The Beach Boys song that Courtney Love said proves the existence of God
Who would have had Courtney Love down for a religious advocate? Sure, many people describe songs as heavenly, but very few people state that a song’s existence is proof of heaven. That’s exactly what Courtney Love did when discussing her dream song for her funeral, and when you consider the track she’s talking about, she might have a point.
Music and religion have always been closely connected. In fact, trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah once justified Sun Ra’s claims to be sent from another world because it made sense to him that if someone fell from the stars, they would be a musician. He explained his reasoning, saying that it’s a universal language and, therefore, it’s important any higher power coming to earth would need to speak it.
“It makes sense to me that if the Creator sent anyone here, it would be a person who had mastered music, the planet’s universal language,” he said. “Sound is the beginning of all creation, the Nomma, the Om, and the Nam that direct our lives.”
Music and religion have been interlinked ever since the Old Testament. Ezekiel 28:13 says, “The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.” In other words, an individual’s musical ability is the result of God, and we have God to thank for our musical ability.
This is why so many different religions incorporate praise songs. They use their vocals and music to get closer to God, using the things their creator gave them to celebrate that same creator. It makes perfect sense, and arguably, there is nothing more euphoric than music, which is why so many people feel good when they go to religious ceremonies; they bask in the celebration of life using a celebration of music.
Courtney Love also subscribes to the theory that music proves the existence of a higher power; however, her reasoning is much more grounded than a verse from the Bible or a passing thought from a trumpeter. Love says that she believes proof of a higher power lies in a Beach Boys classic that is so beautiful that it has to have been created by omnipotent design.
Pet Sounds was a groundbreaking album that combined multiple styles of music and used delicate harmony as a means to give listeners something they hadn’t been subject to before. There are plenty of great hits on that record, but one of the most famous is ‘God Only Knows’, one of the most-loved songs in the world and one of the Beach Boys most acclaimed.
When Love was asked about what song she would like to be played at her funeral, she said, “The only vocal, Beach Boys, ‘God Only Knows’, because that is proof of a higher power, actually.” Her statement might not convert non-believers, but it is a testament to the beauty engrained within such a classic.
