Editing Pet Sounds (section)

==Cultural impact and influence==
===Record production, popular music, and ''auteur'' perspective===
{{Further|Recording studio as an instrument}}
{{quote box
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| quote = It's been said that, although hardly anyone bought [[the Velvet Underground]]'s records, those who did ended up being inspired to start their own bands. In the case of the Beach Boys' 1966 opus ''Pet Sounds'', it's likely that each of its 13 songs inspired its own subset of pop offspring [...]
| source = —Music critic Jeff Straton, 2000<ref>{{cite news |last=Stratton |first=Jeff |title=Bandwidth |url=http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2000-10-26/music/bandwidth/ |newspaper=[[New Times Broward-Palm Beach]] |date=October 26, 2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105120357/http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2000-10-26/music/bandwidth/ |archive-date=5 November 2013}}</ref>
}}
''Pet Sounds'' is widely regarded as among the greatest and most influential albums in music history.{{sfn|Abjorensen|2017|p=40}} Critical recognition typically emphasizes its ambition, innovative studio production techniques, and high compositional standards,{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=54}} solidifying Wilson's reputation for pioneering studio craftsmanship with its unprecedented attention to detail.{{sfn|Moorefield|2010|pp=16–17}} Philip Lambert, a university music professor who had authored book-length analyses on Wilson and [[Charles Ives]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Salazar |first1=Amanda |title=Baruch music professor of nearly 35 years dies at 63 |access-date=April 14, 2022 |date=March 18, 2022|url=https://theticker.org/6591/news/baruch-music-professor-of-nearly-35-years-dies-at-63/}}</ref> later described the album as "an extraordinary achievement – for any musician, but especially for the 23-year-old Wilson".{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=110}} Larry Starr, in ''American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3'' (2006), writes that ''Pet Sounds'' epitomized "state-of-the-art pop music in every sense", systematically crafted to challenge conventional creative limits through its "diverse and unusual instrumentation", "virtuosic vocal arrangements", "advanced harmonies", and "occasional formal experiments".{{sfn|Starr|2007|p=265}}

[[File:Pet Sounds Mixing.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Wilson usurped standard studio protocols of the era that limited console use to assigned engineers.{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=123–124}}]]

Wilson wrote, arranged, and produced the album with meticulous control over every phase of its creation, an approach that Charles Granata—in his 2003 book covering the album's making—credits as redefining the role of record producers. While artists such as [[Les Paul]], Sinatra, and [[Bob Dylan]] had previously functioned as their own producers, Wilson became the first major pop artist to comprehensively oversee all aspects of an album's production.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=115}} Virgil Moorefield, in ''The Producer as Composer: Shaping the Sounds of Popular Music'' (2010), wrote that Wilson, building on the work of [[Leiber and Stoller]], had sought to realize the full potential of the recording studio, effectively "composing at the mixing board" and using the studio itself as a musical instrument; as both songwriter and producer, he was involved in every detail of the sound production, making on-the-spot decisions about notes, [[articulation (music)|articulation]], and timbre, thereby merging the roles of composer, arranger, and producer—a model later adopted industry-wide.{{sfn|Moorefield|2010|p=19}}

Despite limited initial commercial success, its impact was immediate and far-reaching,{{sfn|Smith|2009|p=38}}{{Sfn|Howard|2004|p=64}}{{sfn|Covach|2015|pp=200–202}}{{sfn|Starr|2007|p=265}} later influencing artists across rock, pop, [[Hip hop music|hip hop]], jazz, [[electronic music|electronic]], [[experimental music|experimental]], and [[punk rock|punk]].<ref name="Pitchfork50">{{cite web |last1=Hart |first1=Ron |date=April 12, 2016 |title=The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds Celebrates its 50th Anniversary: Artists Pay Tribute to the Eternal Teenage Symphony |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/article/9870-the-beach-boys-pet-sounds-celebrates-its-50th-anniversary-artists-pay-tribute-to-the-eternal-teenage-symphony/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309091718/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/9870-the-beach-boys-pet-sounds-celebrates-its-50th-anniversary-artists-pay-tribute-to-the-eternal-teenage-symphony/ |archive-date=March 9, 2022 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> [[Lenny Waronker]], then a staff producer at Warner Bros. Records, said that ''Pet Sounds'' elevated studio artistry among West Coast artists: "Creative record-making took a giant step and it affected everybody who was caught up in it. It was a landmark record".<ref name="HereToday96">{{cite magazine |last1=Morris |first1=Chris |author-link1=Chris Morris (music writer) |title=Here Today|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_zQkEAAAAMBAJ/page/n45/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=October 12, 1996 |url-access=registration}}</ref> In the UK, where it became a focal point in music circles, it signaled to songwriters that pop had ascended to a new level of creative ambition{{sfn|Hoskyns|2009|p=106}} while numerous groups furthered their exploration of experimental recording techniques.{{sfn|Gillett|1984|p=384}}{{refn|group=nb|English record producer [[Bobby Irwin]] echoed that Wilson's integration of songwriting, arranging, and studio experimentation set a new precedent, stating that "no one was doing what Brian was doing" in the contemporary pop landscape.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=115}}}} Historian [[John Robert Greene]], in his 2010 book ''America in the Sixties'', credits "God Only Knows" with redefining the popular [[love song]];{{sfn|Greene|2010|p=155}} it is frequently praised as one of the greatest songs ever written.{{sfn|Downes|2014|pp=36–38}} 

The album's production techniques remained foundational in modern music production through the 2010s.{{sfn|Zager|2012|p=181}} Composer [[Philip Glass]], comparing its legacy to that of the Beatles' and [[Pink Floyd]]'s recordings, felt that the album's "structural innovation", incorporation of classical elements in arrangements, and novel "production concepts", with hindsight, clarified its status as a defining work of its era.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 2007 |title=Brian Wilson |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/Artist/A18317 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109112733/https://www.kennedy-center.org/Artist/A18317 |archive-date=November 9, 2018 |publisher=[[The Kennedy Center]]}}</ref> ''[[The Atlantic|Atlantic]]'' contributor Jason Guriel wrote in a 2016 editorial—headlined "how ''Pet Sounds'' invented the modern pop album"—that Wilson's approach had anticipated contemporary methods reliant on digital tools and prefigured artists like [[Michael Jackson]], [[Prince (musician)|Prince]], and [[Radiohead]], whose expansive studio projects echoed the album's ambition.<ref name="Guriel2016"/>

