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This Famous Beach Boys Song Was Written by Charles Manson

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10.10.2026

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This Famous Beach Boys Song Was Written by Charles Manson

The Beach Boys turned Charles Manson’s ‘Cease to Exist’ into ‘Never Learn Not to Love.’ Their lyric changes reportedly enraged him.

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On December 2, 1968, the Beach Boys released “Never Learn Not to Love,” the B-side to their popular Ersel Hickey cover “Bluebirds Over the Mountain.” A slightly longer version of the track was subsequently included on their fifteenth studio album, 20/20, the following year:

Though the liner notes credit the song to Dennis Wilson, Charles Manson originally wrote it. As it turns out, Wilson met Manson earlier that year, and the two quickly became friends. The Manson........

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