“If you close your eyes and think of California, you can’t help but picture the waves, the sun, the sand,” narrates Tom Hanks as he opens A Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys, which airs on CBS this Sunday (April 9) at 8 p.m. ET/PT. “And if you listen closely over the crash of the surf, you can hear a guitar riff and the vocal harmonies of three brothers who grew up singing in the South Bay. In 1961 those brothers, Brian, Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike and their friend Al, formed a band. They weren’t just making music, they were exporting good vibrations to the rest of the world.”
Similar to past Grammy salutes to Paul Simon, The Beatles, and Stevie Wonder, the special features contemporary artists recreating some of the honorees’ most-loved songs. And, in the case of the Beach Boys, that’s a very deep well to draw from: The group charted 32 top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — and, led by Wilson’s producing genius, created one of the most influential and revered signature sounds in pop music history.
Taped in February at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, and attended by Wilson and Mike Love (who sat at separate ends of a row in a loge box) as well as Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks, the special featured (among others) Beck, Brandi Carlile, Michael McDonald, Pentatonix, St. Vincent, Weezer, Norah Jones, John Legend, Mumford & Sons and Hanson, all singing the soundtrack to everyone’s endless summer.
Below are the top six performances.
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LeAnn Rimes, “Caroline No”
With the barest of accompaniment, Rimes showed off her stunning range and ability to hold a note as she delivered a mesmerizing version of Pet Sounds’ heartbroken closing track. Wilson’s mournful ode to a past love was turned into something spectral and almost spiritual in Rimes’ rendering.
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Norah Jones, “The Warmth of the Sun”
While most artists went for straight-ahead recreations of the original arrangements, Jones turned “The Warmth of the Sun” into a languid, jazz-tinged take that kept much of the same melancholy and longing, but somehow played up the element of hope. The spare version, with Jones on vocals and piano surrounded by subtle backing vocals and subdued cello, guitar and drums, highlighted her exquisite rendition.
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Brandi Carlile & John Legend, “God Only Knows”
The vocal acrobatics and harmonies that Carlile and Legend brought to the Pet Sounds classic turned the song into a choral lesson created by just the two. The baroque tune, bolstered by its French horn intro, is one of Wilson’s most beloved and ambitious songs, with lead vocals originally sung by Carl Wilson. Carlile and Legend soared individually, but then turned the song into a round of sorts as they circled each other vocally.
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Pentatonix, “Heroes & Villains”
For sheer vocal complexity, Beach Boys songs don’t come much difficult than “Heroes & Villains,” from the unfinished Smile album (and then released on 1967’s Smiley Smile after Smile was shelved). It’s hard to imagine any group other than Pentatonix even being willing to take it on. But the a cappella quintet nailed the Western imagery-filled song with stunning harmonies, as their voices weaved in and out effortlessly.
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Hanson, “Barbara Ann”
Like the Beach Boys, the three brothers in Hanson have that built-in familial, glorious way with harmonies. As the trio tackled the Boys’ 1965 doo-wop classic (originally a hit for The Regents in 1961), they relied on their brotherly bond — with Zac getting a rare chance to sing lead and show off his falsetto, while Isaac and Taylor provided excellent support.
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Weezer, “California Girls”
It’s not easy to take on one of the most iconic songs in the Beach Boys’ canon, but Weezer even had the Beach Boys smiling and clapping along as Rivers Cuomo delivered note perfect lead vocals — including an on-point falsetto — while the rest of the band’s backing vocals and harmonies paid homage to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, while still keeping their own signature sound intact. Like many of the night’s acts, they seemed understandably nervous to be performing in from the that band that created the historic song — so Cuomo’s fist pump after they nailed it was all the more endearing.
