[Updated 6/17/25]: As we continue to remember Brian Wilson in the wake of his death last week at age 82, we wanted to put a spotlight on our favorite Brian Wilson story in recent memory: the time in 2018 when he returned to his high school to officially get the failing grade he received for “Surfin'” in 1959 changed to an A. 

[Originally published 1/17/18]: Brian Wilson, co-founding singer, songwriter, and widely-renowned recording wizard for The Beach Boys, is widely considered to be something of a musical genius, having composed countless timeless hit songs and revolutionized the art of studio engineering with his meticulously constructed records. Powered largely by Wilson’s creative direction, The Beach Boys had over eighty songs chart worldwide, with thirty-six of them becoming U.S. Top 40 hits (the most by an American rock band) and four reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Beach Boys have sold in excess of 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time.

However, Wilson’s work wasn’t always held in such high regard. In 1959, when Brian Wilson and the rest of the original Beach Boys were still in school together at Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne, CA, he composed a song called “Surfin'” and submitted it for an assignment in his music class. His music teacher, Mr. Fred Morgan, gave the project a failing grade.

The Beach Boys – “Surfin'”
 

As we now know, “Surfin'” wound up making its way onto the Beach Boy’s 1962 debut album, Surfin’ Safari, and went on to become their first of many hit records. As Brian’s high school music teacher Fred Morgan explains, “Brian wrote a composition for me and it turned out to be ‘Surfin.’ That composition got an F, but it made a million dollars.” Earlier this week, the now 75-year-old Wilson returned to Hawthorne High School where the current principal, Dr. Vanessa Landesfeind, officially changed Wilson’s grade on “Surfin'” to an ‘A’.

Wilson has been working through an enormous world tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of his masterpiece LP, Pet Sounds, and has several more dates scheduled for this Spring. For a list up upcoming dates, head to Wilson’s website.

Congrats on that A, Brian–maybe now you can get into a good college! All’s well that ends well.

[h/t – Billboard]