It was a sign of things to come. The Beach Boys had begun a steady run of top-10 hits with “Surfin’ U.S.A.” and “Surfer Girl.” Songs about the sun and sand were clicking all over the nation. The next single was “Be True to Your School.” It was another smash, but some markets gave more airtime to the B-side. The introspective song about emotions was new territory for the group. It was a precursor to the music Brian Wilson would go on to explore as he grew away from writing about sun and surf and further explored his emotions to create “pocket symphonies to God.” Let’s take a look at the meaning behind “In My Room” by The Beach Boys.
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“My Kingdom”
“I had a room, and I thought of it as my kingdom,” Wilson wrote in the 1990 Surfer Girl/Shut Down, Vol. 2 reissue liner notes. “And I wrote that song, very definitely, that you’re not afraid when you’re in your room. It’s absolutely true.”
There’s a world where I can go and
Tell my secrets to
In my room
In my room (in my room)
Family Harmony
Wilson continued, ”When Dennis, Carl, and I lived in Hawthorne [California] as kids, we all slept in the same room. One night, I sang the song ‘Ivory Tower’ to them, and they liked it. 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. 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. This story has more meaning than ever since Dennis’ death.”
In this world, I lock out
All my worries and my fears
In my room
In my room (in my room)
Family Disharmony
The Wilsons’ father, Murry, acted as band manager. He would often be in the control room during recordings, adding to the tension of the sessions. Engineer Chuck Britz eventually devised a fake console to give Murry the illusion he was controlling volumes. In reality, it was connected to nothing.
Gary Usher, who wrote “In My Room” with Brian, did not get along with Murry either. He wrote in the same 1990 liner notes, “‘In My Room’ found us taking our craft a little more seriously. Brian and I came back to the house one night. … I played bass, and Brian was on organ. The song was written in an hour. … Brian’s melody all the way. The sensitivity … the concept meant a lot to him. When we finished, it was late, after our midnight curfew. In fact, Murry came in a couple of times and wanted me to leave. Anyway, we got Audree (the Wilson brothers’ mother), who was putting her hair up before bed, and we played it for her. She said, ‘That’s the most beautiful song you’ve ever written.’ Murry said, ‘Not bad, Usher, not bad,’ which was the nicest thing he ever said to me.”
Murry set up a publishing company called Sea of Tunes to handle all of Brian’s publishing. A deal was presented to Usher where the publishing would be split three ways, between Brian Wilson, Gary Usher, and Murry Wilson. This caused great strain on the relationship, but the final straw was when drummer Dennis Wilson moved out and became roommates with Usher. Usher found himself unwelcome as Murry ordered him out of the band’s professional circle. Brian continued writing with Cousin Mike Love and began a new partnership with songwriter Roger Christian.
Do my dreaming and my scheming
Lie awake and pray?
Do my crying and my sighing
Laugh at yesterday?
Inspiration to Others
Many artists have cited “In My Room” as a major inspiration. Journey lead singer Steve Perry told Rolling Stone, “This was an anthem to my teenage isolation. I just wanted to be left alone in my room, where I could find peace of mind and play music.”
Linda Ronstadt said this in the 2015 book Becoming The Beach Boys, 1961-1963, “What a heartrending song. When you think about it, I won’t be afraid. A place where I’ll be safe. They were really deep, profound emotions that came out of a lot of pain. There was nothing shallow about it.”
David Crosby said of Brian Wilson, “He was the most highly regarded pop musician in America. Hands down. Everybody by that time had figured out who was writing it all and who was arranging it all. ‘In My Room’ was a defining point for me. When I heard it, I thought, “OK, I give up. I can’t do that. I’ll never be able to do that.”
Now it’s dark, and I’m alone
But I won’t be afraid
In my room
In my room (in my room, in my room)
In my room (in my room, in my room)
“Ganz Allein”
Almost a year after recording the original, the band returned to the studio in March 1964 to record German lyrics written by a girlfriend of Love’s. The literal translation is “All Alone.” The foreign version of the song would not be released until the 1983 album Rarities.
Es gibt ein Ort da geh ich hin
Flüst’re Freud und Leid
Ganz allein
Ganz allein
(Ganz allein)
There is a place where I go
Whisper joy and sorrow
All alone
All alone
(All alone)
Schloss und Riegel schliessen aus
Furcht und Sorgen hier
Ganz allein
Ganz allein
(Ganz allein)
Lock and bolt lock
Fear and worry here
All Alone
All alone
(All alone)
Träume hier, schmiede Pläne
Ohne Schlaf zu fleh’n
Durch mein Weinen und mein Seufzen
Lachend schau zurück
Dream here, make plans
To beg without sleep
Through my crying and my sighing
Laughing look back
Dunkel ist’s, ich bin allein, doch
Fürchte ich mich nicht
Ganz allein
Ganz allein
(Ganz allein)
It’s dark, I’m alone, yes
I’m not afraid
All Alone
All alone
(All alone)
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Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
