The first official release credited to Wilson as a solo artist was the 1966 Beach Boys single "Caroline, No" (b/w "Summer Means New Love"), due to being the single's arranger and sole vocal presence. Around the same time, Wilson also produced cuts for other artists such as The Beach Boys' spear counterpart The Honeys (member Marilyn Rovell was Wilson's first wife), and Jan & Dean, whose "Surf City" became a #1 hit single. The 1977 album Love You and the unreleased Adult/Child (recorded during the same sessions) were tentatively considered for release as Brian Wilson solo albums, although the idea fell through. Love You would be last Beach Boys albums to feature Wilson's extended involvement for the better part of 35 years.
Brian's solo career, despite a few false starts, began in earnest with the 1987 single "Let's Go to Heaven in My Car" (b/w "Too Much Sugar"), featured in the film Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol. A year later, his debut solo album, the eponymous Brian Wilson, was released, at the time hailed as a 1980s equivalent of what is widely regarded as Wilson's magnum opus, 1966's Pet Sounds. A follow-up in much the same vein, Sweet Insanity, was scrapped due to various personal issues.
Also left on the shelf was a fruitful collaborative project with multi-instrumentalist Andy Paley, informally known as "The Paley Sessions". Over the years, a few tracks were released through various albums, but dozens more have been bootlegged, and a comprehensive release has yet to be assembled.
Instead, 1995 saw the release of two albums: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, a collection of re-recordings seemingly meant to reintroduce him to the public, and Orange Crate Art, a song cycle written by one-time lyricist Van Dyke Parks with contributions by Wilson, were released. An album of new compositions entitled Imagination followed in 1998.
Wilson began performing live again in 1999, and with his confidence as a performer growing ever stronger, he chose to release a live album documenting the Imagination tour (Live at the Roxy Theatre). In 2002, he began incorporating Pet Sounds in its entirety into his live performances; this, too, was documented in a live album titled Pet Sounds Live.
In 2004, Wilson revived and completed SMiLE, his unfinished 1967 album, performing the work in its entirety on a celebrated tour. The positive response lead him to record a studio version which met similar acclaim; the album cut "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental. That same year, he released Gettin' in Over My Head (containing many songs originating with the ill-fated Sweet Insanity album), featuring guest musicians Elton John, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and brother Carl, who passed away in 1998. Brian's song "Lay Down Burden" was written in tribute of his brother.
Brian released a collection of Christmas songs entitled What I Really Want For Christmas in 2005. His 2008 album, That Lucky Old Sun, marked his return to Capitol Records. As part of a two-album deal with Disney, Wilson released Reimagines Gershwin (2010), a tribute to his idol George Gershwin, and In the Key of Disney (2011), a collection of cover songs from various Disney films.
2012 saw the The Beach Boys celebrate their 50th anniversary, reuniting a majority of surviving band members including Brian, for a worldwide tour as well as the release of an album, That's Why God Made the Radio, composed almost entirely by Wilson with an assortment of co-writers. The album became the group's biggest chart success in decades, peaking at #3 on the Billboard album charts. Status quo was restored as the group members went their separate ways again after the conclusion of the tour.
In 2015, Wilson released his eleventh studio album, No Pier Pressure. Originally conceived as a follow-up to That's Why God Made the Radio before The Beach Boys reunion fell through, the album features guest appearances by contemporary artists such as Kacey Musgraves, She & Him, and Nate Ruess (of fun.), as well as former Beach Boys Al Jardine, Blondie Chaplin, and David Marks. Summer 2015 will also see the public release of Wilson's autobiographical motion picture Love and Mercy (named after Wilson's 1988 comeback single), with actors Paul Dano and John Cusack starring as a younger and older Wilson.
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Brian Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Wouldn't it be nice?
Maybe if we think, and wish, and hope, and pray, it might come true
Baby, then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do
We could be married
And then we'd be happy
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
Wouldn't it be nice?
The lyrics to Brian Wilson's song "Wouldn't It Be Nice" express a longing for an ideal future where the two lovers are older and able to live together in a world where they feel like they belong. The first verse sets the tone of the song by talking about how being older would make things easier for them. The second verse, however, deals with their present by expressing the wish to spend the day together and hold each other throughout the night. As the song progresses, Wilson expresses his hope through the phrase "maybe if we think, and wish, and hope, and pray, it might come true," which is an acknowledgment of the uncertainty of the future. However, by the last verse, he's convinced that their marriage would bring them happiness.
There's an underlying melancholy to the song's melody that contrasts with the lyrics' joyful hopefulness, and it's indicative of Wilson's musical genius. The song's tempo starts off slowly, which creates a sense of waiting, and it gradually builds up to the end where the listener can feel the couple's hope for their future. The song concludes with a plea that if they keep on talking about it, the possibilities of their dreams will become even greater.
