A strong album, Smiley Smile is The Beach Boys' failure. "A bunt instead of a grand slam," Carl called it (200, Badman); "There wasn't a real effort into that album" (188, Badman). At best, Smiley Smile is commonly known as the slight rejoinder to the decisive absence of the Beach Boys' Smile, the lost album of unfinished 1966 and 1967 recordings completed by Brian Wilson in 2004. While Smile has, outside of the band, always been praised for the mythos of what it did not have, Smiley Smile has been passed over with barely a glance at what is actually on its surface: hate, disgust, sarcasm, and some of the ugliest humor filtered through the larynx of the fading success that was Brian Wilson in 1967.

Despite the cancellation of Smile and the band's negative opinion of the material, publicity for the album was immense, and Brian freely hyped his ideas and concepts while creating these songs. His statement about writing "a teenage symphony to God" is commonly cited (85, Priore). More concretely, friends such as Michael Vosse and David Anderle constantly refer to Brian's humor and his belief in such as a form "of divinity" (Vosse). As Anderle said, "Brian was obsessed with humour . . . and fascinated with the idea of getting humour on record," (Badman, 151).

If Smile is that record of "Brian humor," then Smiley Smile is barely humor. Smile and "Brian humor" are replaced by jokes that make their task insulting Brian, the band, and the Beach Boys' fans. So while Smiley Smile causes laughter, it is more the sound of a man wanting to end himself, to sacrifice himself to the flames of the muse. Even more so than on "Til I Die" do you hear the sound of a human being that craves an end to his pain, suicidal or not. Smiley Smile sounds as if the music is coming from Brian's dead ear, instead of the one honed with the music of Phil Spector and The Four Freshmen. This is why the humor found on Smile is gone, as Michael Vosse states: "[Brian] stuck to it until . . .Smiley Smile," (Vosse). Beginning with a look at the deconstructed "Heroes and Villains" we can understand even more about where Brian was emotionally and intellectually in 1967, and how the transition from Smile to Smiley Smile exemplifies a bitterness in the composer and producer that is rarely looked at.

Released in 1967, "Heroes and Villains" was recorded partly at Brian's home in Bel Air, California. Despite the home studio "sweetening," the song was still meant to be a major single release and does feature several Smile bits. It is not so different than what Smile could have been: dynamic and exhilarating in its force; melodic, ingeniously arranged in a way that combines several styles, such as barber shop, doo wop, pop, and avant-garde sound effects. However, the few small differences are key. Some are more commercial: the verses of the song are mostly the same as Smile, but clearer, harder, heavier. Some are not commercial at all, though, mostly due to the presence of the Baldwin organ.

The flaws (if they can be called that) in "Heroes and Villains"'s multi-grain arrangement are of a specific intent, there to disorient the listener and capture their attention in a way that a wholly commercial production like "Good Vibrations" and the earlier "Heroes and Villains" attempts cannot. Note that, according to Vosse's article, Brian's opinion of humor was that a person's connection with what made them laugh created vulnerability at the moment of laughter. Brian's intention with Smile, then, was to provide a fun, childlike atmosphere which engenders laughter and opens the listener up to the historical (first movement), religious (second movement), and philosophical (third movement) ideas within the album. Enlightenment was Brian's intended audience response.

Smiley Smile wishes to get the listener's interest with the melodic promise of the old Beach Boys, given to us in the form of fragments recorded for Smile. These passages then open up the listener to a series of ugly, hasty, unfocused musical expressions: Brian's insults. To hear this acted out, listen to how the Smile verses of "Heroes and Villains" quickly turn into the tonal monotony of the redone "Bicycle Rider" chorus, played on Baldwin organ. This re-recorded sequence is made of suspended notes that have no flair and show none of the musical expertise of the session musicians who produced the Smile backing tracks. The song sounds dead, polluted, lethargic at this point. Its sound betrays Brian's omnipresent self-loathing and haggard confidence (from this point until his rejuvenation with the 2004 Smile). Brian's pursuit of integrated ugliness even shows in the smallest details of the track, for example the original strings on the ending section being replaced by Baldwin organ.

Though comprised very much of Beach Boys recordings in their classical style-Smiley Smile's music being so different it makes Smile seem closer to the early material than previously imagined-what "Heroes and Villains" manages to do in terms of insulting its audience is admirable from a compositional standpoint. With this one song Brian was able to create a subtly powerful instrumental representation of the lyrics for "Heroes and Villains" which hints at his own anger over Smile. Just as "I Went to Sleep" features a "sprinkler" (tambourine) and "Cabinessence" features "hammers" and "spikes" (guitars), the tinkling harpsichord of "Heroes and Villains" represents Brian urinating on his legacy, band, and audience. This is especially so as the sound is ornamented with the lyrics "Heroes and villains," a sarcastic view of the antagonism Brian must have felt as his most ambitious work was questioned by his family and band. Brian was made to feel egotistical for making the Smile music, and now we are made to feel similar for supporting it.

