Al Jardine has finally released a song he has been working on since the โ90s with his longtime co-songwriter Larry Dvoskin. The new song is a tribute to his Beach Boys bandmates Brian Wilson and the late Dennis Wilson, who died by drowning in 1983.
Jardine titled the song โWish,โ which has now been made available on all streaming platforms. He explained the nostalgic motivation behind the song, which is even more relevant now since Brianโs state of health has kept him off the band.
Al Jardine reflects on old times
As its name implies, the new track talks about wishing things were the same with a loved one, which is how Jardine felt while making it. The 82-year-old added that he felt emotional because time has passed, and the Beach Boys are now all frail and aged. Making โWishโ was also a chance to share wonderful unfinished songs with the world.
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Although Jardine has been solo, he toured with Brianโs band until their last time in the summer of 2022. He is hoping to get on the road with the group again, even though Brianโs chances of joining are slim due to his major neurocognitive disorder.
Making โWishโ
โWishโ came together with Jardine taking the lead and bass, while Larry handled harmony vocals, piano, and synthesizer plus Taylor Simpsons on the drum. Jardine hopes to include the new release in his next solo album, which will follow his 2010s studio album A Postcard from California.
He added that he is working on other unfinished projects, and โWishโ is more like a prelude to them. While the singer is considering releasing a Vinyl ahead of Record Store Day, part of the financial proceeds from โWishโ have been promised to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and MusiCares.