What is beautiful about Pet Sounds becomes absolutely evident as “That’s Not Me” passes by and gives way to two of the most amazing songs on the album, “Sloop John B” and “God Only Knows.”

Pitchfork’s Dominique Leone recently celebrated “God Only Knows” as the greatest song of the 1960s, topping the list of 200 as something that cannot really be understood. The podcast supports this thought as no one within the band can really attest to the inspiration for the song. It just sort of happened. There are mystical overtones to it but what is beautiful lies within its intricacies. Leone notes “‘God Only Knows’ is so ideally conceptualized and realized, critics can’t help but support it. Somehow, even that can’t turn it into an art exhibit; its humanity resists the attempt.”

It is art, but somewhere in the midst of something higher, more powerful than what can be conceived by you nor I, is the point that it was composed by a group of young surfers. Your neighbors’ kids next door just made the greatest album in the history of American popular music. Like the songs that precede it, “God Only Knows” is a complete departure from “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” in that it begins to question the realities of life, through tone and lyric. When asked, even Brian Wilson can’t explain where the song came from, and even if he could I’m not sure it would make sense to any of us anyways.

The Unofficial Pet Sounds Blog

Pet Sounds Podcast Series: Episode 3 “That’s Not Me”
Pet Sounds Podcast Series: Episode 4 “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)”
Pet Sounds Podcast Series: Episode 5 “I’m Waiting For The Day”
Pet Sounds Podcast Series: Episode 6 “Let’s Go Away For A While”
Pet Sounds Podcast Series: Episode 7 “Sloop John B”
Pet Sounds Podcast Series: Episode 8 “God Only Knows”

Additional Beach Boys Audio Here

also: Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary Podcast: Part 2
also: Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary Podcast: Part 1