"Sidewalk Surfin'" is a song with music by

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

and lyrics by Roger Christian, which was recorded by 1960s American pop singers

Jan and Dean Jan and Dean was an American rock music, rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf mu ...

. The song was recorded as a single and then appeared on the 1964 album ''Ride the Wild Surf,'' and later on the ''Little Old Lady from Pasadena'' album. The B-side of the single is "When It's Over." "Sidewalk Surfin'" reached number 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on October 31, 1964, which was Jan and Dean's lowest-charting single in a year and a half since the release of their number one hit single "Surf City." Jan and Dean were known for their music of the 1960s surf era with songs like "

Dead Man's Curve Dead Man's Curve is an American nickname for a curve in a road that has claimed lives because of numerous crashes. Examples * A curve on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles memorialized in the hit song "Dead Man's Curve" by Jan and Dean. The son ...

," " Drag City," and "

The Little Old Lady from Pasadena "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)" is a song written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry and Roger Christian, and recorded by 1960s American pop singers, Jan and Dean. Singer/songwriter P.F. Sloan sings the falsetto part usually sung by Dean Torrence, ...

Composition

Jan Berry Jan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music styles ...

Dean Torrence Jan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music styles ...

's partner in the Jan and Dean duo, wanted to write and compose about a sport other than

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

. He came up with the idea to make music about

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ...

. After trying, unsuccessfully, to come up with a song about that sport by himself, he decided to go with

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 ...

' song "

Catch a Wave "Catch a Wave" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for American rock band, The Beach Boys, released on their 1963 album '' Surfer Girl''. In 1990, Wilson wrote of the song: " twas more rhythmic. The guitars were more clean and driv ...

," a song drawn from the group's 1963 album ''

Surfer Girl ''Surfer Girl'' is the third album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released September 16, 1963 on Capitol Records. The album reached number 7 in the US during a chart stay of 56 weeks. This was the first album by the group for which B ...

.'' Berry asked the composer,

and Wilson's then-current lyricist associate, Roger Christian, to rewrite it. They complied, and eventually came up with "Sidewalk Surfin'," which is "Catch a Wave" with different lyrics about skateboarding.

Reissue

When the original recording of "Sidewalk Surfin'" got reissued as a single 12 years later, in the summer of 1976, the single got radio attention once again. This time, the single hovered right under the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Hot 100, eventually peaking at #107. It became their first, and only, single to get major radio attention, and come close to a placement on the charts, since 1967.

Live versions

Jan and Dean performed a lip-synchronized version of the song on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'' on August 22, 1964. On December 29, 1964, they performed the selection live at the

T.A.M.I. Show ''T.A.M.I. Show'' is a 1964 concert film released by American International Pictures. It includes performances by numerous popular rock and roll and R&B musicians from the United States and England. The concert was held at the Santa Monica Civ ...

Cover versions

Jan Berry covered the song by himself as a single in 1976, rewriting some of the lyrics to keep up with the new names and tricks of skateboarding of the 1970s. The lyrics were also easier for Berry to sing after the

aphasia Aphasia is an inability to comprehend or formulate language because of damage to specific brain regions. The major causes are stroke and head trauma; prevalence is hard to determine but aphasia due to stroke is estimated to be 0.1–0.4% in th ...

Berry sustained from his car accident near Dead Man's Curve, on April 12, 1966.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidewalk Surfin 1964 singles Jan and Dean songs Songs written by Roger Christian (songwriter) Songs written by Brian Wilson 1964 songs Liberty Records singles