Nick Grimshaw’s guest on his excellent BBC 6 Music breakfast show this morning was the great Brian Cox, he of the world of acting, not the stargazer, and of course he was a fascinating listen. As well as engaging in conversation, Grimmy’s guests are asked to choose an upbeat piece of music to play. Cox simply chose his favourite song: God Only Knows by The Beach Boys. Somehow, it just felt right.
With many songs from the past, I groan when I hear them for the umpteenth time. For example, while I am not a massive fan of Oasis, there are some of their songs I like. Acquiesce, despite Noel Gallagher’s typically gobbledegook lyrics, is an absolute banger. But play Wonderwall or Don’t Look Back In Anger and to my ears it’s fingernails down a blackboard. I may have liked them back in the 1990s, but today, it’s a real, “Oh fuck, no” moment. I’ve just heard the songs too much. Same as The Eagles’ Hotel California, Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline (especially the “so good, so good, so good” aberration) and, I know this is probably sacrilege, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama. These artists have so many better songs – yes, even Skynyrd – but you never hear them. But God Only Knows? That’s something else.
God Only Knows appeared on 1966’s classic Pet Sounds album, Brian Wilson’s masterpiece. While much of the band’s pre Pet Sounds material falls under the heading “Overplayed”, God Only Knows certainly doesn’t.
Wilson said he wrote it in response to The Beatle’s 1965 album Rubber Soul, unarguably in my view one of the greatest albums of all time and Paul McCartney himself, a great friend and admirer of Wilson, proclaimed it to be his favourite song ever, as did Jimmy Webb who wrote a close contender for The World’s Greatest Song with Wichita Lineman.
Yet it’s true: the song does not age. Nor does the production or the performance and certainly not the vocals. It’s five seconds short of three minutes long and features just the three voices, with brother Carl Wilson on lead vocals, Brian at the top end and Bruce Johnston somewhere in the middle. People have their own opinions on what the best song of all time is and, I confess, that mine changes from week to week, sometimes day to day, although it usually ends with Since I Left You by The Avalanches. But God Only Knows is pure perfection and, incredibly, as with the whole Pet Sounds record, Brian was 23 when he wrote and recorded it and just 24 when it came out. Frankly, that’s ridiculous. It’s genius, too, and I never tire of it. In fact, when I hear the introduction I still get the same buzz of excitement as when I heard it as a very young boy.
I can’t explain why it is that we get tired of certain songs and not others. I don’t know if it is really is because some songs are better than others or that there’s something more mysterious going on. But hearing Grimmy play Brian Cox’s choice of music for a Monday morning was, as ever, a special moment. Class, as they say, is permanent. Maybe that’s it?
