The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys Today! is the eighth studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released March 8, 1965, by Capitol Records. Expanding on the increased musical sophistication that had marked their 1964 release All Summer Long, Today! signaled a departure from their previous work with its orchestral sound, intimate subject matter, and abandonment of car or surf songs. Side one features an uptempo sound, while side two consists mostly of introspective ballads. It has since become regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time.

The album was produced, arranged, and primarily written by Brian Wilson, with additional lyrics by Mike Love. Most of the material was recorded in January 1965 using over 25 studio musicians, following Wilson's withdrawal from touring due to a nervous breakdown. Unlike prior albums, none of the songs relied solely on traditional rock instrumentation; the arrangements incorporated timpani, harpsichord, vibraphone, French horn, and other orchestral elements, coupled with slower tempos, longer song structures, and influences drawn from Phil Spector and Burt Bacharach. Wilson also developed a more personalized, semi-autobiographical lyrical approach with recurring themes of emotional insecurity and self-doubt. The LP included "She Knows Me Too Well", depicting a man aware of his emotional cruelty; "Don't Hurt My Little Sister", in which a brother's protective stance is entangled with romantic overtones; and "In the Back of My Mind", a ballad concluding with an asynchronous instrumental collapse.

Today! reached number four in the U.S. during a 50-week chart stay and yielded three top 20 singles: "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" (number 9), "Dance, Dance, Dance" (number 8), and "Do You Wanna Dance?" (number 12). A rerecorded version of "Help Me, Rhonda", released in April, became the band's second U.S. number-one hit. Issued in the UK in April 1966, the album peaked at number six. The sessions also yielded the outtake "Guess I'm Dumb", a song Wilson ultimately produced for Glen Campbell. Today! contributed to the group's recognition as album artists and later the emergence of chamber/baroque pop, while retrospective commentary frequently highlights the latter half of the record as a precursor to Pet Sounds (1966).