"Wildsurf" is a song by

Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

, released as the second single from the album ''

Nu-Clear Sounds ''Nu-Clear Sounds'' is the second studio album by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 5 October 1998, through Infectious Records and Home Grown. Following the release of the band's debut studio album, ''1977'' (1996), guitarist ...

'' on November 23rd, 1998. It reached 31^st position in the UK Singles Chart, while doing less prominently in

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, where it was placed in the "C" list. The single was released in CD, 7" vinyl, and cassette. "Wildsurf" has been described by many of having a "summery" feel to it. Tim once said of it: "I was reading Jack Kerouac's 'On The Road' while we were on the road and it really inspired this song." It's about living life, burning like roman candles across the night." The song was written drawing inspiration from the styles of

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

and

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

. An extended version of the song was featured in the CD2 release. This one contains an additional guitar solo by Hatherley. The song can also be found on the "

Intergalactic Sonic 7″s ''Intergalactic Sonic 7″s'' is a singles collection, released by punk-influenced band Ash on 9 September 2002. It is available in two formats, with and without the bonus disc, ''Cosmic Debris''. These are both available on CD and vinyl. It was ...

" hits collection, as well as on the "

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" DVD. The track was remixed by

Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the drummer and co-producer of the alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of the diamond-selling Nirvana album ''Neve ...

for release in America. This is the only song from

selected for Ash's album released in 2011 "The Best of Ash".

B-sides

"Stormy Waters" (CD1) was the first song fully written by drummer Rick McMurray. It appears on the " Cosmic Debris" B-sides collection. McMurray wrote it for his girlfriend after their first argument. The second CD1 B-side, "When I'm Tired" is another of the "

" era bittersweet 'burn-out' songs, although with a slightly faster pace than some of its contemporaries. The CD2 track, "Lose Control" is a cover of a Peak & Backwater song. It was performed regularly on the accompanying "

" tour. It can also be found on the " Cosmic Debris" collection. Lastly, "Gonna Do It Soon" is the second song written by Charlotte Hatherley. It was originally a

Nightnurse Nightnurse was an English indie rock band from London, England, who had some success in the late 1990s. They released three singles, with their second "Skirt" reaching no.11 in the UK Independent Singles Chart in February 1998. They were the f ...

song (Hatherley's former band), but she re-worked the lyrics for the song to appear as a new Ash B-side.

Music video

The video was directed by

Howard Greenhalgh Howard Douglas Greenhalgh (born 19 February 1963) is a British director of music videos and advertising. Biography Greenhalgh was born in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire and studied at the Royal College of Art, setting up the firm Why No ...

. Ash said of the video: "Howard took us to the

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in London. There we shot performance against giant video screens and metallic globes. We also headed to East London for more performance shots in the Docklands area. The video follows a sci-fi looking chick obsessed with water. She has some kinda weird aqua car and then ends up surfing a tsunami which destroys the city. The final special effect shot is so tacky and crap it's laughable!"

Track listing

;CD one #"Wildsurf" (Hatherley/Wheeler) #"Stormy Waters" (McMurray) #"When I'm Tired" (Wheeler) ;CD two #"Wildsurf (Extended version)" (Hatherley/Wheeler) #"Lose Control" (Backwater/Peak) #"Gonna Do It Soon" (Hatherley) ;7" #"Wildsurf" (Hatherley/Wheeler) #"Stormy Waters" (McMurray) ;Promo CD #"Wildsurf" (Hatherley/Wheeler) #"Wildsurf (Video)"

References

*http://www.walking-barefoot.com {{Authority control 1998 singles Ash (band) songs Songs written by Tim Wheeler 1998 songs Infectious Records singles Music videos directed by Howard Greenhalgh