Bruce Johnston - Disney Girls (OGWT 1975)

[FredGandt]

Thanks so much for uploading this. Such a wonderful song. Great to hear it performed so raw. Made my night. Going to try to find Adam Ant - "The day I met God" now!

[silverhammer79]

@FredGandt you're welcome!:) Yes it's a beautiful song and a great live performance!

[luciusdelicioux]

ma baccagai!



[jody808]

great song from Surf's Up, 1971

[ericmsandoval]

This is unbelievable.

[DaHaloManiax]

theres my great uncle:)



[DonZabu]

Honestly, I could watch this just for Bruce Johnston's piano playing.

[flowerdoodle]

Slow, boring version. Hes trying to over complicate and jazzify the rhythm too much. This is a horrible interpretation of his own tune. The studio version rules

[andiamojoe]

@flowerdoodle are u doing coke dude? this is a phenomenal performance, sung from the heart. I cry nearly every time.

[Drewangolf1]

The fellow asleep is Bob Harris, an English DJ from the '70s. He is still around, but never had any sense or taste - constantly obsessed with Americana - no offence. I'm a true blue Brit, but have always loved this song since my days at uni in the early 70's.

Andrew

[metpatheny]

incredible performance and great song!

[blueticecho]

Who sleeping in that chair behind Bruce? A man cannot think of Disney Girls without thinking about those GREAT sacks on Annette.

[teetone5]

this is the best Beach Boys song of all time i think...i like most of the tracks on Pet Sounds and God Only Knows is a timeless song too but this one really captures these true thoughts and visions that most people either experience or imagine and long to experience within their lives

[MrIloveSharon]

@teetone5 I hear you bro!

[Threedeehoo]

the original version is too slow and this one's even slower.

[sallygal7]

Hey, I think this song is a masterpiece. Having said that, I think he's coming down a bit too hard on the sentiment in this version. I prefer the original version. It's more restrained and therefore more powerful, in my opinion. I mean, the man wrote the song and he can sing it however he damn pleases. And the final wordless minute of this performance is beautiful. But sometimes less is more.

[ultimofragliultimi]

Emozionante... un autentico capolavoro nella discografia dei Beach Boys.

Questa versione addirittura supera quella (già magnifica) del disco. Peccato solo per l'assenza (forzata) dei sublimi cori dell'arrangiamento originale...

[CHRISTIANGRELL]

It is hilarious! The Beach Boy is singing his heart out ... and the guy in the background is just sleeping!

[AlabamaMoon]

@CHRISTIANGRELL

yeah... that would be Mike Love

one of the ORIGINAL beach boys

[CraigG1960]

@AlabamaMoon No, it's whispering Bob Harris, the presenter of the Old Grey Whistle Test.

[RichShepard1]

@AlabamaMoon excuse me??!!

[MrChessie69]

Bruce played this song at OPier 6 in Baltimore Md on the 24th of July and he stilled sounded awesome like it was produced yesterdya. It was the best 48th birthday gift to myself to see Mike Love and especially "John Stamos". The BEACH BOYS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!

[JeremiahAndrew]

mp3iffy is the best site to get this mp3. google mp3iffy.

[rodcob]

that man sleeping put thumb down here for sure!

[jody808]

great footage, i love this song from Surf's Up, remember he did write I Write the Songs

[arteden48]

what a voice, we are so used to wondering at carl and brian and the appalling mike love that we forget about bruce and the equally extraordinary al jardine

[helenaZZZZirlandaise]

It takes us a lifetime to learn that at one point way back then we already had it all.

[kaczorek73]

Fantastic song.

[gerrymoran1]

Beautiful song....too bad Bob couldn't stay awake

[genatzvalee]

So sweet! Love you, Bruce! <3

[HerrJohannessohn]

His style is so lovely....a bit of Bill Evans here, a bit of Debussy there.....and his voice is very heartfelt....above all, he seems to be quite modest.....a rare talent, really

[280553vs]

Bruce is wonderful. An amazing song and the lyrics are awesome. Beach Boys rock..

[sirradiodude]

Never heard this song until this clip. Amazing performance and intriguing lyrics even many, many years after it was written.

Thanks for posting, I am on my 5 viewing.

