Guest
The project was originally planned to be released in 1967 as a Beach Boys album, written in collaboration between Wilson and lyricist Van Dyke Parks. It was conceived as a musical journey across America from East to West, beginning at Plymouth Rock and ending in Hawaii, traversing some of the great themes of modern American history and culture. The original failure to complete SMiLE has been attributed to several factors: internal resistance towards the project, legal battles with Capitol Records, technical difficulties with recording, Carl Wilson's draft battle, and Brian Wilson's escalating drug use, mental health issues, and creative dissatisfaction with the project. Nearly 40 years later, Wilson chose to revisit the material with Parks, releasing it as a solo album in 2004. Wilson touted SMiLE as “a teenage symphony to God“.
