Home · Songs · The Beach Boys · I Know There's An Answer
From album
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys · 1966 · Track 9
Details
TonalidadA#
Compás4/4
Tempo78 BPM
Duración1:51
CompositorBrian Wilson / Mike Love / Terry Sachen
ÁlbumPet Sounds
Año1966
Credits
Music Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Terry Sachen
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The story behind
The story behind I Know There's An Answer, originally conceived as Hang On to Your Ego, takes us to a moment of deep personal exploration for Brian Wilson. Inspired by his experiences with LSD and the idea of ego dissolution, Wilson, along with Terry Sachen and Mike Love, shaped a musical piece that departed from the conventional. The song is distinguished by an uncommon structure and nuanced arrangements, where instruments like the bass harmonica, banjo, clarinets, and flutes intertwine. The vocal melody, shared between Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine, spans two octaves, adding notable interpretive richness.
The genesis of I Know There's An Answer is set in 1966, during the sessions for the album Pet Sounds at Western Studios in Hollywood. The lyrical theme, which addressed the transcendence of the ego and the search for inner meaning, proved to be bold for the time. Mike Love expressed objections to the original lyrics, considering that they promoted LSD use in a way that he was not comfortable with. Following these reservations, Love was able to revise the message, focusing it on self-discovery and respect for individual choices, while maintaining a critical stance towards those who used drugs as an escape. Love's contribution to the lyrics, initially uncredited, was officially recognized in 1994. A previous version of the song, with revised lyrics, appeared on a reissue of the album in 1990, while details of the recording sessions came to light in later compilations in 1993 and 2016.
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