Love and Mercy

"Love and Mercy"
Single by Brian Wilson
from the album Brian Wilson
B-side	"He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body to Move"
Released	July 1, 1988 (1988-07-01)
Recorded	April 1987 – February 1988
Genre	Progressive pop
Length	2:56
Label	Sire
Songwriter(s)	Brian Wilson
Producer(s)	Brian Wilson Russ Titelman
Brian Wilson singles chronology
"Let's Go to Heaven in My Car" (1988) "Love and Mercy" (1988) "Melt Away" (1988)
Music video
"Love and Mercy" on YouTube
Audio sample
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"Love and Mercy" is a song by American musician Brian Wilson and the opening track from his 1988 album Brian Wilson. With co-production by Russ Titelman, the song was released as a double-sided single on July 1, 1988 backed with "He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body to Move". Wilson described the song as influenced by "What the World Needs Now Is Love" (1965) and characterized the lyrics as "a personal message from me to people". His psychologist Eugene Landy was formerly listed as a co-writer.

Background[]

The song was originally credited to Brian Wilson, his therapist Eugene Landy, and Alexandra Morgan. On later issues of Brian's debut album, and subsequent remakes and live performances of the song, the credit was amended to attribute Wilson as the song's sole writer.^{[citation needed]} Wilson is quoted in the liner notes of his 1988 album:

I was in my piano room, playing "What the World Needs Now," and I just went into my own song...worked very hard to get out what was in my heart on that one...it's a personal message from me to people.... We wanted people to be covered with love, because there's no guarantee of somebody waking up in the morning with any love. It goes away, like a bad dream. It disappears. Mercy would be a deeper word than love. I would think love is a gentle thing and mercy would be more desperate, ultimately more desperately needed, thing in life. Mercy–a little break here and there for somebody who's having trouble.... "Love and Mercy" is probably the most spiritual song I've ever written.^[1]

The song features Wilson on lead vocals as well as a lot of the backing vocals, and is characterized by its pattern of descending chords.^[2] The lyrics included an extra verse unused in the final edit: "I was praying to a god who just doesn't seem to hear / Oh, the blessings we need the most are what we all fear".^{[citation needed]}

Reception[]

When discussing the 2004 Madrid train bombings in the book Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, Bono states: "'Love and Mercy' is one of the great songs ever written ... I can't think of a greater song to be sung than Brian Wilson singing 'Love and Mercy'. Because, in a way, they're the two feelings that those terrorists sought to destroy."^[3]

Cover versions[]

In popular culture[]

• The song was used for a final scene in the film Orange County (2002), where the main character realizes the importance of his hometown and the impact it will have on his future.^{[citation needed]}
• The song was played over the end of the Broadway show Other Desert Cities (2011), referring to a book in the show with the same title as a song written by one of the characters.^{[citation needed]}
• Love and Mercy (2014) is a biopic film based on Wilson's life.
• Gazelle Twin's cover of the song appears in The Walking Dead season 5 episode, "Conquer" (2015).^[4]

References[]