The Beach Boys Song That Was the Product of Early Harmonizing by Brian Wilson and Brothers Dennis and Carl in Their Childhood Bedroom

While growing up in Hawthorne, California, Brian Wilson shared a room with his brothers Dennis and Carl, and was entranced by the vocal harmonies of the male quartet the Four Freshmen and the group’s “Ivory Tower” and “Good News.” From there, Wilson started teaching his brothers how to sing harmonies.

“One night I sang the song ‘Ivory Tower’ to them, and they liked it,” recalled Brian Wilson. “Then, a couple of weeks later, I proceeded to teach them both how to sing the harmony parts to it. It took them a little while, but they finally learned it. We then sang this song night after night. It brought peace to us.”

By the time the Beach Boys were recording their third album, Surfer Girl,” they had mastered their unified harmonies and recorded “In My Room.” Written by Wilson and Gary Usher in 1962, “In My Room,” released as a B-side to their 1963 hit “Be True to Your School,” reminded Wilson of his younger years with his brothers in their bedroom—practicing and dreaming.

There’s a world where I can go and tell my secrets to
In my room
In my room (in my room)

In this world, I lock out all my worries and my fears
In my room
In my room (in my room)

Do my dreaming and my scheming
Lie awake and pray
Do my crying and my sighing
Laugh at yesterday

[RELATED: The Heartbreaking “Farewell” Dennis Wilson Wrote for a Dear Friend Who Died in His Arms, Brother Carl Wilson’s Father-in-Law]

“When we recorded ‘In My Room,’ there was just Dennis, Carl, and me on the first verse, and we sounded just like we did in our bedroom all those nights,” said Wilson. “This story has more meaning than ever since Dennis’ death.”

Mike Love also remembered the group’s earlier harmonizing around the Four Freshmen, Everly Brothers, and other groups. “The thing that attracted us to singing together in the first place is that my cousin Brian and I loved to harmonize together,” said Love of their sing-alongs to the Everly Brothers and the Four Freshmen, who had a huge influence on the group. “That’s why the Beach Boys’ harmonies are so complex and interesting and never boring. You cannot be in a singing group that does that kind of music and lag. You have to pay attention.”

Reflecting on the group’s mastery of harmonizing so early on said it was often overlooked at the time. “The singers — the family and myself — we really made some serious harmony,” said Jardine. “Music, and the human voice in itself, is so powerful that I think it’s often overlooked in big arrangements.”

Love added, “When people ask me, ‘Do you ever get tired of doing those songs?’ I go, ‘Well, not really, because I co-wrote a bunch of them and it’s really just fun singing those parts and harmonizing.’ We took a family hobby and turned it into a long-lasting profession. It’s a pretty good deal.’”

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images