Paul McCartney shares heartfelt tribute to “musical genius” Brian Wilson
Paul McCartney is the latest musical icon to honour The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, who died on June 11th, aged 82.
As it stands, no cause of death has been revealed for Wilson, who was put into a conservatorship last year due to his battle with dementia. His children announced his passing on social media, writing: “We are heartbroken to announced that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now.”
They also expressed a desire for privacy while they grieve, adding, “Please respect our privacy at this time as our family grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.”
Following the heartbreaking announcement of his death, the music world has mourned his passing with Bob Dylan, Ronnie Wood, and Keith Richards among those paying tribute to the late pop pioneer. Sting also covered ‘God Only Knows’ during a show in Germany hours after his passing.
Now, McCartney, who has discussed his adoration of Wilson’s talents at length on several occasions and considers ‘God Only Knows’ to be the greatest song of all time, wrote on Facebook: “Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special. The notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time. I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while.”
McCartney continued by referencing his favourite song of all time, writing, “How we will continue without Brian Wilson, ‘God Only Knows’.” He signed off the message by saying, “Thank you, Brian.”
The Beatle had the opportunity to perform ‘God Only Knows’ live with Wilson at the Adopt-A-Minefield Benefit Gala in Los Angeles in 2002, which was a dream come true for McCartney and one of his most precious memories.
He admitted in a 2007 interview: “‘God Only Knows’ is one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it, 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 soundcheck I broke down.”
McCartney continued: “It was just too much to stand there singing this song that does my head in and to stand there singing it with Brian.”
Additionally, McCartney holds Pet Sounds close to his heart, and once said of the album in 1990: “The early surf records…I was aware of them as a musical act, and I used to like all that, but I didn’t get deeply interested in it—it was just a real nice sound. We used to admire the singing, the high falsetto really and the very sort of ‘California’ lyrics. It was later… it was Pet Sounds that blew me out of the water. First of all, it was Brian’s writing.”
McCartney to heap praise, adding, “I love the album so much. I’ve just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life—I figure no one is educated musically ’til they’ve heard that album. I was into the writing and the songs.”
Wilson is survived by his two children, Carnie and Wendy, who he shared with his first wife, Marilyn Rovell. He also adopted five children with his late second wife, Melinda Ledbetter, who he married in 1995.
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