Watch Pharrell, Lorde, Sam Smith, and Many More Cover The Beach Boys

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(Image credit: Archives)

published 7 October 14

To fête the launch of BBC Music, the British platform unveiled what we're confidently deeming the most impressive cover of The Beach Boys' classic "God Only Knows," ever. Sorry Love Actually, but you just can't compete with a star-studded line-up comprised of Pharrell, Lorde, Sam Smith, Florence Welch, Chris Martin, Stevie Wonder, One Direction, Kylie Minogue, the song's writer Brian Wilson, and many, many more.

There are 27 performers — spanning genres from classic rock 'n' roll to hip-hop — who croon the song's famous lines with help from the awe-inspiring BBC Concert Orchestra. Not simply a feast for the ears, the cover will be released as a single to raise funds for the BBC's Children in Need charity. The momentous occasion comes 17 years after the BBC first brought together an all-star group of performers to cover Lou Reed's "Perfect Day."

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Lauren Valenti

I’m the associate web editor at Marie Claire. I love to while away the hours at coffee shops, hunt for vintage clothes, and bask in the rough-and-tumble beauty of NYC. I firmly believe that solitude can be a luxury if you’ve got the right soundtrack—that being the Rolling Stones, of course.