Celebrity Jukebox #139: Brian Wilson (Part 2)

When I started the Celebrity Jukebox feature (and back then, it wasn't just for recently deceased stars), the idea was to measure a celebrity's fame or notoriety through the number of times they've popped up in pop lyrics. 

With Brian Wilson, the cultural impact is beyond compare. Yes, you can hold up Elvis, or John Lennon maybe, Marilyn or James Dean, as icons who have had more songs written about them than Brian. But they were marquee names. Brian Wilson's marquee name was The Beach Boys. I haven't even looked to see how many songs there are that mention his band... but I'm betting there won't be as many as mention the man himself. What a legacy...  

Barenaked Ladies - Brian Wilson

Tears For Fears - Brian Wilson Said

JR Thomas & The Volcanos - Brian Wilson

Blaknoisewhitesoul - Pop Genius (Song For Brian Wilson)

The Hansen Brothers - Brian Wilson

Edward Ball - Blues For Brian Wilson

Prabir & The Substitutes - Brian Wilson

Andrew Johnson - Brian Wilson Day

Steven Milne - Brian Wilson

The Yodees - Brian Wilson

Queer Jane - Brian Wilson Auf Der Autobahn

Eva Braun - Brian Wilson

Seafieldroad - Brian Wilson Karaoke

Lost Dogs - Jesus Loves You, Brian Wilson

Bomb The Music Industry - Brian Wilson Says Smile AKA My Beard Of Defiance

Break Up Shoes - Brian Wilson Is My Dad

Shaky Town Harlots - WWBWD? (What Would Brian Wilson Do?) 

There were plenty more where they came from - as always, I listened to them so that you don't have to. And let's not forget the bands who took his name... although not in the best of taste sometimes. Still, fame is fame.

Brian Wilson Motherfucker

Brian Wilson Shock Treatment

The Brian Wilson Massacre

Best video today comes from Canadian musician Rich Aucoin. The title might seem inappropriate right now, until you realise the acronym stands for All Living Instantly Vanquish Everything. Which I can interpret as "Brian beats everyone" (even if he's dead)... though I'm happy to concede that might not have been Rich's interpretation. The video's a wonderful tribute to the life of the legend though.

These were just the songs that mention Brian in the title. There's a whole other post about lyrical name-drops... I bet you can hardly wait.