“The idea of taking a song, envisioning the overall sound in my head and then bringing the arrangement to life in the studio…well, that gives me satisfaction like nothing else.”

I wake up in the morning and I say ‘Ahh! Today’s the day for a song! I’m going to write a song today!’ And I do. I write a song.

You’re called a genius by people, and then your whole life you become the part.

I earned my famous name.

I was very, very financially secure my whole life. I have been very lucky to say that.

I like the piano – I’m always about 15 feet away from a piano.

I always do get a little bit paranoid when I get a lot of attention. But I get used to it.

I have auditory hallucinations, I hear voices saying derogatory things, like I’m terrible and I’m going to die, and they’re usually worse in the afternoon.

All of the artists did such a beautiful job I can’t thank them enough. I’m just honored that ‘God Only Knows’ was chosen. ‘God Only Knows’ is a very special song. An extremely spiritual song and one of the best I’ve ever written.

The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Phil Spector. Those were my idols.

I’m happy; I’m a happy person.

I can write songs, I’ve had songs in movies, but I can’t compose film scores, you know?

Surfing music is dead. It was just a summer craze for kids on the beach. I’m finished with it.

I’d earned over a million dollars by the time I was old enough to vote.

I meditate and I also think about meditation. Which is funny. I think about Maharishi, about just the idea of meditating. It gives me something.

I’m not a genius. I’m just a hard-working guy.

I’m doing good. I’ve had a slight nervous breakdown in the ’60s. I got through that. And I got through the ’70s. And I was in a doctor’s program during the ’80s and then I met Melinda and we’ve been together ever since. I’ve got a happy life.

I love the ground under his feet, and the air over his head, and everything he touches and every word he says. I love all his looks, and all his actions and him entirely and all together.

My heart tells stories my head can only dream about.

Words and images run riot in my head, pursuing, flying, clashing, merging, endlessly. But beyond this tumult there is a great calm, and a great indifference, never really to be troubled by anything again.

There’s something dripping in my head. A heart, a heart in my head.

I made up so many worlds in my head I forgot which One I lived in.

If you place your head in a lion’s mouth, then you cannot complain one day if he happens to bite it off.

In my head there are several windows, that I do know, but perhaps it is always the same one, open variously on the parading universe.

When something comes to my brain, I don’t ignore it. You never know what it’s going to turn into.