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Here Today (The Beach Boys song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Here Today
| cover = Beach Boys - Here Today.jpg
| caption = B-side of 1967 "Darlin'" single release
| alt =
| type =
| artist = the Beach Boys
| album = Pet Sounds
| released =
| recorded = March 1966
| studio = Sunset Sound and Columbia, Hollywood
| genre =
| length =
| label = Capitol
| writer =
| producer = Brian Wilson
| misc =
}}
"'Here Today'" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album 'Pet Sounds'. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, the lyric warns the listener of inevitable heartbreak before the narrator reveals himself to be the ex-boyfriend of the listener's newfound love. Musically, the song features an uncommon formal structure, the use of electric bass guitar as a lead instrument, and a 20-bar length instrumental break.
One of the last songs recorded for 'Pet Sounds', Wilson produced the track in March 1966 with the aid of his bandmates, who provided additional backing vocals, and 12 studio musicians, who played guitars, organ, upright bass, trombones, saxophones, tack piano, drums, and other percussion. Mike Love sang the lead vocal.
"Here Today" proved influential to musicians such as Al Kooper, Paul McCartney, and Lemmy. Acts who have covered the song include Bobby Vee, R. Stevie Moore, Mathilde Santing, and Thurston Moore.
Background and lyrics
"Here Today" was written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher for the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds' album in early 1966. Although Wilson claimed that Asher only provided the words to his music, Asher credited himself with contributing musical ideas to several songs on the album, including this one, as Asher stated, "'Here Today' contains a little more of me both lyrically and melodically than Brian." Moreover, Asher said,
The lyrics warn the listener to beware of his newfound love and prepare for the potential heartbreak that may result ("A brand new love affair is such a beautiful thing / but if you're not careful think about the pain it can bring"). In his view, relationships are short-lasting ("Love is here today and it's gone tomorrow / it's here and gone so fast"). The narrator also warns that the aforementioned lover will make the listener "feel so bad", his "heart feel sad", his "days go wrong, and his "nights so long". To prove his case, the narrator reveals himself to be her ex-boyfriend ("Well you know I hate to be a downer / but I'm the guy she left before you found her").
Wilson stated in 1996 that the song had "really good lyrics", but in another interview from the same year, he said, "'Here Today' was probably one of the mystery songs on the album. I don't really know what it's about. I liked it, but yet I didn't. I don't really identify with that song like I do with 'You Still Believe In Me', or 'Caroline, No.' It was just one of those songs in there, one little song."
Composition
"Here Today" is primarily in the key of A major, with other portions suggesting F minor. Wilson said: "'Here Today' was a work of art in my opinion. It was an assertive track with utilization of basses played up higher. The trombones gave it that masculine touch." He stated that his intention for the piece was "to conceive the idea of a bass guitar playing an octave higher than regular and showcase it as the principal instrument in the track." Dillon suggests that Wilson may have been influenced by Bill Wyman's bass-playing on "19th Nervous Breakdown", a then-current hit for the Rolling Stones.
The formal structure in this song is uncommon for "most pop music", Granata argues, "or any music for that matter." The first two verses, which are almost identical, have unusual bar structures, each being divided into three sections of eight, seven and three bars (20 in total). These uncommon numberings continue in the choruses, as Granata explains, "While it is rare for a chorus to contain an odd number of measures, all three choruses on 'Here Today' are seven bars. Most choruses are eight bars long. Occasionally a chorus will be 'lengthened' to imply suspense or extension of time. The purposeful 'shortening' of the choruses here emphasizes the 'here today, gone tomorrow' idea reflected in the lyric."
The arrangement includes a horn ensemble consisting of two saxophones and two trombones. Granata surmised that the saxophone voicings were influenced by Four Seasons songs such as "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)". He continues in his analysis, "Throughout, the bass line accentuates the melody. The bass and horns also move in contrary motion to the vocals: in the chorus, the rhythm section and the horns play a descending line of quarter notes while the vocals ascend with 'Ah-ah.'" Dillon concurred that the contrasting motions, which often conflict with Love's vocals, "creates a slightly uneasy feeling, not unlike how one would feel in a volatile romance." Bruce Johnston praised Wilson's discretion in arranging the backing vocals: "He correctly used the vocals as another pad. If he had made the mistake of overwriting the background parts, you would never pay attention to the leads, and we would have gotten in the way."
A 20-bar instrumental break with three sections divided into eight, six, and six bars occurs between the second and third choruses. In this point in the song (1:472:02), musicologist Walter Everett notes "[o]ne of the most remarkable parts in the bass literature ... where rapidly repeated bass notes are all sevenths, 1 appearing beneath ii, in alternation with 7 placed below I." According to Granata, "This break presents another neat rhythmic situation. The first eight measures consist of short, accented punctuations by all of the instruments except the pulsating bass." This is directly followed by another major shift in which "all instruments (primarily piano and circus-style organ) maintain the tempo, but the feel changes when the snare pounds out a set of polka-like eighth notes."
