When it comes to rivalries amongst bands, the most famous is certainly the one between The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Paul McCartney once attributed The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds for giving The Beatles motivation to create Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Iron sharpens iron, and that is seemingly what transpired between The Beach Boys and The Beatles. Despite the fact that these two were competitors, they respected each other as musicians, and they have done so publicly a handful of times.
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Famously, Paul McCartney once called “God Only Knows” the “greatest song ever written.” The admiration isn’t one-sided, as Brian Wilson once revealed his favorite Beatles track, a track penned by John Lennon and released in 1969 on their iconic album, “Let It Be”.
The track Brian Wilson called his favorite was The Beatles’ “Across The Universe”. Even though this song was never released as a single, it is still a fan favorite amongst Beatles fans and a staple on the album. Here is what The Beatles’ fiercest competitor had to say about the track…
Brian Wilson’s Thoughts on “Across The Universe”
In an interview with Uncut Magazine, Wilson stated, “My favorite Lennon song is ‘Across The Universe.’” “It had a great guitar sound. It flipped me out when I first heard it. And I thought his voice was especially good. He must have either taken some drugs or really concentrated hard because he got a very special vocal sound on that one.”
“The other thing was the lyrics. They were so heavenly [sings the chorus]. And they were most likely drug-inspired. I thought they were really great. People say that song reminds them of The Beach Boys, but not to me. It’s unique,” added Brian Wilson.
Regarding Lennon’s Beatles catalog, it is certainly one of his best, and he agreed. In a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon said, “It’s one of the best lyrics I’ve written. In fact, it could be the best. It’s good poetry, or whatever you call it, without chewin’ it. See, the ones I like are the ones that stand as words, without melody. They don’t have to have any melody, like a poem, you can read them,” via his official website.
While it is certainly not an underrated song, “Across The Universe” is a Beatles song that folks often forget about amongst their plethora of hits. Although that shouldn’t be the case, because Lennon’s poetry powers are at their height on this single, and Brian Wilson agreed.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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