "Steve McQueen"…Should I perhaps step out on the street, take the first available means and reach that nice old man named Brian Wilson—revived, vigilant, sharp observer of the multiple facets of the human soul—to ask him not to settle, not to stop, to pretend nothing happened and get back to work?
Pretend not to know what a nasty trick that man with the intensely wrinkled face played on the world by publishing—forty years ago (?!)—the sacred text of pop of all time, "Pet Sounds"? Pretend not to have realized that everything or almost everything started and ended there, among the pages of that indisputable and shocking Bible? From pop tout-court ("Sloop John B.": one of the most ingenious and joyfully sticky lullabies ever) to pop with prog nuances (the central slow-down and tempo changes in "Wouldn't It Be Nice"—which has little to envy to the subsequent earworm "Good Vibrations"; the brief, superb, endless "Caroline, No"), from the moving chamber arrangements of "Don't Talk (Put Your Hand On My Shoulder)" and "You Still Believe In Me" to the inspired (and only apparently brilliant) reconsideration of doo-wop harmonies ("That's Not Me": the apogee and decline of surf-rock), from the extraordinary and unheard-of experiments of symphonic jazz-pop of the instrumentals (the title-track, "Let's Go Away For Awhile") to the philosopher's stone of any upcoming torch-song or power-ballad (the immense "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times"), to the masterpiece of the Beatles without the Beatles ("God Only Knows": what else to ask for?)—everything that light song has always wanted, sought, experimented, desired, is born and dies in these grooves, in this work that stuns those who grasp its subtle and humble greatness, in this record, which since the day of its birth heats the senses and regenerates the mind.
There really is little to say about albums like this. "Pet Sounds" shines with a very special light: that, dazzling and everlasting, of an inspiration that is the cradle of three-quarters of modern music.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Wouldn't It Be Nice (02:26)
Wouldn't it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long
And wouldn't it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong
You know its gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together
Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through
Happy times together we've been spending
I wish that every kiss was neverending
Oh Wouldn't it be nice
Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true
Baby then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do
We could be married (we could be married)
And then we'd be happy (then we'd be happy)
Wouldn't it be nice
You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But lets talk about it
Wouldn't it be nice
good night
sleep tight
good night
sleep tight
good night
sleep tight
02 You Still Believe in Me (02:35)
I know perfectly well
I'm not where I should be
I've been very aware
You've been patient with me
Every time we break up
You bring back your love to me
And after all I've done to you
How can it be
You still believe in me
I try hard to be more
What you want me to be
But I can't help how I act
When you're not here with me
I try hard to be strong
But sometimes I fail myself
And after all I've promised you
So faithfully
You still believe in me
I wanna cry...
03 That's Not Me (02:30)
I had to prove that I could make it alone
But that's not me
I wanted to show how independent I'd grown now
But that's not me
I could try to be big in the eyes of the world
What matters to me is what I could be to just one girl
I'm a little bit scared
Cause I haven't been home in a long time
You needed my love
And I know that I left at the wrong time
My folks when I wrote them
Told 'em what I was up to said that's not me
I went through all kinds of changes
Took a look at myself and said that's not me
I miss my pad and the places I've known
And every night as I lay there alone I will dream
I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
I'm glad I went now I'm that much more sure that we're ready
I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
04 Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) (02:54)
I can hear so much in your sighs
And I can see so much in your eyes
There are words we both could say
But don't talk, put your head on my shoulder
Come close, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, take my hand and let me hear your heart beat
Being here with you feels so right
We could live forever tonight
Lets not think about tomorrow
And don't talk put your head on my shoulder
Come close, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, take my hand and listen to my heart beat
Listen, listen, listen.
Don't talk, put your head on my shoulder
Don't talk, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, put your head on my shoulder
Don't talk, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, put your head on my shoulder
07 Sloop John B (03:00)
We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well I feel so broke up
I want to go home
So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up
I wanna go home
The first mate he got drunk
And broke in the Cap'n's trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don't you leave me alone, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up I wanna go home
So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why don't you let me go home
(Hoist up the John B's sail)
Hoist up the John B
I feel so broke up I wanna go home
Let me go home
The poor cook he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don't they let me go home
This is the worst trip I've ever been on
So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why don't you let me go home
08 God Only Knows (02:53)
I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me?
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Well life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me?
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
10 Here Today (02:55)
It starts with just a little glance now
Right away you're thinkin' 'bout romance now
You know you ought to take it slower
But you just can't wait to get to know her
A brand new love affair is such a beautiful thing
But if you're not careful think about the pain it can bring
It makes you feel so bad
It makes your heart feel sad
It makes your days go wrong
It makes your nights so long
You've got to keep in mind love is here today
And it's gone tomorrow
It's here and gone so fast
Right now you think that she's perfection
This time is really an exception
Well you know I hate to be a downer
But I'm the guy she left before you found her
Well I'm not saying you won't have a good love with her
But I keep on remembering things like they were
She made me feel so bad
She made my heart feel sad
She made my days go wrong
And made my nights so long
You've got to keep in mind love is here today
And it's gone tomorrow
It's here and gone so fast
Keep in mind love is here today
And it's gone tomorrow
It's here and gone so fast
Love is here today
And it's gone tomorrow
It's here and gone so fast
11 I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (03:16)
I keep looking for a place to fit
Where I can speak my mind
I've been trying hard to find the people
That I won't leave behind
They say I got brains
But they ain't doing me no good
I wish they could
Each time things start to happen again
I think I got something good goin' for myself
But what goes wrong
Sometimes I feel very sad
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can't find nothin' I can put my heart and soul into)
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can't find nothin' I can put my heart and soul into)
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
Every time I get the inspiration
To go change things around
No one wants to help me look for places
Where new things might be found
Where can I turn when my fair weather friends cop out
What's it all about
Each time things start to happen again
I think I got something good goin' for myself
But what goes wrong
Sometimes I feel very sad
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can't find nothin' I can put my heart and soul into)
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can't find nothin' I can put my heart and soul into)
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
13 Caroline, No (02:54)
Where did your long hair go
Where is the girl I used to know
How could you lose that happy glow
Oh, Caroline no
Who took that look away
I remember how you used to say
You'd never change, but that's not true
Oh, Caroline you
Break my heart
I want to go and cry
It's so sad to watch a sweet thing die
Oh, Caroline why
Could I ever find in you again
Things that made me love you so much then
Could we ever bring 'em back once they have gone
Oh, Caroline no
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Other reviews
By f.factor
Here, there’s pop that wants to grow up, and indeed it succeeds, while retaining its characteristics of readily engaging music.
Two spins in the CD player and you’re already humming the various Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Sloop John B, God Only Knows, or Caroline No.
By JohnWinston
If God had recorded an album, it would have been Pet Sounds.
'God Only Knows'... Such a refined melody led Sir McCartney to pronounce it the greatest song ever.