Not to get too scatological, but a conceptualization of juvenile humor, such as the tinkling harpsichord, is an important part of what Brian was doing with Smiley Smile: using some of the easiest humor one can create in order to both cloud and express his crisis. Coming in the context of Smiley Smile, this humor is not just childish and immature, but a Van Dyke Parks take on bathroom humor in how Smiley Smile's examples are rigged with hidden meanings.

While originally intended as the compositional way-station of Smile's colliding parts, and a commercial follow-up to "Good Vibrations," "Heroes and Villains" has been remade for Smiley Smile as a song which can be used to decode the rest of the album. It not only shows the listener how Brian is combining his most articulate and laziest work into one package to produce humor, but also how he is using that package to indirectly show his audience how much the failure of Smile has wounded him; two nervous breakdowns occurred by the album's release. "Heroes and Villains" also begins the track-by-track musical recounting of the Smile story found throughout Smiley Smile. It comes first because it was the first song considered for a single, the first major composition of Smile, from which most parts trickle.

Looking beyond the opening track one can see that "Vegetables" also plays on the theme of body humor. It features the pissing sound in the form of actual water, while the constant blowing sums up the experience of dealing with a nearly irreconcilable Beach Boys during Smile. Fittingly, Brian ends "Vegetables" with an original tag recording from the Smile sessions. He spends the majority of "Vegetables" showing the listener how angry and incapable he is by keeping the arrangement amateurishly simple: bass, vocal, jug. But at the end he shows the audience what could have been by showcasing part of the lost Smile, a tag which he had not only worked over with the band, but also his wife Marilyn on lead vocal. The strategy of moving from a wholly Smiley arrangement to a Smile one is a reversal of the ploy laid out in "Heroes and Villains" to lure the listener in under a false pretense of security. This is an ingenious approach which lets the humor burst through the insistent plodding of the track, while rearranging the conceptual approach of "Heroes and Villains" the way literal pieces of a Smile track would be vacationed.

"Vegetables" is placed second in the track list because it was the second song from Smile considered for a single release. After Brian's nervous breakdown of March 1967, he shifted focus from "Heroes and Villains" as his next single to "Vegetables," or "Vega-tables," as it was then known. Though a major Smile track as it was considered for a single release, it was one of the last worked on, having originated as a fragment from "Heroes and Villains." This fragment became the chorus of "Vegetables," and is noticeably absent from Smiley Smile (it would turn up as its own piece on Wild Honey). The loss of the "Heroes and Villains" fragment hints at the handing off of one song to another for a forty-five release. "Vegetables" also gains more stature when one considers the album cover: a cabin overcome by large vegetation. The Smile myth had already taken over.

"Heroes and Villains" and "Vegetables" both combine Smile fragments with new recordings to pursue somewhat different effects. For most of the album, Brian tries to integrate ugly and beautiful as one strain of music, instead of patching them together as he does on the first two tracks. The first example of this is "Fall Breaks and Back to Winter (Woody Woodpecker Symphony)."

A child's nightmare masquerading as a dream, "Fall Breaks" is too relaxed to truly frighten, yet remains the bleakest song the band has recorded. The humor in putting the childish Woody Woodpecker theme in the midst of music based on Smile's most extreme track, "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow," is a sickening display for Brian. It is the musical equivalent of his attempt to feed heroin to his daughter, a song which takes the composition that has haunted him the most psychologically and combines it with a favorite childhood melody. There is humor in this, but it is mean-spirited and removed from the listener. The use of cartoon music is also Brian's most cunning attempt to lure an innocent listener into the mood of Smiley Smile. It is no coincidence that this song is related to "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow," a composition recorded with the session musicians wearing "red plastic toy fireman's helmets," a form of costume (Priore, 82).

No matter the poor taste, this is the kind of humor Brian was delving into. This is not Smile's replacement, it is Smile's shadow. To add further resonance to the symbolic appropriation of the Woody Woodpecker theme, notice that the melody is present in the 1967 "Surf's Up," but not in the 2004 recording, where the past has been cleansed. Smile's shadow. Further, it should be noted that the subtitle "Woody Woodpecker Symphony" mirrors Brian's earlier "Teenage symphony to God" statement. Both hint at innocence and the possibility of what is to be done with it.

The track is placed third as an important reminder of Smile's failure after we've heard new conceptualizations of its proposed singles. As "Surf's Up" was premiered on the Inside Pop television program and "Cabinessence" not yet completed, "Fall Breaks" represents the third most important Smile track.

