The Beach Boys are an iconic American rock band, frequently cited as one of… Read Full Bio ↴The Beach Boys are an iconic American rock band, frequently cited as one of the most influential and commercially successful groups in the history of popular music due to their intricate vocal harmonies, studio experiments, and novel approaches to pop songwriting. Rooted in doo-wop and rock and roll, their early string of vocal surf hits defined the '60s California Sound. For a period afterward, they notably delved into progressive pop styles. often combining elements from classical and jazz in innovative ways.

Formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961, the original group comprised singer-musician-composer and bandleader Brian Wilson, his brothers Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Wilson neighbor David Marks appeared on their first four albums and was a member from 1962 to 1963 as a temporary replacement for Jardine, who had left the group to pursue a career in dentistry.

On their first few studio albums, the group primarily played surf music, but this changed after 1964 as their songs became more sophisticated and autobiographical. The 1965 album Today! particularly represented this shift in sound. Bruce Johnston joined the group that same year. Session drummer Hal Blaine is quoted: "We all studied in conservatories; we were trained musicians. We thought it was a fluke at first, but then we realized Brian was writing these incredible songs. This was not just a young kid writing about high school and surfing."

Following their most esteemed work, Pet Sounds (1966), the band became symbols of psychedelic counterculture. The highly anticipated follow-up, Smile, was left unfinished, and Brian soon relinquished his creative hold on the group. A trilogy of lo-fi releases followed: Smiley Smile (1967), Wild Honey (1967), and Friends (1968). Brian would not be credited as a primary composer for any Beach Boys album until 1977's Love You, an album on the fringe of synth-pop, new wave, and punk.

In Brian's absence, the Beach Boys still managed to release music that was regarded favorably by fans and critics despite poor sales: Sunflower (1970) and Surf's Up (1971). South African musicians Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar played and sang with the band on the next two albums: Carl & the Passions - So Tough (1972), and Holland (1973).

Many changes in both musical style and personnel have occurred in their sometimes-stormy career: Brian Wilson's mental illness and drug addiction; the deaths of Dennis Wilson in 1983 and Carl Wilson in 1998; and continuing legal battles among surviving members of the group. With the release of 1974's Endless Summer they became a more popular touring act, playing their greatest hits. They have recorded 36 Billboard Top 40 hits (including four number-one singles), have had over 100 million sales, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

Official site: http://www.thebeachboys.com

Wouldn't it Be Nice
The Beach Boys Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

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
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

Overall Meaning

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

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