Al Jardine, multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of The Beach Boys, has unearthed a new song titled “Wish.”
The track was written by Jardine in the early 1990s alongside his songwriting partner, Larry Dvoskin. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jardine described “Wish” as an ode to the Wilson brothers and his Beach Boys bandmates, Brian and Dennis. “It just dawned on me how much I missed them,” Jardine said about writing the track. “Dennis, of course, had passed, and Brian was pretty much out of the action. I felt very emotional.”
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Jardine had left “Wish” in the vault for nearly 30 years, but decided to record it with Dvoskin back in May. “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 said, “because our memories are wonderful, our musical memories are intact, and it’s just important to finish these great songs that we’ve written.”
Calling the song an “appetizer” for an eventual new solo album, Jardine plans on donating a portion of the proceeds from “Wish” to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He hopes to have a new collection of songs — the follow up to 2010’s Postcards from California — out by Record Store Day 2025. Stream “Wish” below.
In the meantime, Jardine also discussed his quest to revive Brian Wilson’s backing band for select shows this year and a proper tour in 2025. Wilson himself would likely not be joining — he was recently placed under a court-ordered conservatorship after he was diagnosed with dementia, and now uses a wheelchair for mobility.
“Brian has agreed to allow me to use the name of his band to resurrect that incredible Brian band that we worked with so wonderfully for the last 20 or 30 years,” Jardine told Rolling Stone. “I’m looking forward to meeting up with him shortly and working out a schedule to do a couple of benefit concerts that we can do in L.A., and then maybe kick off an actual tour from there maybe early next year.”
Jardine plans to invite Wilson to perform at the benefit shows if he’s able and up for it, but knows that the frontman’s current conditions are a challenge to work through. “Brian just isn’t physically in shape to join us,” Jardine said. “But he’s a strong individual and he’s got stamina. 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.” As for the name of the group? “The Brian Wilson Band Presented by Fellow Beach Boy Al Jardine” is Jardine’s guess, but he’s ultimately unsure how to bill the reunion performances.
Meanwhile, The Beach Boys’ current revival lineup, led by Mike Love, is on the road for their “Endless Summer Gold Tour.” After a busy summer slate of shows, including a stint with longtime Beach Boys fan and collaborator John Stamos, the group has a handful of 2024 shows left, including appearances at Bourbon & Beyond and Oceans Calling. Get tickets to see the Beach Boys here.
While all the original Beach Boys members haven’t been playing together for quite some time, the new Disney+ documentary The Beach Boys features original interviews from Jardine, Wilson, Love, and many more. Sign up to watch the documentary here.
