Surfin' U.S.A.
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"Surfin' U.S.A." is a song by the American rock band
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...
, credited to
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
and
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 Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop music, pop composition, ex ...
. It is a rewritten version of Berry's "
Sweet Little Sixteen "Sweet Little Sixteen" is a rock and roll song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry, who released it as a single in January 1958. His performance of it at that year's Newport Jazz Festival was included in the documentary film ''Jazz on a Summ ...
" set to new lyrics penned by Wilson and an uncredited Mike Love. The song was released as a single on March 4, 1963, backed with " Shut Down". It was then placed as the opening track on their album of the same name. The single peaked at number two in the chart of the ''Music Vendor'' trade paper (within a year renamed ''
Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record W ...
'') and at number three on 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 adverti ...
'' and ''
Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...
'' charts. ''Billboard'' ranked "Surfin' U.S.A." the number 1 song of 1963, Although this song was ''Billboard''s original number 1 song of that year, later lists from ''Billboard'' rank "
Sugar Shack A sugar shack (french: cabane à sucre), also known as sap house, sugar house, sugar shanty or sugar cabin is a commercial establishment, primarily found in Eastern Canada and northern New England. Sugar shacks are small cabins or groups of cab ...
" by
Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs The Fireballs, sometimes billed as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, were an American rock and roll group, particularly popular at the end of the 1950s and in the early 1960s. The original line-up consisted of George Tomsco (lead guitar), Chuck ...
as the number 1 song of 1963. It has since become emblematic of the California Sound.


Composition

The song features Brian Wilson's surfing-related lyrics set to the music and basic lyrical structure of
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
's "
Sweet Little Sixteen "Sweet Little Sixteen" is a rock and roll song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry, who released it as a single in January 1958. His performance of it at that year's Newport Jazz Festival was included in the documentary film ''Jazz on a Summ ...
". According to Wilson


Authorship

When the single was released in 1963, the record only listed Brian Wilson as the composer although the song was published by
Arc Music ARC Music is a world music and folk music label based in West Sussex, England, that was established in 1976. Naxos acquired ARC in 2019. Film and television ARC Music has been used in the films ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crysta ...
, Chuck Berry's publisher. Later releases, beginning with ''
Best of The Beach Boys ''Best of the Beach Boys'' is the first compilation album released by American rock band the Beach Boys through Capitol Records in 1966. The first version was released in the United States on July 5, 1966, two months after ''Pet Sounds''. Another ...
'' in 1966, listed Chuck Berry as the songwriter. Later releases list both writers although the copyright has always been owned, since 1963, by Arc Music. Under pressure from Berry's publisher, the Wilsons’ father and manager,
Murry Wilson Murry Gage Wilson (July 2, 1917 – June 4, 1973) was an American songwriter, talent manager, record producer, and music publisher, best known as the father of the Beach Boys' Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. After the band's formation in 1 ...
, had given the copyright, including Brian Wilson's lyrics, to Arc Music prior to the release of the single. Despite tensions with Berry at the time, Carl Wilson said the Beach Boys "ran into Chuck Berry in Copenhagen and he told us he loves 'Surfin' U.S.A.'."'' Good Timin': Live at Knebworth England 1980'' DVD, 2002. In 2015, Mike Love stated that "Surfin' U.S.A." was one of many Beach Boys songs he helped write but for which he did not receive credit. Love claimed he wrote the lyrics to the song but was not able to be credited in his successful lawsuit against Wilson and Almo/Irving Music in 1994 because the copyright was owned by Arc Music. In a 1974 radio interview, Brian said "When we first got going, Mike was a Chuck Berry fan, so ... he and I turned the lyrics into a surfing song."


Surfing spots

In the song the following surfing spots are mentioned, mostly in California, as well as one in Hawaii (possibly two) and one in Australia:


