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The Beach Boys Love You

Updated: 12/10/2025, 10:18:56 AM Wikipedia source

The Beach Boys Love You is the 21st studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on April 11, 1977, by Brother/Reprise. Aiming to satisfy listeners disappointed by their previous album, 15 Big Ones (1976), Love You is characterized for its stream-of-consciousness and adolescent-themed lyrics, its use of synthesizers, and the band members' gravelly vocal timbres. It is sometimes called the band's "punk" or "synth-pop" album. Tentatively titled Brian Loves You, the album was largely recorded in late 1976 at the band's Brother Studios and developed primarily as a Brian Wilson solo project. He wrote nearly all of the material and performed most of the instrumentation, including keyboards, synthesizers, and drums, with assistance from brothers Carl (credited as "mixdown producer") and Dennis. The 14 tracks address subjects including the Solar System, roller skating, and infants. Brian also contributed songs about his wife, daughters, mistress, and his idols Phil Spector and Johnny Carson. Engineer Earle Mankey described the album as "serious", "autobiographical", and "frighteningly accurate" to Wilson's personality. Wilson called it his most creatively satisfying work since Pet Sounds (1966). Although Love You received near-unanimous critical praise, some listeners were put off by its tone, production, and vocals. It sold poorly, peaking at number 53 in the U.S. and number 28 in the UK. The album has since been recognized as a precursor to synth-pop and new wave, and has gained a cult following. A follow-up, Adult/Child, was completed but unreleased. It was Wilson's last album fully written and produced by him until his solo debut, Brian Wilson (1988), and the last made without substantial outside involvement. An expanded reissue is scheduled to be released in early 2026.

Infobox

Released
April 11, 1977 (1977-04-11)
Recorded
January 7, 1970 – November 1973 (older recordings) October 1976 – January 1977 (album sessions)
Studio
Brother (Santa Monica)Beach Boys (Los Angeles)
Genre
Synth-popart poprock
Length
34:50
Label
Brother Reprise
Producer
Brian Wilson

Tables

Retrospective professional ratings · Retrospective assessments
Source
Source
Review scores
Source
Review scores
Rating
AllMusic
AllMusic
Review scores
AllMusic
Review scores
Blender
Blender
Review scores
Blender
Review scores
Christgau's Record Guide
Christgau's Record Guide
Review scores
Christgau's Record Guide
Review scores
A
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Review scores
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Review scores
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Review scores
Entertainment Weekly
Review scores
A
MusicHound Rock
MusicHound Rock
Review scores
MusicHound Rock
Review scores
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Review scores
Pitchfork Media
Review scores
7.8/10
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Review scores
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Review scores
Uncut
Uncut
Review scores
Uncut
Review scores
8/10
Review scores
Source
Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Christgau's Record Guide
A
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Entertainment Weekly
A
MusicHound Rock
Pitchfork Media
7.8/10
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Uncut
8/10
Chart performance for The Beach Boys Love You · Charts
Canada RPM Albums Chart
Canada RPM Albums Chart
Chart (1977)
Canada RPM Albums Chart
Peak
66
Swedish Album Charts
Swedish Album Charts
Chart (1977)
Swedish Album Charts
Peak
34
UK Top 40 Album Chart
UK Top 40 Album Chart
Chart (1977)
UK Top 40 Album Chart
Peak
28
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape
Chart (1977)
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape
Peak
53
Chart (1977)
Peak
Canada RPM Albums Chart
66
Swedish Album Charts
34
UK Top 40 Album Chart
28
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape
53

