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"'''God Only Knows'''" is a song by American rock band [[the Beach Boys]] from their 1966 album ''[[Pet Sounds]]''. Written by [[Brian Wilson]] and [[Tony Asher]], it is a [[Baroque pop|Baroque]]-style love song distinguished for its harmonic innovation and its subversion of typical [[pop music]] formula. It is often praised as one of the greatest songs ever written and as the Beach Boys' finest record.
The song's musical sophistication is demonstrated by its multiple [[contrapuntal]] vocal parts and weak [[tonal center]] (competing between the keys of [[E major|E]] and [[A major|A]]). Lyrically, the words are expressed from the perspective of a narrator who asserts that life without their lover could only be fathomed by [[God]]—an entity that had been considered [[taboo]] to name in the title or lyric of a pop song. It marked a departure for Wilson, who attributed the impetus for the song to Asher's affinity for [[standard (music)|standards]] such as "[[Stella by Starlight]]". Some
Wilson produced the record between March and April 1966, enlisting about 20 [[session musician]]s who variously played drums, [[sleigh bell]]s, plastic orange juice cups, clarinets, flutes, strings, [[French horn]], accordion, guitars, [[upright bass]], [[harpsichord]], and a [[tack piano]] with its [[prepared piano|strings taped]]. His brother [[Carl Wilson]] sang lead, a vocal performance that became regarded as Carl's best ever, with Brian himself and [[Bruce Johnston]] providing additional harmonies. The song ends with a series of repeating vocal [[round (music)|rounds]], another device that was uncommon for popular music of the era.
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