Released September, 1990 Length 5:33 Writer(s) Brian Wilson | Genre R&B, psychedelic pop Label Capitol | |
Recorded October 28, 1967 (1967-10-28)–July 26, 1968 (1968-07-26) | ||
"Can't Wait Too Long" (also known as "Been Way Too Long") is a song written by Brian Wilson for the American rock band the Beach Boys. The song dates from 1967, and remains unfinished by the Beach Boys. A newly recorded "Can't Wait Too Long" was recorded for the Brian Wilson album That Lucky Old Sun released on Capitol Records in 2008.
Contents
Composition
The Beach Boys version consists of an elaborate collection of vocal and instrumental tracks comparable to the group's earlier compositions "Good Vibrations" and "Heroes and Villains". It includes a melody line played instrumentally without sung lyrics, a bass line bearing resemblance to the Smile sessions version of "Wind Chimes", plus several sections of chorus and a vocal middle section. It was recorded throughout 1967 and 1968, well after the sessions for Smile ended. On February 11, 1980, overdubs were attempted on the original late 1960s recordings.
Brian Wilson sings lead vocals. There are very few lyrics. The title phrase is sung several dozen times, sometime alternating with "been away too long baby". Elsewhere is a simple couplet: "I miss you darlin' / I miss you so hard" which was evidently meant to be followed with "So come back baby / and don't break my heart", as Wilson can be heard instructing the other Beach Boys. The final arrangement of the tune segues into an R&B inspired arrangement, and towards the end of the master outtake, there is a bass riff that had been labeled for years as an edit piece that is part of the "Heroes and Villains" suite — consult the bootleg album, Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 17.
Reception
Biographer David Leaf said: "[the song] needs no analysis or description other than to say that it’s an incredible piece of music ... sections of it are complete enough to be a terrific example of how Brian, in Van Dyke Parks' words, used to 'saturate the tape with music.'"
Releases
The song was eventually released in a sound collage form in September 1990, as a bonus track on a CD reissue compiling two Beach Boys albums onto one disc—Smiley Smile/Wild Honey. A shorter form of the song was also released in June 1993 on the group's 5-disc anthology, Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys. On the latter version, Brian Wilson is heard instructing brother Carl on some other lyrics which were never recorded. In May 2001, a 51-second a cappella version of the song was issued on disc two of the Beach Boys rarities compilation album, Hawthorne, CA. This same version reappears on the 2013 Made in California box set.