Though not as in-depth as other tracks,"She's Goin' Bald" deserves some analysis. The song is based on the Smileouttake "He Give Speeches." Though Van Dyke Parks has denied credit for the song's original lyrics, they are very much his style. "She's Goin' Bald" features lyrics by Mike Love, however, Van Dyke's biggest detractor as a lyricist. The song, presented as a short story about a woman going bald, says a lot about Brian. Phrases like "She's going bald," "she really flipped her wig," and "you're too late momma, ain't nothing upside your head," are about Brian's nervous breakdowns and the ideas given to him by new friends like Vosse just as much as they are about a woman losing hair. Comically, he shows his audience the emotional denuding Smile has created for him.

"Little Pad" is to physical escapism as "She's Goin' Bald" is to escape through comedy. Both wish to remove the band from the Smile situation. "Little Pad" is also an early, more tortured version of 2004's "In Blue Hawaii." Lyrically the Smiley Smile composition is about getting away from the pressures of day-to-day life, moving away from the narrator's dominating lifestyle. It is also, like "She's Goin' Bald," an understated way for Brian to explain his cancellation of Smile. Brian desires the little pad for seclusion and privacy. While the housing structure in "Cabinessence" is probably a romantic, inclusive setting, the little pad may as well be a box for one, as well as a metaphor for the new home studio. Again, the cover of the album is relevant here. Where Brian's sense of instability and retraction from emotion is also evident is in the choice of Carl as co-vocalist. Carl was the lead vocalist on many of Brian's more personal songs, such as "God Only Knows" or "Good Vibrations," so the usage of Carl shows us that "Little Pad" has some significance for Brian. He is too timid to sing about the kind of purification found in "In Blue Hawaii," but still needs an environment that will help him gain control of his life again. The joking "Little Pad" is the most articulate way he can express that desire, even if part of the voice is Carl's. His use of the band as his voice in this scenario actually adds to Brian's sarcastic approach. He also gives the band a production credit for this album which is arguably more personal than Pet Sounds.

The one whole example of classical beauty on the album is "Good Vibrations." Unlike the other Smile songs, "Good Vibrations" was allowed to remain intact for two reasons: saving the single recording was easier than redoing the track; and because it represents Brian's commercial and emotional high point. As he said at the time, "I'm most proud of 'Good Vibrations,' it exemplifies a whole era, I mean it's a whole involved piece of music that says something," (Priore, 68). In the completed 2004 Smile, Brian places it last, after his purification in Hawaii. This is because it is a song about the essence of joy (vibrations passed through the air) and feeling good, as well as a reminder of a time when the Beach Boys could combine innovation with commercial and critical success. Jules Siegel summed up Brian's position at the time when he called him "a GENIUS-which is to say a steady commercial success and hip besides," (Priore, 82). "Good Vibrations" also sums up the optimistic message and musical achievements (tape splicing as a form of composition) of Smile in one three-minute example. Lying at the very center of the album it reinforces by contrast the emotional poverty that has become essential to the new material and redone versions of former trophies like "Heroes and Villains," "Wind Chimes," "Vegetables," and "Wonderful," all now rendered homely, if still beguiling or enchanting. It is also given a very particular sequential placing in that it follows a string of important Smile songs as well as "She's Goin' Bald" and "Little Pad." Separated from the pain of his cancelled project by his secluded pad in Hawaii, Brian can safely look back on his last great artistic achievement, which is not just a symbol of greatness, but a reminder of his failure.

The short "With Me Tonight," which follows, is Brian's way of consoling himself without humor or sarcasm, by saying he knows his talent is still with him. It is as if he has just listened to "Good Vibrations" himself and is convinced he still has the energy and determinism of the Smile sessions; but his efforts to recreate that quality of music are unsuccessful.

The result is the sound of a human being who witnesses beauty and cannot touch it, entitled "Wind Chimes." This is Brian turning his emotions on himself until they become a numbness, as opposed to the way he luridly reaches for his childhood in "Fall Breaks." The bombastic choruses of the Smile "Wind Chimes" have been removed, leaving the song stiff, but still longing. The narrator no longer holds a wistful gaze out the window, but instead sits too close to the ledge. The lone excretion of noise toward the end, a simple approximation of Smile's psychedelic "tape explosions" heard on "Heroes and Villains" and "I'm In Great Shape," reminds us of the rage and lack of equilibrium in Smiley Smile, even during this moment of calm sadness. It is also telling that the most beautiful part of the song is the nearly inaudible tag at the end, the Smile unheard. This is the musical equivalent of metaphor, executed perfectly and amplified by its historical context. It is not "Good Vibrations," but it runs deeper.

