| "Child Is Father of the Man" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Beach Boys | |
| from the album The Smile Sessions | |
| Released | October 31, 2011 |
| Recorded | October 11, 1966 – April 1967 |
| Studio | Western, Columbia, Sunset Sound, and Beach Boys, Los Angeles |
| Length | 2:14 |
| Label | Capitol |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Brian Wilson |
| Music video | |
| "Child Is Father of the Man" on YouTube | |
| Audio sample | |
"Child Is Father of the Man" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys that was written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks. It was originally recorded for the band's never-finished album Smile. In 2004, Wilson rerecorded the song for Brian Wilson Presents Smile. In 2011, the Beach Boys' original recording was released on The Smile Sessions.
The title derives from an idiom meaning that man is the product of habits and behavior developed in youth. Surviving tapes of the original recordings do not show any lyrics other than "child is father of the man". Parks penned new words for the 2004 version. The instrumentation includes keyboard, trumpet, vocal rounds, and a droning guitar saturated with reverb.[1] Elements of the song were later reworked for the band's "Little Bird" and "Surf's Up".