I t's not often that Paul McCartney dares to call a song his favorite. He always has a hard time choosing, even among his own songs. But when it comes to this one Beach Boys song,

"I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while," McCartney wrote Thursday, a day after Wilson died at age 82.

Paul McCartney is paying tribute to music icon Brian Wilson following the death Wednesday of the Beach Boys co-founder. “Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special.