Guriel argued that Wilson served as a precursor to modern producer-centric pop through ''Pet Sounds'', marking popular music's first extended exploration of ''auteurism'', from which Wilson "patented" the archetype of the reclusive studio-bound genius.<ref name="Guriel2016"/>{{refn|group=nb|Guriel further characterizes the work as a catalyst to the concept of high-stakes, album-length statements, exemplified by artists such as Kanye West, whose releases had generated widespread cultural discourse: "Wilson brought an ambition to pop that it hadn't previously known and helped make heroes out of producers."<ref name="Guriel2016">{{cite magazine |last1=Guriel |first1=Jason |title=How Pet Sounds Invented the Modern Pop Album |magazine=[[The Atlantic]] |date=May 16, 2016 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/05/how-pet-sounds-invented-the-modern-pop-album/482940/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520165843/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/05/how-pet-sounds-invented-the-modern-pop-album/482940/ |archive-date=May 20, 2022}}</ref>}} Wilson's delivery of a masterwork album, together with his subsequent decline and aborted follow-up, later served as the object of comparisons between [[Syd Barrett]], original frontman of Pink Floyd, and [[Kevin Shields]], frontman of [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]],<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Hill |first1=Scott |title=An Open Letter to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless |url=https://www.wired.com/2011/11/my-bloody-valentine-loveless/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |date=November 2011}}</ref> whose 1991 album ''[[Loveless (album)|Loveless]]'' was described by journalist [[Paul Lester]] as "the ''Pet Sounds'' of UK [[avant-rock]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/mar/12/2 |title=I lost it |first=Paul |last=Lester |date=12 March 2004 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=27 December 2020 |archive-date=8 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208033237/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/mar/12/2 |url-status=live|authorlink=Paul Lester}}</ref>

===Historical context and influence on ''Sgt. Pepper''===
{{Further|Cultural impact of the Beatles}}

Discussions of the greatest albums of all time frequently cite ''Pet Sounds'' alongside the Beatles' ''Revolver'' and Bob Dylan's ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'', all released within four months in 1966. [[Liel Leibovitz]] described ''Pet Sounds'' and ''Blonde on Blonde'' as "two strands in the same conversation" that briefly transformed American popular music into "a religious movement".<ref name="Lebo2016">{{cite web |last1=Leibovitz |first1=Liel |author-link1=Liel Leibovitz |date=May 20, 2016 |title=Fifty Years Ago This Week, Two of Rock's Greatest Albums Were Released on the Same Day |url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/music/203086/bob-dylan-beach-boys-albums |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118015422/http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/music/203086/bob-dylan-beach-boys-albums |archive-date=January 18, 2018 |website=[[Tablet (magazine)|Tablet]]}}</ref> [[Geoffrey Himes]] argued that Wilson's innovative harmonies and timbres were as impactful as Dylan's incorporation of irony into rock lyrics.<ref name=HimesSurf /> Velvet Underground co-founder [[John Cale]] commented, "What Brian came to mean was an ideal of naïveté and innocence [...] ''Pet Sounds'' was adult and childlike at the same time."{{sfn|Leaf|2022|p={{page needed|date=July 2022}}<!-- page 17 on Kindle edition --->}}{{refn|group=nb|[[Charlie Gillett]] observed that the album's "naïve innocence" diverged from the skepticism permeating contemporary works by Dylan, the Beatles, and the Stones,{{sfn|Gillett|1984|p=384}} whereas [[Jon Savage]] saw that ''Pet Sounds'' preserved emotional sincerity amid cultural shifts, contrasting the Rolling Stones' "icy [[mod (subculture)|mod]] cool" with its tender vulnerability.{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=476}}}} 

[[File:The Beatles and Lill-Babs 1963.jpg|thumb|[[Paul McCartney]], [[George Harrison]] and [[John Lennon]] each championed ''Pet Sounds'' when it was released.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=135}} ]]

Rock historians also frequently link ''Pet Sounds'' to the Beatles' ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'', released in May 1967.{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=57}}{{refn|group=nb|According to Jones, the interplay between the two bands during this era remains one of the most noteworthy episodes in rock history.{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=56}}}} Paul McCartney often cited ''Pet Sounds'' as his all-time favorite album{{Sfn|Howard|2004|p=64}} and "God Only Knows" as "the greatest song ever written",{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=197–199, 227}} declaring in 1990 that "no one is educated musically 'til they've heard that album."{{sfn|Zak|2001|p=209}}{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=74}} He credited ''Pet Sounds'' as an influence on his increasingly melodic bass-playing style, his ''Revolver'' composition "[[Here, There and Everywhere]]", and ''Sgt. Pepper''.{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=194, 197–199, 227}}{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=57}}{{refn|group=nb|According to Larry Starr, the "historical importance" of ''Pet Sounds'' is "certified" by McCartney's admission that it served as "the single greatest influence" on ''Sgt. Pepper''.{{sfn|Starr|2007|p=265}} John Covach states that "''Pet Sounds'' "prodded the Beatles to experiment more radically" with ''Sgt. Pepper'',{{sfn|Covach|2015|pp=200–202}} while David Howard writes, "Undeniably, the song-cycle construction of ''Pet Sounds'' was the catalyst" for the Beatles' album.{{Sfn|Howard|2004|p=64}} }}

{{quote box
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| quote =''Pet Sounds'' had a lot to do with ''Sgt. Pepper''. I remember talking to Paul McCartney and a couple guys and they were saying, "Sorry we ripped you off."
| source = —Dennis Wilson, 1977<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gross |first1=Michael |author-link=Michael Gross (American writer)| title=The Beach Boys Are Back in Town |work=Swank |date=1977 |url-access=subscription |via=[[Rock's Backpages]]|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-beach-boys-are-back-in-town}}</ref>
}}

