Brian Wilson has joined forces with the late Glen Campbell for a posthumous duet of Campbell’s song, “Strong.”
“Strong (with Brian Wilson)” is the latest entry in the upcoming duet collection Glen Campbell Duets — Ghost on the Canvas Sessions, which is out everywhere on April 19th. Originally appearing on Campbell’s 2011 “farewell” album Ghost on the Canvas, “Strong” is a warm, string-laden track that describes Campbell’s onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Campbell vows to his wife to maintain his resilience in the face of the disease, confessing, “All I want to be for you is strong.” All the while, signature harmonies from Wilson add a dreamy, hopeful feel, and Wilson shares Campbell’s verses with conviction and clarity. Listen to the song below.
Of the posthumous collaboration, Brian Wilson said in a statement, “Glen was a great singer and a great guy. Our intention in doing ‘Strong’ was to echo back to ‘Guess I’m Dumb’ and the times that Glen and I worked together. It’s kinda got that vibe to it and I dig the sound of it.” Wilson previously co-wrote the song “Guess I’m Dumb” with Russ Titelman in 1965, but the song ended up going to Campbell instead of Wilson’s The Beach Boys — this marked the first of several collaborations between Glen Campbell and Brian Wilson.
“Dreams do come true,” said the song’s original co-writer and producer, Julian Raymond. “Hearing Brian and his team record one of Glen’s wife Kim’s favorite songs was very emotional for sure. Everything that Brian has been through himself shows up in this performance of ‘Strong.’”
“Strong” follows previous duets “The Long Walk Home” with Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval, “There’s No Me Without You” with Carole King, “Nothing but the Whole Wide World” with Eric Clapton, and “Hold on Hope” with Eric Church. Dolly Parton, Elton John, Daryl Hall, and Brian Setzer are also set to appear on Glen Campbell Duets — Ghost on the Canvas Sessions. Pre-orders are ongoing.
Wilson, meanwhile, can relate to Campbell’s message of resilience in “Strong”: the 81 year-old singer and songwriter was recently diagnosed with dementia and placed under a conservatorship.