History YMMV / TheBeachBoys

** “Kokomo” is one of the band’s most divisive songs. Is it a fun, catchy song that harkens back to their early work, or an annoying and repetitive sellout song that betrays the innovation of the band?

** "Darlin'" (released on Wild Honey in 1967) and "Back Home" (released on 15 Big Ones in 1976) were both written in 1963 and not for a particular album. The unfinished album "Smile" and early versions of "Sunflower" produced a number of songs that ended up on later albums as well.

** You can say that their albums between ''Music/PetSounds'' and ''15 Big Ones'' have been vindicated, as they didn't get much notice upon release, but has since gained recognition, albeit not to the extent Pet Sounds has.

** “Kokomo” is one of their songs that caused the most division. Is it a fun, catchy song that harkens back to their early work, or an annoying and repetitive sellout song that betrays the innovation of the band?

** However, in the mid-to-late-80s, the band managed to briefly propel themselves back into relevancy with their 1988 hit single "Kokomo", which was famously featured in the Creator/TomCruise movie ''Film/{{Cocktail}}''. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, although these days it's considered to be one of their worst songs. Mike Love, in an attempt to make lightning strike twice, spearheaded production for their 1992 album ''Summer in Paradise'' (their first and only album without ''any'' involvement from Brian Wilson whatsoever), intended by Love to be "the quintessential soundtrack of summer". It was promoted with the band guest-appearing on the popular sitcom ''Series/FullHouse'' (with one of the actors from the show, John Stamos, singing a reworked version of "Forever" on the album) and performing the album's lead single, "Summer of Love", on the action drama series ''Series/{{Baywatch}}''. Despite the band's best efforts, the album bombed spectacularly (selling only around 10,000 copies ever, though the actual sales number is rumored to be ''[[UpToEleven even less]]''), killed the band's comeback in its tracks, and went on to be regarded as the band's worst album, with even Love appearing to disown it in the decades since its release.

** Even with the release of both Brian and The Beach Boys' versions of ''Smile'', there are still some fans who prefer various bootlegs/fanmixes, particularly those that combine the two.

** Though ''Sunflower'' was not considered as a double album (though several tracklistings produced enough material for it) this hasn't stopped people coming up with their own 2-LP versions of it.

** To be a Beach Boys fan can mean many things. Some fans' interest begins with ''Pet Sounds'' while others prefer the catchier early hits and don't have ''Pet Sounds'' or ''[=SMiLE=]'' on their radar at all. Such were the many distinct phases of the band, it's understandable.

** By 1973, Carl and Dennis's leadership diminished due to substance abuse and Dennis's struggling battle with his own inner demons, and in 1974, their original label Capitol Records released ''Endless Summer'', a compilation of their old hits which summitted the band's status as an oldies band. To ride off of this, an attempt was made to bring Brian back to the band's forefront in 1976, which included making him tour with the Beach Boys again (he previously quit touring with them in 1965 due to mental health issues) and produce several more albums. The result was the underwhelming ''15 Big Ones'', the [[BrokenBase divisive]] ''The Beach Boys Love You'', and the [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes unreleased]] ''Adult/Child''. Brian quickly receded back into the background as it quickly became clear that he was in no shape to continue touring or produce anymore Beach Boys albums, and spent the remainder of the 70s and most of the 80s undergoing therapy by the [[ControlFreak infamous]] [[PsychoPsychologist Eugene Landy]].

** The band attempted to follow up with a cover album of old Beach Boys songs sung by country singers, this time with Brian Wilson's (who was recently separated from Landy and administered proper treatment for his mental illnesses) involvement, albeit with little input from him. The result was ''Stars and Stripes Vol. 1'', which was a critical and commercial failure, failing to break the Billboard 200. [[FranchiseKiller Any further Beach Boys projects were shelved indefinitely]], [[FromBadToWorse and to put a cherry on top]]: Carl Wilson, often regarded as the band's best singer, died two years after the album's release. The band limped through the 2000s as a live band while Brian Wilson distanced himself from the Beach Boys and went on to have a successful solo career ([[SavedFromDevelopmentHell including the completion and release of the long awaited]] ''[[SavedFromDevelopmentHell SMiLE]]''.)

** To be a Beach Boys fan can mean many things. Some fan interest starts chronologically with ''Pet Sounds'' while some fans prefer their catchier early hits and don't have ''Pet Sounds'' or ''[=SMiLE=]'' on their radar at all. Such were the many distinct phases of the band, it's understandable.

* {{Mondegreen}}:
** "Caroline, No" was originally called "Carol, I Know", but Brian misheard it as Caroline. [[ThrowItIn They decided to go with the new title anyway]].
** ''[[Creator/DaveBarry Well since she put me down, there's been owls pukin' in my bed]]''...

** The constant association with John Stamos due to Stamos infamously covering "Forever" on the equally hated ''Summer in Paradise''. Although this can be more applicable these days to Mike Love since Stamos tends to appear in his solo stuff, in particular with his ''Unleash the Love'' album.

** Mike Love is often criticised for turning the group into an oldies act in the 80s. He's still at it to this day, while excluding Brian and Al from the lineup.

* SignatureSong:
** "Good Vibrations" is the most recognized songs of their mid-late 60's line-up, even reaching #1 on the US charts.
** "California Girls", according to Brian.

