Recommendations of the Editorial team
On Wednesday (June 11th) Brian Wilson, co -founder and creative head of the legendary band The Beach Boys, died at the age of 82. In 1961 he founded the band together with two brothers, a cousin and a school friend and thus created one of the most influential formations of music history. Now Beatle Paul McCartney is commemorating the musician and producer with whom he had a close friendship.
Paul McCartney about Brian Wilson: “I loved him”
Paul McCartney writes in a post on Facebook: “Brian had this mysterious flair of a musical genius that made his songs so painfully. The grades he heard and shared with us were simple and brilliant. I loved him and it was a privilege for a while in his brightly radiant light. How we should continue without Brian Wilson” Knows ”. Thanks, Brian. – Paul “
The two artists appreciated each other very much. McCartney introduced Wilson to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000 and described him as “one of the great American geniuses”.
The special meaning of “God Only Knows”
Paul McCartney described “God Only Knows” in the book “Woodn’t It Be Nice: Brian Wilson and the Making of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds” published in 2003 as the “best song ever”. His admiration for the song was so great that in 2002 he was on stage at a gala in Los Angeles together with Brian Wilson and sang exactly this song.
Interestingly, Wilson said that a Beatles album had just inspired him for this masterpiece: “When I heard Rubber Soul, I was so enthusiastic and suddenly the melody came to“ God only Knows ”. I can’t explain exactly how this happened – it just came to me. “
The two artists also worked together in later years: in 2004 McCartney played guitar at Wilson’s song “A Friend Like You” on the album “Gettin ‘in Over My Head”. Conversely, Brian Wilson 2017 McCartney’s song “Wanderlust” for the tribute album “The Art of McCartney”, which had 42 songs by the Beatles member reinterpreted by various artists.