A shiver went down my spine when I heard the BBC's new rendition of 'God Only Knows', released yesterday. It is a powerful polyphonic song, like the original 1966 Beach Boys single. But this time around the many voices comprise a constellation of stars that have gathered to help promote BBC Music. It's a veritable who's who of contemporary music. 27 A-list artists including One Direction, Chris Martin, Lorde, Elton John, Emeli Sandé and Pharell Williams join Brian Wilson on the track, all accompanied by an 80 piece orchestra.
Back in 1966, Wilson was exhausted from a gruelling touring schedule and experiencing some form of stage fright. So he was rested from life on the road, which gave him more time to write and reflect. He teamed up with a new lyricist, Tony Asher, and found a way to create a new style of music that integrated the total sound of Phil Spector with Wilson's own musical genius. The result was a masterpiece. Pet Sounds is rarely omitted from any 'Top 10 albums of all time' list. It was another step in the ongoing rivalry between the beaches of California and the docks of Liverpool as the Beach Boys took on the Beatles in a transatlantic musical sparring match. Paul McCartney has often said that without Pet Sounds there would never have been Sergeant Pepper.
But it didn't do well at the time, despite the inclusion of great songs such as 'Sloop John B' and 'Wouldn't it be nice'. Perhaps this was because it was ahead of its time - it's since been credited as the first concept album. Sometimes genius is only seen in retrospect. At least Brian Wilson has been lucky enough to be recognised in his lifetime.
Right at the heart of Pet Sounds was this very controversial song. 'God only Knows' was one of the first pop songs to dare to put the word 'God' in its title according to Rolling Stone magazine. The Beach Boys' titular invocation of the almighty was enough to scare off many DJs from giving it airtime, so it only charted at number 39 in the US. But God's name was not used lightly. Wilson reports that the song came out of a prayer session in the studio - a spiritual event if you will.
Musically, the song itself is many layered - Wilson builds up a huge range of instruments: a brass section, a string section and percussion that includes sleigh bells, and there's even an accordion in the mix. On top of that he adds the Beach Boys' signature harmonies as well as bringing in in a musical technique normally reserved for classical music. Apparently this is technically a very difficult thing to produce. Musicologist John Rahn argues:
"It is hard to write a beautiful song. It is harder to write several individually beautiful songs that, when sung simultaneously, sound as a more beautiful polyphonic whole....The way that is accomplished in detail is...'counterpoint'."
The lyrics also complement with different voices both denying and affirming enduring love. First we are told it is unlikely that the singer could promise to always stay in love. Then we are informed his love will endure as long as there are stars. In the second verse we are told that if the relationship would end then of course life would go on, but there would be nothing in it worth living for. The song teases us with both the fragility of love and the desire for its permanence.
By daring to cover a song as iconic as 'God only Knows', the BBC is taking quite an artistic risk. But you could argue it's a lesser risk than the last Children in Need collaboration - 'Perfect Day' by Lou Reed. That song's lyrical innocence has been in dispute for a while. Many understand the song to be a hymn to the power of heroin. The Perfect Day cover may have been the biggest misreading of a lyric since the Christian pop band Sixpence None the Richer decided to cover The La's song 'There she goes' (another praise song to the power of narcotics).
Watching the luxurious video with its rich tones and its stunning lighting, you could have fun playing a game of Celebrity Guess Who. But for me the poignancy of the song comes in the oft repeated, impossible to get out of your head, line in the chorus "God only knows where I'd be without you." In an increasingly secularised media space, nearly 50 years on from the original release, no one is concerned about the use of God's name in a pop song. But I still find it remarkable to see so many of the pop idols of our day singing of the omniscience of God, and calling on God as a witness of their own ability to love.
For me the song catches something of the precious gift that the people in our lives are to us. God only knows where I would be without my family and friends, without my church and neighbours. This of course raises a whole bunch of interesting theological questions. Does God know what would have happened to us if we had made different decisions in our relationships? Some theologians refer to this concept as "middle knowledge." But maybe that's a topic for another time.
My prayer is that hearing this powerful song again would make us more grateful to God for the people in our lives. This song is going to be released as a fundraiser for Children in Need night. It is appropriate to reflect that in the end vulnerable children need more than our money - they need our love. When our families are gathered around the TV on 14 November, think about where you would be without the love of your family and ask yourself how you can be a gift of love to lonely people around you.
