Pet Sounds, Part III
We continue our look at Pet Sounds, the revolutionary Beach Boys album of 1966. Last week, we looked at Wouldn't It Be Nice, the first song on the album, and the week before that, we saw why the album was so important and is still today looked to as the standard of excellence, as far as concept albums go. Although commercially Pet Sounds wasn't very successful, it received high critical acclaim from both labels and other artist, such as Paul McCartney. The idea of writing an album that wasn't just a group of previously established hits and filler, but rather a whole package where each song completed the other, had never really before been seen. And, although strings were used in many Phil Spector releases, and horns consistently a part of Motown songs, the idea of using an orchestra not just for backing, but to complete the song by adding emotions and feelings with various instruments had also never been seen before. Brian Wilson produced every song on the album, giving him the ability to ensure that every song on the album is exactly as he wanted it.
"You Still Believe In Me" is the second track on the album, and is a bittersweet dedication to a person who stays with someone despite all that has gone wrong ("and after all I've done to you/how can it be/you still believe in me"). It's very similar to the pattern used for "Wouldn't It Be Nice": a short introduction, then verses that built in complexity, combining more and more instruments and vocals, interrupted by a bridge of different tempo that suddenly turns into an all-encompassing finish. The unique sound in the introduction was achieved by one person plucking the strings of a piano while the other held the notes down so that they would ring. This sound is combined with Brian's humming vocals, and demonstrates one of the production skills Brian learned from Phil Spector: "Rather than just say, 'That's a piano... that's a bass,' now we have what you call a piano-guitar. Which you're going to call something else. It sounds like something else." Although it may be two or three instruments playing the same notes, it now sounds different." In the mid-sixties, records were recorded on 8-tracks, which meant that there wasn't very much room for various instruments as well as vocals. Brian had to find a way to condense all the different instruments that he was using without compromising the quality of the sound. He put all the instruments on one track which left seven for vocals, which explains why, even though instruments are the underlying backbone of every song and can be heard very clearly, what stands out most are the vocals, both lead and backing. This combination of instruments also helped him develop new sounds, which he used to bring his "feels", little rhythms or tunes in his head that represented sentiments or emotions, out into the open. The use of vocals combined with his new instrument suggests a light, almost vulnerable tone for both the song and the person singing it, who realizes he has the chance of receiving unconditional love. The new instrument, or piano-voice as Brian would call it, gives the beginning a dream-like quality to it.
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