Editing Pet Sounds (section)

==Musical architecture==
===Orchestrations and arrangements===

''Pet Sounds'' incorporates tempo changes, metrical ambiguity, and uncommon tone colors that, according to musicologist James Perone, distinguish it from virtually "anything else [...] in 1966 pop music".{{sfn|Perone|2012|p=28}} His analysis highlights the closing track "Caroline, No" for its wide [[tessitura]] shifts, expansive melodic [[interval (music)|intervals]], and choice of instruments, alongside Wilson's structural and textural innovations in composition and orchestration.{{sfn|Perone|2012|p=28}} Wilson combined standard rock instrumentation with intricate layers of vocal harmonies{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=114}} and many instruments which had rarely, if ever been used in rock.{{sfn|Smith|2009|p=38}} This included [[ukulele]], [[sleigh bell]]s, [[accordion]], [[French horn|French]] and [[English horn]]s, [[timpani]], [[vibraphone]], and [[tack piano]]<ref name="PS2016"/>—all of which had appeared on ''Today!''<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/custommusic2/craigslowinskicom.pdf |title= The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys Today! |last= Slowinski |first= Craig|year=2007 |access-date=October 27, 2012}}</ref>—in addition to [[bass harmonica]], [[güiro]], [[bass clarinet]], [[bongos]], [[glockenspiel]], [[banjo]], [[bicycle horn]], Coca-Cola cans, and [[Electro-Theremin]].<ref name="PS2016"/>

{{listen|pos=right
|filename=Here Today Pet Sounds.ogg|title=Instrumental break from "Here Today" (1996 stereo mix)|description="[[Here Today (The Beach Boys song)|Here Today]]" is described by [[AllMusic]] as one of Wilson's most ambitious arrangements, blending the "complexity of an orchestral piece with the immediacy of a good pop tune".<ref>{{cite web |last=Guarisco |first=Donald A. |title=Here Today |url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/here-today-t2827570 |website=AllMusic |access-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205053544/http://www.allmusic.com/song/here-today-t2827570 |archive-date=December 5, 2010}}</ref>
}}
Arranger Paul Mertens, who later worked with Wilson on live renditions of the album, observed that Wilson's approach to orchestration involved adapting classical instrumentation to rock sensibilities rather than superimposing classical elements onto rock frameworks: "Brian was [not] trying to introduce classical music into rock & roll. Rather, he was trying to get classical musicians to play like rock musicians."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Appelstein |first1=Mike |date=July 20, 2016 |title=Brian Wilson's Latest Tour May Be Your Last Chance to Hear Him Perform Pet Sounds Live |work=[[Riverfront Times]] |url=http://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/brian-wilsons-musical-director-paul-mertens-talks-about-pet-sounds/Content?oid=3086082 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207020047/https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/brian-wilsons-musical-director-paul-mertens-talks-about-pet-sounds/Content?oid=3086082 |archive-date=February 7, 2017}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Referring to "Wouldn't It Be Nice", Perone opined that the track sounded "significantly less like a rock band supplemented with auxiliary instrumentation [...] than a rock band integrated into an eclectic mix of studio instrumentation."{{sfn|Perone|2012|pp=28, 30}}}}

Tracks on ''Pet Sounds'' typically featured around a dozen unique instruments, ranging from the comparatively sparse "[[That's Not Me (The Beach Boys song)|That's Not Me]]" (six instruments) to the expansive "God Only Knows" (over 15).<ref name="PS2016"/> Wilson frequently employed doubling—a technique where two instruments play the same melody—to reinforce structural clarity, enhance depth, and achieve a spacious sonic quality. Though it had been used for centuries in orchestral and classical arrangements, its use in contemporary rock was predominantly restricted to electric bass. He expanded the practice across diverse instruments, including violins and accordions.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=158}} In ''Pet Sounds'', electric and acoustic basses were also frequently doubled, and played with a hard [[plectrum]].{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=160, 162}} Drums were employed less for steady rhythm than for textural and tonal effects.{{sfn|O'Regan|2014|p=130}}