[alphabeets]

Extremely talented musican! Great song. Art Garfunkel's version is awesome too (his "Breakaway" album).

[mahkindofmusic]

Very cool, but he's trying much to hard to be "soulful". Anyway, Bruce is a fine artist. Great to see this

[robotorb]

I disagree, Bruce never has to "try"

[MrKennyBones]

I'm sorry but this sucs donkey balls..

The studio version is way better. What's with the delay everywhere in his singing? Lots of singer do this and somehow believe it's a good thing to do. It's not. Really. Great song though, just not this performance.

[mdefil23]

lol the point of your negative comments?

The Beach Boys are about positivity and fun and this piece is great.

[moommod70]

this is by far the best version of this beautiful song i've ever heard..I guess being sung by the composer as it was meant to be !!!!

[grahamclews]

What a great clip.. Bruce is a underestimated songwriter and a real talent..

[rolandquinlan]

nice,very nice...

[davidroot8]

bob wakey wakey

[paisleygerry]

God bless you Bruce

[minifuzz5]

beautiful song,lovely vibe

[BeachBoysGuy1]

THANKS BRUCE for this beautiful performance and writing; and all those times of putting up with me.

Good Vibes Always,

John

John Hunter Phillips

[OropherThranduil]

did you know that there is a version of bruce doing dylans blowin' in the wind solely on an acoustic, it was recorded for beach boys party but never released, beatiful version.

[ferdmert]

I dont know, i think if youre gonna replace brian wilson, bruce johnston is a logical choice. he's a studio musician, precsice, professional and reliable. and it seemed like the guys in the group got along with him on tour pretty well.

[regentv980]

sorry but he is weak,he warbles,wrote some good songs but not a patch on Brian,well who is!

[banbansouad]

The BBB....The Best Beach Boy.

[at0miklust]

he's not one of the best writers in BB's - Dennis and Brian were/are much, much better. But this is close.

[mysticmaverick1]

This is a great song. I always thought it could be taken two ways: on its face as a sweet reflection of an idyllic family life or as an expression of something that can never really be in real life except for in brief moments. He also penned the Barry Manilow hit "I Write The Songs."

[bobgreen623]

In that respect (expression of something mostly unattainable) this song ranks up there with 'Somewhere That's Green' from Little Shop of Horrors. Poignant, yearning for something simpler and safe.....

[DianaAli99]

I knew Bruce years ago as his bookkeeper and as an admirer. He is without a doubt a very kind, considerate and talented man. He never smoked, drank, or took drugs, he was very devoted to his family. I love his talent, which didn't get the reorganization it deserved, and I admired his kindness. He once did a very nice thing for my dear departed mother and I always was appreciated he took the time to show her kindness. Admire this man, he deserves it.

~Diana

[rags23]

Loved the Whistle Test all my life, and I really struggle to think of a better clip than this one. It's up ther with John Ottway and Wlid Willy Barrett!

[doowopsounds]

is this mike love in the back...dreaming how he would sound if he could really sing...

[weamjb]

Boy you are dead on, doowopsounds! Mike Love is Mr. Nasal voice. He's lucky he was Brian's cousin and there was family pressure to keep him in the group.

[doowopsounds]

This is fantastic, his voice is great....

[softsoundpop]

Man, he is so great. He gets lost in the shuffle in any discussion of the Beach Boys, but he's got such a spectacular voice and he was able to have a career without the Beach Boys.

[alienhuman]

@softsoundpop If that were only true.

[davidroot8]

Disney girls such a great song

[yeoGlover]

Loving this.Awesome.

[alcoveman]

Awesome

[ghostgrabber]

one of my favorite songs

[Hobokampp]

Vomitosis.

[M3town3]

MAGIC. I OFTEN VISIT THIS MOVIE.

[tozerh99]

Bruce has a very soulful whistle.

It's interesting how he adds words he and there. Beautiful song, and some very nice piano bits.

[sonicdeath10]

God, you know Bruce does have talent with melodies and arrangements, but it seems like he's the epitome of cheesy for me. Everything from his voice, the melodies, the arrangements, to the chords and his lyrics.

That said, I would never say he has no talent at all, in fact, this is one of his best songs, and a definite highlight from Surf's Up. But it's almost a psychological thing for me, it's not even technical or based on taste, I could never explain it to you if I tried. Neat video.

