Maybe the chords for Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again

[Fall Breaks]

I thought I at least would give it a try. I got Adam Marsland's LPR for Christmas, and finally got to hear the song, and it was definitiely worth the long wait. What a great song it is. However, I'm not used to tabbing songs (mostly because I have to listen to them so many times that they wear out on me before I figure it out), so corrections, both lyrical and chordwise, are very welcome. I especially suspect that the end of the chorus isn't totally accurate.

I read elsewhere on the board that the key was changed to fit Evie's voice. Anyone know the original key?


“Wouldn’t It Be Nice To Live Again”
(Dennis Wilson, Stanley Shapiro)

Fm        Eb
Wouldn’t it be nice to live again
Fm               Eb
High on a hill making love again

Eb                 Ab/Eb
Whoever said that love could die
Fm                    Eb
Whoever said the very first lie
Eb                         Ab/Eb
Whoever said goodbye
                  Fm             Fm/Bb      Eb
Tell me, whoever said a girl can’t cry
  Gm/D          Cm7 Cm7/Bb           Fm/Ab
I know I can cry        and we’ll live our lives alone
      Ab           Fm7/Bb       
And I know it’s alright, it’s alright

Fm             Eb
I’ll show you a place that can’t be seen
Fm            Eb
High above the clouds just you and me

Eb                      Ab/Eb
I know we can live with love
Fm                              Eb
Simple living life just you and me
Eb                       Ab/Eb
Whoever said goodbye
                 Fm                Fm/Bb             Eb
Tell me, whoever said a man shouldn’t cry
  Gm/D              Cm7  Cm7/Bb            Fm/Ab
I know you can cry          and we’ll live our lives alone
       Ab          Fm7/Bb
And I know it’s alright, honey it’s alright

Fm7/Bb
Yeah, yeah etc
Do you think we can live again (repeat)

[adamghost]

IIRC we moved the song up a whole step for Evie.

I haven't played the song in ages but I believe the F minors are all Fm7.

the "I know I can cry" part isn't quite right...pretty sure the Gm/D is a Bb/D and I think there's an Eb/F in there somewhere. 

It's close though...sorry I can't be more helpful.

adam marsland

[Fall Breaks]

IIRC we moved the song up a whole step for Evie.

I haven't played the song in ages but I believe the F minors are all Fm7.

the "I know I can cry" part isn't quite right...pretty sure the Gm/D is a Bb/D and I think there's an Eb/F in there somewhere. 

It's close though...sorry I can't be more helpful.

adam marsland

Thanks, Adam! I'll keep working from here. Yes, Fm7 seems more Wilson brothers than Fm.

I want to tell you that I think your live album is great, especially your take on "All I Want To Do". A Beach Boy song has never rocked harder!

[Fall Breaks]

sorry I can't be more helpful.

Adam, you have made one of the best unreleased songs in BB history available to the public. You do not have to apologize for not remembering its exact chord progressions! 

[Fall Breaks]

So, maybe something like this in its original key:

“Wouldn’t It Be Nice To Live Again”
(Dennis Wilson, Stanley Shapiro)


Ebm7                              Db
Wouldn’t it be nice to live again
Ebm7                      Db
High on a hill making love again

Db                                          Gb/Db
Whoever said that love could die
Ebm7                                   Db
Whoever said the very first lie
Db                         Gb/Db
Whoever said goodbye
               Ebm7            Ebm7/Ab    Db
Tell me, whoever said a girl can’t cry
  Ab/C         Bbm7 Bbm7/Ab           Db/Eb
I know I can cry              and we’ll live our lives alone
          Gb           Ebm7/Ab       
And I know it’s alright, it’s alright

Ebm7                              Db
I’ll show you a place that can’t be seen
Ebm7                    Db
High above the clouds just you and me

Db                                  Gb/Db
I know we can live with love
Ebm7                          Db
Simple living life just you and me
Db                          Gb/Db
Whoever said goodbye
           Ebm7                 Ebm7/Ab           Db
Tell me, whoever said a man shouldn’t cry
    Ab/C            Bbm7 Bbm7/Ab            Db/C
I know you can cry               and we’ll live our lives alone
           Gb          Ebm7/Ab
And I know it’s alright, honey it’s alright

Ebm7/Ab
Yeah, yeah etc
Do you think we can live again (repeat)


Adam, if you remember, did you do any gender-related changes in the lyrics ("...a girl could cry" etc?)

[adamghost]

Yeah, we did..."a man can cry."  That's right.

I just feel bad because I've heard the song and everyone else hasn't, and part of the condition of being able to hear it was to never, ever share the song, and I never have, but I'd like people to experience it as much as they can.  I'm just so overwhelmed most of the time (mixing a new album this week) that I don't have time or presence of mind to do a proper chord sheet even though I'm in a position to.

The original recording has a long guitar break that separates the last verse and chorus that we put on our version.  It's very repetitive -- just three notes -- probably intended to be redone at some point and it made the set go long so we just dropped it.  The instrumental stuff at the end goes on longer too, on the record.  There's also a little doodling on the Wurlitzer electric piano here and there, just single notes.  We dropped that too, mostly for simplicity's sake.

The block harmonies are pretty close to what they did, though.  And Evie's vocal has a fairly similar vibe to Dennis', surprisingly enough.

Thanks for the good words on the live album...we're very proud of it!  A lot of credit must go to Mark Linett, whose idea it was and who recorded it, and Alan Boyd, who besides contributing as a musician did a lot of crucial work on the mixdown.  It would not have been anywhere near as good if he hadn't gotten involved in all parts of the process and he doesn't get enough credit for that.

[JB Wilojarston]

Here is the chord chart for the Dennis version in its original key of Eb.


