Music Blog

Wouldn’t It Be Nice

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Song Lyric Sunday
where we’re writing about a song
that made a great album opener.
Here’s how the theme inspired me.

© GitHub.com

This week for Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday, the theme is “Kick It Off”. The challenge? To write about a song that made a great opening track on an album.

Pet Sounds, released by the Beach Boys in 1966, is a highly acclaimed album that was born from Brian Wilson’s desire to push the boundaries of popular music. Inspired by the Beatles’ Rubber Soul, Wilson aimed to create a more sophisticated and experimental work, stepping away from the band’s surfer girl/beach rock origins. Wilson took on significantly more creative control during the making of Pet Sounds which at times brought about friction with other band members.

The album showcases deeply personal lyrics, resulting in a groundbreaking and influential piece of art. Wilson employed a wide range of instruments, including French horns, flutes, and even a bicycle bell to achieve his unique sound. The album delves into more introspective and personal themes than previous Beach Boys albums, exploring love, loss, and the complexities of human emotions.

Pet Sounds has been widely recognized as a masterpiece of popular music. It has been cited as an influence on countless artists and remains a highly influential and beloved album. The title is thought to have multiple origins, including Brian Wilson’s love for his dog (whose barks appear on the album), a reference to Phil Spector’s initials, and the idea that the album featured his “pet” or favorite sounds.

So much of what makes this album remarkable – the harmonies, the layered instrumentation – is on display throughout the opening track … “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” … which is driven by a surprisingly upbeat tempo that makes you want to frolic merrily through a lush meadow. The starting notes sound like the beginning of a fairy tale only to soon establish it’s a song lamenting the fact that life is anything but a fairy tale.

“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is a nostalgic and wistful song about the desire for a more mature relationship, specifically marriage, despite being too young. It reflects the longing for a freedom and intimacy associated with adulthood that the narrator and his lover cannot yet experience due to their youth.

The song’s creation involved Brian Wilson’s fascination with his sister-in-law, Diane Rovell, and her “innocent aura”. This fascination became a recurring theme during the songwriting process, influencing the song’s theme of youthful longing for a love that is “too good to be true” for their current age. According to co-writer Tony Asher, Wilson would frequently discuss Diane’s innocence and beauty, even while working on other songs. The enduring appeal of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” lies in its ability to capture the universal desire for a love that feels both innocent and profound, and the bittersweet feeling of waiting for that love to fully blossom. 

This is “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by the Beach Boys


LYRICS

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older?
Then we wouldn’t have to wait so long
And wouldn’t it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong?

You know it’s gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new?
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through

Happy times together we’ve been spending
I wish that every kiss was never ending
Oh, wouldn’t it be nice?

Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray
It might come true (run, run, we-ooh)
Oh, baby, then there wouldn’t be a single thing we couldn’t do
We could be married (we could be married)
And then we’d be happy (and then we’d be happy)
Oh, wouldn’t it be nice?

You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But let’s talk about it
But wouldn’t it be nice?

Goodnight, my baby
Sleep tight, my baby
Goodnight, my baby
Sleep tight, my baby
Goodnight, my baby
Sleep tight, my baby

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Brian Douglas Wilson/Mike E. Love/Tony Asher
Wouldn’t It Be Nice lyrics © Sea Of Tunes Publishing Co., Sea Of Tunes Publishing Co Inc

Kick It Off

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow the link and check out Jim’s site.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to some tunes.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy’s Notes 🖊️🎶 and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

78 thoughts on “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”

  3. Oh, of course, I have the Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” vinyl LP in my collection, and thank you for your fabulous expose about the song and the album … this is my 3rd attempt to send you a comment (((Blue Screen Knock Outs))) … tonight I’ve ‘thrown the towel in’ with my Desktop computer, and I am on my TV screen which has a little Nuc Box computer, and uses the Linux Platform. I haven’t got all my files on this platform but it’s handy back for these sort of incidents … well, when I got “chopped” off I was going to send you the first song from Beluga Lagoon’s amazing LP “The Tombs O’ The Faeries” … without further ado, here it is …

    https://youtu.be/8ORfdPHZdnw?si=Oufd7k7W1bt3VuNf

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  4. What an excellent choice who would believe that such excellent music came from such a tortured mind…. Yes it was and is so often the way. I guess the internal pain brings out the genius… Wonderful choice the Beach boys were just so influencial on all genres of music 🎵🎶🎶🎵🎼 💜💜💜😃

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  5. One of the best albums from that decade. My original copy was lost long ago or lent and never returned. My son gave me an excellent old copy with no scratches some years ago for my birthday; he also collects 60s music, like his Dad. This was the period when Wilson was obsessed with the wall of sound created by Spector, and you could hear it in almost every song. My favorite, God Only Knows. Pop music doesn’t get any better than that, even the Fabs said it. Also, Don’t Worry Baby, is another that captures the Be My Baby sound and beat. My band back then did some Beach Boys tunes, but those were impossible for a four-piece band. Back in the early ’80s, my country rock band opened for the Beach Boys along with Paul Revere and the Raiders. We felt pretty out of place, but Paul Revere, of all people, made us feel right at home. Of course, we were in Texas, so we were already home and he was he visitor, but the Raiders were nice fellows, not so much the Beach Boys, mainly Mike Love.