[lstaton]

no way man. "reality is not for me and it makes me laugh". i think that's a great line. And i also love the bridge section in this song. i guess some of the song is sort of bland but those 2 things make it enough for me to always come back to this song.

[NixonMcvicar]

What a great song. Thank you silverhammer79.

[lioneltwain22]

After all, he does Write the songs

[lioneltwain22]

Beside Brian Wilson, Bruce is easily and by far the best song writer in the Beach Boys

[rjkahlon]

I got to meet Bruce 2 weeks ago in Laguna. I also met Mike Love, who really is a jerk in real life.

[hao7557]

ありがとう、この歌は美しい！大好き！

[nedison]

I think Bob Harris fell asleep...

Shame for him... he missed a great song!

[stuart2610]

Old Grey Whistle Test!

[gomogo2000]

Would someone please tell me what OGWT stands for?

Thank you!

[yeoGlover]

Old grey whistle test.

[gomogo2000]

Thanks yeoGlover. I thought you were kidding me, so i looked it up on Wikipedia, and found it. It's a music show that was on the BBC2 (so Englad I presume). For those as confused as I was, I pasted the exlanation of OGWT here.(see next comment)

[gomogo2000]

... a 'tin pan alley' phrase from years ago. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called the old greys [doormen in grey suits] . The ones they could remember and could whistle having heard it just once or twice had passed the old grey whistle test.[1]

[drummerkid71]

you know..I met Bruce a couple years ago ...it was a disappointment because he treated me like shit along side of Mike Love too...they both treated me like shit ... I was very polite and kind to them but they were ignorant as fuck. I met Brian Wilson a year before I met Bruce and Mike and Brian was VERY cool...very humble and super cool.

I know who the TRUE genius is...and it's not this bottom feeder.

[Landrew120880]

Im not suprised by that. Bruce and Mike are untalented vocalists and they are not The BB's anymore. Long Live Brian.

[GuanRy]

that's too bad, a friend of mine met Bruce back around the mid-80s and said Bruce was super-nice.

The Beach Boys have been in turmoil ever since Carl died. He was the true glue of the band, the true leader once Brian went off the deep-end back in '65 or whenever he had the mental breakdown. Carl was only 51 when he passed...man, what a great talent to be taken away so quick. Things would have been a lot different had he beat Cancer, they'd still be a band, they'd still be great.

[Wolfsky9]

The best version ever was in Late '82, RedRocks Amphitheatre, in Denver; Bruce on lead, Carl, Al, Jeff Foskett/ Adrian Baker backing him, with only the piano acompanying. It was a magical moment, one of the very best BB Concerts of the more than 25 I saw. What a memory. Wolfsky9

[Ic1cle]

I feel like I've stepped into a time machine. I had only ever seen this clip once before, on OGWT when I was a teenager. It made a huge impression on me, but I never ever thought that I would get the chance to see it again. Thank you so much.

[coolmantay]

Is that Carl at the back?

[bighunna]

no its Bob Harris the OGWT presenter. Massive BeachBoy fan.

[tundra1030]

LEGENDARY!!!!!!!!!

[ghostgrabber]

this is Nicole's song..if you ever see this know I love you and I wish things could of turned out like the song says..I always thought it was going too bebe.

[justinplank]

OH NO! You're a fan of Bruce's that has footage that exists and now he's gonna get mad about it, what a douche

[markcruiser64]

Uh OH! If bruce gets wind of this being up on YouTube again, *** is going to hit the fan!!! He first had youTube remove it, then filed a lawsuit against the one who posted it last time. BEWARE!!!

[captainsoul1953]

Reckon the BBC own the copyright to this

Jim

[markcruiser64]

I am not sure who does. Whoever owns The Midnight Special TV series does. I think this is still here because Bruce doesn't yet know.

[captainsoul1953]

Mark

I assumed the BBC as its from one of their shows..that was generally the case when i worked for them....why would he want to pull it anyway..sad

Jim

[markcruiser64]

He was saying that it was illegally ripped from a broadcast and posted without his or the broadcast owners permission. He posted a comment on one of the Beach Boys message boards about it. The Beach Boys Britain message board.

