Religion

Cartoonist

(7,320 posts) Sat Oct 11, 2014, 03:11 PM Oct 2014

God Only Knows

This is a video by the BBC of the Beach Boys song, God Only Knows. I think it's pretty cool.

I would like to take this opportunity to discuss religious music, and no, I'm not talking about Carrie Underwood. When I was a Catholic schoolboy, one of my favorite activities was singing at church holidays, though I was never a member of the Choir. I just like music. It also helped that the lyrics were in Latin, so apart from all the hosannahs, I may as well have been singing about surfing or hot rods.

Music is second only to trees on my list of faves. I don't disparage religious music simply because of the subject matter. It's the emotion that moves me. Some black gospel music is about the most intense music there is. Ave Maria is high on my list, though I prefer the instrumental version.

7 replies

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God Only Knows (Original Post) Cartoonist Oct 2014 OP

It's a follow-up to the Beeb's "Perfect Day", here: mr blur Oct 2014 #1

This is so much cooler. I have never seen this one, but i really like it. cbayer Oct 2014 #3

Only a B side in the USA, because it had 'God' in the title muriel_volestrangler Oct 2014 #5

Blasphemy? mr blur Oct 2014 #6

Domenic Priore reports that in some parts of the United States Cartoonist Oct 2014 #7

Verra cool Indeed!!!!! Gelliebeans Oct 2014 #2

Florence! AtheistCrusader Oct 2014 #4

mr blur

(7,753 posts)

1. It's a follow-up to the Beeb's "Perfect Day", here:

Reply to Cartoonist (Original post)

Sat Oct 11, 2014, 05:40 PM

Oct 2014

I agree with you but neither of these songs has anything to do with god, despite the title.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)

3. This is so much cooler. I have never seen this one, but i really like it.

Reply to mr blur (Reply #1)

Sat Oct 11, 2014, 11:16 PM

Oct 2014

muriel_volestrangler

(101,337 posts)

5. Only a B side in the USA, because it had 'God' in the title

Reply to mr blur (Reply #1)

Sun Oct 12, 2014, 06:00 AM

Oct 2014

Wilson was also worried about the G-word. In their second argument, Wilson wasn't sure he wanted to be the first to put "God" in the title of a pop song, but Asher convinced him that it was (a) spiritual and (b) ground-breaking, two of the qualities they were striving for.

(Wilson was right. In the US, God Only Knows found itself flipped with its B-side when the owners of radio stations and record stores announced they were unwilling to risk offending sensibilities).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-29549174

And it sold a lot better outside the USA:

The song first appeared on The Beach Boys classic 1966 album Pet Sounds in monophonic sound format. Brian considered releasing it as a single under Carl Wilson's name. Because their impending single "Good Vibrations" was not yet ready, the group were in demand for a new single, and so "God Only Knows" was issued instead.[26] On July 11, 1966, it was the B-side of the American "Wouldn't It Be Nice" single. In other territories, the song was the A-side.[4] When first released it only reached 39 on the US charts in 1966.[27] Treated as the A-side across Europe, it was a success, scoring number 2 in the UK,[28] and in national charts cited contemporarily by Billboard: 3 in Ireland, 4 in the Netherlands and Belgium, 6 in Norway, 22 in Germany; and 2 in Australia.[citation needed] In September, the song peaked at 6 in Canada and 24 in France.[29]

Domenic Priore reports that in some parts of the United States, "God Only Knows" was banned from radio for blasphemy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Only_Knows#Commercial_performance