The strange history behind Brian Wilson’s lost rap song ‘Smart Girls’

As a music enthusiast, I can’t help but feel the profound sadness sweeping through our community as we bid farewell to the legendary Brian Wilson. This iconic figure, who left us at 82 on Wednesday, was more than just the pulsating heartbeat of the Beach Boys; he was a trailblazer whose influence and impact on music history is immeasurable.

From groundbreaking recording techniques to profoundly moving lyrics, and emotive melodies that have become inextricably linked with our memories and the essence of American culture, his relentless creativity paved the way for some daring and provocative ventures, even though they might not have achieved the same level of pop culture resonance as “Pet Sounds.”

Rest in peace, Brian Wilson. Your music will live on forever.

Wilson’s music was always open to a wide variety of genres, instruments, and movements, making it unsurprising yet remarkable when he recorded a rap song called “Smart Girls” at the start of the ’90s. As detailed in his first memoir, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” an account that has faced legal challenges, the inspiration came while Wilson and his team were watching an episode of MTV Raps. They observed that many rap songs were degrading women, whereas Wilson aimed to create something empowering for women. While it may seem improbable that Wilson watched MTV Raps, given its evolution from Fab 5 Freddy to Ed Lover and Doctor Dre, it’s worth noting that the Fat Boys had remade a Beach Boys song in 1987, appearing in their music video, so it’s not entirely unreasonable for hip-hop to have been within Wilson’s sphere.

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As a fervent admirer, I can share that “Smart Girls” was initially intended to be the pinnacle piece or grand finale on Brian Wilson’s album “Sweet Insanity,” according to various mythologies. However, as mentioned in his second memoir, “I Am Brian Wilson,” this album wasn’t a project he embraced wholeheartedly, with every aspect of it being influenced by his former therapist, Eugene Landy. Wilson even took a legal step against him with a restraining order in 1992, and Landy passed away in 2006.

In Wilson’s own words, the title (which he disliked) and the album’s theme, as I understand it, were meant to showcase the beauty that can emerge from mental struggles – a notion that might help explain why “Smart Girls” seems like such an amalgamation of his iconic discography and the collective memories of him within the American music era.

As a movie critic reminiscing about a musical gem, let me share my thoughts on an album that echoed the Bomb Squad-style hip-hop of its era. The beats on “Smart Girls,” crafted by the legendary Matt Dike – the man behind the Beastie Boys’ “Hey Ladies,” Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing,” Young MC’s Grammy-winning “Bust A Move,” and eventually Insane Clown Posse’s “Halls of Illusions” – truly stood out.

According to Dan Leroy’s 2007 book, “The Greatest Music Never Sold,” our health-conscious artist, Wilson, had expressed his belief that the song was destined for massive success. Dike, who sadly passed away in 2018, reportedly responded to this prediction with a colorful exclamation, something along the lines of, “What are you, crazy?!” A testament to the unique blend of ambition and skepticism that often characterizes the creative process.

This action ran counter to Wilson’s initial public statements about the song, made during the time of its release. After the “Sweet Insanity” album was turned down by Sire Records, who cited “Smart Girls” as a significant factor in their decision, Wilson and Landy distributed cassette singles of “Smart Girls” to fans at Christmas. The note accompanying these gifts read: “Read about why he wrote a rap song in his recently published Harper Collins autobiography,” and “This is a limited edition cassingle and not for sale. Only 250 will be manufactured as a personal gift from Brian Wilson to you for the holidays.

In January 1992, one of those recordings, possibly even a later bootleg, found its way to Dr. Demento, a comedy radio host known for his novelty programs. Wilson was invited onto the show, and during their conversation, which unexpectedly veered from discussions about physical abuse inflicted by his father, Wilson introduced “Smart Girls” as a song that could be described only as a white rap track. They had decided to give it their unique twist on the genre.

Although songs from the yet-to-be-released album “Sweet Insanity” were later rerecorded and included in other Wilson projects such as the 2004 album “Gettin In Over My Head”, the song “Smart Girls” did not receive an official release. Nevertheless, it has been shared among Beach Boys enthusiasts through collections like Endless Bummer, a well-known fan-curated “Beach Boys worst moments” bootleg that includes drunk renditions of “Good Vibrations” and “You’re So Beautiful”, a Spanish version of “Kokomo”, a Charles Manson demo, and rewritten commercial jingles for Hyatt Regency and Budweiser (“Be True to Your Bud”).

Despite the numerous flaws in “Smart Girls,” there’s merit in Wilson’s willingness to embrace rap during an era when many rock legends dismissed it as music. Moreover, his decision to collaborate with Matt Dike instead of arrogantly attempting to create a rap song on his own showcases a level of humility and respect for the genre.

Wilson explored various musical avenues; his creations ranged from songs about transcendental meditation, lyrics that were essentially directions to his house and phone numbers (“Busy Doing Nothing”), to some of the most remarkable pieces of music ever produced. Although “Smart Girls” may not hold many personal landmarks for us, Brian Wilson’s musical endeavors have become an integral part of our lives, undeniably enriching them in return.

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2025-06-12 17:31