Line by Line Meaning
Wouldn't it be nice if we were older?
Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to wait so long to be together?
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long
We wouldn't have to endure this long separation we're experiencing right now.
And wouldn't it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong
Wouldn't it be great if we could live together in a world that accepts and celebrates us?
You know it's gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together
It will be better when we can have a goodnight's sleep next to each other.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new?
Wouldn't it be lovely if we could wake up next to each other in the morning with the whole day to spend together?
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through
At the end of the day, we could hold each other close and be together all night long.
Happy times together we've been spending
I wish that every kiss was never-ending
Wouldn't it be nice?
We've been having a great time together, and I wish every moment and kiss could last forever.
Maybe if we think, and wish, and hope, and pray, it might come true
Baby, then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do
If we believe in ourselves and have hope, we can achieve anything we want.
We could be married
And then we'd be happy
If we could be married, we would be able to be happy and live our lives together as we want to.
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
Wouldn't it be nice?
Talking about being together makes it difficult to live without each other, but we still talk and dream about being together because it gives us hope and happiness.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brian Wilson, Michael Love, Tony Asher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@steveskouson9620
@@StephenMountenayHenhawke, well, not with any
HUMAN band members. Hateful Mikey, is a zit on
a real Beach Boy's ass!
Alan and Matt, still bring it. Matt, is about 97% as
good as Carl was. Me, 0.03% Al, will never change.
(FUCKIN' GOOD!)
steve
@steveskouson9620
Right composer, wrong Song.
Wouldn't it be nice is without
a doubt one of Brian's BEST
compositions. However, Carl
Dean sang the best. GOD only
Knows! Don't believe me, ask
Sir Paul. He thinks that God
Only Knows, is not just Brian's
best, but THE best. (I agree.)
steve
@steveskouson9620
@@Tc900Hateful Mikey is an ass?
Expect some lawsuits from the donkey
group. They want to sue, for defamation!
They'd kick Mike out of the Ass club!
Matt is not Carl. Carl did it better. Barely!
Matt, however, is simply amazing! I'd KILL
(Mikey) to have Matt's voice!
steve
@marywatkins6798
Brian Wilson is still standing, the last Wilson brother. He is a genius.
@mgebi1
@marywatkins6798 Al Jardine. The loyal one..hes talented. Hes a great singer. And distinctive voice. A key original member who stuck by Brian . Loyalty to the genius that made them all rich and famous!!
@lola9343
Yes. Undeniable genius.
@mgebi1
@lola9343 Such a shame the other guys. Especially his cousin. They never would've had a career without him. Al is actually the most talented who isn't a Wilson. Better than the thieving cousin. He plays really well. And is so kind to fans.👍🎸☮️
@eliotguerin192
All 5 were talented. Mike had the best baritone & bass vocal range of the bunch, and wrote some great songs and lyrics. If he wasn’t such a jackass he’d be my second favorite behind Brian.
@mgebi1
@eliotguerin192 They were all talented, but Brian defines the beach boys. And having read so much about them. Mike always looks like a jerk. Some changes were needed. But I don't believe he wrote as much as he claims. But the worst is him taking the bands name away from Brian! Even if intervention was needed way back. The rights to that beach boys name should belong to Brian. Mike wats decades to claim writng credits. Ok. But the name is Brians. There is no beach boys without Brian. Beatles dont make a competitive record to pet sounds. Brian created while the band was on the road. But undeniable Mike's voice was critical to many songs. He really cant sing now. Anyway my feelings about it. ☮️🇺🇲✌️📻🤟
@jamestimlin856
Brian Wilson should be recognized as one the the greatest song writers of his generation and of the past 100 years.
@awubutfilmsab
@Slomofogo r/im14andthisisdeep
@Daveglorious
James Timlin I think he is isn’t he? Who would say he’s not:)
@kj6qvb
@Slomofogo Irvin Berlin is still held in high regard by songwriters who have studied the art. Stephen Foster, on the other hand, was not known for writing love songs, unless you count "Oh! Susanna" as a love song. He was actually known for writing some pretty racially charged songs like "Old Black Joe" and "Camptown Races", which Mel Brooks parodied in "Blazing Saddles" as being racist - and rightly so. I contend that, just as the music of Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, and others are still studied by serious music students, as well as the music of contemporary artists like the Beatles, the music of the Beach Boys and The Beatles will still be studied by music students 100 years from now. It's only the masses, who wouldn't know good music if it bit them in the ass, that forget - if they ever even knew.