O pai dos Pet Sounds está completando 70 anos hoje. A NPR fez um especial sobre “Good Vibrations” e eu destaco “Surf’s Up”, eixo central do disco Smile, o sucessor de Pet Sounds que só viu a luz do dia quase quarenta anos depois de ser idealizado.

Abaixo, a versão de 1971 e a de 2004 da mesma música, além da letra, de Van Dyke Parks.

A diamond necklace played the pawn.
Hand in hand, some drummed along
to a handsome mannered baton.

A blind class aristocracy.
Back through the op’ra glass you see
the pit and the pendulum drawn.

Columnated ruins domino!
Canvas the town and brush the back-drop.
Are you sleeping?

Hung velvet over taking me.
Dim chandelier awaken me.
To a song dissolved in the dawn.

The music hall – A costly bow.
The must all is lost for now,
to a muted trumpeter swan.

Columnated ruins domino!

Canvas the town and brush the back-drop.
Are you sleeping? Brother John?

Dove nested towers –
the hour was strike the street, qucksilver moon.

Carriage across the fog-two-step to
lampight cellar tune.

The laughs come hard
in Auld Lang Syne.

The glass was raised, the fired-roast.
The fullness of the wine.
A dim last toasting.
While at Port, adieu or die.

A choke of grief, heart-hardened eye,
beyong belief, a broken man too tough to cry.

Surf’s Up! Aboard a tidal wave.
Come about hard and join the young
and often spring you gave.

I heard the word. Wonderful thing! A children’s song.
A children’s song – have you listened as they play?
Their song is love and the children know the way.

Tags: beach boys, brian wilson