On a Holiday
| "On a Holiday" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Holidays" (later renamed "On a Holiday") is an unfinished instrumental composed by Brian Wilson for American rock band the Beach Boys. Intended for the aborted studio album Smile, it would not be completed until 2004 for the album Brian Wilson Presents Smile, as "On a Holiday", with new lyrics by Van Dyke Parks.
Background
The original Beach Boys' version of "Holidays" was recorded in September 1966. It is one of the few pieces from Smile where every section was performed as part of one whole take.[1] Wilson's 2004 version contains mostly the same arrangement The hook of another Smile track, "Roll Plymouth Rock", is repeated in the chorus.[2] In the opinion of Consequence of Sound's Dean Essner, the original "has no vocals at all, allowing for the track’s wind instruments and marimbas to gorgeously swell at the front of the mix. But on Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE, Wilson sings a forgettable line about pirates, cluttering up the otherwise simple, feathery melody."[3] PopMatters' Sean Murphy characterized the song as a "Zappa-esque romp".[4]
