Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Elements: Fire" is an instrumental song, also known as "The Elements", "Fire" and "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow", which was written by Brian Wilson
. The title is in reference to the Great Chicago Fire. The song was originally intended for The Beach Boys
famous unreleased album Smile as part of the "Elements" suite in 1966. However it was released on Brian Wilson's 2004 solo album release of Smile
. According to Brian Wilson "the instrumental track was one long, eerie whine. It built slowly, like the beginning of a giant conflagration, and grew so intense it was possible to picture the kindling catching, spreading, and being whipped by the wind into a raging, out-of-control inferno." The song is partly based upon Brian Wilson's second LSD
trip that involved ego death as well as death by fire.
Brian continues that, "On the way home, I remarked, 'You know, I think that music just might scare a whole lot of people.' No one was more scared than I was. The following day I learned that a building next door to the studio had burned down the night of the recording session. Several days later, I was told that since the session an unusual number of fires had broken out in Los Angeles. It was exactly as I feared. Instead of positive spiritual music, I'd tapped into a dark source, an extremely powerful fire music that emitted bad vibrations, which I decided were too dangerous to release into the world."
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
. The title is in reference to the Great Chicago Fire. The song was originally intended for The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
famous unreleased album Smile as part of the "Elements" suite in 1966. However it was released on Brian Wilson's 2004 solo album release of Smile
Smile (Brian Wilson album)
Smile, sometimes typeset with the idiosyncratic partial capitalization SMiLE, or referred to as Brian Wilson Presents Smile is a solo album by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Van Dyke Parks released on September 28, 2004 on CD and two-disc vinyl LP...
. According to Brian Wilson "the instrumental track was one long, eerie whine. It built slowly, like the beginning of a giant conflagration, and grew so intense it was possible to picture the kindling catching, spreading, and being whipped by the wind into a raging, out-of-control inferno." The song is partly based upon Brian Wilson's second LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
trip that involved ego death as well as death by fire.
"Bad Vibrations"
Looking back at the song, Brian Wilson states that he thinks, "The chords were weird, sick, not the straight eight. I ran the miniorchestra through twenty-four takes before I was satisfied. Still, during each version, I thought, Oh God, I'm flipping out to have written such stuff. The weirdest was the crash and crackle of instruments smoldering for the final time. Listening to the playback, I began to feel unnerved by the music, strange and eerie. I liked the music. But it scared me." According to Brian, "It created a disturbing picture that mirrored the screams that had filled my head and plagued my sleep for years."Brian continues that, "On the way home, I remarked, 'You know, I think that music just might scare a whole lot of people.' No one was more scared than I was. The following day I learned that a building next door to the studio had burned down the night of the recording session. Several days later, I was told that since the session an unusual number of fires had broken out in Los Angeles. It was exactly as I feared. Instead of positive spiritual music, I'd tapped into a dark source, an extremely powerful fire music that emitted bad vibrations, which I decided were too dangerous to release into the world."
Archives
In regard to the Beach Boys version of the song, according to Brian Wilson, "Roughly two minutes of 'Fire' music still exists, locked in the Capitol vaults, where I hope it remains. Not because I still believe it possesses a negative power; that was merely a reflection of how disturbed I was at the time. I hope that segment remains unreleased simply because it's not good music." Regardless, the music was used as part of "The Beach Boys - An American Band" documentary.Grammy award
In February 2005, Brian Wilson won the first Grammy Award of his music career, winning a "Best Rock Instrumental" for "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow".See also
- Mrs. O'LearyCatherine O'LearyCatherine O'Leary was an Irish immigrant living in Chicago, Illinois in the 1870s. She was married to Patrick O'Leary...