The melancholic genius of pop history: Brian Wilson, founder and composer of the Beach Boys, has died

He wanted to be the best pop musician in the world. And considering his skills as a songwriter, arranger, and composer, his ambitions were not unfounded. However, Brian Wilson's outstanding talent never brought him happiness. Song titles like "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Good Vibrations," and the unfinished album "Smile" marked a career that repeatedly led to gloom.

Melancholy became second nature to the musician. And while it sometimes served as a scumbag for artistic pretensions, it ultimately proved to be a hindrance to success. Especially since Brian Wilson's frustrations were evident. The often childishly playful star certainly lacked charisma.

He may have shaped the Beach Boys' repertoire and sound. However, his band's image was shaped by others—handsome blondes like singer Mike Love, for example, or Brian's brother Dennis on drums. Brian Wilson's artistic passion was also hampered by fans who wanted to be kept entertained by the cheerful melodies for which the Beach Boys had been famous since their formation in 1961. Wilson imagined or idealized a Californian paradise into which he himself didn't fit. On the other hand, he wasn't content with the endless fun of surfers, lovers, beaches, and sunsets.

Brian Wilson was born on June 20, 1942, in Inglewood, California. As a boy, he reportedly dreamed of a career as a baseball or football star, like his brothers (surfing, however, was never mentioned). However, he was apparently mostly clumsy in sports; in his overzealousness, he even broke a friend's leg.

His parents soon recognized his musical talent. His strict, sometimes tyrannical father, Murry Wilson, emphasized drill and promoted him and his brothers as The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson's passion for pop music, however, only ignited when he received a multi-track recording device on his 16th birthday. With this tool, he was able to experiment with polyphonic vocals. Soon, harmony vocals combined with guitar surf sounds and rock 'n' roll became the Beach Boys' recipe for success.

For their early hit "Surfin' USA," the Beach Boys borrowed "Sweet Little Sixteen," a song by rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry. Otherwise, Brian Wilson, who soon took over album production, was rarely at a loss for catchy melodies. This is demonstrated by the impressive song output in the first half of the 1960s.

More artistically significant, however, were his brilliant arrangements. In the interweaving and condensed vocal registers, as well as in the contrasting of the individual voices, Wilson achieved a balance of lightness and passion.

With their trademark polyphonic vocals, the Beach Boys were stylistically closer to doo-wop ensembles and boy groups than to classic rock bands, in which the singer usually acted as a figurehead.

In the polyphonic passages, Brian Wilson, who had learned to sing in his family, occasionally addressed the love of community. However, as the bandleader, he lacked the authority of a lead singer. In addition, he never felt entirely comfortable on stage; he suffered terribly from stage fright. With the Beach Boys' success, however, their concert schedule increased, and their tours became longer.

The Beach Boys soon found themselves unable to realize Brian Wilson's sound concepts on their own. This is particularly evident on the album "Pet Sounds," released in 1966. Brian Wilson exploited all the possibilities of modern studio technology and radically expanded the band's sound—with horns, string instruments, and a so-called theremin, on the one hand, and bicycle bells, horns, and all sorts of sound snippets (from barking dogs to moving trains) on the other.

In doing so, he colored and layered the shimmering sound in a similar way to the individual vocals. "Pet Sounds" climbed the charts worldwide; this was especially true of the hit single "Good Vibrations."

There was no other pop musician who artistically controlled song, sound, arrangement, and production as freely and confidently as Brian Wilson. Compared to the rival Beatles, he served as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Martin rolled into one for the Beach Boys.

But the Beatles weren't sleeping. Their willingness to learn from the Beach Boys was demonstrated by the daring sonic experiments on "Revolver" in 1966. Wilson, for his part, wanted to go one step further. He collaborated with the experimental lyricist Van Dyke Parks on a new work that would eclipse everything that had come before. "Smile" was the programmatic title of a new, multi-part composition. It was intended to express the joy that Wilson could only find thanks to mind-expanding drugs.

The composer envisioned the music as a "teenage symphony to God." Pop was now finally poised to establish itself as a high culture. Once again, the musicians of the so-called "Wrecking Band" were called upon—a group of accomplished instrumentalists who had already implemented the ideas of "Pet Sounds." To get himself in the mood, Wilson is said to have built a sandbox around his piano, into which he occasionally dipped his feet.

But while "Pet Sounds" had cemented his fame, "Smile" now sealed his downfall. The bandmates couldn't understand the ambiguous lyrics. The production of individual songs was lost in endless attempts. "Heroes and Villains," for example, which was originally twelve minutes long, was repeatedly re-recorded. This delayed production. To make matters worse, a new Beatles album had already been released: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," setting new standards both in terms of studio technique and music.

Eventually, Capitol Records put the project on hold. Brian Wilson hid under his covers, exhausted and worn out. His creative energy was exhausted. In the years that followed, he dreamed of further major projects—with titles like "A World of Peace Must Come." But he added only a few more songs to the Beach Boys' repertoire.

Since then, Brian Wilson has repeatedly put himself in the spotlight musically – as a solo artist or with the Beach Boys. In 2004, the recordings for "Smile" were finally released. They had been lost for a long time; rumor had it that Wilson himself destroyed them. The album further underscored the songwriter's and arranger's skills. It received the positive reviews it certainly deserved. And yet: it remains a work for historians. It hasn't entered the collective memory of the pop audience, even though Brian Wilson has performed the music from "Smile" and "Pet Sounds" live again in recent decades.

In 2017, for example, at the Montreux Jazz Festival. His fellow musicians gave their all for the veteran star. And even though he could only sing with difficulty, his own music seemed to bring a smile to his face. Now Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82. He will be remembered as a sad genius in pop history.