The song both Bono and Pete Townshend agree is “perfect”
As the 1970s passed into the 1980s, U2 frontman Bono was eager to carry the mantle that Pete Townshend’s The Who had established across classic rock’s pre-MTV chapter.
There was an affinity. Townshend had provided a supportive leg up in the industry back when U2 were a wide-eyed and hungry new wave outfit from Dublin, ready to conquer the world. Borrowing The Who’s grasp of widescreen anthemic attack, U2 would eventually cast aside their post-punk foundations and embrace arena scope and a wider plunder of Americana’s musical sediments to emerge as the biggest band on the planet.
Dues were made in 1990, when Bono, yet to shake off his The Joshua Tree Western look, inducted The Who to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, crediting Townshend with having afforded him “great courage” to push U2 to the heights they’d enjoy.
Bono’s always been magnanimous with appraisal for his music heroes, the U2 frontman notably celebrating his big 60 by penning a likewise number of love letters toward everybody from the Ramones to Billie Eilish for a unique Rolling Stone feature back in 2020. Townshend was famously more prickly, taking aim at the likes of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and even lauded guitar maestro Jimi Hendrix as either lacking originality or musical depth. However, even the churlish Who songwriter agreed with Bono on honouring one of US pop’s most visionary creative captains.
It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t like The Beach Boys. While the cold-hearted among us may deem the early surfing and hot rod cuts too sunny for their liking and find their overall oeuvre patchy beyond the 1960s, the output that orbits 1966’s Pet Sounds typically finds unanimous worship, a fascination with principal songwriter Brian Wilson’s visionary production that pushed pop to infinitely innovative terrain during the genesis of the album era.
Bono was unequivocal regarding his love for The Beach Boys’ most canonical cut. “I know that Brian believes in angels,” the U2 singer mused. “I do too. But you only have to listen to the string arrangement on ‘God Only Knows’ for fact and proof of angels.” Charged with ecclesiastical stir, heavenly orchestral flourish, and younger brother Carl Wilson’s angelic tones have touched many with a sense of the divine, just as easily translated to the church hall as the Billboard Hot 100, both in its hymn-like power and ambiguous lyrical devotion.
Less lofty but equally celebratory, Townshend similarly showered The Beach Boys’ number with high praise. “I love Brian,” Townshend once said. “There’s not many people I would say that about. I think he’s a truly, truly, truly great genius. I love him so much it’s just terrible—I find it hard to live with. ‘God Only Knows’ is simple and elegant and was stunning when it first appeared; it still sounds perfect…”
Aside from Liverpool’s finest cultural export, all roads typically lead to Wilson. Such a diverse cast of fans played out years later for 2014’s various artists cover for the BBC’s Children in Need, everybody from Dave Grohl, Stevie Wonder, and Kylie Minogue joining in for the rendition that could never hope to hold a candle to the enchanting original nearly 50 years earlier.
