It’s one of those rock 'n' roll myths that feels too clean. Two titans—one in London, one in Los Angeles—locked in a polite, high-stakes arms race to see who could reinvent the pop song first. We love the narrative of the Beatles versus the Beach Boys. It’s dramatic. It’s "Rubber Soul" leads to "Pet Sounds" leads to "Sgt. Pepper." But when you look at what John Lennon on Brian Wilson actually looked like, it wasn’t just a chess match. It was a mix of genuine awe, a bit of professional jealousy, and, later on, a weirdly touching kind of empathy.
Honestly, Lennon wasn't exactly known for being a softy. He’d tear apart his peers in the press just for breathing. But with Brian Wilson? The tone was different.
The Review That Changed Everything
In 1965, John Lennon did something he rarely did: he wrote a review of a single for Melody Maker. The song was "The Little Girl I Once Knew." While the rest of the world was still catching up to Brian Wilson’s evolving production style, Lennon was already shouting from the rooftops.
"This is the greatest!" he wrote. "Turn it up, turn it right up. It’s GOT to be a hit."
He wasn't just being nice. Lennon was obsessed with the way Wilson used voices as instruments. He noticed the "fabulous breaks" and the intricate arrangements that Brian was cooking up while sitting at home in California. It's kind of ironic, isn't it? Lennon praised Brian for "never touring" and just staying in the studio—something the Beatles themselves would do just a year later when they quit the road for good.
Lennon saw the future in that single. He saw a guy who didn't even read music but could hear entire symphonies in his head.
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Pet Sounds and the British Invasion of California
When "Pet Sounds" dropped in 1966, it hit the Beatles like a freight train. We know Paul McCartney was the primary cheerleader, famously calling "God Only Knows" the greatest song ever written. But John was right there with him.
The story goes that Lennon and McCartney listened to the album and basically realized the bar had been moved. Without Brian Wilson pushing the limits of what a recording studio could do, we likely don't get the psychedelic textures of "Strawberry Fields Forever" or the grandiosity of "Sgt. Pepper."
"I love it. Still is one of my big albums. So atmospheric." — Paul McCartney on the shared Beatles sentiment toward Pet Sounds.
Lennon reportedly rang Brian up just to tell him "Pet Sounds" was the greatest album ever made. Think about that for a second. The man who wrote "In My Life" and "Help!" calling a guy in a sandbox in Hawthorne to tell him he'd been outdone. That’s a level of respect you don't see often in the ego-driven 60s.
That Weird Night at the 1974 Grammys
Fast forward to the 1970s. The Beatles are over. Brian Wilson is struggling. Hard.
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Alice Cooper tells this legendary, slightly heartbreaking story about being backstage at the 1974 Grammys with John Lennon and Bernie Taupin. Brian Wilson was there too, but he wasn't really "there." He was in the middle of his well-documented mental health struggles.
Brian kept circling their table, staring at Lennon from different angles. Finally, he asked Alice Cooper to introduce him to John.
Cooper was baffled. These two were the kings of the 60s! Surely they’d met? But he did the honors anyway. John was incredibly gracious. He told Brian how much he admired his work and how much "Pet Sounds" meant to the Beatles. Brian thanked him, walked away, and then—ten minutes later—came back and asked for the exact same introduction again.
Lennon didn't roll his eyes. He didn't get annoyed. He went through the whole routine again with the same warmth. When Brian left the second time, John just looked at Alice Cooper and said, "I've met him hundreds of times. He's not well, you know."
There was no snark in that comment. Just a deep, quiet recognition of a fellow genius who was hurting.
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Why the Rivalry Wasn't Really a Rivalry
People love to pit these guys against each other. It makes for great documentaries. But the reality of John Lennon on Brian Wilson is that it was more of a mutual support society.
- Inspiration: Brian heard "Rubber Soul" and felt he had to make a "perfect" album.
- Response: The Beatles heard "Pet Sounds" and realized they had to stop being a "mop-top" band.
- The Result: A decade of music that wouldn't exist if they weren't trying to impress one another.
Brian Wilson once said that John Lennon's "Norwegian Wood" inspired the chords for "Pet Sounds." It was a cycle. A loop of creativity that crossed the Atlantic back and forth until the music changed forever.
What You Can Learn from the Lennon-Wilson Dynamic
If you're a creative, or even just a fan of the era, there's a lot to take away from how these two interacted.
- Acknowledge your peers. Lennon wasn't afraid to admit when someone else did something better. That didn't make him less of a genius; it made him a better student of his craft.
- Competition is a fuel, not a barrier. Without the pressure of the Beach Boys, the Beatles might have stayed in their comfort zone much longer.
- Empathy matters. Success is fleeting, and the mental toll of "genius" is real. Lennon’s kindness toward Wilson in the 70s is a reminder that the person matters more than the discography.
Next time you put on "God Only Knows" or "Across the Universe," think about those two guys. They weren't just icons on a poster. They were two people incredibly aware of each other’s shadows, trying to find a bit of light in the studio.
To dive deeper into this era, you should check out the isolated vocal tracks for "God Only Knows"—it's the best way to hear exactly what Lennon was talking about when he said Brian used "voices as instruments." It’ll change how you hear the song entirely.