Not God Only Knows, Not Wouldn't It Be Nice — Brian Wilson's Favorite Song Is An Energetic Pop Anthem

When it comes to choosing a favorite Beach Boys song, there are too many hits and masterpieces to make it an easy decision, yet the late singer and co-founder of the group, Brian Wilson, had a surprising pick. They were one of the most important bands of the '60s, and their innovation forged a friendly rivalry with the Beatles, which inspired the two groups to push each other to be better. Every Beach Boys fan has their own personal favorite song from the band, and the most popular ones are usually the ultimate classics, such as "Good Vibrations," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," and the heartwarming ballad "God Only Knows," a 1966 masterpiece that Paul McCartney said brings him to tears.

But although there are a few songs that always stood out to fans and colleagues, Wilson's favorite Beach Boys song was not what most people would expect. Wilson was responsible for some of the band's greatest hits, but he considers the 1965 single "California Girls" to be his best piece of work. He wrote it during an era of experimentation, and the song became an inspiration to many contemporary bands and artists.

It's no secret that the Beach Boys loved California; it's where they grew up and found their sound, which, in turn, changed the music world forever. It features heavily in their music, and not only did Brian Wilson go as far as to name one of their California songs, "California Girls," as his favorite, he even said it was the best piece of music he ever wrote. 

In an interview with Capitol Records in 1993 (via Medium), Wilson gushed about "California Girls," saying, "The intro to this song is the greatest piece of music that I've ever written. I was looking for an introduction that would be totally different from the rest of the song but would lead into it. The song was a big record for us, but I really never liked anything but the intro." But it wasn't just the quality of the music that made it so special; it was the atmosphere at the studio and the connection with his bandmates. "Everybody was up. The whole gang was there. It became my favorite session."

In the track, Wilson sings in harmony with the rest of the Beach Boys, "I wish they all could be California girls," which earned him some backlash, as people felt he was putting down girls from other places. Far from it, he was singing the praises of his home state, as his fellow Beach Boy, Mike Love, explained to Rock Cellar, "... we were appreciating the fact that even though we went all around the world, we'd like to bring them all back to California with us."

"California Girls" was Brian Wilson's favorite, but its conception led to more than one dispute. While Wilson was very proud of his contributions to it, he wasn't the only one who wrote it, and yet it was only his name on the credits. Co-founder of the band, Mike Love, was, understandably, upset by this.

"I wrote every last syllable of the words to 'California Girls,'" Love complained to Rolling Stone, "and when the record came out, it said, 'Brian Wilson' — there was no 'Mike Love.'" In an earlier interview with Rock Cellar, Love claimed that Wilson "had the chorus 'I wish they all could be California Girls' but no other lyrics," so he ended up writing the rest of the song. Wilson attempted to downplay their writing collaboration, but a successful lawsuit brought by Love awarded him his long-overdue co-writing credits in 1994.

Fans may never know exactly what happened, but the bandmates eventually settled their differences legally, and what matters is that "California Girls" remains a quintessential Beach Boys song.