The 1970 song Brian Wilson called “the most unbelievable piece ever”
From day one, Brian Wilson was never satisfied with turning in merely good material.
Throughout his time with The Beach Boys, Wilson was looking to take music in a different direction than typical rock and rollers, taking the energy of artists like Chuck Berry and infusing it with the musical sophistication of The Four Freshmen. As Wilson became more enamoured with music, he soon found competition coming from the other side of the pond.
While The Beach Boys’ first major hits revolved around having fun in the sun in California, the British Invasion had started making its inroads into the mainstream. Taking the basis of American rock, artists like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones quickly competed with The Beach Boys, with the Fab Four making the biggest first impression possible on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Even though Wilson was initially intimidated by the British acts, he began to view their music as a playful competition after a while. Outside of the significant artistic achievements he put into tracks like ‘California Girls’, Wilson became interested in the album format that The Beatles were using, taking the collection of songs and turning them into an artistic statement.
After making his answer to his British friends with Pet Sounds, Paul McCartney would eventually pick up where Wilson left off, forming the basis of Sgt Peppers as a retort to what Wilson had been doing. While Wilson would try to counteract The Beatles with projects like Smile a few months later, his plans quickly fell through after suffering various mental health issues.
However, The Beatles wouldn’t be around much longer, either, with every band member starting to grow hostile towards each other before falling out over management. Although John Lennon and McCartney had demons to work through on their first solo outings, the 1970s belonged to George Harrison with the release of the album All Things Must Pass.
Having stockpiled several excellent tracks, Harrison delivered his debut solo album as a triple LP of new music, taking his favourite songs he had been working on and turning them into musical ecstasy on tracks like ‘Beware of Darkness’ and the title track. While Wilson was paying attention to Harrison as a songwriter, one of the biggest tracks for him was ‘My Sweet Lord’.
The song represented something different from the usual pop framework Wilson was used to analysing. Rather than focusing purely on arrangement or melody, ‘My Sweet Lord’ carried a spiritual weight that elevated it beyond a standard hit, blending devotion with a sense of grandeur that felt both personal and universal.
For Wilson, this was a reminder that great music could transcend technical brilliance. While he had spent years perfecting structure and harmony, Harrison’s work showed that emotion and belief could be just as powerful in shaping a song’s impact, leaving a lasting impression that resonated far beyond its initial release.
Fashioned as a prayer, Harrison’s ode to a higher power became one of his signature tunes, aided by the massive ‘Wall of Sound’ from Phil Spector. Although Wilson had his own ‘Wall of Sound’ with his main outfit, he admitted to not coming anywhere close to what Harrison achieved.
Later talking about the song, Wilson thought that ‘My Sweet Lord’ was one of the greatest in its field, saying, “I always liked him when he was in The Beatles, and then when I heard ‘My Sweet Lord’, I just about croaked. I couldn’t believe it. It was one of the most unbelievable pieces of music I ever heard”.
Wilson would attest to Harrison’s spirituality, later recalling that his great songs come from a higher power rather than any linear format. The Beach Boys may have been constantly competing with The Beatles in the early days, but their playful rivalry paid off for fans, resulting in the most incredible music of the 1960s and beyond.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Beatles Newsletter
All the latest stories about The Beatles from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.