The Beach Boys

Released: July 18, 1966

Songwriter: Tony Asher Mike Love Brian Wilson

Producer: Brian Wilson

[Verse 1: Brian Wilson]
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?

[Chorus: Brian Wilson]
You know it's gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together

[Verse 2: Brian Wilson]
Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new?
After having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through

[Chorus: Brian Wilson]
But happy times together we've been spending
I wish that every kiss was never-ending
Oh, wouldn't it be nice?

[Bridge: Mike Love, Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson]
Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray, it might come true
Oh, 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?

[Chorus: Brian Wilson]
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?

[Outro: Mike Love]
Goodnight, my baby
Sleep tight, my baby
Goodnight, my baby
Sleep tight, my baby
Goodnight, my baby
Sleep tight, my baby

The Beach Boys are one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time and the first American pop band to reach the 50-year milestone. Their vocal harmonies are among the most unmistakable and enduring of the rock and roll era.

Formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California, by Brian Wilson, his two brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and classmate Al Jardine, the group’s first single “Surfin'” got them signed to Capitol Records and they quickly became one of the most popular and successful artists of the surf music craze of the 1960s. From 1962 to 1966, The Beach Boys scored over twenty top 40 hits in the US including the chart-toppers “I Get Around”, “Help Me Rhonda” & “Good Vibrations” along with the top 5’s “Surfin USA”, “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “California Girls”, “Barbara Ann” & “Sloop John B”. Several of the band’s singles also found top 40 success in Canada, Australia, Sweden and the UK. In 1965, de facto leader Brian Wilson suffered a mental breakdown due to the stress of writing, producing & touring combined with substance abuse issues, causing him to step down and stop traveling with the band on tour.

Inspired by producer Phil Spector and The Beatles' Rubber Soul, Brian focused on studio work, determined to keep the group relevant as the surf music scene was fading with their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Despite tension between members in the studio about this new direction, lack of faith from the record label, mixed reviews, and comparatively lukewarm reception initially in the US, the album still found massive success in the UK and earned accolades from fellow artists including The Beatles, who acknowledged that the album was their inspiration to further push the boundaries of pop music with their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Eventually Pet Sounds would be acknowledged as one of the greatest albums ever recorded by several media outlets like The Times, Mojo Magazine, The Guardian, VH1, BBC and Rolling Stone.

more tracks from the album

Still Cruisin’

From the albums

Pet Sounds (1966)
Made In U.S.A. (1986)
Still Cruisin’ (1989)
Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys (1993)
Music From and Inspired by The Big Chill: Deluxe Edition (1998)
The Greatest Hits, Volume 1 (1999)
The Best of the Beach Boys: Sounds of Summer (2003)
The Best Pub Jukebox … Ever! (2004)
The Boat That Rocked (Movie Soundtrack) (2009)
Pirate Radio (Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2009)
Greatest Hits (2012)
Brice 3 (Bande originale du film) (2016)
The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2018)

The Beach Boys popular songs

Wouldn’t It Be NiceThe Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

Still Cruisin’