=== Vocal harmonies ===
[[File:Brian Wilson Pet Sounds.jpg|upright|left|thumb|Brian's vocals dominate ''Pet Sounds''{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=189}}]]
Compared to earlier Beach Boys albums, ''Pet Sounds'' contains fewer vocal harmonies, but greater complexity and variety.{{sfn|O'Regan|2014|p=281}} Instead of simple "oo" harmonies, the band shifted toward intricate vocal [[counterpoint]] and used doo-wop-style nonsense syllables more frequently than on previous releases.{{sfn|O'Regan|2014|pp=277–278, 315}} Wilson's signature [[falsetto]] appears seven times, his highest count on a Beach Boys album since ''[[Surfer Girl]]'' (1963), excluding ''Today!''.{{sfn|Lambert|2016|p=157}} His vocals dominate the album, with lead roles on five tracks, shared leads on two, and chorus contributions on two others.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=189}} Wilson's voice occupies 16 minutes of the 36-minute runtime, three minutes more than the combined total of other members.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=189}}
===Key ambiguity and forms===
Wilson employed a vertical compositional approach using [[block chord]]s rather than horizontal classical structures and often juxtaposed contrasting chords between hands, incorporating clashing notes that resulted in [[polytonality]].{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=141}} The album predominantly features chords that are [[slash chord|slashed]], [[diminished chord|diminished]], [[major seventh]], [[sixth chord|sixths]], [[ninth chord|ninths]], [[augmented chord|augmented]], or [[suspended chord|suspended]],{{sfn|O'Regan|2014|pp=193–194, 314}} with augmented and ninth chords appearing less frequently.{{sfn|O'Regan|2014|p=314}}{{refn|group=nb|This contrasted with the Beach Boys' reliance on simple [[triad (music)|triad]]s on earlier albums.{{sfn|O'Regan|2014|pp=193–194, 314}}}} Every track is in a [[major key]],{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=326}} some of which are unusual choices; for instance, "You Still Believe in Me" uses B—a key with numerous [[accidental (music)|sharps and flats]] that keyboardists typically avoid—while "That's Not Me" is in F{{music|sharp}}, the key farthest from C.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=141}}

[[File:God Only Knows diagram.png|right|thumb|upright=1.35|The ''Pet Sounds'' compositions are distinguished for avoiding definite [[key (music)|key]] signatures.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|pp=115–116}} Pictured is a visual representation of the [[harmonic structure]]s present in the verse and chorus of "[[God Only Knows]]".]]

The album's harmonic structure features four tracks maintaining a single strongly established key: "You Still Believe in Me" (B), "I'm Waiting for the Day" (E), "Sloop John B" (A{{music|flat}}), and "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" (B{{music|flat}}).{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=116}} Most other songs shift between primary and secondary keys or lack a definitive tonal center.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|pp=115–116}} Two tracks—"That's Not Me" and "Let's Go Away for Awhile"—begin and end in distinct keys; others integrate secondary key areas for phrases and sections—"Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows"—or momentary [[tonic (music)|tonicizations]] ("Here Today", "Pet Sounds", and "Caroline, No").{{sfn|Lambert|2008|pp=116–117}}

Song structures largely adhere to conventional forms: three tracks follow the [[AABA form|AABA]] [[quatrain]] format, while eight use [[verse-chorus form|verse-chorus frameworks]].{{sfn|Lambert|2008|pp=115–117}}{{refn|group=nb| "I'm Waiting for the Day" extends a verse-refrain structure through three repetitions before concluding with unrelated thematic material.{{sfn|Lambert|2016|p=145}}}} Exceptions include "That's Not Me", structured as a binary form with [[development (music)|developmental]] repetition, and "Let's Go Away for Awhile", comprising two contrasting sections without reprise.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=115}}{{sfn|Lambert|2016|p=145}} Three tracks—"You Still Believe in Me", "Let's Go Away for Awhile", and "Pet Sounds"—feature two distinct, non-repeating sections.{{sfn|Lambert|2016|p=145}}

===Structural unity===
Lambert posits that the album's "overall unity" is reinforced by shared musical elements that had evolved from Wilson's approaches on ''Today!'',{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=117}} and that these elements, while subtle, were deliberate on Wilson's part, aligning with his aspiration for an album that "felt like it all belonged together".{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=227}} Techniques in ''Today!'', such as recurring scale [[motif (music)|motifs]] that permeate arrangements and vocal lines, reached fuller realization in ''Pet Sounds'' tracks like "[[Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)]]", where ascending [[steps and skips|stepwise]] vocal phrases (G{{music|flat}} to C{{music|flat}}) receive mirrored instrumental responses.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=117}}{{refn|group=nb|"[[Kiss Me Baby]]" had featured a four-note titular motif transformed through choral interplay and instrumental reinforcement, while "[[Good to My Baby]]" constructed its melodic framework around persistent stepwise patterns mirroring lyrical themes of emotional ambivalence.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=117}}}} According to Lambert, this arch-shaped motif serves as a unifying thread throughout the album, appearing in the concluding organ phrase in "I Know There's an Answer" and the vibraphone progression during the second half of "Let's Go Away for Awhile", among other tracks.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=118}}{{refn|group=nb|A reversed version appears in the closing of "Wouldn't It Be Nice", the instrumental accompaniment throughout "I'm Waiting for the Day", while interlocking standard/inverted bassline forms in "God Only Knows", with chromatically altered variants emerging in the first half of "Let's Go Away for Awhile".{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=118}} }}

