Creating those good vibrations: an analysis of Brian Wilson's US top 40 hits 1963–66

Brian Wilson is widely acknowledged as one the most talented and influential artists in the history of popular music. Given his re‐emergence as a recording and concert artist after decades of illness and the recent fortieth anniversary (2006) of his best‐loved hit “Good Vibrations,” it seems timely to engage in a detailed examination of some of the work that established his reputation. This paper analyses all of Wilson's US Top 40 hits from 1963 to 1966—documenting and discussing lyrical and musical elements that characterize the work of this innovative writer‐producer.