Sunflower for sweet listening

The Beach Boys are a band I have been listening to my entire life. There was a time in high school where I was listening to them religiously, and I can easily point to a few albums in their career I thought they were at their best. I still have the same opinion today. One of those albums is “Sunflower,” released in 1970, after Brian Wilson’s perfectionism and mental decline during the making of “Smile” but before their descent into baiting nostalgia in the late 1970s. 

“Sunflower” came out at an odd time for the Beach Boys. They were coming from a period that wasn’t good for their popularity in the United States. Brian Wilson still had bad mental health and that made him notorious in the press, which made getting a record deal difficult following their break from Capitol Records in 1969.  

Though it was a rough time for the group, they came through with a deal with Relapse Records and an album where every member was extremely involved in the creative process. The whole album is a wonderful softer pop rock experience.  

The songs on the album that are written by drummer Dennis Wilson are especially impressive. Before this, Wilson had been writing and performing more songs on Beach Boys' albums, and I personally believe his contributions here are the best in his entire career. 

The most iconic of his songs is definitely “Forever.” The song is still one of my favorite ballads today, and while on the surface it doesn’t sound like it, it has extreme depth to it. The vocal harmonies and lyrics are outstanding. It really sounds like Wilson has an unconditional and passionate love for the person he’s singing about.  

Speaking of love, the vocal harmonies throughout the album as a whole are extremely romantic. The Beach Boys had a knack for producing songs that sound super loving and bubbly. “All I Wanna Do” is plucked straight out of a daydream. Brian Wilson wrote this one, and it was always a standout for me. The song is reverb-heavy, with the background harmonies perfectly mixed with the background guitars. It’s a perfect example of a soft romantic song that can be instantly replayable. 

“Deirdre” also has amazing vocal harmonies. The harmonies in this song stand out in the hook of the song where the boys sing the name “Deirdre.” The way they sing makes it sound like Deirdre herself is an idealized person, an almost fictional kind of beautiful.  

Some of the songs are from different album sessions and outtakes but done better. “Our Sweet Love” is an outtake from their album “Friends.” The song was written by Brian, who gave it to Carl Wilson to finish. This turned out to be the best decision in the end because of how Carl wrote and sang the song. The song is a piano-led sweet song that idealizes the kind of happiness you see in the beginning of a relationship. The high notes and simple lyrics of the chorus never fail to raise my spirits. 

"Sunflower” is amazing and there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s a part of their best period. It may not seem like much on the surface but inside it is beautiful, romantically inclined and sweet to listen to.