A charming little song which clocks in at around 35 seconds, opening the superb 'Friends' album. In a way which complements the superb Beach Boys track 'our prayer', 'meant for you' has a slight hint of a religious, hymn-like tone, with a prominent organ sound and uplifting words. The overall effect is a very warm, beautiful track which you keep wanting to hear again.
from Friends available on CD - Friends/20 20
27 Aug 01 ·LawrenceM: there is another fantastic version of this on the Brain Wilson s/t album to the film "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", just Brian on piano and vocals. I can't understand why "Friends" isn't up there is "Pet Sounds" ... it's suh a great, and overlooked, album. 04 Feb 03 ·hewtwit: Friends is indeed a great beach boys album, with only a few weak tracks. Smiley Smile I feel is also underrated for not being smile... It's still lovely music though.
The greatest pop song of all time.
Without a doubt.
I heard this on the radio at about midnight one day in 1979, it took me 10 years to get a copy and that was a bootleg (I know its always been about in the US, but it was impossible to get here).
02 May 01 ·tinks: it is indeed, one of the greatest songs ever produced...and some of the covers are just as good! check out big maybelle's (which i've recommended), jimmy ruffin's (temptation david's brother) or aretha franklin's (from her 1st atlantic lp). 28 Feb 02 ·G400 Custom: ...but don't check out the Stranglers' very weedy cover from 1990, by which time they'd lost it completely.
"Strange fruit hanging/from the poplar tree"...one of the most haunting songs ever written. Holiday recorded this song about a lynching several times throughout her career, but this original version features a performance so intense that it is impossible to beat.
available on CD - 1939-40 (Classics)
07 Dec 05 ·Swinging London: Nina Simone's version of this is also very beautiful. 16 Apr 08 ·space: An extremely important and agonizingly beautiful song.
A superb, achingly beautiful song which, to my knowledge, never appeared on a Beach Boys album, and was merely a studio outtake. The track opens with an incredible dense wall of harmonized vocals, and emotive lyrics ("I miss you darlin, I miss you so hard"). Later, the rhythm changes, and it becomes (to my taste) slightly cheesily rocky, but not so much as to ruin the song, which still rates as one of the Beach Boys' finest.
available on CD - Smiley Smile/Wild Honey (EMI/Capitol)
07 Dec 04 ·catfish: also check the different version on the box set. fantastic tune, and recorded after smile was shelved - proof that brian's genius endure a sea of troubles...
This song is a little more....soulful.. than lots of the stuff I listen to. I find it utterly charming though. Dusty was a goddess, and singing this lovely, simple Goffin/King song she completely slays me. It's a slow arrangement in which Dusty is accompanied by piano, light, gospel-style backing vocals and unobtrusive strings. There's nothing complex or especially clever here; just beautifully executed and perfectly distilled pop.
from the single Some of your lovin' available on CD - Silver Collection (Philips)
02 Feb 02 ·Mike: Nice pun on "slays" and "executed" there. 07 Dec 05 ·Swinging London: Dusty said that this was the only song she sang that she actually took home after recording it and played it over & over.
