The Beatles had a profound admiration for the Beach Boys, a sentiment that was reciprocated. This mutual respect, however, was highlighted by Mike Love‘s infamous remarks during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in January in New York City, where he provocatively invited “the Mop Tops” to engage in a battle of the bands.

Though no physical altercations occurred that night—or at any other time—the late Brian Wilson, who sadly passed away on Wednesday at the age of 82, once recognized the subtle competition between the two iconic bands in the 1960s. Reflecting on this rivalry in 2000, after being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame by Paul McCartney, Wilson acknowledged their artistic competition, noting, “There was that rivalry with the Beatles and the Beach Boys—a little bit, yeah, but not much. Not enough to scare anybody.”

Read More: Revisiting Brian Wilson’s Last Concert

Wilson candidly expressed feelings of “jealousy” towards the Beatles, particularly during the Beatlemania that surged in Great Britain around 1962-63 and their landmark invasion of America in 1964. He recognized that while the Beach Boys were accustomed to the adoration of enthusiastic fans, the Beatles “just seemed to take over, all of a sudden. They were everywhere. I thought their songs were really good.”

Reciprocating this admiration, McCartney shared in his inductive speech that Wilson’s music had a profound emotional impact on him, stating, “(Wilson) wrote some music that, when I played it, it made me cry. I don’t quite know why. It wasn’t necessarily the words and the music. There’s just something so deep in it that there’s only certain pieces of music can do this to me, just reach right down in me.”

Wilson elaborated on his personal and professional connection with McCartney, stating, “It was based on the incredible, famous person that he is and, of course, the big, great Beatles… I was crying. I had a wonderful time that night. I’ll never forget it.” He and McCartney even discussed the possibility of collaborating on music, yet Wilson humorously admitted, “I just think I’d be chicken. I think we’re all chicken, really.”

This mutual admiration undoubtedly propelled both bands to new artistic heights. Wilson cited the Beatles’ groundbreaking album Rubber Soul as a significant influence on the Beach Boys’ revered Pet Sounds, declaring, “I wanted to make the greatest album ever.” In turn, Pet Sounds inspired the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which drove Wilson to pursue ambitious projects like the initially abandoned SMiLE. “We paid attention to each other,” Love explained. “Brian was always listening to the Beatles. He always wanted to know what they were up to and he was measuring himself in comparison to them.”

“But we were friendly, too,” Love added, reminiscing about accompanying the Beatles to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968 in Rishikesh, India. “We liked each other. And we enjoyed each other’s music.”

As of this moment, McCartney has yet to publicly respond to Wilson’s passing. Meanwhile, Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara quickly expressed their condolences with a heartfelt message: “God bless Brian, peace and love to all the family, peace and love.”