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Gilder: You DID Build That
Brian Wilson was a talented pianist as a child and began writing musical compositions while still a teen. In high school, Wilson divided his time between sports — he played baseball, football, and ran cross country — and his music. Fred Morgan remembered Wilson was “the quietest one in class” but a “nice boy and good student” who was “fairly popular with his classmates because he had a good laugh.” While Morgan believed Wilson had “a quick mind” it didn’t stop him from failing the future Beach Boy.
As previously mentioned, the failed class assignment would evolve into the song “Surfin’.” Dennis Wilson, the only surfer in the group, suggested the title and theme of the song. Mike Love was listed as the co-writer of the song. Wilson and Love would eventually have a long-running feud that began with the making of what is considered one of rock’s greatest albums of all time, “Pet Sounds,” which Love initially didn’t like. “Surfin'” was the band’s entree into a recording contract with a local record label that released it as a single and changed the name of the band from the Pendletons to the Beach Boys. The record became a regional hit, selling 50,000 copies, and launched the band’s career.
