Surfin'
Encyclopedia
"Surfin'" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys
, written by Brian Wilson
and Mike Love
. It was released as the first Beach Boys single (with "Luau" on the B-side) in November 1961 on Candix Records
and it later appeared on the 1962 album Surfin' Safari
. The Beach Boys were trying to think of something original and creative that they could write a song about. Brian Wilson remembers that "One day, my brother Dennis
came home from the beach and said, 'Hey, surfing's getting really big. You guys ought to write a song about it."
The song features Mike Love on lead vocals with Carl Wilson
on backing vocals and guitar
, Al Jardine
on backing vocals and stand-up bass
, Brian Wilson on backing vocals and percussion and Dennis Wilson
on backing vocals
. The single peaked at number 75 in the US; it was never released in the UK.
Audree Wilson, the Wilson brothers' mother, remembers that they "had guests from England. We took them to Mexico City for a three-day trip, and left the refrigerator stocked. We left them adequate money if they chose to eat out." Carl Wilson continues that "the day after they left, we all went down to a music store and got instruments with our food money...I was gonna play guitar, Alan could play stand up bass, Brian could play keyboards already...Dennis just chose the drums. And then Brian said, 'I'm gonna play bass and you play guitar and then it'll be a rock sound, be rock and roll'. Michael [Mike Love] didn't play anything but he got a saxophone, he thought he'd play sax, but Mike never practiced. The group really learned how to play after we made records."
Audree Wilson continues that she and her husband, Murry Wilson
, "barely got in the door, and they said, 'We've got something to play for you.' Well, we saw all this stuff...and they had an act...and that's when Surfin' was born, that's when they sang it and put it together...It was a lot of fun, but they were serious about it. They were having fun, but yet they wanted to do something with it. They were just very excited."
office." The group sang a cover version of "Sloop John B
", though Hite Morgan's response was "these days you need something original. You've gotta have an angle. The music business is all about selling a product." Brian remembers that "there was a long, awkward moment of silence that caught us looking at our shoelaces." Dennis Wilson then surprised the other group members by responding, "Yeah, we got an original. It's called 'Surfin'." Hite Morgan then asked them to play the song but as Brian recalls he responded, "Well, it's not finished. We've got the song, and it's original. But it's not done yet."
When it came time to record their new song, the group (then calling themselves The Pendletones) went back to the Morgans' studio for a second time. Audree Wilson remembers that Brian, Mike, Carl and Al were at the Morgan's studio recording a demo when they said, "We want to play this for you." So they played the demo of "Surfin'" to Dorinda Morgan and Hite Morgan of Hite Morgan's Recording Studio. Dorinda Morgan was excited by the demo as Audree recalls "Immediately, she said, 'Drop everything, we want to record that.' He [Hite] wasn't so much in favour of it, but she heard something she thought would click."
Brian remembers that "we were at the Morgans' all day; twelve takes of 'Surfin'...tried everyone's patience. I was to blame. I wanted the song to sound perfect." Brian remembers that they "did it all live. Our mix wasn't as good [as today's mix], it wasn't as balanced. You couldn't hear the guitar playing...you didn't hear the bass notes as well...some of the vocals were a little buried. It wasn't mixed and balanced very well. And my father was critical of the first thing we did, he said, 'Well, look, you don't hear the guitar, you don't hear this, what is going on here? Listen, I'm going to have to take over as producer', which he did. He took over as producer."
Dennis Wilson remembers "the first time we ever heard our record played [on the radio], We [Carl, Brian, Dennis and David Marks] were all on Hawthorne Boulevard in Brian's 1957 Ford...they said, 'Here's a group from Hawthorne, California, The Beach Boys, with their song, 'Surfin'. It was a contest; they played three songs and the one that got the most requests over the phone was the one they would add to the playlist. We were screamin' in the street, and knockin' on everybody's door, 'We got a record on the radio!'...That was the biggest high ever. Nothing will ever top the expression on Brian's face. Ever...THAT is the all-time moment."
