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Heroes and Villains

The Beach Boys

Track 65 on Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys 

Producer

The Beach Boys

To some an unfinished masterpiece, to others just unfinished, the Beach Boys’ “Heroes and Villains” was to be the centerpiece of the abandoned Smile album. Consumed by the… Read More Jul. 24, 19671 viewer58.9K views

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Heroes and Villains Lyrics

[Verse 1: Brian Wilson]
I’ve been in this town so long that back in the city
I’ve been taken for lost and gone
And unknown for a long long time
Fell in love years ago with an innocent girl
From the Spanish and Indian home
Of the heroes and villains

[Verse 2: Brian Wilson]
Once at night, cotillion squared the fight
And she was right in the rain of the bullets
That eventually brought her down
But she’s still dancing in the night
Unafraid of what a dude’ll do
In a town full of heroes and villains

[Chorus: The Beach Boys]
Heroes and villains
Just see what you’ve done
Heroes and villains
Just see what you’ve done

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 3: Brian Wilson]
Stand or fall
I know there shall be peace in the valley
And it’s all an affair of my life
With the heroes and villains

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[Bridge]
[Wordless Vocals]
My children were raised
You know they suddenly rise
They started slow long ago
Head to toe, healthy, wealthy, and wise
(Boys and)
(Girls and)
(Boys and)
(Girls)
(And)
I’ve been in this town so long
So long to the city
I’m fit with the stuff
To ride in the rough
And sunny down snuff, I’m alright
By the heroes and

[Outro: The Beach Boys]
Heroes and villains
Just see what you’ve done
Heroes and villains
Just see what you’ve done

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About

Genius Annotation4 contributors

To some an unfinished masterpiece, to others just unfinished, the Beach Boys’ “Heroes and Villains” was to be the centerpiece of the abandoned Smile album.

Consumed by the prospect of overtopping the success of “Good Vibrations” and besting the Beatles, Brian Wilson dragged the band through a grueling 20 session recording process. Wilson’s chosen lyricist, the famed Van Dyke Parks, was not popular with the other members of the band. During one studio session, Mike Love reportedly berated Parks for his cryptic lyrics, while Brian Wilson cowered in the booth.

Many at the time thought the song was an allegory about the Vietnam War, but Van Dyke Parks explained that that particular conflict wasn’t on his mind:

‘Heroes And Villains’ had nothing to do with Vietnam, but with the Indian thing we were trying to exculpate our guilt, to atone for what we had done to the aborigines of our own place… To me, ‘Heroes And Villains’ sounds like a ballad out of the Southwest. That’s what it was intended to be—as good as any of those—and, really, to be a ballad. This Spanish and Indian fascination is a big chapter in Californian history, and that’s what it’s supposed to be—historically reflective, to reflect this place. I think it did it.

Brian Wilson’s then-wife Marilyn Robinson had a different interpretation:

There are so many screwed-up people in the music industry. The good guys and the bad guys. That’s one thing Brian had in mind when they did ‘Heroes and Villains.’

Despite the time and energy spent on the song, at some point Brian Wilson lost faith and seemed to give up. The Beach Boys’ Al Jardine thought Wilson deliberately sabotaged the record when it was clear it wouldn’t meet his high expectations:

We recorded a pale facsimile of ‘Heroes and Villains,’ replete with discordant transitions. Brian reinvented the song for this record. He purposefully under-produced the song. It was lost because Brian wanted it to be lost. He was no longer interested in pursuing number one.

The version that was released sounds extremely rough and incomplete, but it still managed to peak at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, a testament to the strength of the Beach Boys brand at the time. But the relatively poor showing compared to their #1 smash “Good Vibrations” put the final nail in the coffin of Smile; Wilson wouldn’t release a completed version of the album until 2004.+25Share

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaningAsk a question

Who produced “Heroes and Villains” by The Beach Boys?

When did The Beach Boys release “Heroes and Villains”?

Who wrote “Heroes and Villains” by The Beach Boys?

Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys (1993)

