The Beach Boys Popular Song Rankings [2025]

Break AwayThe Beach Boys15rank/position

The Beach Boys – Break Away

Break Away was released as a single in 1969.

It is included as a bonus track on the album 20/20.

The single did not perform well on the charts, peaking at No.

63 on Billboard.

It’s a melodious pop song with a chorus that makes you want to sing along.

Caroline, NoThe Beach Boys16rank/position

Caroline, No (Mono)

A track with an experimental sound, where metallic tones from an instrument you can’t even imagine and heavily effected percussion create an exotic mood.

The falsetto vocals are so beautiful that you can listen in a daze—it’s a masterpiece—but in the latter half, the field recordings of a passing train and a dog barking add a strangely unique atmosphere, making it a song that leaves you with a curious feeling after just one listen.

Darlin’The Beach Boys17rank/position

Darlin’ (Remastered 2001)

A track released in 1967 that’s striking for Carl Wilson’s powerful, youthful, slightly raspy high lead vocal.

The lively 16-beat feel and piano-driven rhythm make it an especially pleasant listen.

For a group famed for the beauty of their choral work, it’s unusual: Carl sings the opening solo, and then the chorus jumps in all at once at the refrain—an arrangement that makes the song particularly interesting.

Do It AgainThe Beach Boys18rank/position

Do It Again (Remastered 2001)

A track released in 1969.

It moves along with a solid, heavy beat, but the lyrics are all about surfing and the beach—quintessential Beach Boys flavor.

Released just after the peak of the youthful surf rock era, it’s a moody, more mature surf rock number that showcases the Beach Boys’ seasoned finesse.

Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)The Beach Boys19rank/position

Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (Mono)

The exquisite ballad “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)” from the historic masterpiece Pet Sounds.

Brian Wilson’s sweet, delicate solo vocal quietly melts into the majestic resonance woven by strings and timpani.

Doesn’t it make you feel wrapped in a wordless intimacy, as if you were resting your head on a lover’s chest, listening to the beat of their heart? Perhaps everyone has had those moments, spending time with someone precious, when silent moments feel dearest of all.

This song gently teaches us the value of true dialogue that exists within such silence.

Getcha BackThe Beach Boys20rank/position

Getcha Back (Remastered 2000)

The opening track from the 1985 album “The Beach Boys’ 85.” After thriving through the ’60s and ’70s, the band went about five years without releasing an album due to a member’s death and struggles with mental illness.

This song was created when they reunited after that hiatus.

With its choral arrangements, vocals, and unmistakable Beach Boys flavor transported into the 1980s, it became a hit number.

Heroes And VillainsThe Beach Boys21rank/position

Heroes And Villains

Although work began in 1967, the album SMILE was ultimately shelved when the leader, Brian, suffered a mental breakdown after the poor reception of Pet Sounds.

Years later, in 2011, recordings from those original sessions were released.

After completing this experimental album release, this track—constructed by splicing songs together into an arrangement brimming with madness—continues to captivate fans to this day.