God Only Knows

God Only Knows

Author: BBC Radio 4 April 25, 2018 Duration: 27:28

"God only knows what I'd be without you"

For artist Kim Lynch God Only Knows is a song that she has carried with her from the moment her father played it to her mother back in their 1960's London home and it's the song that resonated throughout her parents 65 years together.

Meanwhile in land locked Burundi, another couple are bought together from two very different cultures. Sharing the same hopes and prayers, they began their married life by blending a traditional wedding ceremony with the Californian song that spans decades - and continents - to touch souls wherever it's played.

And across the ocean, Erin Prewitt tells her love story and describes how tragic and unexpected circumstances meant she has had to learn to live out those iconic lyrics and discover what it means to be without the person you love.

With reflections from:

* Musician, Al Kooper * Author, Barry Miles.

Producer: Nicola Humphries

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2018.


There’s a certain piece of music that, when you hear it, seems to stop time. It might be a melody from your childhood, a song that played at a pivotal moment, or a composition that simply reaches into your chest and grips your heart. Soul Music, from BBC Radio 4, is built around that very phenomenon. This isn’t a program about genres or charts; it’s an intimate exploration of why specific pieces of music carry such profound emotional weight. Each episode focuses on a single, iconic work-from classical adagios to folk ballads, from film scores to pop anthems. The podcast weaves together the voices of people whose lives have been indelibly marked by that music: listeners share personal, often moving stories of grief, joy, love, and remembrance, while composers and performers might shed light on the piece’s creation. You’ll hear the music itself, of course, but framed in a way that reveals its deeper resonance in human experience. It’s a quiet, thoughtful series that reminds us how soundtracks our inner lives. Tuning into this podcast feels like being part of a conversation about the invisible threads that connect us all through notes and rhythms, exploring how a sequence of sounds can become a vessel for collective memory and feeling.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Soul Music
Podcast Episodes
Fire and Rain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:48
James Taylor's song of suicide, loneliness and addiction somehow remains hopeful and uplifting, even as people experience their own dark times.Holly Sinclair was driving through a Missouri winter to see her brother, in h…
Pata Pata [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:56
Miriam Makeba recorded 'Pata Pata' in 1967 with the help of American producer Jerry Ragovoy. It became a huge hit and Miriam Makeba used newfound fame to speak the injustices of apartheid. Her records were banned and Sou…
Defying Gravity from Wicked [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:52
Wicked the musical is 20 years old in 2023. The story of the Wizard of Oz told from the witches' perspective examines themes of difference, power and alienation. The so called Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba born with g…
I Will Always Love You [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:28
Written by Dolly Parton... sent stratospheric by Whitney Houston; I Will Always Love You is a song that has a worldwide fanbase reflected by the diverse memories shared here:Nagham Kewifati tells how her mother, Mayada B…
Fast Car [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:34
'Fast Car' is one of Tracy Chapman's biggest hits, with listeners from around the world finding striking connections with their own lives in the song's story. It was released in April 1988, and that summer, the American…
I Say a Little Prayer for You [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:50
When Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David wrote I Say A Little Prayer For You in 1967 the war in Vietnam was raging. The song was intended as message of support for the soldiers there. It was originally recorded by Dion…
Ghost Town [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:43
Ghost Town was recorded by British two-tone band The Specials as a comment on urban decay and social unrest. It was released in June 1981 as riots were springing up around the UK and with the help of an iconic video it t…
I Only Have Eyes for You [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:02
When I Only Have Eyes For You first emerged in 1934 it was a jaunty cinema ditty written by Harry Dubin and Al Warren for the film "Dames". But it gained huge popularity when the 1950s doo wop group The Flamingos - under…
I Believe In Father Christmas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:47
Some people say it's a protest song about the commercialisation of Christmas, others that it's anti religious. I Believe In Father Christmas is neither, although lyricist Peter Sinfield concedes it does include a touch o…
Nessun Dorma [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:51
Singer Jon Christos watched the Italia 90 World Cup with his Dad.He says Pavarotti's live performance of 'Nessun Dorma' at the tournament was the only time he ever saw his Dad cry. Pavarotti's daughter Cristina talks abo…