** "Do It Again" (#20 US; #1 UK and Australia)

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Mike Love and Al Jardine on ''Music/{{Holland}}''; Mike penned "Big Sur", and Al penned "The Beaks of Eagles" and "California". All three of these songs are sublimely beautiful, melancholy, and poetic. The same can be said about Bruce Johnston with "Tears in the Morning" on ''Music/{{Sunflower}}'', "Disney Girls (1957)" on ''Music/SurfsUp'', and even the {{Instrumental}} "The Nearest Faraway Place" on ''20[=/=]20''.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Mike Love and Al Jardine on ''Music/{{Holland}}''; Mike penned "Big Sur", and Al penned "The Beaks of Eagles" and "California". All three of these songs are sublimely beautiful, melancholy, and poetic. The same can be said about Bruce Johnston with "Tears in the Morning" from ''Music/{{Sunflower}}'' and "Disney Girls (1957)" on ''Music/SurfsUp''.

** Though Sunflower was not considered as a double album (though several tracklistings produced enough material for it) this hasn't stopped people coming up with their own 2LP versions of it.

** However, in the mid-to-late-80s, the band managed to briefly propel themselves back into relevancy with their 1988 hit single "Kokomo", which was famously featured in the Creator/TomCruise movie ''Film/{{Cocktail}}''. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, although these days it's considered to be one of their worst songs. Mike Love, in an attempt to make lightning strike twice, spearheaded production for their 1992 album ''Summer in Paradise'' (their first and only album without ''any'' involvement from Brian Wilson whatsoever), intended by Love to be "the quintessential soundtrack of summer". It was promoted with the band guest-appearing on the popular sitcom ''Series/FullHouse'' (with one of the actors from the show, John Stamos, singing a reworked version of "Forever" on the album) and performing the album's lead single, "Summer of Love", on the action drama series ''Series/{{Baywatch}}''. Despite the band's best efforts, the album bombed spectacularly (selling only around 10,000 copies ever, though the actual sales number is rumored to be ''[[UpToEleven even less]]'') and is considered to be the band's absolute worst album.

* TooCoolToLive: Dennis and Carl Wilson.

* VindicatedByHistory: Despite having some hit singles like "Sloop John B" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice'', ''Music/PetSounds'' was not a big seller initially. Years later it would be recognised as one of the greatest pop albums of all time.

** Songs mainly associated with the Beach Boys in spite of the fact that they didn't record them first include "Little Girl (You're My Miss America)" (originally by Dante and his Friends), "I'm So Young" (originally by The Students), "Barbara Ann" (originally by The Regents), "Sloop John B" (a traditional Bahamian folk song), and "I Can Hear Music" (a cover of the Ronettes).

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Dennis Wilson, transitioning from pretty-boy drummer to highly sophisticated songwriter in nothing flat.
** Murry Wilson got his own [[http://www.peterbagge.com/baggeextras/swfs/MurryWilson1.swf cartoon series]].

** ''Summer In Paradise'', the band's only album not to involve Brian Wilson and which cemented their reputation as a washed-up act trying to coast by on [[NostalgiaFilter selling nostalgia back to their original fans]] and failing to appeal to children with [[WereStillRelevantDammit out-of-touch musical trends]] like {{piss take rap}}ing and synth-heavy pop production, was released one month after Music/BarenakedLadies' ''Gordon'', the debut of a young, new band (who'd later become popular for their dorky raps) and one of the earliest albums of [[AlternativeRock a genre that]] ''[[AlternativeRock was]]'' [[AlternativeRock popular and growing in popularity at the time]], and which features both one song about Brian Wilson ("Brian Wilson") and another about a washed-up pop star struggling to keep their career afloat with nostalgic rebranding and shameless trend-riding ("Box Set"). And it leads the new band to a long, prosperous and highly respected career while the old one shoots itself in the foot with their album a month later, ending their good reputation forever. It's both eerily prophetic and kind of meta.

** Mike Love is often criticised for turning the group into an oldies act in the 80s, but the uncertainty after several unpopular albums, Dennis's death and Eugene Landy's prevention of Brian from working much with them meant that he didn't have a whole lot of choice (and the remaining group members - including Brian's late brother Carl - agreed with him.)

** Another infamous piece of history that Mike will forever be associated with is saying "don't fuck with the formula", whether or not Mike actually said it (he claims he didn't). Hell, [[Wiki/Wikipedia The Other Wiki]] had an entire ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_fuck_with_the_formula page]]'' (since reduced to a subsection on an article about the collapse of ''Music/{{Smile}}'') dedicated to it.

** Another infamous piece of history that Mike will forever be associated with is saying "don't fuck with the formula", whether or not Mike actually said it (he claims he didn't). Hell, Wiki/TheOtherWiki has an entire ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_fuck_with_the_formula page]]'' dedicated to it.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Most fans would prefer to believe that the band stopped making records after the 1970s, or that they broke up after the deaths of Dennis (or Carl).

* HarsherInHindsight: "Caroline, No" sparked speculation that Brian was secretly planning to leave the group because he was the only voice on the track.

* ArchivePanic: '''27''' studio albums, a massive supply of unreleased songs and outtakes, hours of studio sessions, a frankly absurd amount of ''Smile'' material, and an endless deluge of illuminating footage of concerts, interviews, promos, and other assorted segments. And people keep discovering new stuff all the time.
** In recent years, the group has released a series of 'copyright extension' archive releases consisting of outtakes, demo and live material. Despite releasing a whole host of rarities on other releases, these are still full of songs they never previously released. And to make matters more complicated, some are digital only and some are not.