Love and Mercy Page #2

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What does that even mean?

You're gonna die

in a straight line?

I have no idea.

I heard Dad use it once.

Oh, never use it again.

It's gonna be strange to be in

Japan without you, brother.

Yeah, who's gonna

fold our clothes now?

Bri!

Carl, Dennis, come on,

guys, come sit with us.

Okay, I'll be right over.

Everybody in!

One of these days, you are gonna

break your skull open if

you're not careful, Bri.

I'm going to make the greatest

album ever made, Mare!

I know you are, baby.

I know you are.

Ben, two more minutes,

I'm almost ready.

You can lock up.

This is Melinda.

...Friday night.

- 6:
00?

- Hello?

What? Wrong ear. Put

it on the other ear.

- Hello? Uh, hi.

- Jesus.

Is this Mel... Melinda?

Yes, this is Melinda.

Melinda Ledbetter?

Yes.

Hi.

It's Brian Wilson

from the Beach Boys.

Hi, Brian Wilson

from the Beach Boys.

Melinda!

Melinda Ledbetter!

Melinda Ledbetter!

Melinda!

Are you there?!

Hi.

Hi.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- How are you?

- I'm great!

- You look really great.

- Thank you.

- You wanna go?

- Oh, did you... yeah.

I...

- I forgot your apartment number.

- Ah. Well...

It's a good thing

the loudspeaker worked.

Yeah.

Why does it feel like

the prom all of a sudden?

I'm not sure.

Thank you.

- Hey, Melinda.

- Hi.

- You look great.

- Uh, hi!

I love it.

Such a beautiful song.

- What's that?

- Excuse me?

I couldn't hear what you said.

What'd you say to Brian?

Uh, I... I just said

that this song is...

is so great. I love it.

- Why? Why?

- No, it's a great song.

It's fantastic. You're right.

Timeless.

Well...

I guess this is good night.

Good night.

- Okay.

- Would you like me to call you again?

Would you like to call me again?

Or... are you just asking

'cause you were told to?

Both things.

- Both.

- I really appreciate your honesty.

I really do. I don't meet a

lot of honest people anymore.

I'll tell you what, I'm gonna

be home most of the day Sunday.

Give me a call

if you feel like it.

If you don't, that's fine, too.

There's no pressure.

I'm gonna call you.

- Cool.

- Cool.

Good night.

Good night.

And the last verse

repeats one more time

and the chorus will harmonize

over and over at the end.

It's still rough, I know,

but it's getting there.

It's right for Carl's voice.

You like it, Dad?

I mean, it'll get better.

The vocals will...

counterpoint the backing track.

Real soulful.

Oh, you don't want

my advice or my meddling.

Well, just tell me

what you think.

Not much use for me, is there?

With your mom living on her own.

Come on, we're still a family.

Families don't fire

their own father.

I don't want to start

that argument again.

- I'm not arguing.

- If I say something now, you'll argue.

Then don't say anything.

Forget it!

Forget what? Forget what?!

- You don't like the song.

- I never said that.

I can tell.

Just say something!

I would change the title.

The Capris had a tune out

called "God Only Knows"

- in '55, '54.

- Never mind that.

Did you close your eyes

like I asked you to?

Tony and I think...

if you close your eyes,

you can see a place

where something's happening.

It's like being blind, but because

you're blind, you can see more.

Don't you think it's a

spiritual kind of thing?

I don't know what the hell

you're talking about.

I closed my eyes,

didn't see a thing.

I don't know,

maybe it could be something

with the right arrangement.

Well, yeah,

I have French horns on it

and flutes, tambourines,

sleigh bells, piano, bass,

real complex key shifts.

Frankly, if you

really want to know,

I don't care for it.

It's too wishy-washy.

If you leave me, why leave me?

Life will go on,

why go on living?

It's not like a Beach Boys song.

Your brothers are gonna hate it.

- It's a love song.

- It's a suicide note.

Didn't you just say it could be

something with the right arrangement?!

Well, I gave it

another thought, okay?

And if you can't keep

your voice down in my house,

get out!

Hey, Carol.

- How's it going?

- Good. Good to see you.

Groovy shades.

Lyle, how's it going?

- Hal, hey. Good to see you.

- Hey. You, too.

I want you to meet Tony Asher.

Tony Asher, this is Hal Blaine.

The greatest drummer

working today.

And you never heard

of him, have you?

- I'm sorry.

- It's okay.

That's the secret. All these

guys, Hal, Tommy, Carol, Earl,

the whole band.

I mean, they're probably

the best in the business,

but they're studio musicians,

so nobody's ever heard of them.

It's crazy!

- Huh?

- Yeah, oh, yeah.

Yeah. Here you go.

Kettle drums? Thought we

were doing rock 'n' roll.

Ah, a whole new bag.

So what do we got

going here, Brian?

Uh, I don't know, Hal.

Just some ideas.

Try something.

Oh, excuse me.

- Bum, bum, bum.

- Yup.

Yeah, let's try it.

Mmm.

That's exactly how I want it.

You know what I'm gonna do?

Let's add a little

tie right here.

I think this'll sound better,

- a little smoother right there.

- You wanna tie the first one?

Okay, this is "I'm Waiting

For the Day," take six.

Here we go.

One, two, one, two, three.

Oh, hey! That was outta sight.

I mean, it really was, Al.

How did you play that?

- I don't know.

- What?!

How did you play that?

- It was a mistake.

- Well, if you repeat a mistake

every four bars,

it's not a mistake anymore.

- See what I mean?

- I love it.

- That was great.

- Okay, let's do it again.

Remember, it's the uh... uh... higher

octave on the upbeats and the bridge.

Hey, Brian?

- Yeah, I love that.

- Brian?

- Yeah?

- I think you might've screwed up here.

Really? Let me see.

Well, you've got

Lyle playing in D

- and the rest of us are in A major.

- Yeah, that's right.

How does that work? Two baselines

in two different keys?

Well, it works in my head.

It's all playing in my head.

The orchestration

and the five vocal parts.

I think it's gonna work.

Let's try it.

Oh, Hal? Hal?

Here's how I want you

to do it. It goes, uh...

the first beat on the

last bar of the intro.

Boom! Two, three, four.

Bah doom!

There's the North Star

right there.

- That's the North Star?

- Yeah, yeah. You knew that.

- I really didn't.

- Come on.

- I mean, it's a bright star.

- Have you ever...

have you ever seen this before?

- Never like this.

- Yeah.

I used to love

coming here as a kid, you know?

I love the feel of this place.

I really wanted

to take you here.

- You did?

- Yeah.

Demonstration booths.

Do you remember those?

- In the department store?

- Yeah, and that's when I first heard.

The Four Freshmen

and immediately my mind just...

- I mean, it's...

- Like magic.

Something happened and...

so I listened to those

harmonies and study them

after school, and I would

teach them to my brothers.

And we'd all sing.

And then I would

teach them to my parents

and we'd all be

sitting around singing.

My brothers and my parents

and everybody.

- Everybody.

- Wow.

That sounds like

such a wonderful childhood.

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