Reception

The "Surfin' U.S.A." single, backed with "Shut Down," was released under Capitol Records in the United States in March 1963. The song peaked on the ''Billboard'' pop chart at number three, the band's first top ten hit therein (see also ''Surfin' Safari''). The B-side charted at number 23. Although the double-sided hit single registered in ''Billboard'' as number one in chart points at the end of the year (tabulated up to mid November 1963) and was cited by ''Billboard'' as "best-selling record of the year", in a low-selling year for singles in the US it apparently did not initially sell a million copies—and has never been issued an RIAA Gold Disc award. The song was re-issued in the U.S. as a single in July 1974 backed with "
The Warmth of the Sun "The Warmth of the Sun" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1964 album ''Shut Down Volume 2'' and as the B-side of the " Dance, Dance, Dance" single, which charted at ...
". That single also hit the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at 36. ''
Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...
'' described it as "a pounding '
Sweet Little Sixteen "Sweet Little Sixteen" is a rock and roll song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry, who released it as a single in January 1958. His performance of it at that year's Newport Jazz Festival was included in the documentary film ''Jazz on a Summ ...
'-flavored rocker...that the Beach Boys belt out with coin-catching enthusiasm" and added that it is a "terrific instrumental showcase." In the United Kingdom, the single was released in June 1963. The third single by the band to be issued in the UK, it became the first single to chart. It peaked at 34 (28 in the ''
New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''). In Australia, the single was released in 1963 and peaked at 9, becoming the band's first single to chart in Australia. The single was re-released in Australia in 1974 and again charted, peaking at 66. In Canada and Sweden, the single was released in 1963 and peaked on the charts at 6 in both countries. In July 1963, in the national charts used by ''Billboard'', it peaked at #9 in Hong Kong, #8 in Austria the following month; in August 1964 at #9 for two weeks in Japan.


Variations

The song was first released on an album as the title track on the band's 1963 album ''Surfin' U.S.A.'' In May, 2003 Capitol issued the song on an EP along with "Surfer Girl", "Don't Worry, Baby", and "The Beach Boys Medley". However, the record failed to make an impact on the charts. A demo version of the song featuring only Brian Wilson singing and playing piano was released on the 1993 box set, '' Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys''. A different demo version, in which Wilson is joined by drums was released on the 2001 archival release ''Hawthorne, CA''. Both demos feature similar minor lyrical differences from the final recording. The instrumental track of the final recording was also released on the ''Hawthorne, CA'' album. This version of the cut does not 'fade out', but continues on well past the original ending of the song until it ends abruptly.


Live performances

After being released the song became a concert regular for the band. The band recorded live versions of "Surfin' U.S.A." on several Beach Boys albums. It was first released on ''
The Beach Boys in Concert ''The Beach Boys in Concert'' is the third live album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released in November 1973. It was their first live album since '' Live in London'' (1970), as well as the only live album and the final album on whic ...
'' album. A concert from Anaheim Stadium on July 3, 1976, which featured the song was filmed and produced by Lorne Michaels for a Beach Boys television special which first aired in the United States in August, 1976. The TV special was later released on VHS and DVD as ''Good Vibrations Tour''. In 1980, a live rendition was recorded, though not released until 2002 on the '' Good Timin': Live at Knebworth England 1980'' live album. Footage from the concert was also released on VHS and DVD format. A live version was also released on the band's 1993 box set ''Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys''. The band also performed a live version of the song at the NBC Television Studios in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...
, which was filmed on March 14, 1964. Footage of the concert was later released on the DVD ''The Lost Concert''. The band performed the song on '' The T.A.M.I. Show'' which was filmed at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on October 28 and 29, 1964, and featured other top artists of the day such as Chuck Berry,
Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...
,
The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...
,
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...
&
The Famous Flames The Famous Flames were an American Rhythm and blues, Soul vocal group founded in Toccoa, Georgia, in 1953 by Bobby Byrd. James Brown first began his career as a member of the Famous Flames, emerging as the lead singer by the time of their firs ...
and
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...
. The concert was released as a film in 1964 featuring the Beach Boys performance. However, after the initial showing of the film Brian insisted that the band's performance be cut from the film. Because of a rights dispute the footage of the Beach Boys' performance does not appear in most versions of ''The T.A.M.I. Show''. The footage was eventually released on the DVD ''Sights of Summer'' included with the special 2004 edition of '' Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys''.


Charts


Certifications


Leif Garrett version

In August 1977, Leif Garrett released his version as the first single from his eponymous debut album. It reached No. 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 4 in Switzerland.


Sources

{{Authority control 1963 songs 1963 singles 1977 singles Songs written by Brian Wilson Songs written by Chuck Berry The Beach Boys songs Jan and Dean songs Leif Garrett songs Alvin and the Chipmunks songs Song recordings produced by Nick Venet Song recordings produced by Michael Lloyd Capitol Records singles Atlantic Records singles Songs about the United States Songs about California Songs involved in plagiarism controversies California Sound