The Last Song

Album: No Pier Pressure (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This heartbreaking ballad details Brian Wilson's sadness about the Beach Boys' dissolution after Mike Love pulled the plug on the group's 2012 reunion tour. "It started out being about lost love," co-producer Joe Thomas told Rolling Stone. "But after the tour fell apart it became more about a missed opportunity for Brian and the guys to ride into the sunset together."
  • Session musician and producer Don Was played bass on the track, an experience that greatly moved him. "There's something about Brian signing off with it, saying, 'This is it, this is my last song.' It's really intense," he said. "If 'Last Song' turned out to be his last song, can you imagine? Wow. That'd be some coda."
  • Two versions were recorded - originally it was done with a haunting vocal by Lana Del Rey, but when Wilson asked the songstress to come back in to do more work, she had to decline due to scheduling issues. The version that appears on No Pier Pressure is with Wilson's lead vocals.
  • When Brian Wilson started singing, "If there was just another chance for me to sing to you… There's never enough time for the ones that you love," both Don Was and drummer Jim Keltner started crying. "We realized we were playing his coda," Was explained to Mojo magazine.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"They're Playing My Song

When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.