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The Guardian
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Endless summer: how Brian Wilson soundtracked California
In July 1963, Jan and Dean's Surf City spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first surf rock song to top the charts. Co-written by Brian Wilson, the tune describes a halcyon place where there's always a party brewing and the romantic odds are in the narrator's favor – two girls for every boy! In this rock'n'roll era just before the Beatles shook up the US, surf culture had gone mainstream via films (the Annette Funicello-Frankie Avalon vehicle Beach Party) and music (the ferocious guitarist Dick Dale, quirky hits like the Surfaris' Wipe Out). Wilson's own Beach Boys were arguably the driving force behind this movement, having debuted in late 1961 with Surfin', a single that doubled as an early mission statement: 'Surfin' is the only life, the only way for me.' The fresh-faced band members struck wholesome poses in magazine ads, wearing matching plaid shirts while standing in a line clutching a surfboard, as they sang pristine, intricate harmonies that radiated warmth. By summer 1963, the Beach Boys' second album, Surfin' USA, was perched at number four on the album charts. The title track had been a top five hit several months before, thanks to hip-swiveling riffs, references to hip fashion and shout-outs to various California locales (eg, Redondo Beach, La Jolla). For Wilson and the Beach Boys, the Golden state was the place to be for anyone who wanted to be cool. But California wasn't exclusionary: in Surfin' USA, the lyrics note that everybody's there in the water, meaning if you show up, you belong too. Wilson favored bucolic imagery in many of his songs, imagining California as a mythical place full of fancy cars (Little Deuce Coupe; the drag race chronicle Shut Down) with the best-looking women (California Girls) and tastiest surf reports (Catch a Wave). These lyrics captured charming – and innocent – scenes that resembled colorful postcards mailed to the rest of the world: joyriding to the beach, spending the day surfing and dreaming of romance. But Wilson's songs also praised California for its consistency; the state represented a respite from turbulent politics and shifting cultural norms. That's not to say Wilson ignored the outside world. But The Warmth of the Sun, which was written and recorded in the wake of the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy, doesn't touch on the tragedy; instead, it's a breakup song where the heartbroken protagonist finds a silver lining by turning to sunshine. In dark times, the sun is never far away; it's always guaranteed to rise again or provide comfort. In ways big and small, Wilson established California as a place of possibility, where songs often possessed twinges of melancholy, but never lost their optimism. Surfer Girl nodded to When You Wish Upon a Star from Disney's Pinocchio – a fitting reference for lyrics that wonder wistfully if the titular character will reciprocate a crush – while Wilson associated In My Room with teaching his brothers Carl and Dennis how to harmonize growing up. The title character of Noble Surfer survives oceanic uncertainty and triumphs over nature, a resilient and heroic figure on the water. Perhaps even more, Wilson viewed California as a place of sonic possibility. He produced the Beach Boys' third album, 1963's Surfer Girl, incorporating instrumentation from session icons the Wrecking Crew or flourishes like a trilling harp on Catch a Wave. And his magnum opus, Pet Sounds, while not explicitly about California, built on Phil Spector's lush, Los Angeles-recorded creations and created a blueprint for the kaleidoscopic pop productions, including the Beach Boys' own 1968 LP Friends. Even as Wilson increasingly navigated mental health challenges and struggles with drugs and alcohol, he kept his beachy early days as a touchstone, a nostalgic place he'd revisit in song. Within the dewy California Feelin', written in the early 1970s, he notes: 'Sunlight chased my cares away / The sun dances through the morning sky.' Decades later, he released the solo album That Lucky Old Sun, a 'concept album' that's 'about LA, and life in LA and the different kind of moods of LA. Call it the Heartbeat of LA'. Wilson said. One of the most poignant songs on the album was Southern California, with a chorus that stresses that anything is possible: 