The layering of harmonies upon harmonies, and lyrics on top of harmonies make this one of the quintessential Beach Boys songs. 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 was quoted as saying:
Listen for the rockin' accordions and the ethereal guitars in the introduction. Tony and I had visualized a scene. We had a feeling in our hearts, like a vibration. We put it into music, and it found its way onto tape. We really felt good about that record.
In a 1996 interview, Wilson stated, "'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."
Wilson also used the title of the song for the title of his autobiography.
Wouldn't It Be Nice
The Beach Boys 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
Oh, 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
Oh, we could be married (oh, 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
Oh, wouldn't it be nice?
Goodnight, my baby
Sleep tight, my baby
Goodnight, my baby
Sleep tight, my baby
The Beach Boys's song, "Wouldn't it Be Nice," is about dreaming of a life with the person you love and wishing you were already there. The first verse talks about how nice it would be if they were already older so that they wouldn't have to wait so long to be together. The second verse talks about waking up in the morning together and spending the day together, then holding each other close all night. The chorus states that if they think, wish, hope, and pray, their dream of being together will come true.
The song expresses a longing for a life of love without obstacles. The couple wants to live together in a harmonious world where they feel they belong, and where they can be married and stay happy together. While the idea of being together is comforting, the song acknowledges that talking about it can make them feel worse if they can't be together yet. However, they continue to talk and dream about their future together, not letting go of the hope that they will eventually be together for good.
Line by Line Meaning
Wouldn't it be nice if we were older?
It would be great if we were older and didn't have to wait as long for the things we want in life.
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long
If we were older, we wouldn't have to wait as much time to get what we want.
And wouldn't it be nice to live together
It would be lovely if we could spend our lives together.
In the kind of world where we belong?
Living in a world that feels like home to us would be wonderful.
You know it's gonna make it that much better
Being able to say goodnight and stay together will make our lives even better.
When we can say goodnight and stay together
Saying goodnight and sleeping together will add to our happiness.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
It would be nice to wake up next to each other in the morning.
In the morning when the day is new?
Waking up early in the morning when the day is fresh and new would be great.
And after having spent the day together
Spending the day together and enjoying each other's company is important.
Hold each other close the whole night through
Cuddling all night long and holding each other close would be amazing.
Happy times together we've been spending
We've been enjoying our time together and have shared happy moments.
I wish that every kiss was never ending
I wish that every kiss we shared would never have to end.
Oh, wouldn't it be nice?
Wouldn't it be amazing if everything we want could come true?
Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray
If we put our minds and hearts to it, our wishes might come true.
It might come true
Our wishes might actually become a reality.
Baby, then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do
If our wishes came true, we could achieve anything we set our minds to.
Oh, we could be married (oh, we could be married)
If our wish comes true, we could finally be married to each other.
And then we'd be happy (and then we'd be happy)
Getting married would bring us immense happiness.
Oh, wouldn't it be nice?
Wouldn't it be amazing if everything we want could come true?
You know it seems the more we talk about it
The more we talk about what we want, the more we desire it.
It only makes it worse to live without it
Talking about what we want but not having it only makes us feel worse.
But let's talk about it
Even though it might be tough, we should still talk about what we want.
Oh, wouldn't it be nice?
Wouldn't it be amazing if everything we want could come true?
Goodnight, my baby
Goodnight to my love.
Sleep tight, my baby
Sleep well, my love.
Goodnight, my baby
Wishing you a peaceful night, my love.
Sleep tight, my baby
I hope you sleep peacefully and wake up refreshed.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brian Wilson, Michael Love, Tony Asher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
One of the greatest Beach Boys songs.