Brian Wilson is an award-winning songwriter and vocalist. He is one of the founding members of the Beach Boys, even if he failed a music class. This is what the musician wrote about his experience in I’m Brian Wilson: A Memoir.
Brian Wilson appeared in the rock band The Beach Boys
God only knows what the fans would do without the Beach Boys. According to the Beach Boys website, this surf rock band was formed in 1961, with brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and their friend Al Jardine.
That means Brian Wilson was around 19 years old when they first created the group. Since then, he’s co-written hits like “God Only Knows,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “I Get Around.” He was even inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his arrangements, despite failing a music class while in school.
Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys failed a music class at school
The Beach Boys were passionate about music before they were chart-topping musicians. Love explained in his memoir that his parents instilled a love of community, even if he disagreed with his taste in music.
In I’m Brian Wilson: A Memoir, Brian Wilson detailed his life before joining the surf rock band. That includes the experience of him taking music classes in high school.
“When I first became interested in music, I took a class in high school with a guy named Fred Morgan,” Wilson wrote. “He was an interesting teacher. He taught us that music was a contrast, pale parts versus emotional parts, and that not all the instruments in a song had to go in the same direction.”
“It failed me in class because I didn’t know how to write classical music, but it got me thinking about some of the different ways music can work,” he added. “Later, I ran into him at a high school reunion. “You failed my class, but you got a great score in music,” she said. My own ideas were just beginning…”
Some even credit the Wilson brothers’ father with instilling in them a love of music. For a few years, Murry Wilson acted as the band’s manager before being fired for “disturbing” the Beach Boys’ recording sessions.
The Beach Boys released their song ‘Be True to Your School’
Before joining this band, Brian Wilson attended Hawthorne High School in California; His brothers Carl and Dennis were enrolled in the same school. The Beach Boys even mentioned his love for his alma mater on “Be True to Your School.”
The band initially included this song on Little Deuce Coupe, earning over a million Spotify streams. Mike Love returned to Full house to interpret “Be faithful to your school” in “Our first telethon”. Now, the Beach Boys’ music is available on most major streaming platforms.