Heroes and Villains – lyrics
E73856
Heroes and Villains – lyrics is the surreal, wordplay-rich text Van Dyke Parks wrote for the Beach Boys’ ambitious 1966–67 single “Heroes and Villains,” central to the mythic SMiLE project.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Beach Boys song component
→
poetic text → song lyrics → written work → |
| associatedAct |
The Beach Boys
→
|
| associatedAlbum |
Smiley Smile
→
|
| associatedAlbumProject |
SMiLE
→
|
| author |
Van Dyke Parks
NERFINISHED
→
|
| collaborationWith |
Brian Wilson
→
|
| copyrightCategory |
musical work lyrics
→
|
| copyrightHolder |
Brian Wilson
→
Van Dyke Parks NERFINISHED → |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States
→
|
| creationPeriod |
1966
→
1967 → |
| firstOfficialReleaseContext |
Heroes and Villains single
→
|
| firstOfficialReleaseYear |
1967
→
|
| genre |
psychedelic pop lyrics
→
surrealist lyrics → |
| hasMultipleVersions |
yes
→
|
| influencedBy |
American folk imagery
→
Tin Pan Alley wordplay → Western movies → |
| language |
English
→
|
| lyricsFor |
Heroes and Villains
→
|
| notableLine |
Heroes and villains, just see what you’ve done
→
In the cantina, Margarita keeps the spirits high → I’ve been in this town so long that back in the city I’ve been taken for lost and gone → My children were raised, you know they suddenly rise → |
| originalIntendedReleaseContext |
SMiLE album
→
|
| partOf |
SMiLE mythos
→
|
| primaryComposerOfMusic |
Brian Wilson
→
|
| structure |
modular sections
→
multiple narrative vignettes → |
| stylisticFeatures |
American frontier motifs
→
Old West references → alliteration → fragmented narrative → internal rhyme → mythic Americana → nonsense-like phrases → surreal imagery → wordplay → |
| subjectOf |
critical analysis of SMiLE
→
fan interpretations → |
| theme |
American West mythology
→
heroes and villains duality → moral ambiguity → romantic intrigue → small-town life → |
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Van Dyke Parks
→
|
notableWork |