Shared musical features adopted from ''Pet Sounds'' included upper-register bass lines, a larger emphasis on floor toms, and more eclectic and unorthodox combinations of instruments (including bass harmonica).{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=197–199}}{{sfn|Brend|2005|p=122}}{{refn|group=nb|According to musician Lenie Colacino, McCartney "didn't start using the upper register on his Rickenbacker bass until after he heard ''Pet Sounds''. The bass parts for 'Here Today' directly influenced the way Paul played on '[[With a Little Help from My Friends|With a Little Help]]' and '[[Getting Better]]'."{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=199}} Granata writes that, by the time the Beatles recorded ''[[Magical Mystery Tour]]'' (November 1967), "it was clear they'd fully assimilated the essence of Brian's eclectic arranging style."{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=201}} Lambert observes that the structural key relationships in ''Pet Sounds'' parallel those [[Walter Everett (musicologist)|Walter Everett]] identified in ''Sgt. Pepper'', particularly the recurring use of B{{music|flat}} as a tonic key in four of six songs within the album's latter half.{{sfn|Lambert|2008|p=116}} }} [[George Martin]] stated that Wilson "gave the Beatles and myself quite a good deal to think about in trying to keep up with him",{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=198}} adding that "Without ''Pet Sounds'' [...] ''Sgt. Pepper'' wouldn't have happened."{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=135}}{{refn|group=nb|George Harrison reflected that the group had felt threatened by the album.<ref>{{cite episode|people=Wonfor, Geoff; Smeaton, Bob (Directors)|series=[[The Beatles Anthology (documentary)|The Beatles Anthology]]|number=5|medium=Documentary series|network=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|year=1995}}</ref> Asked in 1966 for the musical person he most admired, Lennon named Wilson.{{sfn|Dillon|2012|p=73}} Singer [[Tony Rivers]] recalled "talking to John for about 20 minutes at the NEMS Enterprises Christmas party one year. And the main part of the conversation was the Beach Boys, and how great they were."{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=135}} }}

===Rock music, power pop, R&B, and synthesizer adoption===
''Pet Sounds'' established a new benchmark for production and musical sophistication in the rock genre, according to Covach.{{sfn|Covach|2015|pp=200–202}} Greene identifies "Sloop John B" and the "psychedelic" title track as departures from rock's "casual" lyrics and melodies, pushing the genre into "uncharted territory" as part of the album's "astounding" level of "studio artistry"; he also positions ''Pet Sounds'', alongside the Beatles' ''Rubber Soul'' and ''Revolver'' and the 1960s folk movement, as foundational to most trends in rock music after 1965.{{sfn|Greene|2010|p=155}}{{refn|group=nb|Greene further cites songs such as "Good Vibrations", Jefferson Airplane's "[[White Rabbit]]" and [[Jimi Hendrix]]'s "[[Purple Haze]]" as later works influenced by the experimental trajectories initiated by ''Pet Sounds'' and the Beatles' "[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]".{{sfn|Greene|2010|p=156}} }} ''[[New York (magazine)|Cue]]'' magazine reflected in 1971 that ''Pet Sounds'' made "the Beach Boys among the vanguard" and anticipated trends that were not widespread in rock music "until 1969–1970".<ref>{{cite journal |title=Pet Sounds |journal=Cue |date=1971 |volume=40 |issue=27 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EwgwAQAAIAAJ}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|In 1971, publication ''Beat Instrumental & International Recording'' wrote: "''Pet Sounds'' took everyone by surprise. In terms of musical conception, lyric content, production and performance, it stood as a landmark in a music genre whose development was about to begin snowballing."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VmdLAAAAYAAJ |title=Pet Sounds |magazine=Beat Instrumental & International Recording |date=1971 |issue=93}}</ref>}}

Wilson's pioneering use of doubling for virtually every instrument—a technique previously limited to classical music—marked its first occasion in rock music within ''Pet Sounds''.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=158}} Rock critic Ben Edmonds wrote in 1971 that the album's "most impressive" feature had been "the fully integrated use of orchestration, an area glossed over all too lightly in those days."<ref name="Edmonds"/> "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" was the first piece in popular music to incorporate the Electro-Theremin as well as the first in rock music to feature theremin-like sounds.{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=240}} The album is also cited as a precursor to synthesizer adoption; music writer Jeff Nordstedt contends that Wilson's layered instrumental combinations, achieved without electronic tools, foreshadowed and "fueled the drive toward" the [[synthesizer]]'s capacity to unify organic tones into novel timbres: "Wilson maniacally synthesized sounds on ''Pet Sounds'' before such a device was available."{{sfn|Nordstedt|2004|p=27}}

''Pet Sounds'' marked the first instance of a rock group abandoning the conventional small-ensemble electric band format for an entire album. Music journalist [[Tim Sommer]] suggests that while other artists had occasionally diverged from this format for individual songs, the Beach Boys' work was unprecedented in creating a full-length album that could not be replicated by a typical four- or five-member amplified group.<ref name="Sommer2016"/> Strauss posits that the Beach Boys were also the first major rock act to challenge prevailing musical trends "and declare that rock really didn't matter" by prioritizing introspective themes over conventional rock subject matter, exemplified in "I Know There's an Answer", and combining [[youth culture]] with a "pathological innocence and yearning".<ref name="Strauss1997" />

The juxtaposition of upbeat music with underlying moods of melancholy and longing, exemplified by "Wouldn't It Be Nice", became foundational to the [[power pop]] genre.<ref name="Chabon">{{cite web |last=Chabon|first=Michael |title=Tragic Magic: Reflections on Power Pop |url=http://michaelchabon.com/uncollected/musical/tragic-magic/|access-date=March 30, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 11, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411092844/http://michaelchabon.com/uncollected/musical/tragic-magic/}}</ref> ''[[Chicago Reader]]''{{'s}} Noah Berlatsky posited that the Beach Boys, together with "Wilson's brand of vulnerable genius", helped bridge a gap between the polished pop harmonizing and "melancholy" of [[the Drifters]] and the "psychedelic" experimentation of [[the Chi-Lites]], influencing the development of [[smooth soul]].<ref name="Berlatsky">{{cite news |last1=Berlatsky |first1=Noah |date=July 1, 2016 |title=Brian Wilson, Pet Sounds, and the categorical denial of the sensitive black genius |work=[[Chicago Reader]] |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/pitchfork-festival-2016-brian-wilson-pet-sounds-sufjan-twigs/Content?oid=22681115 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126230232/https://chicagoreader.com/music/brian-wilson-pet-sounds-and-the-categorical-denial-of-the-sensitive-black-genius/ |archive-date=November 26, 2021}}</ref>

===Psychedelic music, orchestral pop, and soft rock/sunshine pop===
{{Further|California Sound}}
[[File:The Mamas and the Papas Ed Sullivan Show 1968.JPG|thumb|left|''Pet Sounds'' shaped [[soft rock]] and orchestral pop, including such acts as [[the Mamas and the Papas]] (pictured), [[the Association]], and [[the 5th Dimension]] ]]

