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TL;DR:

  • Paul McCartney said The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” inspired a song from The Beatles’ Revolver.
  • Paul said the song is one of his favorite of his own tracks.
  • The singer revealed why many jazz musicians learn how to play the song.
The Beach Boys with a surf board
The Beach Boys | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer

Paul McCartney said one of the songs from The Beatles’ Revolver was inspired by The Beach Boys. In addition, he said The Beach Boys drew inspiration from one of The Beatles’ most famous albums. Paul said this was a form of “circularity.”

Paul McCartney said 1 song from The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ is like a magical journey

In his 2021 book The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul discussed The Beatles’ “Here, There and Everywhere.” “What I like most about this song is that we think we’re on a path on the moors and we’re going for a walk, and then suddenly we’ve arrived where we started,” he said. “It’s not quite that we’ve gone around in the circle. It’s more magical than that.

“We’ve come to another beginning of the path,” Paul added. “You can see back to where you came from, and you’re definitely not there. You’re in a new place, though it’s got the same scenery. I’ve always liked the track.”

Paul McCartney discussed how The Beatles and The Beach Boys took inspiration from each other

Paul further discussed the “circularity” of “Here, There and Everywhere.” “In terms of circularity, though, it’s hard to beat the fact that ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ was influenced most immediately by The Beach Boys’ ‘God Only Knows‘ from Pet Sounds,” he said. “What’s really interesting is that ‘God Only Knows’ was itself inspired by Brian Wilson’s repeated listening to our songs on Rubber Soul.”

In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul seemed to downplay the connection between “Here, There and Everywhere” and The Beach Boys. “[The song is] very me, it’s one of my favorite songs that I’ve written,” he said. “Jazz people used to pick it up because they like the chord structure.”

Related

1 Song From The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ Didn’t Become a Hit Until Years After the Band Broke Up

How ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ and ‘Revolver’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Here, There and Everywhere” was never a single, thus it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The Beatles released the track on Revolver. The album topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks, staying on the chart for 85 weeks altogether.

“Here, There and Everywhere” was never a single in the United Kingdom either. Meanwhile, The Official Charts Company reports Revolver hit No. 1 in the U.K. for seven weeks, remaining on the chart for 34 weeks in total.

“Here, There and Everywhere” is a classic track — and it remains a fascinating connection between two of the most famous bands ever.

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