'In Southern California / Dreams wake up for you / And when you wake up here / You wake up everywhere.' Fittingly, the lyrics describe an idyllic day: a lazy, sunny day by the ocean capped by a cinematic night that resembles a romantic movie. But in the first verse, Wilson reminisces about something far more personal: hearing Surfin' on the radio, and how that reminded him of singing with his brothers, his dream coming true. Wilson last toured with the Beach Boys in 2012 and retired from the road as a solo act in 2022. And while his musical influence is heard on a global scale – among other things, the Elephant 6 collective from Athens, Georgia, and the New York City punks the Ramones cite the band as an influence – the Beach Boys' sound had an enormous impact closer to home. Think the gauzy California love letters of Best Coast; ambitious pop of Fleetwood Mac; surf-rock of Wavves; and the melodic chamber-pop of the Wondermints, the group that backed Wilson for years. Countless hip-hop artists have sampled the Beach Boys, while Beyoncé interpolated Good Vibrations on Cowboy Carter's Ya Ya, and the French duo Air sampled Do It Again for Remember on Moon Safari. On a broader scale, Wilson's songs have permeated pop culture in comedy and drama films (Happy Feet, Good Morning, Vietnam, The Big Chill) and TV shows (The Bear, WandaVision, Ted Lasso). On a TV show like Full House, Wilson and the Beach Boys became synonymous with an idealized version of sunny California. Fittingly, the Surf City Wilson once wrote about in 1963 now literally exists – Huntington Beach, California, officially became known as Surf City USA in 2006 – and the Beach Boys still tour consistently, keeping Wilson's California chronicles alive. 'Together, we gave the world the American dream of optimism, joy, and a sense of freedom,' the band wrote on Facebook upon Wilson's death. 'Music that made people feel good, made them believe in summer and endless possibilities.'
Tatler Asia
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
20 scene-stealing movie soundtracks we still can't stop listening to
2. 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) Tarantino's mastery of the needle drop began here. The blend of surf rock, soul and funk isn't just cool, it's context. Dick Dale's 'Misirlou' launches the film with a jolt, while 'Son of a Preacher Man' turns an ordinary moment into slow-burn seduction. Few movie soundtracks have done more to revitalise forgotten genres and influence countless imitators. 3. 'Baby Driver' (2017) Every gunshot, gear shift and glance is choreographed to a meticulously timed beat. Edgar Wright turns the soundtrack into the script's secret weapon. From Jon Spencer Blues Explosion to Queen, the tracks are so central they demand a starring credit. This is a film built from the bottom up on rhythm. 4. 'Trainspotting' (1996) The Britpop-laced soundtrack gave Trainspotting a voice as frantic and volatile as its characters. From the frenetic energy of Iggy Pop's 'Lust for Life' to Underworld's pulsing 'Born Slippy .NUXX', it's a jarring and euphoric mixtape of '90s excess. It didn't just reflect youth culture, it helped shape it. 5. 'Saturday Night Fever' (1977) John Travolta's strut may be iconic, but it's the Bee Gees' falsetto that made the image endure. Released as disco waned, the soundtrack reignited the genre and sold over 40 million copies. Tracks like 'Stayin' Alive' do more than accompany scenes. They anchor the film's mythos. 6. 'Purple Rain' (1984) Prince's fingerprints are all over this hybrid of rock opera and star vehicle. As both protagonist and composer, he collapses the boundary between film and music. 'When Doves Cry' and 'Let's Go Crazy' don't illustrate the character's inner life. They are the inner life. One of the rare movie soundtracks where every track feels indispensable. 7. 'Heat' (1995) Michael Mann's crime saga is remembered for its visual cool, but its ambient, brooding score is equally essential. Moby's 'God Moving Over the Face of the Waters' underscores the final sequence with haunting inevitability, while Brian Eno's textures add emotional resonance where words would falter. This is musical minimalism with maximum effect. 8. 'Kill Bill Vol. 1' (2003) A globe-spanning, genre-blending odyssey, this soundtrack darts from Spaghetti Western to Japanese rock to classic soul. Tarantino treats music like editing—sharp, deliberate, full of impact. It's not cohesive, but that's the point. Every track adds swagger, suspense or style to a story already dripping with all three. 