In "Gettin' Hungry," Brian decides to try for another "Good Vibrations," creating a single for himself and Mike, whom it was credited to on forty-five. However, Brian's gifts are not with him, not in the same way. This is the one song to portray complete ugliness and as such is an expression of total disgust with the self. In a commercial sense, it is the most degenerate piece of work Brian has done. On paper "Gettin' Hungry" is an average pop song, but more than any other track on Smiley Smile it betrays the hasty, stupor-like, harshly comic personality of the album. The other tracks are either partly made from actual Smile recordings, catchier, or have a lyrical depth in the remnants of Van Dyke Parks' illuminations. "Gettin' Hungry" features none of this. It is not as harrowing as "Fall Breaks," but the fact that it is meant to be a hit single makes it more disgusting. Despite being largely based around an ugly, grueling choir of Baldwin notes, "Gettin' Hungry" is as important to Smiley Smile as "Good Vibrations" because it is such an extreme listen and was thought of as a single. To easily understand how much Brian is degrading the Smile period with "Gettin' Hungry," listen to the opening melody. It sounds like part of "Heroes and Villains," distorted by someone who had never heard of Smile. It sounds like a rejection of artistry, principle, and decency. Brian's friends from the Smile period have described how quickly he could cut them from his inner circle. Smiley Smile is Brian cutting the audience out of the picture. It is his mock attempt at another "Good Vibrations," but he cannot do it.

Like "Wind Chimes," "Wonderful" also shows us a Brian Wilson who can no longer feel beauty or joy even though he knows those abstract concepts still exist around him. Speaking of his LSD usage, Brian said, "I took LSD . . . and learned a lot of things, like patience, understanding," (Priore, 84). As with his commercial and critical success, this understanding would exist within a brief window. "Wonderful" shows us how Brian, without his finished "symphony," was unable to cope with many social and psychological pressures; for example, the band's dislike of the Smile music; his father's, who forced entry into the private sphere via hired investigators; competition with Phil Spector; Brian's infidelity. Brian's "understanding" had been lost. This is subtly apparent in the main body of the song, while the abrupt change when the spliced bridge appears hints at all kinds of moral and personal issues. It is as though Brian cannot face the vulnerability in the lyrics of his own song. To express compassion for the youthful virginity that is "Wonderful"'s subject would be to make himself vulnerable and innocent. So the composer opts to shift the song into a more comic scene in order to poke fun at the deeper emotions he was trying to express with Smile. He wishes to purge negative emotion by binging on laughter, and even includes giggling throughout the whole of the track. Due to the layers of noise, much of which consists of pitch-shifted vocals, a complete understanding of this bridge fragment may be impossible. Certain phrases leap out, though: "Trying to cool it"; "That's cool, man"; "Quit coming on, just be a cool guy. Don't think you're god." These voices seem to be telling Brian to be less ambitious, particularly the final quote. It was Brian himself who said that during Smile he had a "Jesus complex." What he's doing with the "Wonderful" bridge is taking his most innocent, human Smile song and ridiculing it as if he were forcing himself sexually on the song. Beyond that, he uses the bridge to reflect the forces around him which caused him to end Smile. Considering the taut subtext of the song, it is still one of Brian's most personal compositions.

One more important piece remains. Despite Brian's need to lash out on Smiley Smile, it does end with a positive, though resigned, expression entitled "Whistle In." The lyrics, "Remember the day / Remember the night / All day long," are sung with a melody only slightly modified from the Hawaiian prayer of thanksgiving in "Roll Plymouth Rock." Brian is trying to force himself to be thankful to be alive and to be thankful for his success, especially after he has been "put in his place" in the "Wonderful" bridge. The phrase "whistle in" also plays on the coarse blowing in "Vegetables" by transforming it into something more tender: drawing the voice back into the body, feeling whole again. At the end of this album, Brian truly does want to love, even if he feels rejected and rejects in turn. "Whistle In" is a message of calmness and an attempt at forgiveness.

At last, to further put the painful aspects of Smiley Smile in context the album should be followed directly by Wild Honey when listened to. Wild Honey has the same sound and production as Smiley Smile, but is fun, cheery, and upbeat. Even the longing and contemplative songs, like "Country Air," are absent of the decay that makes Smiley Smile feel like a giggling mausoleum; and they are surrounded by songs with the sounds of love and courtesy. Smiley Smile is not that. It is sarcastic and scornful, made more bitter than other music by the fact that it tries to sell itself to the listener as a joyful experience made for relaxation and laughter. It is our one glimpse at the full scope of "Brian humor."

Works Cited:

Badman, Keith. The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band On Stage and in the Studio. San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2004.

Priore, Dominic. Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile! San Francisco: Last Gasp Books, 1995.

Vosse, Michael. "Our Exagmination Round His Factification for Incamination of Work in Progress." Fusion Magazine. comiclist.com/smileysmile/viewtopic.php?t=8791&start=0