The Beach Boys

1. 1.Surfin’ U.S.A. (Demo Version)
2. 2.Little Surfer Girl
3. 3.Surfin’ (Rehearsal)
4. 4.Surfin’ (Single Version)
5. 5.Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring (Demo)
6. 6.Surfin’ Safari
7. 7.409
8. 8.Punchline
9. 9.Surfin’ U.S.A.
10. 10.Shut Down
11. 11.Surfer Girl
12. 12.Little Deuce Coupe
13. 13.In My Room
14. 14.Catch A Wave
15. 15.The Surfer Moon
16. 16.Be True to Your School (Single Version)
17. 17.Spirit of America
18. 18.Little Saint Nick (1991 Remix)
19. 19.Things We Did Last Summer
20. 20.Fun, Fun, Fun
21. 21.Don’t Worry Baby
22. 22.Why Do Fools Fall In Love
23. 23.The Warmth Of The Sun
24. 24.I Get Around
25. 25.All Summer Long
26. 26.Little Honda
27. 27.Wendy
28. 28.Don’t Back Down
29. 29.Do You Wanna Dance?
30. 30.When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)
31. 31.Dance, Dance, Dance
32. 32.Please Let Me Wonder
33. 33.She Knows Me Too Well
34. 34.Radio Station Jingles
35. 35.Concert Promo / Hushabye (Live)
36. 36.California Girls
37. 37.Help Me, Rhonda
38. 38.Then I Kissed Her
39. 39.And Your Dream Comes True
40. 40.The Little Girl I Once Knew
41. 41.Barbara Ann (45 Version)
42. 42.Ruby Baby (Party LP Outtake)
43. 43.KOMA (Radio Promo Spot)
44. 44.Sloop John B
45. 45.Wouldn’t It Be Nice
46. 46.You Still Believe in Me
47. 47.God Only Knows
48. 48.Hang On to Your Ego (alternate version)
49. 49.I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times
50. 50.Pet Sounds
51. 51.Caroline, No
52. 52.Good Vibrations
53. 53.Our Prayer
54. 54.Heroes and Villains (Alternative Take)
55. 55.Heroes and Villains (Sections)
56. 56.Wonderful (Smile Version)
57. 57.Cabinessence
58. 58.Wind Chimes (Smile Version)
59. 59.Heroes And Villains (Intro)
60. 60.Do You Like Worms
61. 61.Vega-Tables
62. 62.I Love To Say Da Da
63. 63.Surf’s Up: Piano Demo (Master Take)
64. 64.With Me Tonight
65. 65.Heroes and Villains
66. 66.Darlin’
67. 67.Wild Honey
68. 68.Let the Wind Blow
69. 69.Can’t Wait Too Long
70. 70.Cool Cool Water (1967)
71. 71.Meant For You
72. 72.Friends
73. 73.Little Bird
74. 74.Busy Doin’ Nothin’
75. 75.Do It Again
76. 76.I Can Hear Music
77. 77.I Went to Sleep
78. 78.Time to Get Alone
79. 79.Break Away
80. 80.Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) (Single Version)
81. 81.San Miguel
82. 82.Games Two Can Play
83. 83.I Just Got My Pay
84. 84.This Whole World
85. 85.Add Some Music to Your Day
86. 86.Forever
87. 87.Our Sweet Love
88. 88.H.E.L.P. Is On the Way
89. 89.4th of July
90. 90.Long Promised Road
91. 91.Disney Girls (1957)
92. 92.Surf’s Up
93. 93.’Til I Die
94. 94.Sail On, Sailor
95. 95.California
96. 96.The Trader
97. 97.Funky Pretty
98. 98.Fairy Tale Music
99. 99.You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone
100. 100.Marcella
101. 101.All This Is That
102. 102.Rock and Roll Music
103. 103.It’s OK
104. 104.Had to Phone Ya
105. 105.That Same Song
106. 106.It’s Over Now
107. 107.Still I Dream of It
108. 108.Let Us Go On This Way
109. 109.The Night Was So Young
110. 110.I’ll Bet He’s Nice
111. 111.Airplane
112. 112.Come Go with Me
113. 113.Our Team
114. 114.Baby Blue
115. 115.Good Timin’
116. 116.Goin’ On
117. 117.Getcha Back
118. 118.Kokomo
119. 119.In My Room (Demo)
120. 120.Radio Spot #1
121. 121.I Get Around (Track Only)
122. 122.Radio Spot #2
123. 123.Dance, Dance, Dance (Tracking Session)
124. 124.Hang On To Your Ego (Sessions)
125. 125.God Only Knows (Tracking Session)
126. 126.Good Vibrations (Sessions)
127. 127.Heroes and Villains (Track Only)
128. 128.Cabinessence (Track Only)
129. 129.Surf’s Up (Track Only)
130. 130.Radio Spot #3
131. 131.All Summer Long (Vocals)
132. 132.Wendy (Vocals)
133. 133.Hushabye (Vocals)
134. 134.When I Grow Up To Be A Man (Vocals)
135. 135.Wouldn’t It Be Nice (Vocals)
136. 136.California Girls (Vocals)
137. 137.Radio Spot #4
138. 138.Concert Intro / Surfin’ U.S.A. (Live 1964)
139. 139.Surfer Girl (Live 1964)
140. 140.Be True to Your School (Live 1964)
141. 141.Good Vibrations (Live 1966)
142. 142.Surfer Girl (Live in Hawaii Rehearsals 1967)

Expand 

Credits

Producer

The Beach Boys

Writers

Van Dyke Parks & Brian Wilson

Electric Harpsichord

Brian Wilson

Acoustic Guitar

Carol Kaye

French Horn

George Hyde

Double Bass

Lyle Ritz

Harpsichord

Brian Wilson

Organ

Brian Wilson

Electric Bass

Bill Pitman

Tack Piano

Brian Wilson & Van Dyke Parks

Drums

Jim Gordon

Background Vocals

Bruce Johnston, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine & Mike Love

Lead Vocals

Brian Wilson

Engineer

Jim Lockert

Recorded At

United Western Recorders and Beach Boys Studio, Los Angeles, CA (October 20, 1966 – July 1967)

Released on

July 24, 1967

Songs That Sample Heroes and Villains

DOLPHIN SONG ~ドルフィン・ソング~ by Flipper’s Guitar & Untitled (KING OF R’N’B Track 11) by Dean Blunt

Songs That Interpolate Heroes and Villains

Sketches Of Smile by Brian Wilson

Heroes and Villains Covers

Heroes And Villains by Brian Wilson

Heroes and Villains Is A Remix Of

Heroes and Villains (Smile Sessions Version) by The Beach Boys

View Heroes and Villains samples

Tags

PopUSARockabillyIn EnglishA CappellaArt PopAmericanaAa (Check Description)Avant PopProgressive PopHonky-TonkExpand 

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