Let Me Feel Your Heart Beat
Captured by Ava Popov at Rebel Lounge opening for Abe Parker 4-13-25
Over the last five or six years, I’ve taken a deep dive into trying to become a better songwriter. I’ve studied the greats like Bob Dylan, Curt Cobain, Tom Petty, Springsteen, Jagger/Richards, McCartney/Lennon, but Brian Wilson is one songwriter I’ve almost been too intimidated to examine because his musical mind was so unparalleled and in a category of its own. The Beach Boys were a timeless band from the 60’s that was lead and pioneered by Wilson who sadly passed away last week. Having listened to The Beach Boys my entire life, Brian’s passing definitely hit me hard and I’ve been filled with so much music that feels beautifully spiritual. He wrote music to exist in the air we breathe and to be heard by anybody, whether we were listening alone at night in our bedroom or while enjoying a sunny day at the beach with friends. His songs were there for you at your best, worst and everywhere in between.
I recently opened for an artist named Abe Parker who said something that really stuck with me: music has the power to weave its way into someone’s heart and soul whether they want it to or not. When we hear an amazing song trickling down from a speaker in our favorite restaurant, or passing through the open window of a car stopped next to us at a red light, or from a girl in the corner singing with an acoustic guitar, it grabs us and our entire world suddenly takes a backseat to this moment with this song. There’s something there inside of us stirring that has finally broken free because of the bridge that this piece of music built, seemingly out of thin air. We may just sit for a moment and think, “wow, what a pretty song,” but the effect is much deeper than we can describe or even fully understand. It’s in our bones now and we’ll go about our day and week and month being unknowingly guided in a better direction because it has opened us up to the world and all the little things that often go unnoticed, but are so beautiful they could bring us to tears.
Brian Wilson created music because he loved it and he was so drawn to it that he couldn’t help himself, but he gave it to us because he felt its power and wanted others to feel it too. The melodies he wrote said so much more than words ever could, but the words he sang made those divine messages from the universe become so human and so real that it feels like he’s right here with us. I will always feel like he is in the room with me as he sings, “Don’t talk, put your head on my shoulder. Come close, close your eyes and be still. Don’t talk, take my hand and let me hear your heart beat…” My only wish is to continue striving towards writing music that radiates with this same passion and to not be afraid to give those most vulnerable parts of myself away to people. It’s there that the bridge is built and we feel more connected to each other and ourselves. Rest In Peace and thank you for all your gifts you gave to the world Brian Wilson.