In the Back of My Mind

1965 song by the Beach Boys

"In the Back of My Mind" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1965 album The Beach Boys Today!. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it is a heavily orchestrated ballad composed in 6/8 time. Dennis Wilson largely sings lead solo though briefly during the middle eight, his brothers Brian and Carl sing two lines in unison. Fans and critics regard the song as one of the band's "masterpieces". It is one of the group's songs that most heavily draw from the Tin Pan Alley style of songwriting, while the chord patterns were virtually unprecedented in Brian's music at the time. The song ends with a breakdown of its instruments playing out of sync from each other.

"In the Back of My Mind" is about someone who describes themselves as "blessed with everything", Music historian Charles Granata described the track as "disturbing" and "the antithesis of any prescribed commercial formula—a curious experiment marking an extreme deviation from the band." Howard similarly regarded its "stony lead vocal" and "warped string arrangement" as Wilson's "most ambitious arrangement to date."

"In the Back of My Mind" was recorded over two dates at Western Studios, both produced, arranged and conducted by Brian Wilson. 40 takes of the instrumental track were recorded on January 13, 1965, with the 39th being deemed the master. The vocals were overdubbed at a session on January 19, 1965. In a 1995 interview, Brian voiced dissatisfaction with Dennis' vocal, saying that it was not doubletracked well.

Fans and critics regard "In the Back of My Mind" as one of the band's "masterpieces". Peter Doggett said of Dennis' performance, "he showed for the first time an awareness that his voice could be a blunt emotional instrument. his erratic croon cut straight to the heart, with an urgency that his more precise brothers could never have matched." In his review for AllMusic, Matthew Greenwald offered praise of the song and its lyrics, saying that the choice of lead singer was good and that Dennis' performance is "wonderfully fragile." Biographer David Leaf wrote, "Dennis’ soulful lead vocals helps bring out the jazzy feel of a song that is really unique in the Brian Wilson catalogue. The lush yet subtle orchestration (listen to the oboe) and percussion on this track hinted at what was to come on Pet Sounds."

In 1975, Brian recorded a demo version of the song with himself on lead vocals and additional lyrics. It was released as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of his 2015 solo album No Pier Pressure.