The Beatles are known as the most successful and influential band in history, having sold over 600 million records worldwide. Paul McCartney played a key role in their success as the main songwriter alongside John Lennon, and together with George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they created iconic hits that shaped the music scene of the 1960s.
Despite The Beatles’ immense popularity and their reputation for writing some of the greatest songs ever, McCartney once singled out a song from another band as the best of all time.
The song Paul McCartney praises
One of the bands that influenced The Beatles was The Beach Boys, led by Brian Wilson. McCartney has been a big fan of their 1960s music, particularly “God Only Knows,” which he called the greatest song ever during an interview in 1990. He mentioned that it’s a personal favorite of his and has deep emotional resonance.
“God Only Knows” was penned by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher and featured on The Beach Boys’ groundbreaking album “Pet Sounds” from 1966.
McCartney expressed his admiration for the song to James Daunt in 2022, wishing he had written it himself. However, he acknowledged his substantial catalog of songs, saying, “I’ve written enough, I’ve got enough to go on with.”
McCartney had the privilege of performing “God Only Knows” live with Brian Wilson in 2002, an experience he described as emotional and powerful.
In 2013, McCartney shared his admiration for Wilson’s songwriting during Wilson’s induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, noting the profound effect Wilson’s music had on him, sometimes bringing him to tears.
Interestingly, there was a creative exchange between The Beatles and The Beach Boys in the 1960s. The Beatles’ album “Rubber Soul” inspired Wilson, who then created “Pet Sounds,” which in turn influenced The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” This healthy musical rivalry between the two bands resulted in some of the greatest albums in music history, delighting fans worldwide.