The Five Dopiest Beach Boys Songs, Including One Where Brian Wilson Raps

By Chaz Kangas Mon., Nov. 7 2011 at 5:00 AM

2. "Busy Doin' Nothin" (1968)
Some Beach Boys fans consider Wilson's take on a lazy day where he gets nothing accomplished, "Busy Doin' Nothin," to be a brilliant concept. Others, however, note that the second verse consists of Wilson giving directions to his house. Meanwhile, a full 1/3 of the song is devoted to his trying to remember a phone number. Hey Brian, if you're that bored, maybe go to the beach?

1. "Smart Girls" (1989)
As great as the Beach Boys were at blending genres, their bizarre 1987 collaboration with The Fat Boys shows they never quite got the hang of rap music. In 1989, while under the controversial care of Eugene Landy, Brian Wilson was somehow convinced to record a rap song. Produced by Matt Dike (Beastie Boys' "Hey Ladies," Tone Loc's "Wild Thing," Insane Clown Posse's "Halls of Illusions"), the sample-laden production is more bomb than Bomb Squad and Brian's creepy rhymes give off vibrations from which no "good" can be picked up.

Tags:

Al Jardin, Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, California, Mike Love, Music, Pet Sounds, Sessions, Smile, Worst Songs

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pbonito_

I knew Make It Big would be on here :) Guilty pleasure inexplicably found in a compilation otherwise culled from the glory days. Also, was 'Busy Doin' Nothin'" the original "The Lazy Song?" ;)

John

This is the type of thing that only superficial music listeners find interesting. Yes, the Beach Boys, like most groups, have put out some dippy songs, but about half of the ones here are far better than you give them credit for. For example Busy Doin Nothing takes a lazy day lyric and sets it to a bossa-nova beat, and makes a perfect Sunday afternoon song. Not every song has to have the depth of Dylan. But the BBs come close on Beaks of Eagles, one of their best ecological songs. If all you want is to make fun of things, well you can do that for any song. With the amazing Smile Sessions being just released, I can't believe you people are wasting our time with this.

Stlatshaw

Some of the choices are amusing; however, Beaks of Eagles is actually the spoken section of a three song trilogy about California on the Holland LP ("California Saga"), bookended by two classics, "Big Sur" and "California." As a recitation, it may suffer by modern standards as this is a format not used much these days. But the poetry by Robinson Jeffers is darkly brilliant and the music by Al Jardine on the chorus is infectious. As for "Busy Doin' Nothin," the pre-occupation with the trivial is the point of the song, presenting a mellow day in Bel Air, circa 1968. Music and subject matter of the time; Busy Doin' Nothin' is considered a real Beach Boys classic.