God Only Knows // A Mighty Wind – Jake Abatan
The 2013 videogame Bioshock Infinite co-opts The Beach Boys to create an idyllic atmosphere. Set in 1912, the game has the player explore Colombia, a fantastical floating city designed by the US to showcase American exceptionalism. Columbia achieves this visually with neoclassical architecture draped in red, white and blue, and bordered by clouds. However, this utopian architecture masks an oppressive theocracy.
Early into the game the player passes a barbershop quartet performing a graceful rendition of ‘God Only Knows’. The cover is a relatively subtle translation of the tune, leaving the tone of the song largely intact. Perhaps this is why it caught my attention so fully. The cover draws out the mention of God within the lyrics, subtly enforcing the religiosity of the city’s inhabitants. Up until this point in the game I’d been taking in the visuals with a degree of scepticism, yet this moment made me look around Colombia with fresh eyes. The quartet perform from a barge, floating in mid-air. Nearby a couple passionately dance in time to the melody. For the first time I truly felt like I was in a utopia. Colombia was built to serve as an exercise of American soft power and this anachronistic cover of The Beach Boys is the best example of that in the game’s opening.