The Beach Boys' music was the soundtrack of my youth
and in their fun, wholesome songs, I found a lot of truth.
Brian Wilson once said he "wasn't made for these times"
When his heart was hurting and he'd run out of rhymes.
Neither was I. I was born just a little too late
To be a part of the world his songs celebrate
But the Beach Boys were a huge influence on me
And they helped me become who I wanted to be
When I was just a teenager, sad and alone in my room,
Dreaming of Hawaiian islands from my adolescent gloom;
Of having a car club that would look like a Hot Wheels convention.
Cruising up and down the strip, we would get all the attention
In brightly painted Little Deuce Coupe's and 409's
With fun-loving, sun-worshiping friends of mine;
Of going to the drive-in and the high school sock hop;
Of driving old woodies with longboards piled on top
On surfin' safari's searching for the perfect wave;
Having fun all summer long with no need to behave
With Caroline, Barbara Ann, Wendy and Rhonda,
Riding through the hills at night on my Little Honda.
And of course, spray-painted on the wall of our high school
Would be the absolute law of the universe - Surfer's Rule!
I grew up at the beach but moved inland when I was a kid
And I can't tell you what all those old Beach Boys songs did
For my young soul, trapped in the city. I was fascinated
By the happy, beautiful world that their songs created.
They gave me hope of how fun life would someday be
And promised that someday, I would finally be free
And they were right because I found my surfer girl
And we shared a perfect summer in a perfect world.
We spent every day at the beach in the warmth of the sun
Exploring the tidepools and having nothing but fun fun fun,
My friends and I were kings of a sun-blessed land
With our feet full of tar and our hair full of sand.
There wasn't one mile of PCH that we didn't roam,
Our cars silhouetted by the sunset on the way home.
My girlfriend would fall asleep lying across the front seat
As I fought to keep my eyes open, surfed out and beat.
I would look down at the soft moonlight shining on her hair
And smile with the knowledge that she'd always be there.
Wouldn't it be nice if those times could have lasted longer?
Back when the Spirit of America was a whole lot stronger.
Back in the days when I didn't know all the things I do now
and all the heroes and villains weren't so scary somehow.
Can you imagine a song today called Be True To Your School?
In these jaded times, I'm afraid many would think it's uncool.
Or what about the sweet, innocent fun of Dance Dance Dance?
Nowadays, it seems songs like that just don't stand a chance.
Many years have passed since I was a kid singing I Get Around.
Those scratched-up albums still don't hinder the beautiful sound
Of the five-part harmonies The Beach Boys are so famous for
And they're still making good vibrations just like they did before.
They made me wonder what I'd be when I grew up to be a man.
I became a beach boy myself, with sun-bleached hair and a tan.
It's hard to find any time to go surfing these days, it seems
But I still catch a wave every now and then in my dreams.
My old surfing pals have all gone their separate ways
But sometimes, my mind wanders back to those days.
I still keep an eye on summer and the old excitement's still there
For the beautiful girls on the beach in the sun and the salty air.
I don't know if this world is getting darker or if it's just me
But I still dream of escaping to Hawaii so that I can feel free.
I look out at the lonely sea and think of all the fun back then
and I wish we could all get back together and do it again.
Adult life can sure be hard sometimes, God only knows.
I'm not complaining because this is the life that I chose
But when I'm discouraged or worrying more than I should . . .
I just turn on the Beach Boys, and hey, life's still pretty good.
A couple of photos from those days. See, I wasn't always so conservative! haha
Gold trophy winner
Adding your comment:
Sara 
Enjoyed your poem and your tribute to them! Fun! Fun! Fun! Good, good, good vibrations!
...though I am not aware of this band but I think these beach boys had been interesting like your poem!!!!
15 old applause
