A-side "Friends" Length 1:57 | Released April 8, 1968 Label Capitol | |
Recorded February 29, 1968,
Brian Wilson's home studio Genre Jazz fusion, psychedelic pop | ||
"Little Bird" is a song written by Dennis Wilson and Stephen Kalinich with uncredited contributions from Brian Wilson. It was first recorded by American rock band the Beach Boys and released on their 1968 album Friends. It was also placed as the B-side of the album's "Friends" single. The single peaked at number 47 in the US and number 25 in the UK.
Contents
Composition
Brian once said; "Dennis gave us 'Little Bird' which blew my mind because it was so full of spiritualness. He was a late bloomer as a music maker. He lived hard and rough but his music was as sensitive as anyone's."
The outro of "Little Bird" features a musical quotation of the unfinished 1966 composition "Child Is Father of the Man" composed by Brian Wilson for the Smile album. His contribution remains uncredited.
Reception
Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic called the song a "wonderful surprise" from Dennis: "[his] earthy ability to capture his love of the power of nature is the basis for this minor masterpiece, and along with talented collaborator Steve Kalinich, he was able to nail his emotions."
Personnel
Partial credits derived from David Leaf's 1990 CD liner notes.