Paul McCartney is one of the most prolific and successful songwriters of all time, he is one of the few artists who had the chance to sell more than 100 million records worldwide both as a member of a band and as a solo act. His songwriting partnership with John Lennon created some of the most covered songs of all time and were crucial to the evolution of not only Rock and Roll, but music in general.
The Beatles albums are crucial to someone who wants to know what Rock and Roll is but McCartney himself, used another record to educate his kids musically as he once said.
The album Paul McCartney used to educate his kids musically
The parents are always worried about their kids’ education and McCartney wanted to educate them musically too, so as he said in an interview with David Leaf back in 1990, he bought each one of them a copy of The Beach Boys‘ “Pet Sounds”.
“The early surf records…I was aware of them as a musical act, and I used to like all that, but I didn’t get deeply interested in it—it was just a real nice sound. We used to admire the singing, the high falsetto really and the very sort of ‘California’ lyrics.”
“It was later, it was Pet Sounds that blew me out of the water. First of all, it was Brian’s writing. I love the album so much. I’ve just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life. I figure no one is educated musically ’til they’ve heard that album. I was into the writing and the songs. The other thing that really made me sit up and take notice was the bass lines on Pet Sounds.”
He continued:
“If you were in the key of C, you would normally use—the root note would be, like, a C on the bass (demonstrates vocally). You’d always be on the C. I’d done a little bit of work, like on ‘Michelle,’ where you don’t use the obvious bass line. And you just get a completely different effect if you play a G when the band is playing in C. There’s a kind of tension created.
“I don’t really understand how it happens musically, because I’m not very technical musically. But something special happens. And I noticed that throughout that Brian would be using notes that weren’t the obvious notes to use. As I say, ‘the G if you’re in C—that kind of thing. And also putting melodies in the bass line. That I think was probably the big influence that set me thinking when we recorded Pepper, it set me off on a period I had then for a couple of years of nearly always writing quite melodic bass lines,” Paul McCartney said.
Paul said Brian Wilson is one of his biggest influences
Paul has always been a huge fan of The Beach Boys and their main songwriter Brian Wilson. He even admitted that it was after hearing “Pet Sounds” that The Beatles decided to experiment more, resulting in the recording of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in 1967.
In an interview with Reverb back in 2018, McCartney mentioned Wilson as one of his biggest influences. “Brian (is one of my biggest influences) because he went to very unusual places. Brian would use, if you were playing in C, he might stay on the G a lot just to hold it all back. started to realize the power you had within the band.”
He continued:
“Not actually vengeful power, just that you could actually. Even though the whole band is going in A you could go in E, and they’d go, Let us off the hook! And you’re actually in control then, an amazing thing. So I sussed that and got particularly interested in playing the bass,” Paul McCartney said.
Brian Wilson also loves The Beatles and Paul McCartney. He even said that “Rubber Soul” (1965) was a big inspiration for “Pet Sounds”, so both bands inspired each other to write some of the most influential albums of all time.
The two musicians had the chance to play together a few times over the decades performing especially “God Only Knows”. He recalled that experience in an interview with guitarist Ronnie Wood in 2013 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). “I got to sing it with Brian once, when we did a benefit (show) together. I was okay at the actual performance, I held it together. But at the rehearsal, at the soundcheck I lost it, because it’s very emotional, this song, I find it. (I was thinking) ‘Oh my god, i’m singing with Brian’, just got me, I couldn’t. And all it is, it’s little vibrations reaching your music, it’s only little vibrations, little words and little things. There is this powerful effect, you know,” McCartney said.
Paul also had the pleasure to be the one who inducted Brian Wilson into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
McCartney said that “God Only Knows” was the best song ever written
McCartney loves “God Only Knows” and during the interview with David Leaf back in 1990, the musician said that “God Only Knows” was the best song ever written “It’s a really, really great song, it’s a big favorite of mine. I was asked recently to give my top ten favorite songs for a Japanese radio station. I didn’t think long and hard on it. But I popped that (“God Only Knows”) on the top of my list. (Thinks for a moment) It’s very deep. (Quotes the lyrics to ‘God Only Knows’). Very emotional, always a bit of a choker for me, that one. There are certain songs that just hit home with me, and they’re the strangest collection of songs. But that is high on the list, I must say,” Paul McCartney said.
Written by Wilson and the songwriter Tony Asher, “God Only Knows” is one of the most famous songs featured on “Pet Sounds”.