Dennis remembers that they "got so excited hearing our record on the radio that Carl threw up". Brian recalls that he "ran down the street screaming". Russ Regan, the man who gave The Beach Boys their name, remembers that "Surfin" "actually exploded here in the city of Los Angeles. Their record was a big record here. It was just a natural Southern California record."
Confusingly, "Surfin'" was seemingly released three times in three months on (apparently) two different labels: Candix 331 in November 1961, X 301 in December and Candix 301 in January 1962. The full story is complex and still imperfectly understood, but in simple form, when the owners of Candix went back to the pressing plant to order more of 331, they were told to settle their bills first, so in order to maintain a flow of singles they had another plant press the record, hence the X 301 release (which is far and away the rarest of all). When sufficient cash had been raised for a further repressing on Candix, the number 301 was retained, possibly for the sake of continuity, possibly as a slip of the pen.
A later demo version of "Surfin'" was recorded at the aforementioned session at Hite and Dorinda Morgan's home studio September 15; this version is available on the Lost & Found (1961–62)
CD released in 1991. (Both these versions are in a different key and lack the musical introduction of the tracks recorded October 3, 1961, among other differences.) This archival CD also features an alternate take of "Surfin'" recorded the same day as the eventual master take released on three different labels (X-301, Candix-301 and Capitol LP T-1081, the Surfin' Safari
album.) The master take was subsequently sped up for release in the 60's, but is restored to the original speed on Lost and Found as well as the 1993 Good Vibrations box set.
, with instrumental and vocal help from The Beach Boys, covered the song on their 1963 album Jan & Dean Take Linda Surfin. The Beach Boys also rerecorded the song for their 1992 album Summer in Paradise
. Annette Funicello also recorded a cover on her 1965 LP "Annette Sings Golden Surfin' Hits."
The Surf Rats covered the song for the 1993 Muppet
album Muppet Beach Party.
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, written by Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
and Mike Love
Mike Love
Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
. It was released as the first Beach Boys single (with "Luau" on the B-side) in November 1961 on Candix Records
Candix Records
Candix Records was an independent American record label known primarily for releasing The Beach Boys first single, "Surfin'." Candix A&R man Joe Saraceno and Buckeye Distributors' Russ Regan are attributed with renaming The Pendletones as The Beach Boys, in an attempt to make them more...
and it later appeared on the 1962 album Surfin' Safari
Surfin' Safari
-Musicians:*Alan Jardine - vocals, acoustic bass *Mike Love - vocals*David Marks - rhythm guitar, vocals *Brian Wilson - bass guitar, piano, vocals*Carl Wilson - lead guitar, vocals*Dennis Wilson - drums, vocals...
. The Beach Boys were trying to think of something original and creative that they could write a song about. Brian Wilson remembers that "One day, my brother Dennis
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983...
came home from the beach and said, 'Hey, surfing's getting really big. You guys ought to write a song about it."
The song features Mike Love on lead vocals with Carl Wilson
Carl Wilson
Carl Dean Wilson was an American rock and roll singer and guitarist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist of The Beach Boys...
on backing vocals and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Al Jardine
Al Jardine
Alan Charles "Al" Jardine is a founding member of top-selling American music group The Beach Boys, a guitarist and occasional lead vocalist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life:...
on backing vocals and stand-up bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, Brian Wilson on backing vocals and percussion and Dennis Wilson
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983...
on backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
. The single peaked at number 75 in the US; it was never released in the UK.