The Beach Boys' rivalry with the Beatles played a significant role in advancing psychedelic music, as both groups pushed the boundaries of rock's stylistic and compositional range, inspiring later artists.{{sfn|Covach|2015|p=260}} Scholar Philip Auslander supports that, although psychedelic music is not typically associated with the Beach Boys, the album's "odd directions" and "experiments" were instrumental in creating opportunities for acts like Jefferson Airplane to achieve broader recognition.<ref name="Longman2016">{{cite web |last1=Longman |first1=Molly |date=May 20, 2016 |title=Had LSD Never Been Discovered Over 75 Years Ago, Music History Would Be Entirely Different |url=https://mic.com/articles/143256/had-lsd-never-been-discovered-over-75-years-ago-music-history-would-be-entirely-different#.1lXG1R2k1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414204604/https://www.mic.com/articles/143256/had-lsd-never-been-discovered-over-75-years-ago-music-history-would-be-entirely-different |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |website=Music.mic}}</ref> DeRogatis places the album among the earliest psychedelic masterpieces, alongside ''Revolver'' and ''[[The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators]]'' (October 1966).{{sfn|DeRogatis|2003|p=xi}} Psychedelic albums sometimes regarded as "the British ''Pet Sounds''" include [[the Zombies]]' ''[[Odessey and Oracle]]'' (1968){{sfn|DeRogatis|2003|p=165}} and [[Billy Nicholls]]' ''[[Would You Believe (Billy Nicholls album)|Would You Believe]]'' (1968).<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Cooper |editor-first1=Kim |editor-last2=Smay |editor-first2=David |title=Lost in the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-87921-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jFKsR0K82hYC |language=en}}</ref>

{{quote box
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| quote =As far as a major, modern producer who was working right in the middle of the pop milieu, no one was doing what Brian was doing. We didn't even know that it was possible until he did it.
| source = —[[Jimmy Webb]]{{sfn|Granata|2003|pp=115–116}}
}}

''Pet Sounds'' influenced numerous artists and producers in Los Angeles' orchestral pop scene. According to music writer Noel Murray, while the Beach Boys' music diverged from the subsequent [[sunshine pop]] movement—a retrospective label for music originally categorized as "soft pop"{{sfn|Howard|2004|p=69}} or "[[soft rock]]"<!--- Soft rock, not soft pop; this source has yet to be incorporated into the sunshine pop and soft rock articles at the time of writing--->{{sfn|Stanley|2013|pp=178–179}}—the record's orchestration techniques were widely emulated by producers.<ref name="MurraySunshine">{{cite web |last1=Murray |first1=Noel |date=April 7, 2011 |title=Gateways to Geekery: Sunshine Pop |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/sunshine-pop-54224 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106213429/https://music.avclub.com/sunshine-pop-1798225095 |archive-date=November 6, 2018 |access-date=November 27, 2015 |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |publisher=Onion Inc.}}</ref> Music historian and [[Saint Etienne (band)|Saint Etienne]] founder [[Bob Stanley (musician)|Bob Stanley]] identifies ''Pet Sounds'' and ''Sgt. Pepper'' as foundational to soft rock, citing their use of instrumentation, [[found sounds]], and avoidance of traditional rock dynamics. He writes that acts like [[Harpers Bizarre]], [[the Association]], and [[the Mamas and the Papas]] expanded this approach; their styles informed subsequent groups such as [[the 5th Dimension]] and [[Free Design]], whose music was later termed "sunshine pop".{{sfn|Stanley|2013|pp=178–179}} [[Jimmy Webb]], who penned songs for several of these groups, cited ''Pet Sounds'' as a benchmark work for musicians, engineers, and songwriters, declaring, "There's no way I can overemphasize its importance to us, in terms of inspiration and our development."{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=238}}

[[Love (band)|Love]]'s 1967 album ''[[Forever Changes]]'', according to Hoskyns, is an "interesting" example within an "orchestral LA pop" lineage spanning "Spector through ''Pet Sounds'' to Jimmy Webb", characterizing Love's work as "acid punk with strings" that extended the "ornate style" to its zenith.{{sfn|Hoskyns|2009|p=127}}{{refn|group=nb|''Forever Changes'' was recorded at Sunset Sound, the same studio that hosted the recording for "Here Today", and shared much of the same personnel as ''Pet Sounds'', including the Wrecking Crew and studio staff engineer Bruce Botnick.{{sfn|Einarson|2010|pp=93, 95, 174}}}} Collaborating with former Beach Boys lyricist [[Gary Usher]], Association producer [[Curt Boettcher]] applied the ''Pet Sounds'' aesthetic to [[Sagittarius (band)|Sagittarius]]' 1968 release ''[[Present Tense (Sagittarius album)|Present Tense]]'', whose recording also involved Bruce Johnston, Terry Melcher, and Glen Campbell.{{sfn|Hoskyns|2009|p=127}}{{refn|group=nb|Hoskyns described ''Present Tense'' as "a psych-pop masterpiece" with a "weirdness" parallel to ''Forever Changes''.{{sfn|Hoskyns|2009|p=127}}}} 

The album's impact extended to the mid-1970s soft rock subgenre later dubbed "[[yacht rock]]", a term retroactively applied to music characterized by jazz-influenced arrangements, introspective lyrics, and apolitical themes; in particular, the track "Sloop John B" is frequently cited as a precursor to the genre's occasionally nautical-themed lyrics.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jeff|last=Somers|date=March 22, 2023|title=The Bizarre History of Yacht Rock Music |url=https://www.grunge.com/831310/the-bizarre-history-of-yacht-rock-music/ |website=Grunge |publisher=[[Static Media]] |access-date=March 23, 2024}}</ref>

===Progressive music, art rock, and album format===
{{Further|Album era|Proto-prog}}
{{See also|Classificatory disputes about art}}
[[File:Queen News Of The World (1977 Press Kit Photo 02).jpg|thumb|''Pet Sounds'' anticipated the [[progressive pop]] of bands like the Beatles, [[Queen (band)|Queen]] (pictured), [[the Alan Parsons Project]], and [[Supertramp]]]]

