THE BEACH BOYS - I KNOW THERE'S AN ANSWER

I KNOW THERE'S AN ANSWER

THE BEACH BOYS

SONGWRITERS: BRIAN WILSON; MIKE LOVE & TERRY SACHEN

COUNTRY: u.s.a.

ALBUM: PET SOUNDS

LABEL: CAPITOL

GENRE: ROCK

YEAR: 1966

"I Know There's an Answer" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys, the 9th track on their 1966 album Pet Sounds. It was composed and produced by Brian Wilson in lyrical collaboration with bandmate Mike Love and the group's road manager Terry Sachen. The song was written as a reaction to Wilson's experiences with lysergic acid diethylamide(LSD), as he explained, "I had gotten into that kind of thing. I guess it just came up naturally."

It is characterized by its unusual juxtaposition of instrumentation which unfolds as the song progresses, which include tack piano, bass harmonica, banjos, saxophones, flutes, and organ. MOJO described it: "A fried treatise on how LSD separates the turned-on 'us' from the uptight 'them'." For a 1990 CD reissue of Pet Sounds, an earlier recording of the song with different lyrics was released as a bonus track under the name "Hang On to Your Ego".

Love was not originally listed as co-writer, and only received his credit after a 1990s court case. During the song's recording sessions, conflicts a rose between Wilson and his bandmate. Love thought it was "too much of a doper song" and suggested that it should instead be about "finding yourself". After careful consideration, Wilson allowed Love to revise some of the song's lyrics, renaming it from "Hang On to Your Ego" to "I Know There's an Answer". The song's references to LSD were ultimately kept in its lyrics.

I know who many people who think they can do it alone

They isolate their head and stay in their safety zone

Now what can you tell them

And what can you say that won't make them defensive

I know there's an answer

I know now but I had to find it by myself

They come on like they're peaceful

But inside they're so uptight

They trip through their day

And waste all their thoughts at night

Now how can I come on

And tell them the way that they live could be better

I know there's an answer

I know now but I had to find it by myself

Now how can I come on

And tell them the way that they live could be better

I know there's an answer

I know now but I had to find it by myself.