Origins
Brian Wilson remembers that "I began noodling around the piano singing 'surfin', surfin', surfin'. It sounded stupid. But then Mike [Love] sang 'ba-ba-dippity-dippity-ba-ba.' He was fooling around, trying to spark a new idea with the same bass sounds he'd sung countless times before. From some reason, though, this time when he sang I pounded out a few chords to accompany him and then he took up the chant I'd been singing, 'surfin', surfin'." Brian continues that "twenty seconds later, I had the opening for the song that would become the Beach Boys' first hit single. A couple of hours later, I finished the song and called it 'Surfin'."Audree Wilson, the Wilson brothers' mother, remembers that they "had guests from England. We took them to Mexico City for a three-day trip, and left the refrigerator stocked. We left them adequate money if they chose to eat out." Carl Wilson continues that "the day after they left, we all went down to a music store and got instruments with our food money...I was gonna play guitar, Alan could play stand up bass, Brian could play keyboards already...Dennis just chose the drums. And then Brian said, 'I'm gonna play bass and you play guitar and then it'll be a rock sound, be rock and roll'. Michael [Mike Love] didn't play anything but he got a saxophone, he thought he'd play sax, but Mike never practiced. The group really learned how to play after we made records."
Audree Wilson continues that she and her husband, Murry Wilson
Murry Wilson
Murry Gage Wilson was an American musician and record producer, best remembered as the father of The Beach Boys members Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson, uncle of bandmate Mike Love, and the husband of Audree Wilson...
, "barely got in the door, and they said, 'We've got something to play for you.' Well, we saw all this stuff...and they had an act...and that's when Surfin' was born, that's when they sang it and put it together...It was a lot of fun, but they were serious about it. They were having fun, but yet they wanted to do something with it. They were just very excited."
Recording
Brian Wilson recalls that "the five of us arrived at the Morgans' Melrose AvenueMelrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue is an internationally renowned shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts from Santa Monica Boulevard at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and ends at Lucille Avenue in Silver Lake...
office." The group sang a cover version of "Sloop John B
Sloop John B
"Sloop John B" is the seventh track on The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album and was also a single which was released in 1966 on Capitol Records. It was originally a traditional West Indies folk song, "The John B. Sails," taken from a collection by Carl Sandburg . Alan Lomax made a field recording of...
", though Hite Morgan's response was "these days you need something original. You've gotta have an angle. The music business is all about selling a product." Brian remembers that "there was a long, awkward moment of silence that caught us looking at our shoelaces." Dennis Wilson then surprised the other group members by responding, "Yeah, we got an original. It's called 'Surfin'." Hite Morgan then asked them to play the song but as Brian recalls he responded, "Well, it's not finished. We've got the song, and it's original. But it's not done yet."
When it came time to record their new song, the group (then calling themselves The Pendletones) went back to the Morgans' studio for a second time. Audree Wilson remembers that Brian, Mike, Carl and Al were at the Morgan's studio recording a demo when they said, "We want to play this for you." So they played the demo of "Surfin'" to Dorinda Morgan and Hite Morgan of Hite Morgan's Recording Studio. Dorinda Morgan was excited by the demo as Audree recalls "Immediately, she said, 'Drop everything, we want to record that.' He [Hite] wasn't so much in favour of it, but she heard something she thought would click."
Brian remembers that "we were at the Morgans' all day; twelve takes of 'Surfin'...tried everyone's patience. I was to blame. I wanted the song to sound perfect." Brian remembers that they "did it all live. Our mix wasn't as good [as today's mix], it wasn't as balanced. You couldn't hear the guitar playing...you didn't hear the bass notes as well...some of the vocals were a little buried. It wasn't mixed and balanced very well. And my father was critical of the first thing we did, he said, 'Well, look, you don't hear the guitar, you don't hear this, what is going on here? Listen, I'm going to have to take over as producer', which he did. He took over as producer."
