Discuss & Rate Beach Boys Songs Day by Day

Wouldn't It Be Nice -- it probably deserves better, but I've heard it so much through the years I can only go

4/5

 

Wouldn't it Be Nice - 5/5. A definite BB classic, and one of the best on the album.

 

Sorry for being MIA during the Party castoffs.

For the record, I would have given Little Girl 4/5. A really unique piece of music, though not necessarily in my top favourites.

Speaking of favourites, Wouldn’t It Be Nice is my absolute favourite Beach Boys’ song, so it naturally gets a 5/5 from me.

Appropriate album opener for Brian’s Pet Sounds vision.

 

I tend to consider the arrangements on pet Sounds a little over handed, but it really depends on my mood and I never feel strongly enough about it to start an argument. I personally prefer what Brian was able to achieve on Today with far fewer ingredients. I used to be able to identify with the sentiments of Wouldn't It Be Nice more. I'd have gone with 4/5, but I'm bumping it to 5/5 for its usage in "Roger and I". A fantastic, tragic scene.

 

Probably my favorite beach boys song - and that’s saying a lot
5/5

The sessions stuff is a must listen to get a glimpse of Brian’s genius

 

Accordion playing rhythm- who else would have considered that in 1966 pop music
Beautiful bridge with those gorgeous background vocals

 

Perfect from start to finish. The bouncy, skipping-along guitar intro slams headfirst into the massive drum hit and we are instantly informed that this song will be about the tension between dreams and reality. Two infectious verses and a lovely bridge later, and you are set up for a repeat of the first verses. But no. We get a slow, yearning final verse (love the accordions) that ends with the optimistic plea, “but let’s talk about it”—i.e., let’s keep dreaming. Then back to a full speed joyful California rock outro. Great dynamics. Brian at his best (with a big assist from Tony Asher).

Interestingly, when I saw Elton John perform it at a Brian Wilson tribute, I realized it works as a gay rights anthem too. Sort of a universal anthem for personal and social causes that require optimism and perseverance.

 

This is going to be a easy album to do. What's not to love? First up: 5/5. Beautiful vocals.

 

WIBN: 5/5.

SUPERHUMAN BACKING VOCALS AUTOTUNED BY GOD

 

Is it just me, or does the organ part on "She's Not The Little Girl I Once Knew" remind anyone else of the synthsizer parts on the theme from The Rockford Files?

 

"Wouldn't It Be Nice"

Brian bringing Tony Asher in to help write songs worked well, but not well enough for the high standards that the band already enjoyed with Roger Christian, Gary Usher, the esteemed Mike Love, and the multitude of cover songs that had become part of the Beach Boys repertoire. The lyrics here serve the song, but are too slick for The Beach Boys, as the band has always had relied on more interesting writing styles when Brian collaborated with other writers. Brian wasn't necessarily looking for someone who wrote interesting lyrics, as he was more interested in finding someone who could translate his own thoughts into servicable lyrics that helped move the song along.

The quality of the lyrics, as far as Pet Sounds is concerned, wasn't as important to Brian as delivering a product and work of art that delivered his song ideas. That Tony Asher was British, gave Brian what he was looking for in a British style that was comparable to songs from The Beatles. A British style isn't necessesarily the right match for The Beach Boys, however, as Brian was trying to impart a British sensibility using American singers rather than British singers. We wouldn't have expected that The Beatles should have brought in American song doctors to write songs for Ringo to sing. Nor should we have expected the template of Brian bringing in British song doctors to last much longer than this album, as it was a new experiment for The Beach Boys to do so.

These British penned songs work well enough similar to how Mick Jagger puts his own spin on American blues songs. Mick Jagger didn't make an entire career out of singing American blues covers, however. We respect him for his ability to write his own songs and sing songs in his own style. So, when Mike Love sings the bridge that Tony Asher wrote, it feels forced and unnatural compared to his history of singing songs written by Americans, even if there is a quality song there regardless.

On to the other elements of the song. The melody and use of accordians here is some great stuff. Though the lyrics suffer a bit, the strengths of the other musical ideas make up for those shortcomings.

4/5

 

She's Not the Little Girl I Once Knew - 4/5.
Wouldn't It Be Nice - 5/5. Quite possibly my favorite Beach Boys track of all-time. If not, it's very close (God Only Knows is right up there).

I just saw Brian Wilson in concert last night in Augusta, GA. I had never seen him before (other than some videos online) so it was really awesome to see the man himself. Brian's voice certainly isn't what it used to be (and I wouldn't expect it to be), but Al Jardine really sounds great for his age, and seeing him and Blondie Chaplin was a treat. The backing band was great too. It will definitely be one of my most memorable shows.

 

It's just you.............

 

Your ratings for Wouldn't It Be Nice:
1-0 vote
2-0 vote
3-0 vote
4-3 votes
5-7 votes

 

Today's song is You Still Believe In Me:

 

YSBIM: 5/5

Perfect lyric and melody. Brian sings it with such sincerity. Vocal parade at end is phenomenal. Honk honk.

 

This is the song that made me into a huge fan of the BBs. As with Wouldn’t It Be Nice, the lyrics are perfect—not fancy or fashionably oblique, just perfect. An ode to grace and forgiveness. Could just as easily be sung to God as to a lover. Brian often describes Pet Sounds as spiritual music, and this is exhibit A. Add in those those beautiful interwoven melody lines and incredible harmonies, and I really get the “I wanna cry” tag. If they played this kind of music (and preached this kind of message) in church, I would definitely go more often. 5/5.

 

5/5 And a super dooper strong one, as was WIBN. The arrangement is so delicate and exquisite. And there is still that hint of darkness behind the lyrics, like they are saying “I’m a real jerk and you still love me”, sort of similar theme that Wilson was doing with Mike in a few songs, too.

The tag is awesome.

 

You still...4/5- nice tag at the end

 

I agree 5/5. It is a nice 2nd track.

 

"You Still Believe In Me"

This song has some pretty nice quality lyrics on par with some of Mike Love's best work. It's a song full of humility, so Mike Love might not have been the best candidate to assist in writing this song. It's not so much of a song about loud braggarts or expert surfer. I like the bicycle horn and need the double tracked Brian on this track, a la the original mono mix. The single tracked stereo mix is inferior by a lot, not even considering the general inferiority of Linett's stereo mixes of the Pet Sounds tracks.

5/5

 

I concur entirely. 4/5. The end is the part that I love best on You Still Believe in Me.

 

5/5: like all tracks from this album.

 

I'll second that:

5/5

 

absolutely a 5 and one of the best 5's on the lp.