{"id":218933,"date":"2025-10-22T23:01:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T23:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/218933\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T23:01:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T23:01:16","slug":"brian-wilsons-favourite-songs-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/218933\/","title":{"rendered":"Brian Wilson’s favourite songs of all time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Brian<\/p>\n

(Credit: Alamy)<\/p>\n

Wed 22 October 2025 19:01, UK <\/p>\n

It is easy to categorise a lot of the classic rock acts. The Beatles are pioneers, The Rolling Stones were the dangerous rebellion, The Doors were poets and had the egos to go with it. However, it feels borderline impossible to define the talent of Brian Wilson<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u2018Genius\u2019 is a word often given to such artists who had a lasting impact on popular music as we know it, sometimes bound around with careless abandon. Brian Wilson, however, operates slightly in a league entirely of his own. He is the definition of a true artist. <\/p>\n

For much of what makes The Beach Boys one of the defining sounds of the 1960s, you have Wilson to thank. His commanding presence in the studio would see the band create some of the decade\u2019s most cherished work \u2014 and the 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds is consistently lauded as one of the finest albums ever made.<\/p>\n

Singing about surfing, girls and cars, they embodied the post-war joy that the 1960s held for swathes of a generation. However, perhaps the most impressive thing was that Wilson was also able to see the cultural shift that was coming and would, with his meticulously put-together work of art,\u00a0Pet Sounds,\u00a0define music as we know it for decades.<\/p>\n

We know this probably isn\u2019t news to you, but we wanted to be clear for all those in doubt: the great Brian Wilson knows the key elements of what makes a classic track. So when Rolling Stone asked him to compile a list of his favourite tunes back in 2015, there was sure to be a perfect playlist waiting at the end of it.<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/a>(Credits: Far Out \/ Brian Wilson)<\/p>\n

Now, we\u2019re happy to provide you with the accompanying playlist so that you can listen along with the knowledge that Brian Wilson curated it for you. The singer picks eight songs that \u201cmade\u201d him, and it is a beautiful listen, even if it is a little too short.<\/p>\n

Wilson\u2019s first pick goes way back to his childhood as he selects \u2018Rhapsody in Blue\u2019 by George Gershwin. \u201cThe track from 1924 was the first song I ever heard. When I was a little boy, very young, I heard it and said, \u2018Mom, Mom, play it again\u2019,\u201d Wilson told RS. \u201cI just got this overwhelmingly beautiful vibe from the music,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The Beach Boys mastermind also picks The Ronettes\u2019 classic \u2018Be My Baby\u2019 as it was \u201cthe song that inspired me to produce records\u201d. Detailing further, he goes on to say that the sound the infamous Phil Spector managed to achieve meant a young Wilson \u201cthought it was the greatest record I ever heard\u201d. Wilson also picks one track from his past rivals, The Beatles, selecting their anthemic \u2018With A Little Help From My Friends\u2019.<\/p>\n

When choosing The Rolling Stones\u2019 track \u2018My Obsession\u2019, Wilson said: \u201c\u2019Satisfaction\u2019 is my second-favourite song by the Stones. This one is my favourite.\u201d Thankfully, for an artists like Wilson, he had the chance to see them at work: \u201cThey invited me down to their studio in Hollywood when they were mixing it. I remember sitting there and feeling that energy and that excitement.\u201d It\u2019s clear that Wilson connects with songs on a different level than most, often finding the intricacies of production as beguiling as the song itself.<\/p>\n

Wilson has also been friends with many of the people the rock and roll world considers icons, so it makes his choices far more personal. He picks Chuck Berry\u2019s timeless rocker \u2018Johnny B. Goode\u2019, with an anecdote about meeting his hero: \u201cI met Chuck Berry one time on an aeroplane. I said, \u2018Hi, I\u2019m Brian Wilson!\u2019 He goes, \u2018Hey\u2019, and then he turned away. He wouldn\u2019t talk to me. Too bad. But he taught me how to write rock and roll songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

One more song on Wilson\u2019s list was a push in the direction of production, as he snaps up The Four Freshmen\u2019s \u2018You Stepped Out of a Dream\u2019 from 1954. \u201cThis is where I learned to arrange harmonies and also where I learned to sing falsetto,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir four-part harmony was totally original.\u201d <\/p>\n

His penultimate pick was none other than the song that swept the globe, \u2018Rock Around the Clock\u2019 by Bill Haley and His Comets. Wilson remarks: \u201cI remember the first time a friend of mine played this for me on the phone. I just wanted to hear it over and over.\u201d It was a sentiment felt across the nation, with countless rock and roll icons citing it as the main reason they were pushed into being in a band.<\/p>\n

One other such idol, but one of Wilson\u2019s contemporaries, has also been selected by the singer. He chooses Bob Dylan\u2019s \u2018Mr. Tambourine Man\u2019 as his final favourite song, sharing the same wide-eyed adoration for Dylan as we all do: \u201cHey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me\/I\u2019m not sleepy, and there ain\u2019t no place I\u2019m going to\u2026\u2019 I love those lyrics, really love them. \u2018Poetic\u2019 is the word.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a timeless list of classic tracks. There aren\u2019t many songs on here that will be a surprise, but they will all enrich your heart. What\u2019s more, the fact that Brian Wilson picked them means you know it comes with an unbeatable recommendation. Sit back and enjoy a playlist of Brian Wilson\u2019s favourite songs.<\/p>\n

Brian Wilson\u2019s favourite songs:\u2018Rhapsody In Blue\u2019 \u2013 George Gershwin\u2018Be My Baby\u2019 \u2013 The Ronettes\u2018With A Little Help From My Friends\u2019 \u2013 The Beatles\u2018My Obsession\u2019 \u2013 The Rolling Stones\u2018Johnny B. Goode\u2019 \u2013 Chuck Berry\u2018You Stepped Out of a Dream\u2019 \u2013 The Four Freshmen\u2018Rock Around the Clock\u2019 \u2013 Bill Haley and His Comets\u2018Mr. Tambourine Man\u2019 \u2013 Bob Dylan<\/p>\n

Related Topics<\/p>\n

The Far Out Bob Dylan Newsletter<\/p>\n

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Straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Credit: Alamy) Wed 22 October 2025 19:01, UK It is easy to categorise a lot of the classic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":218934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[37059,15737,30628,96,596,128,93615,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-218933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-bill-haley","9":"tag-bob-dylan","10":"tag-chuck-berry","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-homepage","13":"tag-music","14":"tag-the-ronettes","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}