# Best Beach Boys song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434 "2010-10-26T19:22:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/1 "2010-10-26T19:22:48Z")
List compiled from their 20 biggest hits with a few substitutions and additions (I’m throwing out _Kokomo_ and _Wipe Out_ for what should be obvious reasons). ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/2 "2010-10-26T19:39:55Z")
I was torn between “God Only Knows” and “Wouldn’t it be Nice.” I ended up voting for the latter because that’s the one I listen to the most and gets so insanely stuck in my head. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/3 "2010-10-26T19:40:25Z")
Other: [Girl Don’t Tell Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ztc_lAb5Ws) ---
**Author:** ![Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@Acorns.but\_not\_Bacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acorns.but_not_Bacon)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/4 "2010-10-26T19:40:32Z")
I adore The Beach Boys, I Get Around is the first song I remember hearing. And still love it. I voted for that and also God Only Knows, Sloop John B, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Do You Wanna Dance, Help Me Rhonda, Don’t Worry Baby, Surfin’ USA, Fun Fun Fun… Brian Wilson is a musical genius and I would have voted for Good Vibrations but the version on Brian’s Smile album blows The Beach Boys version out of the water. I’d also put up there, Then I Kissed Her, Do It Again. EDIT: I forgot to vote for California Girls 😃 Oh and also, Heroes and Villians on the Smile album is also a lot better than the Beach Boys version, otherwise I would have voted for that aswell. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/5 "2010-10-26T19:45:14Z")
Not really a very comprehensive list. I suspect as the Thread gets more views we’ll see a lot of other votes for “Other”. The Beach Boys had _a lot_ of really good songs. And lots of their really great songs would not be among the 20 biggest hits. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/6 "2010-10-26T19:58:53Z")
_God Only Knows_ in a walk. The rest are good to great, but _GOK_ is transcendent. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/7 "2010-10-26T20:03:04Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _God Only Knows_ in a walk. The rest are good to great, but _GOK_ is transcendent. I was torn between that and Good Vibrations, with I Get Around for the early BB’s entry… ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/8 "2010-10-26T20:14:22Z")
I think “Don’t Worry Baby” just has beautifully rendered and recorded harmonies. Plus the melodic progression of the chorus from “Don’t worry baby…” to “…everything will turn out all right” is a really nice set of melodic notes strung together. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/9 "2010-10-26T20:18:03Z")
Plus the video off of Youtube is great for the dancing alone: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCZ\_bv9aLc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCZ_bv9aLc) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/10 "2010-10-26T20:19:13Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Not really a very comprehensive list. > I suspect as the Thread gets more views we’ll see a lot of other votes for “Other”. The Beach Boys had _a lot_ of really good songs. And lots of their really great songs would not be among the 20 biggest hits. I know, but I wasn’t going to put up a list of 100 songs, most of which would only get a few votes. I put up what I believe are the most well-known songs, as those would most likely be the heaviest vote-getters. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/11 "2010-10-26T20:23:12Z")
“God Only Knows.” Not only the best Beach Boys song, but the best love song ever recorded. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/12 "2010-10-26T21:26:39Z")
Of the songs listed, it would be a toss-up between “God Only Knows” and “Good Vibrations” (the latter being so overexposed it’s easy to forget how brilliant it is). But I marked “Other” for “Surf’s Up.” ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/13 "2010-10-26T22:10:56Z")
1. God Only Knows 2. Don’t Worry Baby 3. Surfer Girl All great songs, presented beautifully. But most of their other songs are just slightly better than typical pop stuff to me. ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/14 "2010-10-26T22:25:13Z")
“Feel Flows” should be included. Carl’s most beautiful Psychedelic work. ---
**Author:** ![President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_Johnny_Gentle)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/15 "2010-10-26T22:29:01Z")
I voted “Heroes and Villains” before realizing I was really voting for a bootleg version that I’ve heard. The actually released single is good, but not as good. Sloop John B was my close second. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/16 "2010-10-26T22:35:20Z")
On an intellectual level, I know that “God Only Knows” and “Good Vibrations” are really really excellent songs. Of those listed, though, “Sloop John B” is my favorite. But I voted for Other, because I have an inexplicable but overwhelming fondness for “Do It Again”. Just looooove that song. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/17 "2010-10-26T23:43:00Z")
Flight of the Navigator was my favorite film when I was 6, so _I Get Around_ will always hold a special place in my heart. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/18 "2010-10-26T23:55:20Z")
I voted for Fun Fun Fun, but I like the whole list. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/19 "2010-10-27T00:38:49Z")
Other: “Shut Down” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434/20 "2010-10-27T01:51:54Z")
I Get Around Surfin’ USA Fun, Fun, Fun Surfin’ Safari I HATE HATE HATE Barbara Ann. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-beach-boys-song/558434.md?page=2)