How ‘God Only Knows’ has come to define a generation and beyond
If you want a bit of a laugh, watch Never Mind The Buzzcocks, the new version with Greg Davies, season four, episode one. It’s a rock special where they get Courtney Love in as the guest captain on the show, and the whole thing is utter chaos. It’s a lot of fun trying to watch the other people on the show try to reel her in and get some kind of salvageable episode of TV from the wreckage, but she is notoriously chaotic, and therefore not the best guest to have on a light entertainment panel show. It makes for a good chuckle, though.
In her Buzzcocks ramblings, Courtney Love talks about Green Day, Chris Martin and the best balcony in Paris to take a shit from; however, buried in the bottom of all this nonsense is one statement that resonated, I’m sure, with music lovers across the country. As the panel were talking about what music they would like playing at their funeral, Love chimed in with “The only vocal, Beach Boys, ‘God Only Knows’, because that is proof of a higher power, actually.”
In the midst of the chaos, Love had managed to say something incredibly profound and beautiful, something which resonated with artists at the time of the song’s release, and that still seems to resonate with people now. So, here we are, almost 60 years after the initial release of the song, let’s take a look at just how impactful ‘God Only Knows’ was.
Before ‘God Only Knows’ was released as a single, it made an appearance on the Beach Boys’ iconic album Pet Sounds. When people started listening to that record, they knew right away that they were experiencing something special. ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, ‘You Still Believe In Me’ and ‘I’m Waiting For The Day’ all cement the record as something special, but the moment those first few seconds of ‘God Only Knows’ begins playing, it becomes evident that this is a song which can elevate a body of work from good to godly.
This isn’t just a song that sounded good; it’s one that highlighted the wonderful nature of Brian Wilson’s creativity. It inspires feelings of sadness and hope, and when he passed away earlier this year, it was the song that people most commonly turned to in a bid to comfort themselves during that difficult period, a reminder of the genius that he was and the legacy he left behind.
When he died, I was reminded of a quote from Graham Nash. Granted, he was talking about The Beatles ‘A Day In The Life’ at the time, but I believe, but I believe the sentiment perfectly applies to what is so bewildering about ‘God Only Knows’. “Their incredible simplicity and their incredible melodic structure is stunning to this day,” he said. “With all due respect, within this Western scale of music, there’s what? Twelve notes? Are you kidding me? The Beatles were unbelievable, and I think we all knew it.”
Yes, I agree that statement also applies to ‘A Day In The Life’, but we must remind ourselves that those kinds of Beatles songs wouldn’t exist were it not for The Beach Boys and songs such as ‘God Only Knows’. This kind of music didn’t just sound good; it inspired every band making music at the time and continues to inspire people who are making music today.
Paul McCartney himself admitted that Pet Sounds was the album that inspired him to go in the direction he did with the record Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. “I played it to John so much that it would be difficult for him to escape the influence. If records had a director within a band, I sort of directed [Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band], and my influence was basically the Pet Sounds album. John was influenced by it, perhaps not as much as me,” he said. “It was certainly a record we all played—it was the record of the time, you know? I’ve often played Pet Sounds and cried. It’s that kind of an album for me.”
While the entire album appealed to McCartney, he has since confirmed that ‘God Only Knows’ isn’t just his favourite piece from the album, but is his favourite song of all time. “‘God Only Knows’ is one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it,” admitted McCartney. “It’s really just a love song, but it’s brilliantly done. It shows the genius of Brian. I’ve actually performed it with him, and I’m afraid to say that during the sound check, I broke down.”
McCartney is one of many people who love this song and were influenced by it, but he is merely a drop in the ocean when we talk about the power of this track. The way that it resonated across the music industry, because of its beauty, composition and complexity, is something that cannot be understated. When people write modern love songs and songs of hope, they do so with this at the forefront of everything they create, trying to capture and bottle whatever it is that Brian Wilson was able to when he put this piece together.
“I really thought it was going to be everything it was,” Tony Asher concluded, who helped in the creation of the song. “And yet we were taking some real chances with it.”
