The Beach Boys were America’s first great rock group, and their influence — and Brian Wilson’s songwriting — has been reverberating ever since. Here are 25 of his greatest songs.

Knowing that a fan could easily pick out 50 songs to fill these slots, here are 20 of Wilson’s greatest triumphs as a songwriter, arranger and (sometimes, although hardly always) lead vocalist.

Knowing that a fan could easily pick out 50 songs to fill these slots, here are 20 of Wilson’s greatest triumphs as a songwriter, arranger and (sometimes, although hardly always) lead vocalist.

Knowing that a fan could easily pick out 50 songs to fill these slots, here are 20 of Wilson’s greatest triumphs as a songwriter, arranger and (sometimes, although hardly always) lead vocalist. 1.

Most artists have earned their place in history for a reason, but that doesn't mean Brian Wilson had to be infatuated with ...

A life of tragedy Unfortunately, every Beach Boys fan knows that for all their upbeat songs, the group has been marred by many tragedies. Brian and his brothers suffered abuse at the hands of ...

Possibly the most misleading title in Wilson’s or the Beach Boys’ catalog: Woe to the casual fan who streams this thinking it’s one of the band’s early fun-in-the-sun songs based solely on ...

Pet Sounds was Brian Wilson's response to all the revolutionary pop music being created mid-century. He opened it with one of his prettiest love songs that carried the Phil Spector wall of sound ...

W ell I’m lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did. And if you want to find me, I’ll be out in the sandbox Wondering where the hell all the love has gone, Playing my guitar and building castles ...

What Brian Wilson did has been intimated for decades. It’s why we have bands like Animal Collective, the Nines, R.E.M., the Flaming Lips, and Wilco.