Wilson stated in a 1977 interview that he conceived some of the lyrics while driving to a parents' meeting at his daughters' school. He explained that he had looked up at the sky and started thinking about the Solar System. "It's just something that came into my mind. Later on, I developed it into the song; I didn't come up with the title that night but I wrote the words in the car." In 1995, he gave a similar account and added that, when he got home, he finished the song on his piano, exclaiming, "This is a
gr-eat song! These lyrics are great. This melody is great. (
whistles) I've got a beauty here!" He then named it one of his favorites on
The Beach Boys Love You, adding, "When I'm 90, I'm gonna be as proud of that song as I am now." In 2007, Wilson offered a different recollection of the song's genesis, saying that the song was written in his head while he was attending a weekly
astrology class at
UCLA. Trish Campo, former chief administrator of
Brother Studios, recalled Brian at the studio sitting at a
Hammond B-3 organ, absently gazing at the giant circular stained glass window over him depicting planets and stars. Later that afternoon, Campo heard "Solar System" coming out of the studio. ==Personnel==