#4 - God Only Knows / The Beach Boys

06/04/20 • 23 min

The story of the Beach Boys starting out as preppy Californian surf-popsters to become Rock n Roll Hall of Famers responsible for 'Greatest Albums Ever' list perennial 'Pet Sounds' is a familiar one. This narrative tends to overlook the currents of tension and angst rippling under the surface of both the early pop hits and the Phil-Spector-meets-Maurice-Ravel grandeur of their mature work. 'God Only Knows', one of the most analysed and acclaimed songs in pop, is a case in point: how does this stately orchestral masterpiece (and wedding reception stalwart) manage to hide in plain sight so much fear and doubt: "God only knows what I'd be without you"?
All the songs discussed in this episode, including 'God Only Knows', can be heard here
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06/04/20 • 23 min

The Secret Life of Songs - #4 - God Only Knows / The Beach Boys

Transcript

God Only Knows

Hello and welcome to the Secret Life of Songs, a podcast on what happens in pop songs and why they mean so much to us. I’m Anthony, a musician who writes and performs under the name sky coloured. In this episode I’m going to be looking at the type of record which is routinely included on Rolling Stone or Q Magazine-style lists of the greatest songs of all time, a perennial member of rock history’s official and now well-worn canon. A recent m

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