Monday, June 29, 2015

Music Monday - "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys (1966)


I have always loved the Beach Boys.   They are second only to the Beatles in my list of musical favorites.  I change my mind from time to time about my favorite of their songs, but I keep coming back to "God Only Knows."  This is such a beautiful song, written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, and featured on the album Pet Sounds.  The lyrics and harmonies are beautiful.  The song begins:


"I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it
God only knows what I'd be without you"

I also  love the instrumentation, which includes French horns, violins, cellos, and even accordions.

This song was featured in the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy.  I saw the movie this weekend, and if you love retro music and the Beach Boys, it is a must see!  I think it may be my all-time favorite musical biopic (and this is a genre I love).  It is beautifully written, with strong performances from Paul Dano, John Cusack, and Elizabeth Banks.  The way that love brings Brian Wilson back to his life, and ultimately saves him after a breakdown, is both moving and uplifting.  I've included the trailer from the movie for you:

Do you love the Beach Boys? Have you seen Love & Mercy? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

10 comments:

Me Imperturbe said...

That has always been one of my favorite songs too! This weekend someone on the radio- don't remember who- described it as one of the most perfect pop songs ever written. Personally I'd agree, along with some of Paul Mccartney's songs- Let it be, for instance.

Lisa @ Adventures of a Dream Catcher said...

The trailer for that movie made it look amazing!! I'd really like to see it, but it looks like it is already gone from the theater by me. Glad to hear that you weren't disappointed with it.

Mary Huckaby said...

I agree! This is a beautiful song--probably my favorite song of the Beach Boys.

Bob Gilliland said...

This is also one of my definite favorites. I've always thought it has a sort of hymnal quality, all the way down to that wonderful ascending organ line before the verse. Brilliant and beautiful. "Love & Mercy" is a wonderful film. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since seeing it this past Saturday. I think it shows Brian as being far more creatively original and humane than his mythology has ever addressed.

Birdhouse Books said...

Thank you all for the visits! I'm so happy that you also love this song. It is probably another for my "top 10" song list.

Me_Imperturbe - great description as one of the most perfect pop songs!

Bob, absolutely about the hymnal quality ... I agree completely. Really like what you wrote about Love & Mercy -- "shows Brian as being far more creatively original and humane than his mythology has ever addressed."

Trish

Mags said...

That's always been my favorite Beach Boys song too. So beautiful.

Earl-Leigh Designs said...

This is one of the three Beach Boys songs I like. I want to like them because its the epitome of summer music but I had a roommate in college who ruined them for me. Beach Boys everyday for four years.

Unknown said...

I love the beach boys, after watching that trailer I'm going to the movies sometime this week. It looks great!

Sonya Kendall said...

I hadn't every heard of the movie Love & Mercy, but after watching the trailer I want to see it. I love watching movies based off of real life stories. You never really know what someone's story is.

Birdhouse Books said...

Thanks for your comments! If y'all see Love & Mercy, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.