Song of the Week #127 – “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”
Written by admin on October 8, 2012 – 10:34 pm - |
The Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons.
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” was released on single in the US in July 1966, backed with “God Only Knows”. It was the third single from the “Pet Sounds” album, released two months before. |
After suffering a nervous breakdown in late 1964, Brian Wilson quit touring with the Beach Boys in order to concentrate solely on songwriting and studio production. Work on “Pet Sounds” began in December 1965, with Brian Wilson inspired strongly by the release of the US version of The Beatles’ “Rubber Soul”. Wilson was highly impressed with what he regarded as an artistic step forward for The Beatles and became focused on his band making similar strides.
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” was one of the first tracks penned for “Pet Sounds” and would be selected as the album’s opener. The song tells of a young couple’s hurry to grow up so that they can live together and never be apart. It’s an uncomplicated and romantic vision of adulthood, but that is of course intentional. There are no hidden meanings here.
The optimistic lyrics are matched by one of the Beach Boys’ brightest and catchiest melodies, exceptional harmonies, and an unforgettable arrangement from Brian Wilson, who was on top of his game. All this allows us to excuse one of the Beach Boys’ clumsiest lyrics, “Happy times together we’ve been spending,” which reads like a contribution from Yoda.
Outtakes of the song reveal the degree to which Brian Wilson took full charge of the production, eagerly directing each musician until they had delivered precisely what he had in mind.
YouTube member BehindTheSounds has produced a fascinating video detailing the creative process behind the recording.
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – Session outtakes
“Pet Sounds” would become the band’s most critically acclaimed work and would earn Brian Wilson his reputation as one of the most gifted producers and arrangers in the history of popular music. It was also the first Beach Boys album on which none of the Beach Boys played an instrument. This, coupled with the change of musical direction, led to some tension within the group, as recalled by Brian Wilson in his 1997 autobiography (“Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Brian Wilson,” p 140):
| “By March 1966, the time at which they began listening to the songs Tony and I had done, which was around the ‘God Only Knows’ sessions, they were prepared not to like the music. And they didn’t. First, they were put off by the fact that I didn’t need them. The tracks and vocals were all well developed without them. I think their egos were bruised. But the guys also weren’t prepared for how different the music was from the songs we’d done in the past. Especially Mike, whose biggest concern was, ‘Will it sell? He hated everything. He criticised it as ‘ego music.’ He complained that the songs were too avant-garde and didn’t sound like the old stuff.” |
Wilson was undeterred by the group’s initial scepticism as he regarded the songs as his best work to date:
| “I’d poured my soul into these songs. The pain, the joy, the conflicts, the sadness, the love. They were everything to me, my flesh and blood. They [the rest of the group] only knew the songs weren’t about sun, fun, and bikini-clad buns.” |
Whatever the other guys originally thought about the songs, their vocal contributions were excellent and a big factor in the ongoing appeal of the album. In the liner notes for the 1997 “The Pet Sounds Sessions” box set, Mike Love recalled how hard the group worked on the “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” vocals:
| “I’ll never forget just how much a slave driver Brian was when he produced the session. We did upwards of 30 takes on just one section of backgrounds for “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” About the 20th take, frustrated by what seemed the zillionth attempt to get the sound he was looking for. I started calling Brian “dog ears” (with affection). |
| They say dogs can hear sounds that humans cannot and I swear Brian must have been part canine because he was reaching for something intangible, imperceptible to most, and all but impossible to execute. Consequently, if one gives Pet Sounds or “Good Vibrations” a listen, we can safely say with some degree of confidence that the vocal performances are as close to perfect as humanly possible.” |
Bruce Johnston, Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love at a Pet Sounds session
Al Jardine had similar memories of the arduous vocal sessions for “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” when interviewed for the 2006 documentary “The Making of Pet Sounds”:
| “The vocal sessions for ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ were exquisite torture. There are moments when it all came together and when it all flew apart.” |
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – The Beach Boys
Authorship
The original writing credits for “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” were Brian Wilson (music) and Tony Asher (lyrics), but Mike Love was given credit for contributing lyrics after he sued Wilson in the 1990s for what he claimed were unpaid royalties on 30 songs that he had a hand in writing.
Recording date/location
The instrumental track for “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” was recorded on January 22, 1966 at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, California.
There were vocal sessions for “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” at Columbia Studios, Los Angeles, on March 10, 1966 and April 11, 1966. Comments from the band members suggest that the vocals for the song were refined over a much longer period though.
Musicians
The following musicians appeared on “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”:
- Brian Wilson – lead vocals
- Mike Love – lead vocals and backing vocals
- Carl Wilson – backing vocals
- Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
- Al Jardine – backing vocals
- Jerry Cole – guitar
- Bill Pitman – guitar
- Al de Lory – piano
- Carol Kaye – bass guitar
- Ray Pohlman – 6-string bass
- Lyle Ritz on upright bass
- Hal Blaine – drums
- Frank Capp – tympani, tambourine, celeste
- Barney Kessel – 12-string mandolin
- Ray Pohlman – mandolin
- Larry Knechtel – Hammond organ
- Steve Douglas – saxophone
- Jay Migliori – saxophone
- Plas Johnson – saxophone
- Roy Caton – trumpet
- Carl Fortina – accordion
- Frank Marocco – accordion.
Brian Wilson sings the lead on the verses and Mike Love sings lead on the bridge.
Chart performance
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 11, 1966.
The song was the B-side of the “God Only Knows” single in the UK, which peaked at number two on the singles chart.
Other notable recordings
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – Jeffrey Osborne
Jeffrey Osborne took the song in a completely different direction when he covered it for the 1997 album “Wouldn’t It Be Nice: A Jazz Portrait Of Brian Wilson”. Obsorne presents the song as a soul ballad with jazz elements, which works to a point, and the vocal performance is certainly strong, but it’s not an approach that inspires you to revisit the recording in the same way the original does.
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – Saint Etienne
Saint Etienne’s “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” tells the story from the female perspective, beginning with a mellow a cappella approach that is very effective. A slow dance beat is then introduced for the bridge, which is followed by a faster and less appealing instrumental section, before returning to the pleasing close harmonies.
The recording was included on the “Pet Sounds Revisited” album that was included free with Mojo’s June 2012 issue.
There will be a new Song of the Week on October 15.
The Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is featured on “Pet Sounds,” which has been re-released this week as part of the mono/stereo remasters campaign. It is also included on both editions of the new Beach Boys greatest hits albums.
| Title |  |
 |
 |
|
Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (CD) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
|
Beach Boys Greatest Hits (CD) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
|
Beach Boys Greatest Hits – 50 Big Ones (2 CDs) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
Tags: beach boys, Beach Boys remasters, Jeffrey Osborne, Pet Sounds, Saint Etienne, Wouldn't It Be Nice
Posted in 60s pop, Song of the Week |