“Wouldn’t It Be Nice To Live Again”
(Dennis Wilson, Stanley Shapiro)
 
Fmi7
/  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |

Fmi7                                      Eb/Bb
Wouldn’t it be nice         to    live again
/             /    / /   |  / / / /    |   /  /    /  /  | /  /  /  /  |

Fmi7                                               Eb/Bb                         Eb/C
High on a hill                   making    love again
/            /  /  /  | /  /  /  /               |   /           /  /  / | /  /  /  /       |
 

Eb                                                            Ab/Eb
Whoever said--           that love could     die --
/        /      /  / |  /  /  /          /                |  /   /  /  /  |   /  /  /  /   |
 
Fmi7                  Ab        Bb11              Eb
Whoever said           the very first      lie --------
/        /     /  /  |   /  /      /       /         |  /  /  /  / |  /  / /  /  |
 

Eb                                         Ab/Eb
Whoever said             good   bye                    tell me,
/      /       /  / |  /  /  /  /      |   /  /  /  /  | /  /  /  /            |                     
   
 Fmi7                  Ab      Bb11                Eb    Eb/D 
 whoever said            a man can’t       cry   I know I   can  cr-
 /      /       /  / | /  /     /          /          |  /  /   /           /           |

Cmi7          tacet          Fm7
-y           and we’ll        live our life alone and I know--
/  /  /       /              |     /          /       /          /                 |

Ab               Ab/Bb                                         Bb
---    it’s alright, it’s  al-      right------
/           /     /           /      |  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |


Ab/Bb    Bb    Ab/Bb       Bb     
/  /  /    /   |    /  /  /        /          |
                                     I'll

Fm7                                               Eb/Bb
show you a place            that      can’t be seen
/             /    /  /  |  /  /  /  /        |   /           /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |
 

Fm7                                                  Eb/Bb                              Eb/C
High above the clouds           just     you and me
/           /        /    /   |  /  /  /  /         |  /               /  /  / | /  /  /  /       |

 
Eb                                                Ab/Eb
I know we  can  live          with    love --------------
/       /     /      /     |  /  /  /  /      |  /  /  /  /  | /  /  /  /  |                           

Fm7                       Ab          Bb11         Eb
Simple  little   life        just   you and     me --------------
/       /       /     /  |  /  /         /      /       |  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |

Eb                               Ab/Eb
Ah ------------             ah -----------------
/  /  /  /   | /  /  /  /  |    /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |

Fm7           Ab  Bb11         Eb                       
ah -----------                  ah ------------    ah ----------
/  /  /  /  |  /  /  /    /      |  /  /  /  /  |           /  /  /  /  |

Eb                                        Ab/Eb
Whoever said            good   bye ---               tell me,
/      /       /  / |  /  /  /  /      |  /  /  /  /  | /  /  /  /             |


Fmi7                     Ab      Bb11                   Eb          Eb/D 
whoever said --           a girl  shouldn't     cry   I know you   can  cr-
 /      /       /  /     |  /  /     /        /            |   /  /     /                 /            |

Cmi7            tacet        Fm
-y           and we’ll        live our life alone and I know--
/  /  /       /              |     /          /         /          /               |

Ab                 Ab/Bb                                                 Bb         
---    it’s alright, honey it's  al-      right------
/           /     /            /               |    /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /     |
 
Ab/Bb      Bb    Ab/Bb       Bb     
/   /   /     /   |  /   /   /       /         |
                                      yeah--


Ab/Bb      Bb        Ab/Bb       Bb     
/   /   /     /      |  /   /   /     /              |
--           yeah                   yeah --
 
 
 
 |:    Ab/Bb                                           Bb        Ab/Bb                                           Bb    :| repeat and fade
 |:         Do you think we can live again               Do you think we can live again        :|
 
 |:    /                /                    /            /       |    /                /                    /            /      :| 



Notes:  The "Eb Eb/D" is correct; the BG vocals hold the Eb triad as the bass guitar line descends from Eb to D natural. That part of the progression stops and holds at Cmi7; it doesn't go to Gmi7. The "yeah yeah" section has a somewhat similar feel to end fade of Trader; the rhythm is close.  The end fade turns funkier on the same progression. Bb11 = Ab/Bb. On "Whoever said the very first lie," it  sounds like the instruments are playing Fmi Ab Bb11, but the BG vocals makes the overall first chord Fmi7.

PS - Apologies if the lines are off. It looked different in "preview."

[Fall Breaks]

Thank you Adam for the info and JB for the chords. JB, you've also heard DW's original I take it? And it is in Eb as well?

[JB Wilojarston]

Thank you Adam for the info and JB for the chords. JB, you've also heard DW's original I take it? And it is in Eb as well?

Yep, I've heard it; I was very fortunate. It was in Eb. I noted lyric differences in italics, but they don't show. Again, sorry that the lines came out offset. JB

[Fall Breaks]

Oh, that's okay, they turn up the right way if I hit the reply button and scroll down to "topic summary"!

I imagine that Dennis sounds great on this one! How does he handle the highest notes, does he sing them with full voice or in falsetto?

[JB Wilojarston]

I imagine that Dennis sounds great on this one! How does he handle the highest notes, does he sing them with full voice or in falsetto?

He sounds clear and strong on lines like, "I know we can live with lo-o-o-o-ve." His voice has a nice rasp at the end of many held notes. He goes to falsetto at "I know  I can cry." He transistions nicely into it; it's not real nasally .

[Fall Breaks]

I imagine that Dennis sounds great on this one! How does he handle the highest notes, does he sing them with full voice or in falsetto?

He sounds clear and strong on lines like, "I know we can live with lo-o-o-o-ve." His voice has a nice rasp at the end of many held notes. He goes to falsetto at "I know  I can cry." He transistions nicely into it; it's not real nasally .

*Sigh*. They must release this one!