[BillMcE]

This clip's been pulled from other posters. Grab it while you can!

[cass5455]

Just heavenly. I have always adored this and love the Beach Boys take on it but this version from the man that penned the song is gorgeous. Wonderful.

[pte57]

I've always thought this is Brian Wilson's

song...well now I know better. I played this

tune almost through the vinyl back in 70's, when I bought Surf's Up! Really, GREAT song!

[highbeach1]

know what you mean. Backing vocals on original bring big lump to my throat. This is great version too.

[lioneltwain22]

Just an awesome song.

[Duryardslegend]

You really are the sort of idiot that YouTube should be banning. I am trying to think of small words that you will understand here. You seem to have a problem with little Kids with fat asses, would that be because you were one once. Now why don't you show some maturity and be nice to people.

[Duryardslegend]

You idiot. If you can't make a constructive criticism, I suggest you say nothing. DOH!!

[Duryardslegend]

I think it's a brilliant example of a Songwriter singing his own song while he remembers why he wrote it.

Well done Mr Johnston.

[backroundrumble]

Altered or not, he wrote it , he sang it, he is entitled to alter his own work ..... this is the is a wonderful piece of music. I'm overjoyed to see him enjoying his work and sharing it with us, no matter what. No thumbs down ...... Just artistic licence.

[JoshSitar]

Bruce seems stoned here. There's just something about the super-relaxed meter it's performed in and the way he seems to search for the lyrics by saying "and those" before many words.

I'm not putting it down, so save your thumbs-down junk, I'm just pointing out as a musician myself, that Bruce seems "altered" here.

[NyeTunes]

You do realize that Bruce was the only Beach Boy who *didn't* do drugs right? To the point where it actually caused problems between him and the ones that did...

[JoshSitar]

Everybody in the Beach Boys smoked pot, even stodgy Mike Love and square Al Jardine on occasion. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, just pointing it out.

I'm sure Bruce stopped partaking during the 70's but he surely was stoned here.

Back off, guys, it's not like I'm saying that he botched the song by playing drunk or something.

[mdefil23]

lol what is a square? Al Jardine is the greatest little guy

[cool1355]

Top, top song. There's always something special when the writer sings it just like he did when wrote it - on his own, just him and the piano. It's what makes early Dylan so great.

[yeoGlover]

You obviously have no idea,you can't even write the english language let alone a song of this calibre.

[yeoGlover]

Fantastic,I never knew Bruce had such a great voice.Such stirring music.

[Cabinessance]

So harmonious and gentle it didn't even wake "Whisperin'" Bob Harris up!

[stalbot46]

First time heard this in '71 it was California-cute. Still is. Very nostalgic. Wonderful rare clip of a solo BJ in his prime . Thanks for this great post.

[pinch100]

He's just a nice guy... We met him at a concert, and he took the time to talk.. A real class act.

[BeachBoysGuy1]

I could tell you a story

[pinch100]

Please do....

[brazilgrass]

yeah, do.

[oranjuly]

Bruce always schmaltzes it up. He even says on a Dick Clark vid with the BB's that he thinks his music doesn't fit in with the group and it's "too smooth."

He definitely has beautiful melodies and tremendous talent, but he always brings a corny Broadway style to it. No idea why. But his work in the BB's pre-1978 is great. Deidre, Tears, and Disney Girls are beautiful songs.

[SIE77]

My fave track that Bruce did, from his solo album Going Solo and this track is covered by Mama Cass aswell, great talent !

[caraphyllis]

On another positive note, Bruce did write the huge Barry Manilow "I Write the Songs," which won Bruce a Grammy. Not too shabby.

[caraphyllis]

What a fine performance of a lovely Beach Boys song by the most unappreciated of all the band's members. Listening to this gifted musician makes me wonder how Bruce has survived all these years with his creative impulses buried under the needs of the group.

[jbo110]

Bruce is also perhaps the most humble out of the group regarding his talents. He tends to pass off most of his songs as insignificant, often even "I Write the Songs."  "Disney Girls" is his proudest song and usually the only one he allows attention to. I think Bruce is just happy to be where he's been, and not much more. A class act, if you ask me.

[gopdavey]

I always appreciated Bruce's talent, but I this performance is remarkable. I have a renewed respect for Bruce.