Music / Gettin' In Over My Head

Gettin' In Over My Head is an album by American artist Brian Wilson. It was his first album in six years after 1998's Imagination.

This album is a compromise for people who were already in the knew about projects such as Sweet Insanity and The Paley Sessions (the first one being a recorded album which didn't get released and the second one being a large amount of recorded songs for a Brian Wilson/Beach Boys album which didn't come to fruition. It includes rerecorded songs from those projects (as well as songs which were recorded in the early eighties, including the Cocaine Sessions he made with Dennis Wilson) and one new song featuring Paul McCartney. Other guests include Elton John and Eric Clapton. This is the first album Brian recorded with a new lineup (notably consisting of The Wondermints, a power-pop deeply inspired by Brian's work) which would stay on over his following albums.

Reception to the album was mixed whether it came from critics or fans of the original bootlegged recordings.

Tracklist

1. "Desert Drive"
2. "A Friend Like You"
3. "Make A Wish"
4. "Rainbow Eyes"
5. "Saturday Morning In The City"
6. "Fairy Tale"
7. "Don't Let Her Know She's An Angel
8. "The Waltz"
9. "How Could We Still Be Dancin'"
10. "Soul Searchin'"
11. "You've Touched Me"
12. "Gettin' In Over My Head"
13. "City Blues"

Gettin' In Over My Tropes:

• Damsel in Distress: "Fairy Tale".
  Then a dragon came, cast a spell on you
  Stole your heart away
• Design Student's Orgasm: The cover art is designed by Peter Blake (of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band fame) and has that same concept of putting the artist in a complex setting.
• Face on the Cover: Multiple times, even.
• Knight in Shining Armor: "Fairy Tale".
  This knight in shining armour's gonna set you free
• Let's Duet: The friendship celebration between Brian and Paul McCartney on "A Friend Like You".
• Literal-Minded: The cover art depicts the album's songs interpreted litterally.
• Lyrical Cold Open: "You've Touched Me".
• Mythology Gag: "Desert Drive" references the Beach Boys song "Surfer Girl".
• Mundane Made Awesome: "Saturday Morning In The City".
• The Power of Friendship: "A Friend Like You".
• The Power of Love: "You've Touched Me"
  In your arms I feel the ecstasy
  A little kiss you come alive in me
  A love like this was meant to be
• Rearrange the Song: With the exception of "A Friend Like You", all of the songs were previously recorded in the eighties and nineties yet remained unreleased, and are now rerecorded or even rewritten for this album.
  • The songs coming from the "Landy Era" (early eighties to early nineties) have been rewritten (as a way to discredit Eugene Landy, a psychiatrist who controlled Brian's life as well as his creative direction).
• Special Guest: Elton John sings with Brian on "How Could We Still Be Dancin'" and Eric Clapton plays guitar on "City Blues".
  • Paul McCartney sings on "A Friend Like You", however this isn't the first time a Beach Boy collaborated with a Beatle (Ringo Starr played drums on The Beach Boys' self-titled album).
  • Van Dyke Parks wrote "The Waltz".
• Vocal Range Exceeded: Brian hits his highest notes (he could sing back then) on "Saturday Morning In The City".