Cabinessence

The Beach Boys

About Cabinessence

"Cabinessence" (also spelled "Cabin Essence") is a song written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks for the American rock band the Beach Boys in 1966. Intended for the discarded album Smile, it was not released until three years later for the album 20/20. The subject of the song is said by Wilson to be "about railroads," as he intended to encapsulate the image of Chinese laborers pounding rail spikes while their minds go "off on a different track" after noticing a crow flying overhead. According to journalist Nick Kent, the song "juxtaposed both highly-advanced Western and Eastern musical references" with an "oriental presence", making use of the banjo and harmonica as well as percussion in the chorus designed to emulate the sound of workers assembling train tracks."Cabinessence" has received much acclaim over the years as the stand-out track on 20/20. Biographer Jon Stebbins observed the song's "demonic chanting" which he believed exemplified "some of the most haunting, manic, evil-sounding music the Beach Boys ever made". MOJO described Cabinessence as "Smile in microcosm. Vast in scope, unprecedented in its ambition and as much an unsolved sonic riddle as the album it had been written for, this was the misunderstood masterpiece that caused Mike Love to crack and the project to flounder." 


Year:
1991
255 

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Light the lamp and fire mellow
Cabin essence timely hello
Welcomes the time for a change

Lost and found, you still remain there
You'll find a meadow filled with grain there
I'll give you a home on the range

Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?

Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?

Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?

I want to watch you windblown facing
Waves of wheat for your embracing
Folks sing a song of the grange

Nestle in a kiss below there
The constellations ebb and flow there
And witness our home on the range

Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?

Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?

Who ran the iron horse?
Who ran the iron horse?

Have you seen the grand coolie workin' on the railroad?
Workin' on the railroad? Workin' on the railroad?

Over and over
The crow cries, uncover the cornfield
Over and over
The thresher and hover the wheat field

Over and over
The crow cries, uncover the cornfield
Over and over
The thresher and hover the wheat field

Over and over
The crow cries, uncover the cornfield

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The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, the Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962. The band's early music gained popularity across the United States for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a Southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance. By the mid 1960s, Brian Wilson's growing creative ambition and songwriting ability would dominate the group's musical direction. The primarily Wilson-composed Pet Sounds album and "Good Vibrations" single (both released in 1966) featured a complex, intricate and multi-layered sound that wa… more »

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Written by: BRIAN WILSON, VAN DYKE PARKS

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


14 facts about this song

ALBUM
"Cabinessence" is a track from the Beach Boys' 1969 album "20/20," as well as their unfinished '70s project "Smile."
FOUNDING MEMEBER
The song was produced and co-written by the Beach Boys' founding member Brian Wilson.
CO-WRITER
Van Dyke Parks, a significant collaborator on the "Smile" album, co-wrote "Cabinessence."
RELEASE DELAY
Although it was one of the earliest songs recorded for "Smile," it was not released for several years due to various production and legal issues, including a dispute between Wilson and Parks.
SONG TITLE
The title "Cabinessence" is a play on words, combining "cabin" and "essence."
LYRICAL CONTENT
The lyrics of "Cabinessence" feature abstract and surreal imagery. They’re often interpreted as symbolizing the pioneering journey across America, reflecting Brian Wilson's fascination with Americana.
INNOVATIVE MUSIC
The song is noted for its complex structure, incorporating daring time signatures, key changes and unconventional vocal harmonies.
PRODUCTION TECHNIQUE
"Cabinessence" is an example of Brian Wilson's "modular" approach to recording where individual sections of a piece were recorded separately then spliced together.
INSTRUMENTATION
The song includes a wide variety of instruments, including a banjo, keyboards, horns and sleigh bells.
CONTROVERSY
The track was one of the elements at the center of a huge feud between Brian Wilson and his bandmate Mike Love, who objected to its experimental nature and obscure lyrics, reflecting the growing tensions within the group.
CRITICAL RECEPTION
Despite its troubled history, "Cabinessence" has been praised by music critics for its ambitious composition and innovative production techniques.
LEGACY
"Cabinessence" is now considered a milestone in the Beach Boys' evolution from a surf-pop band to one of the pioneers of progressive and experimental pop music.
REVISITED WORK
The song, along with the entire unfinished "Smile" album, was re-recorded and eventually released by Brian Wilson as a solo artist in 2004.
LIVE PERFORMANCES
"Cabinessence" has been performed live by both The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson in his solo concerts.

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