Surfin' (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Surfin'


Artist = The Beach Boys
from Album = Surfin' Safari
Released = 8 December, 1961
Format = Vinyl
Recorded = 3 October, 1961
World Pacific Studio
Genre = Surf music
Length = 2:10
Label = Candix
Producer = Hite Morgan
Chart position = • #75 (US)
Last single =
This single = "Surfin'"/"Luau"
(1961)
Next single = "409"/"Surfin' Safari"
(1962)|

"Surfin'" is the title of a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for The Beach Boys. It was first released as a single on December 8, 1961 on Candix Records and it later appeared on the 1962 album "Surfin' Safari". The B-side of the single was Luau. It was The Beach Boys first ever released single and it is therefore an important part of The Beach Boys' history. The Beach Boys were trying to think up 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 Beach Boys and the California Myth" by David Leaf. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. ISBN 0-448-14626-6] Surfing was becoming the latest craze in California and Dennis himself was an avid surfer. 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 #75 in the United States and it was never released in the United Kingdom as a single.

Origins of the song

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".""Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story" by Brian Wilson and Todd Gold. Published by Harpercollins, 1991. ISBN 0-06-018313-6]

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' ". "Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story" by Brian Wilson and Todd Gold. Published by Harpercollins, 1991. ISBN 0-06-018313-6]

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.""The Beach Boys and the California Myth" by David Leaf. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. ISBN 0-448-14626-6] 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.""The Beach Boys and the California Myth" by David Leaf. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. ISBN 0-448-14626-6]

Audree Wilson continues that her 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.""The Beach Boys and the California Myth" by David Leaf. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. ISBN 0-448-14626-6]

Recording

Brian Wilson recalls that "the five of us arrived at the Morgans' Melrose Avenue office.""Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story" by Brian Wilson and Todd Gold. Published by Harpercollins, 1991. ISBN 0-06-018313-6] The group sang a cover version of Sloop John B (a song in which they'd later record), 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.'""Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story" by Brian Wilson and Todd Gold. Published by Harpercollins, 1991. ISBN 0-06-018313-6] Brian remembers that "there was a long, awkward moment of silence that caught us looking at our shoelaces.""Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story" by Brian Wilson and Todd Gold. Published by Harpercollins, 1991. ISBN 0-06-018313-6]

Dennis Wilson then surprised the other group members by responding, "Yeah, we got an original. It's called 'Surfin".""Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story" by Brian Wilson and Todd Gold. Published by Harpercollins, 1991. ISBN 0-06-018313-6] 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.""Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story" by Brian Wilson and Todd Gold. Published by Harpercollins, 1991. ISBN 0-06-018313-6]

When it came time to record their new song, the group 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.'""The Beach Boys and the California Myth" by David Leaf. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. ISBN 0-448-14626-6] 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.""The Beach Boys and the California Myth" by David Leaf. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. ISBN 0-448-14626-6]

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.""Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story" by Brian Wilson and Todd Gold. Published by Harpercollins, 1991. ISBN 0-06-018313-6] 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 heard 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.""The Beach Boys and the California Myth" by David Leaf. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. ISBN 0-448-14626-6]

Radio play

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.""Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story" by Brian Wilson and Todd Gold. Published by Harpercollins, 1991. ISBN 0-06-018313-6]

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.""The Beach Boys and the California Myth" by David Leaf. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. ISBN 0-448-14626-6]

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.""The Beach Boys and the California Myth" by David Leaf. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. ISBN 0-448-14626-6] 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.""The Beach Boys and the California Myth" by David Leaf. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. ISBN 0-448-14626-6]

Cover versions

Jan and Dean, with instrumental and vocal help from The Beach Boys, covered the song on their album "Jan & Dean Take Linda Surfin"'. The Beach Boys also rerecorded the song for their 1992 album Summer in Paradise.

See also

*List of songs by The Beach Boys

Notes and references