"Let's Go Away for Awhile" | ||||
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Instrumental by The Beach Boys | ||||
from the album Pet Sounds | ||||
Released | May 16, 1966 | |||
Recorded | January 18–19, 1966 | |||
Studio | United Western Recorders, Hollywood | |||
Genre | Progressive pop | |||
Length | 2:25 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Composer(s) | Brian Wilson | |||
Producer(s) | Brian Wilson | |||
Pet Sounds track listing | ||||
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The Beach Boys singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
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"Let's Go Away for Awhile" [sic] is an instrumental composed and produced by Brian Wilson for the American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released as the sixth track on their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Wilson has since called the song his favorite instrumental that he wrote.
The track was composed and produced by Brian Wilson and was originally titled "The Old Man and The Baby". An early full working title was "Let's Go Away for Awhile (And Then We'll Have World Peace)"—the parenthetical being a reference to Del Close and John Brent's comedy album How to Speak Hip.Tony Asher explained:
There was an album out called How to Speak Hip [...] a lampooning of the language instruction albums. I played it for Brian, and it destroyed him, killed him. Brian picked up a couple of references on the album. One of them was this hip character that said if everyone were 'laid back and cool, then we'd have world peace.' So Brian started going around saying, 'Hey, would somebody get me a candy bar, and then we'll have world peace.' [Brian] even made an acetate disc with a label on it with the title.
Wilson speculated that he may have subconsciously based the chord progression similar to the way Burt Bacharach would construct his compositions, believing that Bacharach "had such a profound thing" which made Wilson go in a particular direction with his music. Author Serene Dominic compared the piece to Bacharach's "Are You There (With Another Girl)", recorded by Dionne Warwick.
The bulk of "Let's Go Away for Awhile" was recorded on January 18, 1966 at United Western Recorders. String overdubs were recorded the next day. Wilson stated: "We used dynamics like Beethoven. You know, Beethoven, the dynamic music maker." In 1966, Wilson considered the track to be "the finest piece of art" he had made up to that point, and that every component of its production "worked perfectly". A year later he expounded,