http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOMyS78o5YI Like Good Vibrations, God Only Knows is one of the Beach Boys's most famous songs. It could also be argued that the tune is one of the most influential, if not the most influential, song in pop music history; after all, this is the song that spawned The Beatles' famous album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (all of the Fab Four, but especially Lennon and McCartney, were so awed by God Only Knows that they recorded Sgt. Pepper's in an attempt to top it). Many pop and rock singers and songwriters have cited this song as one of their favorites, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bono, and Pete Townshend (of The Who), among others. One thing, however, is totally inarguable: this song is one of the most beautiful that the Boys ever recorded. God Only Knows is such an acclaimed song today that it's hard to believe how many times the song was almost scrapped in the course of its conception. The biggest controversy was over the song's mention of God; everybody involved in the song, including Brian Wilson himself, were worried that the song would get no airplay as a result of the religious overtones. However, Tony Asher, the lyricist of the song, came to the song's rescue (as he would several times), appealing to Brian's spiritual side by stating that the positive use of the idea of God would give the song a good vibe. On those grounds, Brian eventually agreed to leave the lyric unchanged. Recording sessions for the song began on March 10, 1966, with Carl Wilson playing the twelve-string guitar. Brian and Carl were joined by a group of 23 musicians (a large and highly unusual amount of musicians for pop music at the time), playing instruments that ranged from basic drums and guitars to such rare-for-pop-music instruments as French horns, accordion and cello. Finaly, after 20 takes, an instrumental track was finally produced that satisfied Brian. The vocal sessions took place during March and April 1966, featuring Carl as lead singer with Brian and Bruce Johnston singing backup. Brian heavily utilized the recording technology of the time to get the vocals exactly as he wanted; Johnston recalls that, after Carl went home exhausted after a long day of recording, he and Brian stayed hours afterward, filling an 8-track tape with vocal tracks featuring Brian singing two parts at once, the high and the low, with Johnston providing the middle. Brian also utilized the then-new technique of double-tracking, splitting Carl's lead vocal track into two exact duplicates and then laying one on top of the other, resulting in a melodically richer vocal track. The result of this song is a beautiful tune, notable for its sad tone while dealing with a happy subject; in fact, the song is typical of the sort of song that Tony Asher described as defining Pet Sounds: "...Sad songs about happiness." The mixture of tones, however, is perfect for a song like this; it exemplifies the mix of emotions and thoughts that one feels when one's really in love.
Alan Howell is a native of Southern California. He loves movies of any and all kinds, Hollywood, indie, and everywhere in between. He loves pizza, sitcoms, rock and pop music, surfing, baseball, reading, and girls (not necessarily in that order).