Writing
Brian Wilson has explained that the melody of "God Only Knows" was inspired by a John Sebastian song that he had been listening to.
Asher felt confident when writing the song that it would be a big hit. As he explains, "This is the one that I thought would be a hit record because it was so incredibly beautiful. I was concerned that maybe the lyrics weren't up to the same level as the music; how many love songs start off with the line, 'I may not always love you'? I liked that twist, and fought to start the song that way. Working with Brian, I didn't have a whole lot of fighting to do, but I was certainly willing to fight to the end for that. I was probably saying to myself, 'God, I hope I'm right about this,' because you're never quite sure. But I knew that it would work, because by the second part, the real meaning of the song has come out: 'I'll love you till the sun burns out, then I'm gone,' ergo 'I'm gonna love you forever.' I guess that in the end, 'God Only Knows' is the song that most people remember, and love the most."
Wilson "hated the opening line" of the song as "it was too negative." He eventually gave in after hearing the following lines in the song.
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