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"My Solution" is a song by the American rock band The Beach Boys that was recorded during the early sessions for their 1971 album Surf's Up. The track is a novelty Halloween song that features Brian Wilson doing an impression of Vincent Price over a descending chord progression and test-tube sound effects.[1] The song was officially released as part of the 2021 compilation Feel Flows.[2]
| "My Solution" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Beach Boys | |
| from the album Feel Flows | |
| Released | August 27, 2021 |
| Recorded | October 31, 1970 |
| Studio | Beach Boys Studio, Los Angeles |
| Genre | Novelty song |
| Length | 3:44 |
| Label | Capitol/UMG |
| Songwriter(s) | Brian Wilson |
| Producer(s) | Brian Wilson |
| Licensed audio | |
| "My Solution" on YouTube | |
"My Solution" was written by Brian Wilson and recorded on October 31, 1970, shortly before the sessions for the group's album Surf's Up.[3] Photographs of the session show the band dressed in Halloween costumes, including Wilson, whose face was painted green a la Frankenstein.[2] Band archivist Alan Boyd said: "It’s kind of jokey track, Brian is playing a mad scientist and talking like Boris Karloff while the Beach Boys are singing (recites lyrics) 'What I have done with my solution, my instant aim to evolution.'"[4] His colleague Mark Linett surmised, "It's just having the studio in the house, and deciding, 'Let’s do a Halloween-inspired, clubhouse kind of event.' I don’t know that it was ever intended to be released."[2]
In a 1976 interview, Brian said: "We have a song called 'My Solution' which is a very odd song that has chromatic—strange chords, not regular triad chords. The notes are bunched up. It tells the story about how a guy found an old damsel outside his castle and decided to make her part of an experiment. ... It's about a guy who found his solution. It's a very odd, Boris Karloff-eerie type of thing, so it's one of our more far-out, left-field things that we've done."[5]
Biographer David Leaf mentions "My Solution" in the 1985 edition of his 1978 biography The Beach Boys and the California Myth:
One of the most unusual visits [since I had published my book] was when Brian came to my home to borrow a tape of one of his unreleased songs. He wanted to work on a new arrangement of the still-unreleased 'My Solution' and needed to hear how the old version went. I'd never told Brian about my tape collection. He just knew that I had it. Brian's behavior consistently demonstrated an uncanny omniscience which extended far beyond his musical gift and was most surprising, given his public playing of possum.[6]
Another attempt at "My Solution" was recorded during the summer of 1980, though no vocals were recorded.[3] This version was retitled "Song Within a Song" in medley with "Shortenin' Bread".[7]
In 1998, Wilson reworked the melody into the verse of a new song, "Happy Days", for his solo album Imagination.[4]
Credits from Craig Slowinski[8]
The Beach Boys
- Al Jardine - group vocals
- Bruce Johnston - group vocals
- Mike Love - group vocals
- Brian Wilson - group vocals, narration, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizers, drums
- Carl Wilson - group vocals, electric guitars (fed through a Moog)
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