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Al Jardine’s new song, “Wish,” is an ode to bandmates Brian and Dennis Wilson

By Jill Lances Sep 3, 2024 | 9:45 AM
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

The Beach BoysAl Jardine recently released a new single, “Wish,” which was inspired by his Beach Boys bandmates Brian and Dennis Wilson.

Jardine tells Rolling Stone he first had the idea for the song about 30 years ago. “It just dawned on me how much I missed them,” he said. “Dennis, of course, had passed, and Brian was pretty much out of the action. I felt very emotional.”

But it took until this spring for him to finally finish and record the song with his longtime songwriting partner Larry Dvoskin.

“It’s a good message because right now we’re all wishing that things were the way they used to be, especially at our age,” Jardine says of the tune, “because our memories are wonderful, our musical memories are intact, and it’s just important to finish these great songs that we’ve written.”

Jardine’s aim is for the song to appear on his next solo album, which will be his first since 2010’s A Postcard From California.

“This song is kind of like the appetizer,” he says. “I’m actually working on a lot of unfinished tunes that are pretty close to being done. They come from all different backgrounds and fields of my musical endeavors over the years.” 

He also plans to go out on tour with Brian Wilson’s touring band. While he says Brian “isn’t physically in shape to join us,” he notes, “It wouldn’t surprise me if he could make a few of the shows in the Los Angeles area where we intend to do a trial performance.”

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