The Pet Sounds Project is a celebration of the Beach Boys’ eleventh album, which marks its sixtieth anniversary on May 16, 2026. While the band is often remembered for their sunny, surf-rock anthems, Pet Sounds remains a testament to the complex, evolving genius of Brian Wilson.
Beyond the radio hits like “Good Vibrations” and “California Girls,” the album features two instrumental tracks that highlight Wilson’s ambition. One is the title track, “Pet Sounds,” which was originally conceived as a potential James Bond theme. The other is “Let’s Go Away for Awhile,” a composition Wilson held in remarkably high regard. In a 1966 interview, he famously declared, “I think that on Pet Sounds, the track ‘Let’s Go Away For Awhile’ is the finest piece of art I’ve ever made.”
The Evolution of a Masterpiece
The path to the final recording was far from straightforward. The track underwent several title changes, including “Untitled Ballad” and “The Old Man And The Baby,” before settling on its final name. Lyricist Tony Asher noted that the title was inspired by the 1961 comedy album How to Speak Hip, which featured a character suggesting that if everyone were “laid back and cool, then we’d have world peace.”
Although the track is now celebrated as a standalone instrumental, it was initially intended to feature vocals. Wilson eventually decided to leave it as an instrumental, noting that it “stands up well alone.” While some reports suggested a vocal session was planned, the band’s label, Capitol, prioritized the album’s final mix, and no lyrics were ever officially penned for the piece.
A Legacy of Instrumental Innovation
The track, which runs for under two-and-a-half minutes, is a lush, string-laden journey that showcases Wilson’s admiration for composers like Burt Bacharach. Wilson later reflected on the song’s unique qualities, stating, “It had an interesting piano sound and the bass line was very uplifting and lilting and creative and stuff like that. ‘Let’s Go Away For Awhile’ was an attempt to make a more pleasant, easygoing, ‘take your mind away’ kind of thing.”
Even decades after its release, the song remains a high-water mark for Wilson. It serves as a reminder that the Beach Boys were far more than the pop icons portrayed in television sitcoms; they were architects of a sophisticated, experimental sound that continues to resonate sixty years later.