''Pet Sounds'' is recognized for its role in the emergence of progressive pop, a genre that preceded [[progressive rock]].<ref name="progpopguide">{{cite web |last1=Reed |first1=Ryan |date=November 20, 2019 |title=A Guide to Progressive Pop |url=https://tidal.com/magazine/article/a-guide-to-progressive-pop/1-57187 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308120247/https://tidal.com/magazine/article/a-guide-to-progressive-pop/1-57187 |archive-date=March 8, 2022 |website=Tidal}}</ref> It is also cited as a pivotal work in establishing the album as a primary format for rock music.{{sfn|Stanley|2013|p=214}}{{sfn|Starr|2007|p=330}}{{refn|group=nb|According to critic [[Gary Graff]], the album was pivotal in ushering in the "album era" of the late 1960s, alongside Dylan's ''[[Highway 61 Revisited]]'' (1965) and ''Blonde on Blonde'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Graff|first=Gary|author-link=Gary Graff|title=Brian Wilson Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Landmark 'Pet Sounds'|date=September 22, 2016|newspaper=[[List of newspapers published by Digital First Media|Daily Tribune]]}}</ref> whereas Stanley cites ''Pet Sounds'' alongside ''[[The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan]]'' (1963) and ''Rubber Soul''.{{sfn|Stanley|2013|p=214}}}} Though ''Rubber Soul'' had recently popularized the idea of cohesive albums over collections of singles, it largely maintained fidelity to the live ensemble sound. Wilson expanded its "album-centered" approach by crafting music that wholly transcended traditional rock instrumentation.<ref name="Sommer2016">{{cite web |last1=Sommer |first1=Tim |author-link=Tim Sommer |date=May 16, 2016 |title=This Is Your Brain on 'Pet Sounds' |url=http://observer.com/2016/05/this-is-your-brain-on-pet-sounds/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510021842/https://observer.com/2016/05/this-is-your-brain-on-pet-sounds/ |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |website=[[The Observer]]}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Hoskyns contrasted ''Pet Sounds'' with ''Rubber Soul'', stating that while the latter signaled pop music's maturation, ''Pet Sounds'' represented a "quantum leap into the unknown".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hoskyns |first1=Barney |author-link1=Barney Hoskyns |title=Hang On To Your Egos: The Beach Boys at 50 |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/hang-on-to-your-egos-the-beach-boys-at-50 |website=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |date=June 2012 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>}} Doggett, in his 2016 book ''Electric Shock'', called ''Pet Sounds'' "[[teen pop|teenage pop]]'s first viable rival to the thematic records of [[Jean Shepard]] and Frank Sinatra",{{sfn|Doggett|2016|p=372}} while Howard identified it as pop's first true song-cycle.{{Sfn|Howard|2004|p=64}}{{refn|group=nb|Sommer writes that "''Pet Sounds'' proved that a pop group could make an album-length piece comparable with the greatest long-form works of [[Leonard Bernstein|Bernstein]], [[Aaron Copland|Copland]], [[Charles Ives|Ives]], and Rodgers and Hammerstein."<ref name="Sommer2015">{{cite news |authorlink=Tim Sommer|last1=Sommer |first1=Tim |date=July 21, 2015 |title=Beyond the Life of Brian: The Myth of the 'Lesser' Beach Boys |work=[[The New York Observer]] |url=http://observer.com/2015/07/beyond-the-life-of-brian-the-myth-of-the-lesser-beach-boys/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319050605/https://observer.com/2015/07/beyond-the-life-of-brian-the-myth-of-the-lesser-beach-boys/ |archive-date=March 19, 2022}}</ref> According to Fusilli, it raised itself to "the level of art through its musical sophistication and the precision of its statement".{{sfn|Fusilli|2005|pp=116–119}}}} The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported in 1968 that Wilson had become a leading figure in "[[art rock]]" following the album's release.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nolan |first1=Tom |title=How Goes It Underground? |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/how-goes-it-underground |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=February 18, 1968 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Asked in a 1968 interview about the Beatles' role in rock's "progress toward an art form", [[Led Zeppelin]] founder [[Jimmy Page]] responded, "I think the Beach Boys tried to do it first. I think there were lots of Beach Boy things on the ''Revolver'' album. Especially, the vocal harmony. Wilson really said a lot in his ''Pet Sounds'' album."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Delehant |first1=Jim |title=Jimmy Page's New Yardbirds |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/jimmy-pages-new-yardbirds |website=[[Hit Parader]] |date=December 1968 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> ''Pet Sounds'' is viewed as the first work of art rock by Leaf,{{sfn|Leaf|1978|p=74}} Jones,{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=49}} and Frith.<ref name="Frith/HistoryOfRock"/> ''Rolling Stone'' writers described the album as heralding the art rock of the 1970s.<ref name="flopped">{{cite magazine |date=May 16, 2016 |title=14 Classic Albums That Flopped When They Were Released |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/14-classic-albums-that-flopped-when-they-were-released-20160516 |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130061741/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/14-classic-albums-that-flopped-when-they-were-released-67275/ |archive-date=January 30, 2022}}</ref> Academic Michael Johnson said that the album was one of the first documented moments of ascension in rock music.{{sfn|Johnson|2009|p=197}} Bill Holdship said that it was "perhaps rock's first example of self-conscious art".<ref name="Holdship">{{cite web |last=Holdship |first=Bill |url=http://music.uk.launch.yahoo.com/read/review/12038027 |title=Album Review: Pet Sounds |publisher=[[Yahoo! Music]] |access-date=March 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130329201536/http://music.uk.launch.yahoo.com/read/review/12038027 |archive-date=March 29, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}} Journalist Troy Smith later referred to "Wouldn't It Be Nice" as "the first taste of progressive pop" subsequently elaborated upon by bands such as the Beatles, [[Queen (band)|Queen]], and [[Supertramp]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Troy L. |date=February 28, 2018 |title=250 greatest Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Songs: Part 3 (#150–101) |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2018/02/250_greatest_songs_by_rock_rol_3.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110091655/https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2018/02/250_greatest_songs_by_rock_rol_3.html |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |access-date=November 10, 2020 |website=[[Cleveland.com]]}}</ref>

