Many people and publications think of The Beach Boys’ landmark 1966 album, Pet Sounds, to be the greatest achievement in popular music history. It’s often mentioned in the same breath as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Dark Side of the Moon, Blonde on Blonde, Songs in the Key of Life, Thriller, and even Nevermind. According to Rolling Stone, only Sgt. Pepper’s was a greater album.
God Only Knows is, in my ever so humble opinion, the centerpiece and masterpiece on this album. I can’t say that Wouldn’t it Be Nice or I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times aren’t equally as perfect in terms of songwriting and performance, but I can say that there’s something about God Only Knows which elevates it.
Is it the sense of unconditional love in the lyrics? No, because by that measure, Taylor Dayne’s I’ll Always Love You could be my #1. Is it the warm sentiment in the instrumentation, particularly when the strings enter the mix at the start of the second verse? No, because if it were, Walk Away Renee by the Left Banke could be my #1 (it’s a good song, but not the best ever). Maybe it’s the fascinating way that Brian Wilson could incorporate complex chord structures, borrowing heavily from the intricate voicings of jazz chords which make it so amazing to me? Well, I do love the complexity of the music, but if that were the reason, then I could also suggest that The Four Freshman’s Graduation Day is the best song ever. Good song, but no.
This is one of those songs in which which a perfect confluence of variables fell into place. To clarify, saying that they “fell into place” is almost the same as not giving Brian Wilson credit for his ability to hear the finished song in his head before he ever went into the studio to record the first note of the intro (and by the way, Brian Wilson was only 23 when he made Pet Sounds…when I was 23, I could barely make dinner).
On occasion throughout history, certain songwriters and artists have moments of seemingly divine inspiration. From Beethoven’s Ode to Joy to Robert Johnson’s Cross Road Blues to The Beatles’ entire career to Beyonce’s Lemonade – these moments happen and humanity is all the richer for it.
I can’t elucidate why Pet Sounds is most emblematic of that touched-by-the-hand-of-god feeling for me. Maybe it’s all of the above, maybe it’s Brian Wilson’s angelic falsetto in the coda. Whatever it is, it’s as real to me as the earth below my feet and the sky above.
And this was my ringtone whenever my grandmother called my cell phone. And someday, it will be the ringtone when my soon-to-arrive daughter (who will be named after my grandmother) calls me from her phone.
Enjoy this song. It’s a crowning achievement.
