‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ is the lead single from The Beach Boys album, Pet Sounds, and is a timeless classic which has since been used in multiple movie soundtracks – most notoriously the Adam Sandler film, 50 First Dates. The band themselves were brought back to the fore of the public’s mind just last year with the BBC’s cover another hit from the album, ‘God Only Knows’.
The Beach Boys’ distinctively saccharine American pop is perhaps a bit grating after more than a few listens through, but you can’t deny how infectiously catchy this song is. Lyrically, it’s dripping with cheese. However, that’s exactly what makes this song so loveable.
Sure, marriage might not be the end game for a lot of couples these days “wouldn’t it be nice if we were married” – but the lines “And wouldn’t it be nice to live together / In the kind of world where we belong” bears new resonance in a world where America has recently legalised gay marriage. We’re getting closer and closer to a world where everyone feels like they belong, and that’s certainly something to celebrate, this Thursday.
Words by Beth Kirkbride