Loved ones, fans, and friends of Brian Wilson have been feeling the absence left by his death on June 11 of this year. The Beach Boys icon was an incredible songwriter, with an ability to take odd, unconventional instrumentation and compositions and inject incredibly emotional themes into them. His songs will be loved for centuries, I’m sure. And one person who wanted to pay tribute to the great artist is none other than Toni Cornell. You might know her as the daughter of the late great Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave.

Released yesterday, Toni Cornell’s cover of “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys (famously written by Wilson) is a tender and stripped-down version of the original. 

Taking on this song is no easy feat. The final cut of “God Only Knows”, originally released in 1966, is rich in Wilson’s unique songwriting practices and production techniques. However, Cornell absolutely nailed her hauntingly beautiful cover of this famous avant-pop tune.

You can watch the clip of Cornell’s cover below.

Toni Cornell’s Cover of “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys Would Make Her Father Proud

Toni Cornell doesn’t sound much like her father, Chris Cornell, who was known for his rich, deep vocals. However, she really has a stunning set of pipes, with notably impeccable control. Cornell sings the refrain and second verse of the song with a simple acoustic guitar and tambourine playing in the background. This clip of her singing “God Only Knows” is painfully short, and I hope a full version gets released soon!

“For Brian Wilson,” the caption of the video reads. “Thank you for writing one of the most beautiful songs ever.”

Fans have been giving a lot of love to Cornell in the comments of her post, and I’m not surprised. She really is a talented singer.

“Now I know what angels sound like when they sing,” said one commenter. “This made me tear up a bit.”

“Incredible!” said another. “[Brian Wilson] is smiling somewhere.”

The 20-year-old singer has opted to walk in her father’s footsteps recently, as she released her debut single “Sunset Of Your Love” back in late 2024. A few months ago, she followed that single up with “Little B*tch” and could very well release an album soon. However, Cornell has not announced anything quite yet.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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