😢 When a Beatle cries, you know it’s something special… Paul McCartney couldn’t hold back tears listening to Brian Wilson’s masterpiece that changed music forever.

Introduction

In multiple interviews over the years, Paul McCartney has shared that one of his favorite sings of all-time is the 1966 Beach Boys ballad “God Only Knows.” In a 2012 interview with his pal, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, the former Beatles legend discussed how he once got teary eyed when he had the chance to sing the song with the man who co-wrote and arranged the soaring tune, Brian Wilson.

The incident occurred when McCartney was rehearsing with Wilson for a performance at a 2002 benefit for the Adopt-a-Minefield charity.

“I was okay on the actual performance—I held it together—but at the sound check I lost it,” Sir Paul recalled. “’Cause it’s very emotional, this song. I find it [emotional]. And I was … thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m singing it with Brian.’ It just got me. I couldn’t do it.”

On The Beatles’ Rivalry with The Beach Boys

Also during the interview, McCartney discussed the friendly rivalry that developed between The Beatles and The Beach Boys in the mid-1960s, and how it helped motivate Wilson and his band to write better and more inventive songs.

“Brian Wilson sort of proved himself to be like a really amazing composer,” McCartney noted. “And I was into chords and harmonies and stuff at that time, and we ended up [in] kind of like a rivalry. [The Beatles would] put a song out and Brian [would] hear it, and then he’d do one, which is nice. [It was] like me and John [Lennon]. You know, you’d kind of try and top each other all the time.”

On McCartney’s Love of “God Only Knows”

McCartney told Wood that Wilson really topped himself when he wrote God Only Knows. The tune, which features lyrics by Tony Asher, appeared on The Beach Boys’ acclaimed and influential 1966 album Pet Sounds.

“I just think it’s a great song—melody, harmonies, words, you know,” Paul enthused. “I love it, you know. … It’s my favorite Beach Boys song.”

McCartney and Wood Also Discussed the Healing Power of Music

After McCartney talked about the emotional reaction he had to singing “God Only Knows” with Wilson, Wood commented, “It’s nice to be moved like that though, isn’t it? There’s very few people around that can do that.”

This led to a discussion about how music can have a positive, healing effect on people.

“[A]ll it is, it’s little vibrations reaching your heart,” McCartney maintained. “Music, you know, it’s only little vibrations, little words and little things, that has this powerful effect, you know.”

Wood responded, “Yeah, people talk about, like, spiritual experiences, but I think we get it every time we put a record on … that means something to you. You know, it brings back a romance or an influence or, like you were saying, just singing with Brian Wilson. ‘I’m singing with Brian!’ And he’s probably thinking, ‘I’m singing with Paul! This is ridiculous!’ It’s great.”

McCartney replied, “It’s true. And the healing power of music is serious.”

More About McCartney’s Performance with Wilson

Wilson and McCartney both performed their own sets at the Adopt-a-Minefield benefit gala, which took place September 18, 2002. The show was held at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

Brian’s opened the concert, and Paul joined him at the end of the Beach Boys legend’s set to sing “God Only Knows.” Audio of the performance has been posted on YouTube.

More About Wood’s Interview with McCartney

The Rolling Stones guitarist interviewed McCartney for a 2012 episode of his U.K. radio program The Ronnie Wood Show. The show also was shot for a TV series that aired on the Sky Arts channel.