Is this the best version of “God Only Knows”?

by · August 16, 2015

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Jon Rowe

Jon Rowe is a full Professor of Business at Mercer County Community College, where he teaches business, law, and legal issues relating to politics. Of course, his views do not necessarily represent those of his employer.

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11 Responses

  1. Avatar krogerfoot says:
    August 16, 2015 at 8:44 pm

    I’m mostly curious why Carl Wilson is playing at an Olive Garden.Report

    Reply
  2. Avatar Jaybird says:
    August 16, 2015 at 9:06 pm

    My favorite is the barbershop version that came with Bioshock Infinite.

    Report

    Reply
    • Avatar Alan Scott says:
      August 17, 2015 at 2:49 am

      @jaybird @jon-row @everyone-else-interested-in-beachboys-covers-and/or-bioshock :

      the anachronistic covers are one of the best parts of that game.

      Later on, it’s super obvious that there are anachronistic covers, but “God only knows” is the first one you come across. If you don’t know much about the history of the song (and I didn’t) the first thought that goes through your head is “huh, I didn’t realize the song was that old.”

      It didn’t really stop at the barbershop quartet version, though. Because from the context of the game’s setting that’s been introduced so far, it makes perfect sense that the song is a barbershop quartet cover of an existing older song–and given that the game is set in 1910 and the prominent reference to god in the lyrics, my head imagined that there was an older traditional folk/christian version of the song that this was a barbershop cover of.

      Which worked really well, and helps set up the story-thread of the anachronistic covers for an even better payoff that it would have had if I’d known at the beginning that God Only Knows was original to the Beach Boys.

      Anyway, that song, that non-existent traditional version of God Only Knows that might have existed in the 19th century by actually only exists at the corners of my musically under-educated mind, that’s my favorite version of God Only Knows.Report

      Reply
  3. Avatar Mike Schilling says:
    August 16, 2015 at 10:04 pm

    God only …

    I mean I’m nor sure.Report

    Reply
  4. Avatar Saul Degraw says:
    August 16, 2015 at 11:23 pm

    Semi-related, I like the Beach Boys singing Do You Wanna Dance on Shindig:

    Report

    Reply
  5. Avatar krogerfoot says:
    August 17, 2015 at 7:16 pm

    I went looking for this awesome live concert, which I remember seeing on MTV as a kid and thinking, jeez, the Beach Boys could rock. Some quick observations:

    – Mike Love appears to have been fifty years old from the very first day the Beach Boys started.
    – The decision to make the weakest singer the frontman was a very canny one. The Beach Boys were a very “from each according to his abilities” organization.
    – I suddenly realize what blew Frank Zappa’s mind about “Little Deuce Coupe.”Report

    Reply
  6. Avatar trizzlor says:
    August 18, 2015 at 1:37 pm

    The Langley Schools Music Project version is precious. It also seems perfectly designed for ironic use in a horror movie, while the killer stalks (? “I’ll make you so suuuuure about it” ? ).Report

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    To trizzlor
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    A strangely comforting thread:

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