God Only Knows' Why a 48-Year-Old Beach Boys Song Has Just Gone Viral

In 1966, The Beach Boys released "Pet Sounds." It was the 12th album from the icons of the "California surf sound."

The eighth track on "Pet Sounds" is a song called "God Only Knows." The song barely managed to crack the top-40 charts in 1966. Some speculate that the word "God" in the title was intimidating some radio programmers. However, a star-packed, new version of the Beach Boys classic song is likely to find its way to the Billboard Hot 100.

On Tuesday, the BBC debuted a new service called BBC Music.

To launch the new project, the British Broadcasting Company gathered 17 music superstars to record a new version of the song, complete with a cinematic music video. In less than two days, the video has been watched more that 3 million times.

The song will also be released as a single and sold to generate funds for the charity, Children In Need.

Image: BBC Music

Watch the video and see how many of the famous voices and faces you can name:

If you need help identifying some of the stars, the full list is here.

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