# The Beach Boys song Brian Wilson always found “painful” to sing after tragedy struck in 1983

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-beach-boys-song-brian-wilson-always-found-painful-to-sing-after-tragedy-struck-in-1983/
- Published: 2026-11-09T17:34:12+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T18:37:38+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/beach-boys-song-too-painful-for-brian-wilson-to-perform/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- ‘Forever’ reminded Brian Wilson of his late brother Dennis.
- Dennis died in 1983 after jumping into the ocean from a yacht.
- Wilson still performed the song, including on the band’s 2012 tour.

## Summary

Brian Wilson said performing The Beach Boys’ song ‘Forever’ brought back painful memories of his brother Dennis, who wrote and sang it. After Dennis died in 1983, Brian tried to keep the song off his set list because its lyrics and the brothers’ close harmonies reminded him of his loss.

Dennis wrote ‘Forever’ in 1970, and Wilson later described thinking of him whenever he sang it. Despite the difficulty, Wilson performed the song at solo shows and during The Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary tour in 2012. He also associated ‘Lay Down Burden’ with memories of his brother Carl, who died in 1998.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.