Ryan Reed, writing for ''Tidal'', highlighted the album's incorporation of non-rock instruments, alongside intricate key changes and vocal harmonies, as foundational to progressive pop.<ref name="progpopguide"/>{{refn|group=nb|Reed also noted Wilson's fusion of symphonic arrangements with "breezy melodies", inspired by Spector, and acknowledged the Beatles' contributions through works like ''Sgt. Pepper''.<ref name="progpopguide"/>}} [[Bill Martin (philosophy)|Bill Martin]], an author of books about progressive rock, described the album as a turning point in rock's evolution from [[dance music|dance-oriented music]] to a more complex listening experience, marked by innovations in harmony, instrumentation, and studio technology.{{sfn|Martin|1998|pp=39–42}} Covach observed that ''Pet Sounds'' and subsequent recordings by the Beach Boys and the Beatles legitimized rock as a serious art form, prompting record labels to enable more experimental approaches among other artists: "Because these bands were so successful, Capitol and EMI gave them a certain freedom to experiment. When these experiments produced hit singles and albums, other groups were given greater license as well."{{sfn|Covach|2015|p=260}} Its influence extended to Pink Floyd bassist [[Roger Waters]],<ref>{{cite web | last = Forrest | first = Ben| title = The two albums Roger Waters said "completely changed everything"| website = Far Out Magazine| date = June 17, 2024  | url = https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/albums-roger-waters-said-changed-everything/ | access-date = March 23, 2025}}</ref> producer [[Tony Clarke (record producer)|Tony Clarke]]'s orchestral-rock fusion on [[the Moody Blues]]' ''[[Days of Future Passed]]'' (1967),{{sfn|Pinch|Trocco|2009|p=155}} and [[Nick Drake]]'s ''[[Bryter Layter]]'' (1971).<ref>{{cite web|title=An interview with Robert Kirby|url=http://www.nickdrake.com/Robert_Kirby_Q__A.html|accessdate=March 22, 2014}}</ref>

{{quote box|
| quote = While many may struggle to see the direct link between the bright, bouncy tones of ''Pet Sounds'' and bands like the Beatles, [[Jimi Hendrix]] and countless prog-rock bands, there was simply no precedent for the way that notes moved and vibrated across the record.
| source = —Journalist Joel Freimark, 2016<ref>{{cite web |last1=Freimark |first1=Joel |title=Brian Wilson tours to celebrate 50th anniversary of 'Pet Sounds' |url=http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/278325/brian-wilson-pet-sounds-50th-anniversary-tour/ |website=Death and Taxes Mag |date=January 26, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117090620/http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/278325/brian-wilson-pet-sounds-50th-anniversary-tour/ |archive-date=17 November 2017}}</ref>
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By the early 1970s, the LP had become rock's primary medium, a shift Starr attributes partly to ''Pet Sounds''.{{sfn|Starr|2007|p=330}} This coincided with a growing cultural preference for self-contained artists over collaborative processes, as orchestration became increasingly associated with older generations.{{sfn|Stanley|2013|p=187}}{{refn|group=nb|According to Stanley, though works such as ''Pet Sounds'', ''Sgt. Pepper'', and Webb's "[[MacArthur Park]]" (1968) had offered potential blueprints for 1970s music, their approaches were later "junked" by the music world at large.{{sfn|Stanley|2013|p=187}}}} By the mid-1970s, more melody-focused songwriters adapted the progressive rock genre for mainstream radio, leading to a progressive pop resurgence.<ref name="progpopguide"/> Musician and journalist [[Andy Gill]] suggested that ''Pet Sounds'' ultimately inspired rock bands to "get clever" and experiment with orchestration and time signatures, remarking: "Before you know it, you've got Queen."<ref name="CoSJune2016">{{cite web |last1=Brennan |first1=Colin |last2=Corcoran |first2=Nina |date=June 18, 2016 |title=The Genius of Pet Sounds: Artists Reveal Their Favorite Aspects of The Beach Boys' Classic |url=https://consequence.net/2016/06/the-genius-of-pet-sounds-artists-reveal-their-favorite-aspects-of-the-beach-boys-classic/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417034534/https://consequence.net/2016/06/the-genius-of-pet-sounds-artists-reveal-their-favorite-aspects-of-the-beach-boys-classic/ |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]}}</ref> [[Eric Woolfson]] of [[the Alan Parsons Project]] remarked that the Beach Boys became "the classic example of a band moving [...] to phenomenally progressive stuff."{{sfn|Romano|2010|p=6}} Composer and journalist [[Frank J. Oteri|Frank Oteri]] recognized the album as a "clear precedent" to the birth of [[album-oriented rock]] and progressive rock.<ref name="Oteri2011">{{cite web |last1=Oteri |first1=Frank J. |date=December 8, 2011 |title=SOUNDS HEARD: THE BEACH BOYS—THE SMILE SESSIONS |url=http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/sounds-heard-the-beach-boys-the-smile-sessions |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521192216/https://newmusicusa.org/nmbx/sounds-heard-the-beach-boys-the-smile-sessions/ |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |access-date=March 14, 2016 |website=New Music Box}}</ref> By 2010, ''Pet Sounds'' was listed in [[Classic Rock (magazine)|''Classic Rock'']]'s "50 Albums That Built Prog Rock".<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]]|title=The 50 Albums That Built Prog Rock|date=July 2010|issue=146}}</ref><ref name="ProgRockRoots">{{cite web |last=Bjervamoen |first=Harald |title=RockStory – Progressive Rock Roots |url=http://www.rockprog.com/04_RockStory/RootsProgressive.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021551/http://www.rockprog.com/04_RockStory/RootsProgressive.aspx |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=May 6, 2014 |work=RockProg}}</ref>

===Indie pop, chamber pop, emo, and continued impact===
[[File:Stereolab (1994).jpg|thumb|[[Stereolab]] (pictured 1994) were among many bands of the 1990s indebted to ''Pet Sounds''{{'}} influence]]