Release
Brian recalls that "Hite [Morgan] announced that he was going to turn our demo into a record, press up a small quantity, and see how it did on local radio." When the group unpacked the first box of singles from Candix, they found that their band name had been changed from "The Pendletones" to "The Beach Boys". Label promotion man Russ Regan explained to Murry Wilson that he had taken the liberty of giving the group a new name to associate them more directly with the popular surf-music genre.Dennis Wilson remembers "the first time we ever heard our record played [on the radio], We [Carl, Brian, Dennis and David Marks] were all on Hawthorne Boulevard in Brian's 1957 Ford...they said, 'Here's a group from Hawthorne, California, The Beach Boys, with their song, 'Surfin'. It was a contest; they played three songs and the one that got the most requests over the phone was the one they would add to the playlist. We were screamin' in the street, and knockin' on everybody's door, 'We got a record on the radio!'...That was the biggest high ever. Nothing will ever top the expression on Brian's face. Ever...THAT is the all-time moment."
Dennis remembers that they "got so excited hearing our record on the radio that Carl threw up". Brian recalls that he "ran down the street screaming". Russ Regan, the man who gave The Beach Boys their name, remembers that "Surfin" "actually exploded here in the city of Los Angeles. Their record was a big record here. It was just a natural Southern California record."
Confusingly, "Surfin'" was seemingly released three times in three months on (apparently) two different labels: Candix 331 in November 1961, X 301 in December and Candix 301 in January 1962. The full story is complex and still imperfectly understood, but in simple form, when the owners of Candix went back to the pressing plant to order more of 331, they were told to settle their bills first, so in order to maintain a flow of singles they had another plant press the record, hence the X 301 release (which is far and away the rarest of all). When sufficient cash had been raised for a further repressing on Candix, the number 301 was retained, possibly for the sake of continuity, possibly as a slip of the pen.
Alternative versions from 1961
The first recorded demo version of the song is available on CD on the 2001 Hawthorne, CA two CD set) featuring a portion of "Surfin' " recorded on Brian's home Wollensak tape recorder "sometime in early September 1961, between the Labor Day weekend get-together and the group's first recording session with the Morgans on September 15th" according to Peter Ames Carlin's 2006 book Catch a Wave. A later rehearsal is on the Good Vibrations Box Set.A later demo version of "Surfin'" was recorded at the aforementioned session at Hite and Dorinda Morgan's home studio September 15; this version is available on the Lost & Found (1961–62)
Lost & Found (1961–62)
Lost & Found is a Beach Boys compilation album which was released in 1991 under DCC Compact Classics record company. The album contains some of the early recordings the band did before they were signed to their first major record label, Capitol Records.-Track listing:#"Luau" – 1:46#"Surfin'"...
CD released in 1991. (Both these versions are in a different key and lack the musical introduction of the tracks recorded October 3, 1961, among other differences.) This archival CD also features an alternate take of "Surfin'" recorded the same day as the eventual master take released on three different labels (X-301, Candix-301 and Capitol LP T-1081, the Surfin' Safari
Surfin' Safari
-Musicians:*Alan Jardine - vocals, acoustic bass *Mike Love - vocals*David Marks - rhythm guitar, vocals *Brian Wilson - bass guitar, piano, vocals*Carl Wilson - lead guitar, vocals*Dennis Wilson - drums, vocals...
album.) The master take was subsequently sped up for release in the 60's, but is restored to the original speed on Lost and Found as well as the 1993 Good Vibrations box set.
Cover versions
Jan and DeanJan and Dean
Jan and Dean were a rock and roll duo, popular from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence...
, with instrumental and vocal help from The Beach Boys, covered the song on their 1963 album Jan & Dean Take Linda Surfin. The Beach Boys also rerecorded the song for their 1992 album Summer in Paradise
Summer in Paradise
Summer in Paradise is The Beach Boys' twenty-seventh studio album, their first release of the 1990s and the band's last full album of new, original material. It was released in the United States in 1992 on Brother Records and in the United Kingdom in 1993 on EMI. It has been reported that Navarre...
. Annette Funicello also recorded a cover on her 1965 LP "Annette Sings Golden Surfin' Hits."
The Surf Rats covered the song for the 1993 Muppet
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
album Muppet Beach Party.