Which Beach Boys song begins with 'Wouldn't it be nice if we were older'?

The Beach Boys song that begins “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older” is “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.”

The song opens Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys’ landmark 1966 album. Brian Wilson composed the music with Tony Asher and Mike Love; Asher wrote most of the lyrics, while Love contributed the closing line. The song captures the fantasy of being older and independent enough to marry, contrasting youthful longing with the practical limits of adolescence.

Brian Wilson produced the recording, which combines the group’s signature vocal harmonies with an unusually elaborate arrangement. Session musicians played many of the instruments, including drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, percussion, and accordion. The distinctive French horn and layered instrumental textures helped create the song’s dreamy, expansive sound.

“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” was released as a single in 1966 and became one of the Beach Boys’ best-known recordings. It was also central to Pet Sounds, an album celebrated for its emotional writing, studio experimentation, and carefully constructed vocal blend.

The opening lyric is sometimes confused with the titles of other Pet Sounds songs, especially “God Only Knows.” That song appears immediately afterward on the album but begins with a different lyric and idea.