Reminding us of the old days when mega-stars would gather together to sing a song to benefit a charity, the BBC is celebrating the launch of BBC Music with a charity single version of the 1966 Beach Boys classic “God Only Knows” to benefit the BBC’s Children in Need appeal. Produced by Ethan Johns, the song is being released by Sony, and Universal, and Warner Music.
The singers include the song’s writer, Brian Wilson. Other stars include Elton John, One Direction, Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams, Lorde, Emeli Sandé, Chris Martin, Kylie Minogue, Sam Smith, Florence Welch, Chrissie Hynde, Brian May, Dave Grohl, and Baaba Maal. The song also features the Tees Valley Youth Choir and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Check out the “God Only Knows” video, which includes some cool special effects.
The video was filmed at the Alexandra Palace theatre in London.
With the recent stories about the release of an audio recording of Britney Spears singing without auto-tune, one might imagine getting similar secret recordings for other famous singers. Some folks have put together some funny “shreds,” imagining bad vocals by famous singers. For example, check out how one might image how the Beach Boys sound singing without any audio enhancements (posted on YouTube by coozco).
For the shred of a more recent song, check out SamRick‘s take on One Direction singing “Story of My Life.”
You can find other shredding videos on YouTube for more laughs.
Who would you like to hear without any special effects? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Scott McKenzie, who sang “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair),” passed away on August 18, 2012. McKenzie, who was 73, had been living with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disease that affects the nervous system.
McKenzie’s most famous song as a singer was “San Francisco,” which was released in May 1967 in honor of the upcoming Monterey Pop Festival. The song and became an instant hit.
As Monterey was preparing for the festival and concerned about the large crowds, the song was written as a plea to make the event a peaceful one. Ultimately, the event was both peaceful and successful.
The song, of course became a song for a generation and went far beyond that festival. Wikipedia notes that the song became an anthem for young people during Czechoslovakia’s 1968 Prague Spring uprising. The song has appeared in movies such as Forrest Gump (1994) and has been covered by a number of artists.
Note that the song subtitle “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in your Hair)” differs from the line used in the song, “Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.”
McKenzie’s Life After “San Francisco”
McKenzie’s website states that after the song was a hit, “Scott ‘dropped out’ in the late 60’s. In 1970 he moved to Joshua Tree, a California desert town near Palm Springs.”
He then lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia for a decade before touring as part of The Mamas & the Papas into the 1990s. In 1988, he co-wrote the Beach Boys hit “Kokomo” with John Phillips, Mike Love and Terry Melcher.
McKenzie performed off and on until recently, and he recorded “Gone to Sea” in 2009. He had been in and out of the hospital since 2010 and he likely had a heart attack earlier this month. He asked to leave the hospital and died at home . . . in another California city, Los Angeles.
On December 30, 1922, following the Russian Revolution, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (“USSR“) was established. The country was created out of a confederation of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and the Transcaucasian Federation (which was later divided into the Georgian, Azerbaijan, and Armenian republics).
Before being dissolved in 1991, the Soviet Union eventually included fifteen republics: Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Belorussia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
When any Beatles fan hears “USSR,” the person’s mind wanders to the Beatles classic “Back in the USSR” from the two-disc The Beatles (1968), otherwise known as The White Album.”
Although the song is about the USSR in the title, underlying the song is a tribute to American rock and roll. The title evokes Chuck Berry’s “Back in the USA.” And in the chorus there is a nod to the Beach Boys’ “California Girls“:
Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out They leave the west behind And Moscow girls make me sing and shout. . .
Another line in the chorus mixes the USSR Georgia and the USA state Georgia to evoke Ray Charles and “Georgia on my Mind.” That song was recorded by Charles in 1960 and written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell in 1930. As a tribute, the Beatles sing, “That Georgia’s always on my my my my my my my my my mind.”
Although “Back in the USSR” takes the conflict of the Cold War to make a piece of beautiful music, there was conflict among the band members when the song was recorded. In a precursor to later band troubles, during the making of The White Album, Ringo Star quit the group for a short period. “Back in the USSR” was recorded during this period.
So, Ringo does not play on the song. Most believe that the drums on the song were a composite of the other band members taking a turn at the skins, although a majority of the drumming may be McCartney, the primary writer of the song. For an earlier version of “Back in the USSR,” check out this Beatles demo:
Paul McCartney eventually performed the song in Russia in 2003. By then, neither the countries of the USSR nor the men of the Beatles were together.
Still, it is a good performance. I suspect the people in the crowd know how lucky they are.
What do you think of Back in the USSR? Leave your two cents in the comments.
While you were too absorbed wondering whether or not Kim Kardashian’s wedding was a sham and in pondering the prospects of Herman Cain in light of the sexual harassment allegations, here are some of the pop culture stories you might have missed this week. Check out the links below.
Movies
"An army without leaders is like a foot without a big toe." -- Stripes
John Goodman and Justin Timberlake are in cast of upcoming Coen Brothers film about the 1960s folk scene, Inside Llewyn Davis.
Albert Brooks turned down roles in Dead Poets Society, Big, Pretty Woman, and Boogie Nights. Regarding the latter, he was up for the Burt Reynolds role, not the Mark Wahlberg role.
The new James Bond film, featuring Javier Bardem as the villain, will be called “Skyfall.” I wonder if Bardem will flip a coin. I also wonder why the New York Daily News story at the link still has Bardem’s name misspelled in the headline a day after posting the story.
James Franco plans to communicate with Tennessee Williams via Ouija Board.
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