{{listen|filename=Beach Boys-Pet Sounds.ogg|title=Intro of "Pet Sounds"
|description=The title track features a [[Leslie speaker]]-processed lead guitar<ref name="Waspensky1997">{{cite AV media notes |first=Russ |last=Waspensky |chapter=Pet Sounds Session List |title=The Pet Sounds Sessions |others=[[The Beach Boys]] |year=1997 |publisher=[[Capitol Records]] |type=Booklet |chapter-url=http://albumlinernotes.com/Pet_Sounds_Session_List.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022223319/http://albumlinernotes.com/Pet_Sounds_Session_List.html |archive-date=October 22, 2021}}</ref> and incorporates cyclic motifs prevalent throughout ''Pet Sounds'', including a major [[submediant]] (VI) shift, arch-shaped melodic figures, and descending bass line.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=131}} }}

[[Tertian]] modulations (by thirds) are frequent.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=141}} Perone argued that the album's musical continuity stemmed from "Wilsonian" traits, such as a descending third interval concluding verses in "You Still Believe in Me" and a "madrigal sigh" motif in "That's Not Me" (where the motif punctuates each verse line), "Don't Talk", and "Caroline, No".{{sfn|Perone|2012|pp=28, 30}} [[Bass line]]s, often [[chromaticism|chromatic]],{{sfn|Lambert|2016|p=90}} prioritized melodic movement over tonic emphasis.{{sfn|O'Regan|2014|p=185}} Descending 1–5 patterns are a recurring device, one that Wilson had applied before, but not in work leading to ''Pet Sounds''.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|pp=118–120}}{{refn|group=nb|Lambert speculated that Wilson's rekindled interest in this device, which he had used on ''[[Surfin' Safari]]'' and ''[[Surfin' U.S.A. (album)|Surfin' U.S.A.]]'', may have been inspired by "[[I'll Be Back (song)|I'll Be Back]]" from ''[[Beatles '65]]'' (the American version of ''[[Help! (album)|Help!]]'').{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=120}}}} Recorded early in the sessions, the album's title track features a prominent bass descent from B{{music|flat}} to F (through A{{music|flat}}, G, and G{{music|flat}}), which served as a foundational motivic element, becoming a structural inspiration for subsequent tracks.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=118}}{{refn|group=nb|For example, "Here Today" employs a similar descending bass line (1–{{music|flat}}7–6–{{music|flat}}6–5) but substitutes a [[secondary dominant]] on {{music|flat}}7 for the {{music|flat}}VII chord used in "Pet Sounds". Wilson later highlighted this motif by drawing attention to the trombone in the choruses. The opening of "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" begins with another descending bass progression, while "Let's Go Away for Awhile" incorporates a harmonically varied descent.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|pp=118–120}}}}

The use of major and minor [[submediant]]s, which establish tonic–submediant (I–vi/VI) relationships in all key-shifting tracks except "God Only Knows", is cited by Lambert as another "important source of overall unity".{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=116}}{{refn|group=nb|This pattern begins in "Wouldn't It Be Nice", modulating from F to D, and recurs in tracks like "That's Not Me" (A to F{{music|sharp}} major) and "Let's Go Away for Awhile" (F to D). Side B continues the motif: "Pet Sounds" shifts to G major within B{{music|flat}} while "Here Today" and "Caroline No" employ minor submediants. The sole exception is "God Only Knows", which modulates up a fourth instead of using submediant relations.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=116}} Lambert adds that while submediant key relations were new to Wilson's "intra-album thematic" approach, earlier Beach Boys albums had featured diverse tonal shifts—one "specific precedent" being "[[Your Summer Dream]]" (1963)—and similar techniques had occasionally appeared in contemporaneous pop; however, for Wilson, influenced by [[jazz harmony]], such progressions were habitual.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=117}}}} Author [[Jim Fusilli]] observes that Wilson frequently departs from and returns to the composition's "logic" to cement "emotional intent", but never "unbridled joy", as he had with "The Little Girl I Once Knew".{{sfn|Fusilli|2005|p=75}} Lambert locates this technique in Wilson's use of [[diminished seventh chord]]s, "almost always [appearing] at a dramatic moment", such as in "Don't Talk" (on the word "eyes" in "I can see so much in your eyes") and "God Only Knows" (on the words "sure about it" and "livin' do me").{{sfn|Lambert|2016|p=91}}