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As quoted in Wikipedia, Brian Wilson said of the recording event: "All of the artists did such a beautiful job. . . . I can’t thank them enough, I'm just honored that 'God Only Knows' was chosen. 'God Only Knows' is a very special song. An extremely spiritual song and one of the best I've ever written."
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The single was originally issued by the Beach Boys in July 1966 backed with "Wouldn't it be Nice"; in some countries, "God Only Knows" was the "A" side, and in others, it was the "B" side. Both songs were co-written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher; Asher says of his role in the songwriting (as quoted in Wikipedia): "The general tenor of the lyrics was often [Brian's]; however, the actual choice of words was usually mine. I was really just his interpreter."
While not the very first – "God Bless America" as made famous by Kate Smith is arguably one example – "God Only Knows" is one of the earliest pop songs to name "God" in the title. The theme of the song is a man or woman who is contemplating life after death to their lover. Again as quoted in Wikipedia, Tony Asher says of this song: "This is the one [song] that I thought would be a hit record because it was so incredibly beautiful. I was concerned that maybe the lyrics weren't up to the same level as the music; how many love songs start off with the line, "I may not always love you"? I liked that twist, and fought to start the song that way. Working with Brian [Wilson], I didn't have a whole lot of fighting to do, but I was certainly willing to fight to the end for that. . . . 'God Only Knows' is, to me, one of the great songs of our time. I mean the great songs. Not because I wrote the lyrics, but because it is an amazing piece of music that we were able to write a very compelling lyric to. It's the simplicity — the inference that 'I am who I am because of you' — that makes it very personal and tender."
Paul McCartney has remarked on many occasions that "God Only Knows" is one of his very favorite songs; in a 1990 interview (from Wikipedia), he said of this song: "It's a really, really great song – it's a big favorite of mine. I was asked recently to give my top ten favorite songs for a Japanese radio station. . . . I didn't think long and hard on it, but I popped that ["God Only Knows"] on the top of my list. [Thinks for a moment] It's very deep. [Quotes the lyrics to "God Only Knows"] Very emotional, always a bit of a choker for me, that one. There are certain songs that just hit home with me, and they're the strangest collection of songs . . . but that is high on the list, I must say."
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In addition to these two songs, "Wouldn't it be Nice" and "God Only Knows", Tony Asher also wrote lyrics for 6 additional songs on the Beach Boys' landmark 1966 album, Pet Sounds. (Asher also wrote the original lyrics for "Good Vibrations" that was intended to be included on that album also; his lyrics were not recorded until the 2004 release of "Good Vibrations" as part of the album, Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE). Although sales in this country were slow initially, Pet Sounds had strong sales overseas and is now regarded as one of the most influential popular music albums ever recorded.
To some extent, Pet Sounds was Brian Wilson's answer to the Beatles' Rubber Soul album; and in turn, the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album is in response to Pet Sounds. Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds were voted #1 and #2, respectively, on the Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
(October 2014)