By the 1990s, ''Pet Sounds'' had become a seminal influence on [[indie pop]],<ref name="flopped"/> with Wilson recognized as a "godfather" to a generation of indie musicians influenced by his melodic sensibilities, studio experimentation, and [[chamber music|chamber]]-pop orchestrations.<ref name="Leas2016">{{cite journal |last1=Leas |first1=Ryan |date=August 5, 2016 |title=Tomorrow Never Knows: How 1966's Trilogy Of Pet Sounds, Blonde On Blonde, And Revolver Changed Everything |url=http://www.stereogum.com/1892600/tomorrow-never-knows-how-1966s-trilogy-of-pet-sounds-blonde-on-blonde-and-revolver-changed-everything/franchises/sounding-board/ |url-status=live |journal=[[Stereogum]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415211345/https://www.stereogum.com/1892600/tomorrow-never-knows-how-1966s-trilogy-of-pet-sounds-blonde-on-blonde-and-revolver-changed-everything/columns/sounding-board/ |archive-date=April 15, 2022}}</ref> "Chamber pop" also emerged as a distinct genre modeled on the musical template established by ''Pet Sounds''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mervis |first1=Scott |date=August 26, 2016 |title=Concert review: Brian Wilson and company re-create the magic of 'Pet Sounds' |work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2016/08/26/Brian-Wilson-and-Company-expertly-re-create-the-classic-Pet-Sounds-pittsburgh/stories/201608260188 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118061459/https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2016/08/26/Brian-Wilson-and-Company-expertly-re-create-the-classic-Pet-Sounds-pittsburgh/stories/201608260188 |archive-date=November 18, 2018}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|In addition to "chamber pop", critics and enthusiasts have sometimes described the orchestral-rock fusion style epitomized by ''Pet Sounds'' using terms such as [[symphonic pop]] and ork-pop (short for "orchestral pop").<ref>{{cite news|last1=Salmon|first1=Ben|date=May 25, 2007|title=Classic combo|work=[[The Bulletin (Bend)|The Bulletin]]|url=http://www.bendbulletin.com/slideshows/1516497-151/classic-combo|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610031425/http://www.bendbulletin.com/slideshows/1516497-151/classic-combo|archive-date=June 10, 2016}}</ref> }}

{{quote box|
| quote = ''Pet Sounds'' was the beginning of the great pop experiment. But it wasn't allowed to continue, because rock and roll got hold of the whole thing and stopped it. Pop didn't take off again until this decade.
| source = —High Llamas and Stereolab member [[Sean O'Hagan]], 1997<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Smith|first1=Ethan|title=Do It Again|magazine=[[New York Magazine]]|date=10 November 1997|volume=30|issue=43|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J-gCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98|publisher=New York Media, LLC|issn=0028-7369}}</ref>
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During the mid-1990s, underground artists including [[Cardinal (band)|Cardinal]], the High Llamas, Yum-Yum, and members of the [[Elephant 6 collective]] drew inspiration from the album's arrangements, spurring a movement termed "ork-pop".{{sfn|DeRogatis|2003|p=39}} Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas, characterized by DeRogatis as "the most ''Pet Sounds''-obsessed" of these musicians,{{sfn|DeRogatis|2003|p=526}} channeled its orchestrated approach in works such as ''[[Gideon Gaye]]'' (1994) and ''[[Hawaii (The High Llamas album)|Hawaii]]'' (1995).<ref name="HereToday96"/> [[Robert Schneider]] of [[the Apples in Stereo]] and [[Jim McIntyre (musician)|Jim McIntyre]] of [[Von Hemmling]] founded [[Pet Sounds Studio]], which served as the venue for numerous Elephant 6 projects by [[Neutral Milk Hotel]]<ref name="encyclopedia.com">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Apples in Stereo |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/apples-stereo |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia.com]] |publisher=Gale. [[Cengage Learning]] |access-date=July 29, 2017}}</ref> and [[the Olivia Tremor Control]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Clair |first=Adam |date=September 21, 2016 |title=Elephant 6 & Friends Reflect on the Legacy of the Olivia Tremor Control's ''Dusk at Cubist Castle'' |url=http://www.stereogum.com/1895598/elephant-6-friends-reflect-on-the-legacy-of-the-olivia-tremor-controls-dusk-at-the-cubist-castle/franchises/sounding-board |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127141230/https://www.stereogum.com/1895598/elephant-6-friends-reflect-on-the-legacy-of-the-olivia-tremor-controls-dusk-at-the-cubist-castle/interviews/ |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |access-date=July 29, 2017 |work=[[Stereogum]]}}</ref><ref name="encyclopedia.com" />
[[File:Thom Yorke 1998.jpg|thumb|upright|Radiohead referenced the initially startling quality of ''Pet Sounds'' when recording their 1997 album ''[[OK Computer]]'' ([[Thom Yorke]] pictured)]]

Radiohead's ''[[OK Computer]]'' (1997) was intended to evoke an initially "shocking" quality similar to that of ''Pet Sounds'', according to [[Thom Yorke]], who praised the Beach Boys' work as "an incredibly amazing pop record, but [...] also an ''album''."<ref>{{cite web | first = Dave | last = DiMartino | title = Give Radiohead Your Computer | publisher = [[Yahoo! Music Radio|Yahoo! Launch]] | date = 2 May 1997 | url = http://music.yahoo.com/read/interview/12048024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070814183856/http://music.yahoo.com/read/interview/12048024 | archive-date = 14 August 2007}}</ref> Collaborating with O'Hagan and Elephant 6 members, [[Cornelius (musician)|Cornelius]]' ''[[Fantasma (Cornelius album)|Fantasma]]'', released a few months later, was created as an explicit homage to ''Pet Sounds''.{{sfn|Roberts|2019|pp=6, 58–59, 61, 66–67}} By 1998, Lester reported that the album had experienced a resurgence in popularity, writing that "today's most interesting acts – The High Llamas, [[Air (French band)|Air]], [[Kid Loco]], Saint Etienne, Stereolab, [[Lewis Taylor]] – are using the Brian Wilson songbook as a resource for their forays into the realms of electronic pop."<ref name="Lester98">{{cite magazine |last1=Lester |first1=Paul |author-link1=Paul Lester |title=Brain Wilson: Endless Bummer |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/brain-wilson-endless-bummer |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |date=June 1998 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> 

