11 God Only Knows

“It’s very emotional, always a bit of a choker with me,” said Paul McCartney of “God Only Knows,” the spiritual and introspective centerpiece ballad on Pet Sounds. The night McCartney and John Lennon first heard Pet Sounds, at a London party, they wrote the future Revolver track “Here, There and Everywhere,” which is influenced by “God Only Knows.” Carl Wilson’s understated lead vocal is note perfect, but it’s the arrangement of horns, sleigh bells, strings, and accordion that gives the painstakingly wrought song its heavenly feel. Brian Wilson was fascinated by spirituality and said this song came out of prayer sessions in the studio. “We made it a religious ceremony,” he said of recording Pet Sounds. There was only one problem: The use of the word “God” in the title scared off some radio programmers.