NNAMDÏ’s “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” cover does justice to a Beach Boys classic
thefader.comThe FADER’s transgender charity covers compilation FADER & Friends Volume 1 is out now, available exclusively on Bandcamp until December 1, 2023.
100% of the proceeds go towards the Transgender Law Center, Mermaids, and Rainbow Railroad. Throughout the month of November, we’re speaking to the artists who contributed to the 44-song collection about the songs they covered. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys is about as close to a national anthem for pop music as you can get.
Songs like these pushed the limits of the genre and continue to inspire artists, like the Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist NNAMDÏ, decades later.
His cover of the 1966 song maintains the funhouse atmosphere while stripping things down — the song's foundation is built on NNAMDÏ's acoustic guitar and a flood of vocal harmonies.
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