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Music Geek Track of The Day: “God Only Knows” Covered by Dave Grohl, Lorde, Stevie Wonder, And More

Hoooooooooly sith. There are a lot of musicians in this new BBC Music video. Also remember what we said earlier today about Pharrell’s superhuman, cyborg like productivity? Well, here he is again! But he is just one of dozens and dozens of new and classic musicians covering the Beach Boys’ iconic “God Only Knows” in the below promotional video for BBC’s launch of their new music initiative, which will include new programming and partnerships. The star-studded cover will also be released as a single to aid the BBC’s Children In Need initiative.

To give you an idea of what you are about to see, here is a list of all the musicians in the video (I think. It is actually an astonishing amount): Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Pharrell, Lorde, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Sam Smith, Dave Grohl, Kylie Minogue, Florence Welch, Chrissie Hynde, Queen’s Brian May, Elton John, One Direction, Jake Bugg, Emeli Sandé, Paloma Faith, Alison Balsom, Martin James Bartlett, Danielle de Niese, Nicola Benedetti, Eliza Carthy, Baaba Maal, Jamie Cullum, and Jaz Dhami. Also a few BBC personalities like Jools Holland and Zane Lowe are in there too for good measure.

According to Pitchfork, BBC shot a similar video in 1997 with Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” as part of a Christmas promo. Maybe someday, in fifteen years, we’ll look back at this video and ask ourselves what they were thinking when they asked One Direction to join Stevie Wonder and Elton John.

Check out the video below, and I dare you to think of an obvious musician they left out of the video in the comments or on Twitter.

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Comments

  1. morgan says:

    Loved seeing Paloma Faith in the video. I’ve been listening to her track Only Love Can Hurt Like This on repeat — definitely check it out if you haven’t: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaKr9gWqwl4

  2. GrumpHermit says:

    Personally, I’d have loved the Beeb to involve someone controversial – Marilyn Manson? AC/DC?  Even Hayley Williams would have added a darker element.  Just saying.

  3. Roger Green says:

    Sure, McCartney would have been interesting, given his stated love of Pet Sounds, copies of which he gave to all his kids.  But I still love it!

  4. Gary J Moore says:

    NO BEATLES??????

  5. CG says:

    What? They couldn’t get Sir Paul McCartney?

  6. No Matt Bellamy? What a missed opportunity…

  7. geep says:

    No Bieber?

  8. Yak says:

    What is the point of this? To create a video for views? Something about a bunch of musicians saying “god only knows” over and over and over to cg backgrounds…………….

  9. A Nameless Ghoul says:

    Dave Grohl is God. Is that what everybody else got out of it too? Cool.

  10. jill says:

    I think it’s great, except for there’s no Michael Stipe. Granted he’s no longer singing anymore, but he did a cover of this song with Mandy Moore, of all people, for the movie “saved!” And believe it or not, it’s really good. So yes, Michael is the singer I think that’s missing from this group.

  11. jill says:

    I think it’s great, except for there’s no Michael Stipe.  Granted he’s no longer singing anymore, but he did a cover of this song with Mandy Moore, of all people, for the movie               “saved!” And believe it or not, it’s really good.  So yes Michael is the singer I think that’s missing from that group.

  12. knockatize says:

    I thought it was mandatory that Phil Collins appear on every benefit single.

  13. Potch says:

    Around the 2:05 mark… Is that Billie Piper? And if so… Wouldn’t THAT be a Nerdist headline? LOL

  14. Anjali says:

    Well, they did miss Billy Joel, but other than that… that was fan-TAS-tic!

  15. Joaquin says:

    That was Brian May, not Jimmy Paige. 

  16. I AM FREAKING OUT!!! I was perfectly enjoying myself when suddenly Jake Bugg appears!! Now I’m in heaven! This is the best. (If I haven’t made it clear, Jake Bugg is awesome-tacular)

  17. Leah says:

    Well, David Bowie, he’d already done a fantastic cover so he would have been prepared and he’s a musical icon. Also to group in with the preponderance of recent top 40 artists where’s Adele? Unless I missed her, to be frank I recognized mostly only the classic artists.

  18. REALLY?! tag says JIMMY PAGE? You talking about the guy playing guitar?! That is fucking Brian May from Queen! Come on Nerdist! Step your game up!

  19. Robert "Anaerin" Johnston says:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJpQJWpVJds

    Here’s the 1997 “Perfect Day” version, of which Lou Reed (Who was also in it) said it was the best version of the song ever made, including his own

  20. Ed Sheeran, Michael Buble,TaylorSwift, 

    • Adia says:

      No no no no no no no no. All the ways I can ever imagine to possibly say no to these additions should be addressed. Sadly, there is not time for that, so NO will simply have to do. 

  21. Lorena says:

    What about Paul McCartney?

  22. Blake Shelton, Lzzy Hale, Eddie Veder, David Bowie, Johnathan Davis, David Draiman, Will Smith, Billie Joe Armstrong, Peter Gabriel…………..I can go on but I will stop, nice video though 🙂

    • AdiaShardae says:

      Peter Gabriel and Bowie are about the the only ones out of those who could really fit. Can absolutely do without Shelton, Davis, Draiman, Smith, Veder and Armstrong. As much as I may have been a fan of their respective bands music at one time (aside from Shelton, I refuse to acknowledge what he tries to pass off as Country,) they would all only serve to drag this down. WAY down. One Direction drags this down enough as it is.
      As talented as a vocalist as Hale seems she may be, she doesn’t really seem to have a place here either. Halestorm is certainly underwhelming as a whole. 

    • Kurtis says:

      Johnathon Davis…really??

    • GrumpHermit says:

      Yeah, Eddie Veder, for sure.  And many of the others you cite x

  23. Dan Luedke says:

    Timberlake and Buble. This song could definitely have found a place for both of them.