It is rare for The Beach Boys to have a train-wreck song. But their cover of You've Lost That Loving Feeling qualifies, it played on SiriusXM's Beach Boys channel earlier today.

On another Beach Boys note, I had not heard of Don't Go Near the Water. Their songs are usually sunnier and not protest. Even in that protest part of it was funny lyrics. "Toothpaste and soap will make our oceans a bubble bath. So let's avoid an ecological aftermath."

Im glad I didnt hear it!!

I love the original :)

This was essentially a demo recorded by Brian Wilson in 1977. Brian, may he rest in peace, had destroyed his beautiful voice by that point thanks to his vices and excesses, and during the mid- to late-1970s, he was singing in a croaky rasp. It’s worth noting that he was also struggling hard with his severe mental illnesses then and wasn’t in the best frame of mind when he recorded it.

It remained unreleased until it was included on an archival box set in 2013. As a huge Beach Boys fan, I’ll admit it’s not great, aside from the faithful replication of Phil Spector’s production on the original. Brian had been obsessed with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” since its release and was equally enamored by Spector’s ingenuity in the studio.

I think had he attempted the song when his voice was in peak shape, he’d have knocked it out of the park.

“Don’t Go Near the Water” is a goofy song from the 1971 Surf’s Up album and is largely disliked and mocked in the Beach Boys community. Mike Love, himself, is a very polarizing figure to Beach Boys fans, as well. I’m not fond of him, myself, but he did write a few stellar songs in the early ’70s. “Don’t Go Near the Water” just isn’t one of them.

It’s not The Beach Boys’ only protest song. There are a few more.

Here’s one I love. This is “The Trader” from the Holland album (1973). It’s a Carl Wilson composition about the plight of Native Americans during the early colonization of America:

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Thanx for letting us hear it buddy!