Brian Wilson died this week at age 82. He will mostly be remembered for the work he did with his iconic band, the Beach Boys. But he was so much more.
In the early 1960s, Wilson had written as many as 42 songs for other artists. He was trying to mirror the kind of career arc Phil Spector was having and saw himself as more of a constructor of songs than a singer.
The three songs that follow did not all chart, but all are excellent hallmarks of the kind of tunes Wilson could crank out. In one case, he even helped change the name of the band that recorded the song.
3 songs written by Brian Wilson that became gems for other musical artists
"Surf City" - Jan and Dean (1963)
A lot of people likely confuse this song with one recorded by the Beach Boys. Jan and Dean's sound was extremely similar to what Wilson's own band produced. The bands knew each other, too.
Wilson played this song at a party that Jan Berry and Dean Torrence attended, and, of course, Jan and Dean loved the tune. Everyone did. In fact, this song might have been the first surf rock hit to have a massive appeal. It hit number one for two weeks.
The song also hit No. 3 on the R&B charts, though now it doesn't sound anything like R&B. Just another example of how much music has changed.
"Guess I'm Dumb" - Glen Campbell (1965)
Many might know Campbell as more of a country artist, but he didn't start that way. He was more of a pop singer in the early 1960s, and he filled in for Wilson with the Beach Boys from late 1964 to early 1965 after Wilson had a nervous breakdown after non-stop touring and recording.
Initially, the song was written for the Beach Boys, but the rest of the group rejected the track mostly because they thought the song was, well...dumb. To be fair, the lyrics don't seem like a Beach Boys track with words such as "I feel love but not the way I did before (guess I'm dumb)."
Not that Campbell was dumb either, but the track was far more his style. It didn't chart (maybe because of the lyrics), but it would become a staple for the country singer.
"He's a Doll" - The Honeys (1964)
Another song that didn't chart, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. In the Phil Spector vein and an attempt to match the vibe of "Be My Baby," "He's a Doll" had to be a laugh for the all-girl band, the Honeys.
They knew Wilson, and he caught on to them seeing someone they thought was attractive and saying, "He's a doll," that he wrote the song based on that.
Wilson also helped rename the band. They began as the Rovell Sisters, but based on a line from the Beach Boys track, "Surfin' Safari." The name change helped as the band had their biggest successes after the change of name.