As the news of Brian Wilson’s passing reverberates around the music world, it’s great to know that his contributions are appreciated by artists young and old. Paul McCartney is one of Wilson’s biggest admirers, and considers The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” the “greatest song of all time.”
The quote comes from a 2007 interview with BBC Radio 1, where McCartney discussed the Wilson composition and why it means so much to him. “It’s one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it,” McCartney said. “It’s really just a love song, but it’s brilliantly done. It shows the genius of Brian.”
McCartney has long discussed the impact of coming up with The Beatles as Wilson and his band broke sonic and conceptual boundaries. “Brian Wilson sort of proved himself to be a really amazing composer,” he told The Ronnie Wood Show in 2012. “I was into chords and harmonies and stuff at that time, and we ended up with kind of like a rivalry. We put a song out and Brian would hear it, and then he’d do one. Which is nice – it’s like me and John. You know, you kind of try and top each other all the time.” Watch a clip of McCartney discussing Wilson, his performance of “God Only Knows” alongside him for a benefit concert, and the genius of his songwriting below, as well as a clip from the duo’s performance together.
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