"Til I Die" was a song Brian had been working on since mid-1970. It was written while he was suffering from an existential crisis, having recently threatened to drive his car off the Santa Monica pier and ordered his gardener to dig a grave in his backyard. He spent weeks arranging "Til I Die", using an electronic drum machine and crafting a harmony-driven, vibraphone and organ-laden background. The group initially rejected the song. According to Johnston, "one member of the band didn't understand it and put it down, and Brian just decided not to show it to us for a few months. ... He was absolutely crushed."