The greatest Beach Boys songs, ranked

May 09, 2026 The greatest Beach Boys songs, ranked MAY 09, 2026 TOP STORIES Matt Mitchell on “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” Pet Sounds Project: Rather than write another teen-angst soap opera about hot rods, bikini babes, and the southwest L.A. suburbs, Brian Wilson began his magnum opus with a pocket symphony about monogamy and marital bliss, overcoming the Beach Boys’ most clichéd, materialistic ideas. Mari Rubio on “You Still Believe in Me” Pet Sounds Project: Full of dissonance, diatonic harmonies, and an outcast spirit, the second song on Pet Sounds was a massive leap forward into the Beach Boys’ new, burgeoning feelings of adulthood and responsibility. Peter Gill on “That’s Not Me” Pet Sounds Project: Track three on Pet Sounds hangs suspended between the i... read