Feel Flows
| "Feel Flows" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Beach Boys | |
| from the album Surf's Up | |
| Released | August 30, 1971 |
| Recorded | July 29, 1971 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:44 |
| Label | Brother/Reprise |
| Songwriter(s) | Carl Wilson, Jack Rieley |
| Producer(s) | The Beach Boys |
| Licensed audio | |
| "Feel Flows" on YouTube | |
| Audio sample | |
"Feel Flows" is a song recorded by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1971 album Surf's Up. It was written by guitarist Carl Wilson and band manager Jack Rieley, and was one of Wilson's first songs.[3]
Background and recording
The basic track of "Feel Flows" was recorded before Wilson asked Rieley to pen lyrics for the song.[4] In 1971, Wilson explained to Rolling Stone how he produced the keyboard sound effects:
I played piano first and then I played organ. I played piano twice, overdubbed it, and used a variable speed oscillator to make the track different speeds so that the piano would be a little bit out of tune, sort of a spread sound ... And then I put the organ on and put it through the Moog at the same time, so that one side of the stereo had the direct organ sound and the other side had the return through the Moog synthesizer.[5]
Asked about the song in a 2013 interview, Rieley said:
One of the finest experiences in a studio that I had. Carl put together a raw-bones concept and gave me a tape, I took it home and listened to it over and over. The lyrics started coming out of me: a reflection of the sensitive side of life. I'm so proud of them. Carl's guitar solo might be the best he ever played. There is a point in the song where you hear a synth and then there’s a "swoosh" sound. Carl and I have been told by a number of girls that that was the closest they’d heard to the sound that would go with an orgasm.[4]
Wilson's lead vocals were recorded using reverse echo.[1] The saxophone and flute were both played by jazz musician Charles Lloyd, as Mike Love commented, "It's amazing. It's unlike anything we ever did."[6]
Reception
Biographer Jon Stebbins identified the song as a highlight on Surf's Up. He said that Jack Rieley's lyrics were "nonsensical but fit Carl's airy jazz-rock song perfectly. The trippy phasing and synthesizer elements in 'Feel Flows,' which are tailor-made for a stoner's headphones, undoubtedly delighted more than a few hippies who stumbled upon the Surf's Up LP. ... as modern and progressive as the majority of 'heavy' music in the mainstream rock world of 1971."[2] Conversely, biographer Peter Ames Carlin criticized the lyrics as "impossibly cryptic".[7] Record Collector's Jamie Atkins wrote that, "despite the hamfisted lyrics", the song "remains sonically intriguing, with the lightness of touch and natural feel for arranging that had served Brian so well."[8]
Almost Famous
Director Cameron Crowe used the song twice in his 2000 film Almost Famous. It first plays during a scene in which the protagonist meets a groupie, and reappears during the closing credits. Crowe cited "Feel Flows" as his favorite Beach Boys song and explained that it contains "the happy/sad greatness that defines the group and the timelessness that allows The Beach Boys to tower over any attempt to classify them as simple poster boys for the California experience. It is the essence of the fulfilled promise of The Beach Boys and everything Brian envisioned for their creative journey."[9] According to biographer Mark Dillon, the song received "new life from exposure in the film and inclusion on its Grammy Award–winning soundtrack."[9]
Other uses
- In 1972, the song was used in the surfing documentary Five Summer Stories.[10]
- In 2005, it appeared on a compilation album of music that has inspired the Welsh indie-psychedelic pop band the Super Furry Animals titled Under the Influence.[11]
- In 2021, the song's title was adopted for Feel Flows, an archival release dedicated to the band's Sunflower and Surf's Up period.[12]
Personnel
The Beach Boys
- Carl Wilson – lead and backing vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, organ, Moog synthesizer, percussion[5]
- Brian Wilson – backing vocals[13]
- Bruce Johnston – backing vocals[13]
Additional musicians
- Charles Lloyd – saxophone, flute[5]
- Woody Thews – percussion[5]
References
- ^ a b "The Beach Boys: The River's A Dream In A Waltz Time". Aquarium Drunkard. March 14, 2017.
- ^ a b Stebbins, Jon (2011). The Beach Boys FAQ: All That's Left to Know About America's Band. Backbeat. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-4584-2918-6.
- ^ Schmidt, Arthur (14 October 1971). "The Beach Boys". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ a b "The Life of RIELEY". Record Collector Mag. September 6, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Nolan, Tom (November 11, 1971). "Beach Boys: A California Saga, Part II". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Smith, Lee Valentine (March 2021). "Get Together". Insite Atlanta.
- ^ Carlin, Peter Ames (2007). Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale. p. 256. ISBN 978-1-59486-899-3.
- ^ Atkins, Jamie (July 2018). "Wake The World: The Beach Boys 1967-'73". Record Collector.
- ^ a b Greg (July 10, 2012). "Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys". The Uncool.
- ^ Coker, Matt (April 29, 2014). "NBFF Recommendation of the Day: Five Summer Stories". OC Weekly. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ Hogan, Marc (May 3, 2005). "Super Furry Animals: Under the Influence". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ Goldenberg, Joel (September 12, 2020). "Free Feel Flows!". The Suburban.
- ^ a b "Missing Surf's up Tracks".