Recording
in Hollywood
"Here Today" was the last song started for the 'Pet Sounds' album. Logged as "I Don't Have a Title Yet", the instrumental track was recorded on March 10 or 11, 1966 at Sunset Sound Recorders Studio A. This marked the only occasion that Wilson recorded at Sunset Sound during the 'Pet Sounds' sessions, having been recommended the studio by session musician Steve Douglas. The engineer for this session, Bruce Botnick, later worked on the 1967 album 'Forever Changes' by Love.
The vocals were overdubbed two weeks later, on March 23 and 25, at Columbia Studio A. In the original mono release, some studio chatter, spoken by Bruce Johnston about a photographer's camera, can be heard during the instrumental break. Then, Wilson shouts "No talking!" at Johnston, who had been unaware that the tape was rolling. Johnston recalled this exchange as an example of how "Brian was a combination of Rachmaninoff and General Patton. He was [brilliantly] brutal in the studio." At the end of this break, Wilson says, "Top, please," which was an instruction to the engineer to rewind the tape to the beginning of the song so the group could attempt another take of the vocals.
Record producer Phil Ramone afforded attention to Wilson's mixing and production layering on 'Pet Sounds' and this track in particular: "There are placements for every instrument in the mono mixthey're great studies of contrast, texture, balance, and rhythm. For example, on 'Here Today,' the combination of wet and dry sounds in the vocals and the distinctive sound of the organ and baritone sax give it incredible dimension."
Release history
On May 16, 1966, "Here Today" was released as the tenth track on 'Pet Sounds'. It later appeared on the 1966 EP 'God Only Knows' (released exclusively in the UK) and as the B-side to the 1967 single "Darlin'", a top 30 hit. In 1996, to promote 'The Pet Sounds Sessions' (1997), Sub Pop issued the stereo backing track of "Here Today" as the B-side of the first true stereo mix of "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times".
Critical reception
AllMusic reviewer Donald Guarisco praised "Here Today" as "a highlight of 'Pet Sounds'" and "one of Brian Wilson's most ambitious arrangements." Dillon similarly called it "one of the album's most incredible instrumental arrangements" and "the most direct precursor to 'Good Vibrations'".
Conversely, in his self-described "unbiased" review of 'Pet Sounds' for 'Record Mirror', Norman Jopling described "Here Today" as perhaps the album's "corniest song" and that "one is left with the feeling that this track is a kind of condensed showcase of all the backing sounds that anyone could cram into a few minutes. Not too good at all..."
Influence
Blood, Sweat & Tears founder Al Kooper, whose favorite album of all time is the 1997 box set 'The Pet Sounds Sessions', said that "Here Today" inspired the organ break in his band's 1969 hit "You've Made Me So Very Happy", as well as his songs "I Can Love a Woman" (1968) and "Lucille" (1969). Motrhead founder Lemmy Kilmister regarded "Here Today" as "quite innovative" and would perform the song at clubs early in his career. Musician Lenie Colacino argued that the bass part was a direct influence on Paul McCartney's bass-playing on "With a Little Help from My Friends" and "Getting Better" from 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (1967).
Personnel
Per Craig Slowinski.
'The Beach Boys'
* Al Jardine backing vocals
* Bruce Johnston backing vocals
* Mike Love lead and backing vocals
* Brian Wilson backing vocals ('falsetto')
* Carl Wilson backing vocals
'Session musicians' (later known as "the Wrecking Crew")
* Frank Capp tambourine on snare drum
* Al Casey 12-string electric guitar
* Mike Deasy 12 string acoustic guitar
* Larry Knechtel Hammond B3 organ
* Gail Martin bass trombone
* Nick Martinis drums
* Jay Migliori baritone saxophone
* Jack Nimitz baritone saxophone
* Ray Pohlman electric bass guitar
* Don Randi tack piano
* Lyle Ritz upright bass
* Ernie Tack bass trombone
The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) contract erroneously credits Terry Melcher with having played tambourine on this track.
Cover versions
* 1966 Robb Storme Group
* 1966 Bobby Vee
* 1967 The Pleazers
* 1967 The Seftons
* 1970 Sunshine
* 1981 R. Stevie Moore
* 1982 Mathilde Santing, 'Mathilde Santing'
* 1998 Thurston Moore, 'Smiling Pets'
* 2002 Brian Wilson, 'Pet Sounds Live'
* 2012 Jodie Marie, 'MOJO Presents Pet Sounds Revisited'
* 2013 The One & Nines, 'Mint 400 Presents the Beach Boys Pet Sounds'
* 2016 Cool Ghouls, 'A Tribute to Pet Sounds'
Notes
References
Bibliography
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