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    1. This is an incredible comment, Phil, but the info which totally rocked my world you saved for last and started with this sentence: “Back in the early ’80s, my country rock band opened for the Beach Boys along with Paul Revere and the Raiders.”

      I greatly appreciate you providing a little more info about Wilson’s obsession with Phil Spector’s ‘Wall of Sound’ that we hear so much about. You were spot on about the Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby” capturing the sound and beat of “Be My Baby”, a huge Ronettes hit produced by Spector on Phillies Records.

      Respect, Phil. Thanks once again for an excellent comment.

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      1. oh no, no. Its actually a sweet movie with Drew B having a condition after a car accident where, because of brain injury, she forgets everything that happened that day as she wakes up the morning after, hence forgetting she met Adam Sandler who is in love with her. So he has to make her fall in love with him over and over again. Really good movie.

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  9. Great choice Nancy! 🥰 This is such a special album and yes, ground-breaking. Brian Wilson was so masterful in bringing this as everyone thought he was crazy. He proved them wrong, didn’t he? I love this gentle opening track. It’s a great lead in to one amazing collection.

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    1. Pet Sounds was not a love at first listen for me; it took quite a while for it to grow on me. However this song, Sloop John B and God Only Knows were very special. I believe they were the three songs from Pet Sounds that were received the best. Thanks for a great comment. Christine.

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      1. Don’t Worry Baby and God Only Knows…remains two of my favorite songs of all time. Like you…it took a while for them to grow on me. Thank you!

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  13. You can’t beat their harmonies and it is a swell opener for an important Beach Boys album. You know I never looked at pet sounds as other than pets, especially with the album cover, but I love the idea of it being favorite sounds. I should know this, but where does Phil Spector fit into the equation?

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    1. It took me a long time to appreciate this album, Lisa. Still, after all these years, I love this song the most.

      Phil Spector. Well, it’s only just that the initials of the album and Spector’s initials are the same … P.S. Some reviewers said that’s a nod to him but I find that to be far fetched.

      Thanks for your comments, Li. Most appreciative.

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  18. Nice pick, Nancy. I just listened to the song again via headphones. Wouldn’t it be nice if it had not taken me many years to warm to “Pet Sounds?” For a long time, I didn’t get all the fuzz about the album and thought it was overrated. I’ve since gained much greater appreciation and now recognize Brian Wilson did some wonderful work here. That said, I guess I’m just a stubborn kind of fellow and still believe one of the best outcomes of “Pet Sounds” was it inspired “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” my all-time favorite Beatles album. Oh, and did I mention it’s far superior to “Pet Sounds”? 🙂

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    1. Same here, Christian. I was like “what’s all the fuss?” and the only song I really ever liked was “Wouldn’t It Be Nice“. But I’ve since come around. And you’re right about St. Pepper. McCartney is on record as crediting Pet Sounds for a greater appreciation of melodic baselines. That said, no other concept album comes close to being as great as SPLHCB. Thanks, Christian.

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  21. As soon as I read the title- my mind instantly went to Wholesome- and then you went on to explain the innocence of the longings expressed in the song- and I thought Right on. Then I went to Wiki to see what Diane looked like- and on the wiki page for her band the Honey’s there is a picture of Marilyn, Diane and Ginger and DAMN if Diane doesn’t look just like Amy Winehouse in that picture!

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    1. Damn, girl! If you’re talking about the same pic I saw while checking out Diane, I know exactly what you mean and I agree completely about Amy Winehouse. THAT PIC was my first choice to use on my post but went with the one you see. We’re on the same wavelength.

      I love the fact that you did your ‘homework‘, Jodi. This song certainly does give off the wholesome vibe but it’s really not all that pure and innocent. The idea here is romance and long nights together in each other’s arms, making love and waking up to see the sun rise. This guy is so in love with this woman, he’s saying “Fuck everything … I don’t care if you are my sister-in-law …. I love you and wanna marry you!” How freaking romantic is it to have a song written about you? Thanks for a great comment; I appreciate the fact that someone’s actually reading this stuff!

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  22. The unique sound of the Beach Boys, always brings a smile to my face, Nancy, … so I’m smiling now and thank you for this lovely share, … I don’t think there’s any songs of theirs I don’t like, …(is that a double negative?). but you know what I mean… have a great Sunday, …💙

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