9. 'Romeo + Juliet' (1996) Baz Luhrmann's reworking of Shakespeare's tragedy is a sensory overload, and the soundtrack matches the film's audacity. Radiohead's brooding melancholy, The Cardigans' vulnerable charm and Garbage's '90s angst reflect the emotional extremes of adolescent love. For many, this was the gateway drug to modern movie soundtracks. 10. 'The Social Network' (2010) Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross created a score that feels algorithmic in the best way—cold, pulsing, clinical. It's not your standard orchestral backdrop. The music mimics the characters: brilliant, alienating and increasingly detached. A rare example of a score that critiques its subject as much as it supports it. 11. 'Dazed and Confused' (1993) The film is plot-light but vibe-heavy, and the soundtrack mirrors that loose structure. Aerosmith, Black Sabbath and ZZ Top function like background noise to a long, hazy summer evening. These tracks don't just accompany the characters. They are the characters. In this film, the music carries more narrative weight than dialogue. 12. 'Lost in Translation' (2003) Sofia Coppola's soundtracking style is all about mood, and here she nails it. Air's synth haze, Phoenix's dream-pop and Kevin Shields' feedback blur into a melancholic fugue. It mirrors the loneliness of a jet-lagged Tokyo night, creating one of the most emotionally precise movie soundtracks in modern cinema. 13. 'Call Me By Your Name' (2017) This soundtrack is a masterclass in restraint. Rather than overwhelming the tender story, it enhances it. Sufjan Stevens' hushed laments blend seamlessly with '80s pop and Italian classics. There's no ironic detachment, only emotional sincerity. Every song feels hand-selected to echo the ache of first love. 14. 'Drive' (2011) More mood than movie, this is the sound of retro-futurism. Kavinsky's 'Nightcall' and College's 'A Real Hero' introduced synthwave to a wider audience, creating a sonic identity now synonymous with stylised masculinity. Few movie soundtracks have launched a subgenre. This one did. 15. 'Garden State' (2004) At the time, Zach Braff's hand-curated mix felt revolutionary—an emotional cheat code for millennials in quarter-life crises. With The Shins, Iron & Wine and Zero 7, it signalled a shift in how indie films used music. The soundtrack doesn't just support the film. It shapes the viewer's memory of it. 16. 'Juno' (2007) Offbeat but never grating, the lo-fi sound of Kimya Dawson, paired with Belle and Sebastian and Cat Power, lends the film its conversational, oddball tone. It's the rare teen film that doesn't rely on nostalgia or bombast. Instead, its quiet confidence lets the music speak softly and carry a smart quip. 17. 'Almost Famous' (2000) It's not just the presence of '70s rock staples. It's how Cameron Crowe uses them. The 'Tiny Dancer' bus scene is less a sing-along and more a group confession. Songs are more than just background additions, but emotional cues, articulating what the characters can't. Almost Famous ' soundtrack exhibits narrative intelligence, igniting feelings beyond the script or the scene. 18. 'The Lion King' (1994) Few animated films commit to sonic world-building quite like this. Zimmer's score brings weight, while Elton John's ballads add heart. 'Circle of Life' is operatic. 'Hakuna Matata' is pure characterisation. Both became cultural artefacts. This is more than Disney—it's a musical legacy. 19. 'Pretty in Pink' (1986) As quintessential to '80s teen cinema as its fashion and angst, this John Hughes favourite rides on a soundtrack rich in new wave and alternative gems. From Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's titular ballad to The Psychedelic Furs and Echo & the Bunnymen, the songs define the social dynamics and aching yearning of its characters. 20. 'Titanic' (1997) James Horner's score carries much of the emotional burden, more so than the dialogue. And while Celine Dion's ballad became a global anthem, it's the orchestral undercurrent that holds the film together. Without it, the melodrama might capsize. In cinema, dialogue may tell the story. But music often gives it meaning. These 20 movie soundtracks didn't just enhance their films. They transcended them. Whether through pulsing synths, nostalgic needle drops or ambient scores, each proved that what you hear can be more powerful than what you see.
