Brian Wilson - Sail On, Sailor (songwriting session edit)

Took the revelatory songwriting session Brian held with Van Dyke Parks for "Sail On, Sailor" and removed as many false starts and talking as I could to make it a more seamless demo. Apologies for the roughness in a couple of areas, this could’ve used some more editing but I was so caught up in the excitement of getting this out there.

Taken from the Sail On Sailor 1972 boxset

I transcribed as much of Brian’s lyrics as I could:

(Hypnotize me and tell me I ain’t crazy, I’m insane)

Born into Brooklyn
So many people
I (lit a doobie)?
Where I be seein’

——-
San Diego
Sail on
Sail on
Sail on
Sail on sailor

Well
Greyhound is a quiet bus
Sleepin got to get us
Where we goin to
Play our next show
Don’t take airplanes
Might try
A boat

I knew my buddy
I did some snow
I need to try some
I’ve got to buy some
We know we are foreign
But we can —-

——
Way down in Trinidad
They stole all the drums in my steelband

Way out
Way out
Way out
Way out
Way, way, way out
Way, way out

[Paul-dwcl]

I know it’s a personal thing, but I’d like to hear more of that dialogue between him and Van Dyke Parks

[atr-wqtv]

this exactly what I was hoping for the demo. you’re a real one for making this

[stokedtogetmellow]

That second verse about cocaine. Damn! 😂💙

[SpooksHD]

damn San Diego almost made it to a beach boys album by its full name 😭

[alexsaitta]

It sure sounds like Brian wrote most all the song to me.

[CandyManSC]

0:24 anyone else hear the yell from the end of RSC - "Beach Boys Love You"?

[MyGodzilla]

Seems the sessions for holland were going on around the same time as VDP’s Discover America. A lot of the original song lyrics share a theme with that album.

[kevd]

Do you still have the source of the image?
The quality it has is incredible
In the same way, you did a very good edit

[NOWtheband]

Nice.
I did that too and got it down to two minutes. 🙂

[hellomcflyy]

I wonder if he's completely ad-libbing words - reminds me of the coke sessions with Dennis..doing the same thing - I think a lot of his best songs were just taking a "feel" (as he called it) and tweaking it and adding to it...first starting on the fly and refining it (which is also why his choice of collaborators is important - they help in the honing process) - when he's forced to write a complete song (when Landy would give him a hamburger for a song in the 70s) ..as opposed to feeling his way around it - you get some pretty redundant stuff like on Love You (I like Love You...but...you can tell he banged something as cliche as Mona in like 5 minutes just to get that burger)

[jasonsmith-bmsv]

Honestly, going from this little bit alone, I don't think I'd be overly enthusiastic about it if I had been there and hearing that little fragment alone. The melody is really good though. You can hear it *wants* to be a good song, but isn't there yet.