''Pet Sounds'' has been cited as a precursor to [[emo]] music, with writer Sean Cureton identifying parallels in the introspective themes of [[Weezer]]'s ''[[Pinkerton (album)|Pinkerton]]'' (1996) and [[Death Cab for Cutie]]'s ''[[Transatlanticism]]'' (2003).<ref name="Cureton">{{cite web |last1=Cureton |first1=Sean K. |date=May 16, 2016 |title=Brian Wilson Alone: The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds 50 Years Later |url=http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/brian-wilson-alone-pet-sounds-50-years-later/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227012932/http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/brian-wilson-alone-pet-sounds-50-years-later/ |archive-date=February 27, 2021 |website=Audiences Everywhere}}</ref> Music critic Ernest Simpson and [[Wild Nothing]]'s Jack Tatum have called ''Pet Sounds'' "the first emo album",<ref name="Pitchfork50" /> with Simpson proposing Wilson as "the godfather of emo", highlighting "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" in particular.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Simpson |first1=Ernest |date=September 20, 2004 |title=The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds |url=http://www.treblezine.com/reviews/the-beach-boys-pet-sounds/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509103454/https://www.treblezine.com/the-beach-boys-pet-sounds/ |archive-date=May 9, 2021 |website=Treblezine}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Luke Britton of the [[BBC]] dismissed these characterizations, writing that emo's widely recognized origins trace to 1980s [[hardcore punk]] acts.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Britton |first=Luke Morgan |date=May 30, 2018 |title=Emo never dies: How the genre influenced an entire new generation |work=[[BBC Online]] |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1tM7yZdRsNn2qZth0WMCRBs/emo-never-dies-how-the-genre-influenced-an-entire-new-generation |access-date=August 9, 2018 |archive-date=August 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813010046/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1tM7yZdRsNn2qZth0WMCRBs/emo-never-dies-how-the-genre-influenced-an-entire-new-generation |url-status=live }}</ref>}} Weezer frontman [[Rivers Cuomo]] recalled being immersed in ''Pet Sounds'' during the early 1990s; it later served as the direct inspiration for his band's ''[[OK Human]]'' (2021), recorded with a 39-piece orchestra.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Eastoe |first1=Dillon |title=Weezer: "I'm very anxious right now about what it means to be human" |url=https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/Upset_Magazine_interview_with_Rivers_Cuomo_-_January_29,_2021 |magazine=Upset |date=January 29, 2021}}</ref>

One of the earliest [[tribute album]]s dedicated to ''Pet Sounds'' is the Japanese release ''[[Smiling Pets]]'' (1998), including contributions from [[Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her]] and [[Melt Banana]].{{sfn|Roberts|2019|p=66}}{{refn|group=nb|Further tribute albums have included ''[[Do It Again: A Tribute to Pet Sounds]]'' (2005), ''[[The Vitamin String Quartet|The String Quartet Tribute to the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds]]'' (2006), ''[[MOJO Presents Pet Sounds Revisited]]'' (2012), and ''[[A Tribute to Pet Sounds]]'' (2016).<ref>{{cite web |title=Tribute Albums |url=http://www.beachboys.com/tribute.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819092539/http://www.beachboys.com/tribute.html |archive-date=August 19, 2014 |access-date=August 17, 2014 |website=Beach Boys: The Complete Guide}}</ref>}} In 2007, producer [[Bullion (musician)|Bullion]] created a [[J Dilla]] mashup of the album, ''[[Pet Sounds: In the Key of Dee]]''.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Chris |date=November 13, 2007 |title=J Dilla vs. The Beach Boys |url=http://www.gorillavsbear.net/j-dilla-vs-beach-boys/?trackback=tsmclip |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215121120/https://www.gorillavsbear.net/j-dilla-vs-beach-boys/?trackback=tsmclip |archive-date=December 15, 2018 |publisher=[[Gorilla vs. Bear]]}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Hip-hop producer [[Questlove]] recalled that the Beach Boys had been unfashionable among black teenagers in the 1980s, and in the late 1990s, Detroit hip-hop artists including J Dilla mocked his admiration for ''Pet Sounds'' before later recognizing its merits.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ross |first1=Danny |date=November 1, 2018 |title=Questlove Talks Beach Boys, Podcasting And His 19 Jobs |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/dannyross1/2018/11/01/questlove-talks-beach-boys-podcasting-and-his-19-jobs/#4746566a482c |website=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]] |access-date=November 3, 2018}}</ref>}} By 2007, there had been at least three books dedicated to ''Pet Sounds''.{{sfn|Dillon|2012|p=95}}{{sfn|Lambert|2007|pp=223, 391–392}} In Japan, Jim Fusilli's book was translated by the novelist [[Haruki Murakami]].{{sfn|Roberts|2019|p=66}} In 2014, the biopic film ''[[Love & Mercy (film)|Love & Mercy]]'' included a substantial depiction of the album's making, with Wilson portrayed by [[Paul Dano]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tapley |first1=Kristopher |date=May 21, 2015 |title=Bill Pohlad wants 'Love & Mercy' to take you inside the genius of Beach Boy Brian Wilson |url=http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/bill-pohlad-wants-love-mercy-to-take-you-inside-the-genius-of-beach-boy-brian-wilson |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601214434/http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/bill-pohlad-wants-love-mercy-to-take-you-inside-the-genius-of-beach-boy-brian-wilson |archive-date=June 1, 2016 |work=[[Hitfix]]}}</ref>

To honor the album's 50th anniversary, 26 artists contributed to a ''Pitchfork'' retrospective on its enduring influence, including comments from members of [[Talking Heads]], [[Yo La Tengo]], [[Chairlift (band)|Chairlift]], and [[Deftones]], among others.<ref name="Pitchfork50"/> That year, ''[[PopMatters]]'' contributor Danilo Castro acknowledged the album had "restructured the landscape of modern music in its image", with its influence extending to <!--- Weezer and Radiohead also cited but already mentioned elsewhere --->[[David Bowie]], [[the Flaming Lips]], [[Frank Ocean]], [[Fleet Foxes]], [[Bruce Springsteen]], and [[Kanye West]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Castro |first=Danilo |date=May 16, 2016 |title=Why the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds' Remains a Pillar of Pop Excellence |url=https://www.popmatters.com/why-beach-boys-pet-sounds |website=PopMatters |access-date=April 1, 2025}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Additional musicians who have praised ''Pet Sounds'' have included <!--- Already mentioned elsewhere in this article: Paul McCartney, George Martin, Phillip Glass, Roger Waters, Eric Clapton --> Burt Bacharach, [[Carole King]], [[Roger McGuinn]], [[Randy Newman]], [[Jeff Beck]], [[David Gilmour]], [[Daryl Hall]], [[Elton John]], [[Alice Cooper]], [[Jackson Browne]], [[Eric Carmen]], [[Lindsey Buckingham]], [[Ann Wilson]], [[Tom Petty]], [[Stephen Bishop (singer)|Stephen Bishop]], [[Elvis Costello]], [[Billy Idol]], and [[Gustavo Dudamel]].<ref name="WilsonWebsiteQuotes">{{cite web |title=Quotes |url=https://www.brianwilson.com/quotes |website=brianwilson.com |access-date=July 25, 2023}}</ref>}}