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The greatest Pop song yet written and recorded.

 

This thread is an offshoot and was inspired by @mahgister’s wonderful thread "Interesting videos about sounds and music." I made a couple of contributions to that thread, recommending a video recorded quite a few years ago by (I believe) a music teacher, who sits at his keyboard while explaining and demonstrating the construction of the utterly majestic "God Only Knows", written by Brian Wilson (music) and Tony Asher (lyrics), recorded by The Beach Boys (vocals) and the L.A. studio musicians who comprised the legendary Wrecking Crew (instruments), the song found on the Pet Sounds album.

In my posts, I made the case for the highly sophisticated and incredibly brilliant chord progressions, modulations (key changes), and use of inversion (playing a bass note below the tonic of the chord being played on the piano) in the song’s composition. So when the video below appeared when I just jumped onto YouTube, it’s title really caught my eye. It is entitled "Exploring The Mythical Chords Of "God Only Knows"." Brian is well known for his harmony vocal arrangements, but that’s just the icing on the cake; the song itself is in it’s chords and melody. Some of the chord sequences in "God Only Knows" bring me to tears. Add to that the vocal harmonies---many sung in counterpoint---and Carl Wilson's angelic singing of the melody, and you have an absolute masterpiece of a song.

I have long considered "God Only Knows" my favorite song, and imo the "best" song ever written. I’m not alone in that; Paul McCartney has stated he feels the same. I could have added this video to @mahgister’s thread, but I believe the song and it’s appreciation warrant it’s own thread. Watch and listen to this video (and the one I posted in mahgister’s thread), give the song a new listen, and see if you don’t agree with Paul and I. 😉

 

https://youtu.be/I2PHOt9_fGc?si=7NVfhFUBn4aw_GGo

 

 

128x128bdp24
hce1
60 posts
 

@tylermunns 

Thanks for that list of Carole King songs. It’s incredible and I’ll be listening to them all week long.

@bdp24 

Thanks for initiating this thread. I’m enjoying it thoroughly!

I haven’t the understanding of music theory to approach a list like this with the learned perspective some of you bring to this discussion. I do, however, consider more than a few songs to be perfect pop songs, songs that rip me out of the world and into their own magical realm. Here are a few off the top of my head:

  1. Beach Boys, God Only Know; A Day in the Life of a Tree; Feel Flow
  2. Harry Nilsson, driving along
  3. Kinks, Waterloo Sunset
  4. Norman Greenbaum, jubilee
  5. Jimi Hendrix, wait till tomorrow; one rainy wish
  6. Beatles, in my life; one after 909
  7. Van Morrison, sweet thing
  8. Jazz butcher, Sweet water
  9. impressions, people get ready
  10. Curtis Mayfield, Move On Up
  11. Zombies, tell her no
  12. Small Faces, Itchicoo park
  13. Simon and Garfunkel, Kathy’s Song
  14. Brian Auger & Trinity, A Word About Color
  15. Thunderclap Newman, Something in the Air
  16. Funkadelic, Can You Get to That

And on and on! Haven’t even touched the American songbook, 50s RnR, Motown, Stax/Volt, Fame studios, blues, etc. Thankfully, there’s lots of songs to love!

 

tylermunns
601 posts
 

@hce1
“Thanks for that list of Carole King songs.”

You bet! 😉
My (nerdy) pleasure.

“It’s incredible and I’ll be listening to them all week long.”

I love to hear that!

 

loomisjohnson
1,954 posts
 

@tylermunns theres a great obscure Carole King song called creepin midnight on the s/t album seatrain (70s hippie band that got some brief attention. Check it out and lettuce know.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24 OP
9,872 posts
 

@loomisjohnson: That Seatrain album (their second) is a real good one. Also on it is the first version of the Lowell George song "I’m Willin" I ever heard.

The album was produced by George Martin, and features the second line-up of band members, now including fiddler Richard Greene (formerly of The Jim Kweskin Jug Band, from which also came Maria Muldaur) and Peter Rowan, a pretty well known Bluegrass guitarist and singer. Richard and Peter had both earlier been in Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys. Excellent musicians.

roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,045 posts
 

@bdp24 

We certainly agree on that one! I have been listening to their eponymous disc since I was in high school and saw them at the Schaefer Music Festival in NYC. It's a real gem.

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