Wouldn't it Be Nice



"Wouldn't It Be Nice" is the opening track on the 1966 album Pet Sounds and one of the most widely recognized songs by the American rock band the Beach Boys. It was composed and produced by Brian Wilson, with words largely by Tony Asher; Mike Love having a hand in the coda's vocal arrangement and lyric. The lead vocals were sung by Brian Wilson and Mike Love.

In the Endless Harmony documentary, Brian Wilson described the song as "what children everywhere go through ... wouldn't it be nice if we were older, or could run away and get married". Wilson added in 1996, "'Wouldn't It Be Nice' was not a real long song, but it's a very 'up' song. It expresses the frustrations of youth, what you can't have, what you really want and you have to wait for it."[citation needed]

Pitchfork Media placed it at number 7 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".[3]



Contents
[hide]  *1 Lyrics  ==Lyrics[edit] == The lyrics describe a couple in love lamenting about being too young to run off to get married, fantasizing about how nice it would be if they were adults. ==Recording[edit] == ===Instrumental sessions[edit] === The instrumental track was recorded in Los Angeles, California at Gold Star Studios on January 22, 1966.[4]  The session was engineered by Larry Levine and produced by Brian Wilson. It took 21 takes of recording the instrumental track before Brian Wilson decided that it was good enough to be the master take. Highlights of these sessions can be heard on the 1997 box setThe Pet Sounds Sessions as well as the master take. The full recording of the instrumental track, all 21 takes, can be heard on the bootleg Sea Of Tunes Unsurpassed Masters series Vol. 13 box set.[5]
 * 2 Recording
 * 2.1 Instrumental sessions
 * 2.2 Vocal overdubs
 * 3 Single release
 * 4 Alternate releases
 * 5 Personnel
 * 6 Charts
 * 7 Other versions
 * 8 References
 * 9 External links

The musicians present on the day of the instrumental recording were a group of Los Angeles session players commonly referred to as The Wrecking Crew.[6]  Wilson says, <p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Accounts differ as to which specific instrument was employed on the song's distinctive, harp-like intro, with candidates including one or more 12-string electric guitars, an electric mandolin, or similar short-scale instrument, such as a Vox Mandoguitar. ===Vocal overdubs<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === <p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The vocals were recorded over two sessions at Columbia engineered by Ralph Balantin.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="line-height:1em;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]  The first vocal session took place on March 10, 1966, which also saw vocal work on "I'm Waiting for the Day", "God Only Knows" and "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GIGS_4-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Sessions_.281966.29_7-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  The next session around a month later on April 11, 1966 was most likely the session at which the lead vocal for the song was recorded. Vocals for "God Only Knows" were also worked on at that particular session.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GIGS_4-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Sessions_.281966.29_7-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7] ==Single release<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == <p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">On July 18, 1966, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" was released backed with "God Only Knows" in the United States, which was the third single from the Pet Sounds album.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GIGS_4-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]  It entered the Billboard chart on July 30 and remained there for 11 weeks, peaking at number 8 in September 1966.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8]  The single also peaked at number 7 on the Cashbox chart and #5 in Record World. It also peaked at number 4 on Canada's RPM national chart. In Australia, the song was released in August 1966 as the A-side with "God Only Knows" as the B-side of the single. It entered the charts on August 24 at number 39 and spent 17 weeks on the charts, peaking at number 2.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Back_To_The_Beach_book_9-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  The song was also released as the A-side in New Zealand where it peaked at number 12.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-New_Zealand_Single_Charts_10-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  In July 1966 in the United Kingdom the song was released as the B-side of the "God Only Knows" single,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bellagio_UK_60.27s_Singles_11-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  which reached number 2.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In April 1971, a live version of the song from the Live In London album was released in the United States as the A-side of a single which featured a different artist on the B-side. However, the single failed to make any impact on the charts just as many of the other Beach Boys singles from that period had failed to chart. During Brian Wilson's absences from the group, the song was frequently performed with Al Jardine or Carl Wilson on lead vocal.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In July 1976, the song was released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of the re-issued "Good Vibrations" single. The single peaked at number 18.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In June 1990, a different recording of the song from 1966 that had appeared on the 1989 Still Cruisin album was released in the United Kingdom as a single with the B-side featuring a Beach Boys Medley as well as the original recording of "I Get Around", which had also been released on the Still Cruisin album. ==Alternate releases<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == <p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The song first appeared in monophonic sound on The Beach Boys album Pet Sounds which was released on May 16, 1966 in the United States and in June 1966 in the United Kingdom. The song was later released in November 1966 in the United Kingdom on the God Only Knows EP.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bellagio_UK_60.27s_Singles_11-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  Live versions also appear on two of the band's live albums. The 1970 release Live In London and the 1973 release The Beach Boys in Concert. On the 1986 Made in U.S.A.compilation, an alternate version with different vocals was used. That same version was also released on the 1989 Beach Boys album Still Cruisin'.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Another notable difference is that Brian sings the bridge on the original stereo versions, while Mike sings that part in the mono version. The 2001 stereo remix of the song restores Mike Love's original bridge vocal, utilizing a mono mix, which causes slight phasing and sound quality issues. Brian's version has still been maintained in the "Pet Sounds Sessions" box set.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The song appears on several occasions from different stages of the recording process and in different formats on The Pet Sounds Sessions box set, including the song in its original monophonic mix; the first ever original stereo mix of the song, which was remastered by Mark Linett; over seven minutes of highlights from the tracking date, which documents the progress of the recording of the instrumental track; the finished instrumental track; the stereo track with the background vocals; an a cappella mix of the song; and two alternate mixes of the song one of which has a slight difference lyrically. In it, the song begins with the line "wouldn't it be nice to live together, in the kind of world where we belong", instead of the finished version of the song which opens with the line "wouldn't it be nice if we were older, then we wouldn't have to wait so long" and follows with the aforementioned lyric. ==Personnel<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == ==Charts<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == ==Other versions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == <p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">At the 2001 special An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson, Wilson sang a duet with Elton John to the song.
 * The Beach Boys
 * Brian Wilson – Lead vocals
 * Mike Love – Lead vocals and backing vocals
 * Carl Wilson – Backing vocals
 * Dennis Wilson – Backing vocals
 * Al Jardine – Backing vocals
 * Bruce Johnston – Backing vocals
 * Additional musicians
 * Jerry Cole – guitar
 * Bill Pitman – guitar
 * Larry Knechtel – Piano
 * Al de Lory – Piano
 * Barney Kessel – 12-string guitar
 * Ray Pohlman – 6-string bass guitar
 * Carl Fortina – Accordion
 * Frank Marocco – Accordion
 * Roy Caton – Trumpet
 * Steve Douglas – Tenor Saxophone
 * Plas Johnson – Tenor Saxophone
 * Jay Migliori – Baritone Saxophone
 * Carol Kaye – Bass guitar
 * Lyle Ritz – Double bass
 * Hal Blaine – Drums
 * Frank Capp – Percussion
 * Anni-Frid Lyngstad in 1975 recorded a Swedish-language version called "Skulle de' va' skönt" (with Swedish lyrics by Marie Bergman) on her solo album Frida ensam.
 * Mike Post in 1975
 * Papa Doo Run Run on their 1985 album California Project
 * Jeffrey Osborne on the 1997 tribute album Wouldn't It Be Nice: A Jazz Portrait Of Brian Wilson
 * Force in 2003
 * Foster The People at the 54th Grammy Awards as a tribute to the Beach Boys as a part of the 50th anniversary of the band.