References

  1. In one interview, he stated that he had been suffering from writer's block: "Material is getting harder and harder to wr
  2. Gaines writes that Wilson's Love You material was written under the "aegis" of Landy, while Wilson's 1991 memoir, Wouldn
  3. In fall 1976, Wilson demoed several new songs for the band at Brother Studios, including "Airplane", "I'll Bet He's Nice
  4. Carlin described the album as a reframing of the Beach Boys' early themes through Wilson's distorted adult perspective.
  5. Carlin writes that it differs from "Let Us Go On This Way" in its "grown-up perspective", likening the song to "a kind o
  6. Carlin described the subject as an "object of desire" who is "either a disturbingly sexualized infant or a dismayingly i
  7. Biographer David Leaf described it as "a fully realized production as well as a strong example of Brian's songwriting ab
  8. Wilson had attended the first two shows.
  9. Critic Erik Kempke wrote that it "stands in sharp contrast to the albums that preceded and followed it, because it was a
  10. "How Brian Wilson Helped Spawn Punk"
    http://www.stereogum.com/1793955/how-brian-wilson-helped-spawn-punk/franchises/essay/
  11. Paste
    https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/50-greatest-synth-pop-albums-of-all-time
  12. Musician, Player, and Listener
    https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-beach-boys-schizophrenia
  13. Carlin 2006, pp. 198–199.
  14. Gaines 1986, p. 284.
  15. Carlin 2006, p. 201.
  16. Gaines 1986, p. 286.
  17. Badman 2004, p. 363.
  18. Badman 2004, pp. 358, 364.
  19. Badman 2004, p. 364.
  20. Crawdaddy!
    https://40.media.tumblr.com/92589f007104051b8edbe566697d1303/tumblr_ns20qse72z1trpswuo2_1280.jpg
  21. Badman 2004, pp. 363, 367–368.
  22. Badman 2004, p. 368.
  23. Badman 2004, p. 370.
  24. Carlin 2006, p. 215.
  25. Gaines 1986, p. 294.
  26. Wilson & Gold 1991, p. 245.
  27. Oui
    https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/a-conversation-with-brian-wilson
  28. Carlin 2006, p. 224.
  29. Badman 2004, p. 371.
  30. brianwilson.com
    https://www.brianwilson.com/1970s
  31. Rolling Stone
    https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/brian-wilson-tour-demos-rarities-new-website-1199434/
  32. Carlin 2006, p. 212.
  33. Dillon 2012, p. 230.
  34. Carlin 2006, p. 213.
  35. Rock Cellar Magazine
    https://web.archive.org/web/20141022034452/http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2013/11/01/brian-wilson-al-jardine-mike-love-beach-boys-interview-part-3/
  36. Matijas-Mecca 2017, p. 114.
  37. Stebbins 2000, pp. 155–156.
  38. Wilson & Greenman 2016, p. 198.
  39. Marina Records
    https://web.archive.org/web/20081119151054/https://www.marinarecords.com/brian.htm
  40. Dillon 2012, p. 231.
  41. Dillon 2012, pp. 228–229.
  42. Leaf 1978, p. 181.
  43. Carlin 2006, p. 223.
  44. Carlin 2006, pp. 212–213.
  45. Dillon 2012, p. 229.
  46. Rolling Stone
    http://troun.tripod.com/rsbriannowhere.html
  47. Wilson & Greenman 2016, p. 197.
  48. Brian Wilson – Songwriter – 1969–1982 – The Next Stage
  49. Carlin 2006, pp. 212–214.
  50. Dillon 2012, pp. 229–230.
  51. Stebbins 2000, p. 155.
  52. White 1996, p. 219.
  53. Carlin 2006, p. 214.
  54. Badman 2004, p. 309.
  55. Schinder 2007, p. 124.
  56. Dillon 2012, p. 232.
  57. Dillon 2012, p. 32.
  58. Badman 2004, pp. 348, 340, 343, 350, 367.
  59. Endless Summer Quarterly
  60. Carlin 2006, pp. 212, 214.
  61. Gaines 1986, pp. 249, 280.
  62. Doe & Tobler 2004, p. 96.
  63. Endless Summer Quarterly
    http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/unreleased.html
  64. Badman 2004, pp. 368–369.
  65. Rock Cellar Magazine
    https://web.archive.org/web/20130930143358/http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2013/09/04/made-in-california-producers-alan-boyd-dennis-wolfe-mark-linett-beach-boys-interview/2/
  66. Leaf 1978, p. 182.
  67. Carlin 2006, p. 226.
  68. Badman 2004, p. 369.
  69. Carlin 2006, p. 222.
  70. Badman 2004.
  71. Gaines 1986, p. 295.
  72. Dillon 2012, pp. 231–232.
  73. Carlin 2006, p. 220.
  74. Gaines 1986, pp. 294–295.
  75. SC Times
    http://www.sctimes.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/02/10/beach-boys-love-you-wonky-folksy-valentine/79287808/
  76. Audio, Volume 61, Issues 7–12
    https://books.google.com/books?id=NrYnAQAAMAAJ
  77. Tobler 1978, p. 93.
  78. Dillon 2012, p. 233.
  79. Carlin 2006, pp. 217–218.
  80. Rolling Stone
    https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/love-you-19770505
  81. Carlin 2006, pp. 222–223.
  82. Badman 2004, pp. 370–374.
  83. Carlin 2006, p. 281.
  84. Dillon 2012, p. 234.
  85. Pitchfork Media
    http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11669-15-big-oneslove-you/
  86. Matijas-Mecca 2017, p. 113.
  87. Carlin 2006, p. 290.
  88. American Songwriter
    https://americansongwriter.com/brian-wilson-gods-messenger/2/
  89. Love 2016, p. 271.
  90. Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia
    http://www.goldminemag.com/article/beach-boys-brian-wilson-al-jardine-and-david-marks-plan-live-shows
  91. Variety
    https://variety.com/2025/music/news/al-jardine-beach-boys-ep-islands-in-sun-tour-interview-1236413758/
  92. Los Angeles Times
    https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-06-12/al-jardine-interview-remembers-beach-boys-brian-wilson
  93. AllMusic
    https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1453
  94. 15 Big Ones/Love You
    https://web.archive.org/web/20060630150407/http://blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2252
  95. Christgau, Robert
    http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=The+Beach+Boys
  96. Entertainment Weekly
    https://web.archive.org/web/20200808015154/http://ew.com/article/2000/08/11/music-reviews-beach-boy-rereleases/2/
  97. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
  98. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide
    https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/83
  99. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide
    https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/4
  100. Uncut
  101. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc
    https://web.archive.org/web/20120717210259/https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/the-beach-boys/bio/
  102. Cooper & Smay 2004.
  103. The A.V. Club
    https://www.avclub.com/the-beach-boys-love-you-1798211646
  104. Washington Post
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2010/08/17/brian-wilson-reimagines-gershwin-review/?outputType=amp
  105. The Michigan Daily
    https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110113/https://www.michigandaily.com/node/228018
  106. Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac: Interviews and Encounters
    https://archive.org/details/fleetwoodmaconfl0000unse_f7y2/
  107. MOJO
    https://web.archive.org/web/19980630153958/http://www.petsounds.com/mojo1.pdf
  108. 15 Big Ones/Love You
    http://www.albumlinernotes.com/15_Big_Ones_Love_You.html
  109. Priore 2005.
  110. AllMusic
    https://www.allmusic.com/album/R493141
  111. Pitchfork.com
    http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18542-alex-chilton-electricity-by-candlelight/
  112. Dillon 2012, p. 167.
  113. Collectionscanada.gc.ca
    http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5246b&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=fcs5b5kmf511c6ombo6ki2alv3
  114. Love You
    http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beach+Boys&titel=The+Beach+Boys+Love+You&cat=a
  115. "UK Top 40 Hit Database"
    http://www.everyhit.com/
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