If only everyone had access to an ocean, then everyone would surf as they do in Californi-a, The Beach Boys sing at the start of their hit single “Surfin’ USA”. Funnily enough, most of the Beach Boys couldn’t actually surf. “We all tried, but we were terrible”, Carl Wilson later declared. “Dennis (Wilson) was the only one who could really surf.” Fortunately for us, The Beach Boys were pretty talented at something else. In this article, we will dive into the story, meaning, and legacy behind the song “Surfin’ USA”.
The Story Behind the Song
The genesis of “Surfin’ USA” was Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen”. Bandleader Brian Wilson hummed Berry’s tune and was fascinated with the idea of adding surf lyrics to the song’s melody. As stated in the introduction, Brian Wilson wasn’t an actual surfer. Luckily, he was dating a girl whose brother could surf.
“I was going with a girl named Judy Bowles, and her brother Jimmy was a surfer. He knew all the surfing spots,” Wilson said. “So I said to Jimmy, ‘Hey Jimmy, I want to do a song mentioning all the surf spots.’ So he gave me a list.”
Brian Wilson co-wrote the lyrics with The Beach Boys’ vocalist Mike Love, although Love claimed he wrote about 90 percent of the lyrics. The song was recorded in January 1963 and marked the birth of The Beach Boys’ iconic sound.
“It was the first time we had ever sung our voices twice on one record. It strengthens the sound. Sing it once, then sing it again over that, so both sounds are perfectly synchronized … It makes it sound spectacular, so much power,” Brian Wilson reflected in the “Surfin’ USA” liner notes.
The song was eventually released as a single on March 4, 1963. The single became a big radio hit and reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Sadly, “Surfin’ USA” was involved in several legal issues. First and foremost through Chuck Berry, who did not receive songwriting credit for the adaption of “Sweet Little Sixteen”. Secondly by vocalist Mike Love, who co-wrote the song’s lyrics but didn’t receive any credit.
The pressure from Berry’s label worked, which led to the Beach Boys handing over the copyright to label Arc Music. As a result, Mike Love’s lawsuit against Brian Wilson failed, as the copyright was owned by Arc Music. Nowadays, the song is owned by Arc Music and credited to Brian Wilson and Chuck Berry.
The Meaning of The Song
“Surfin’ USA” is a song that glorifies the surfing culture of California. As a result, the song is the embodiment of the California Sound (also known as the California Myth). The phenomenon, started by The Beach Boys, sheds an idyllic light on life in California.
Read more: The 10 Best Beach Boys Songs of All Time
But Beach Boys guitarist Al Jardine argued Californian life was more than just a myth. “To be able to come here and to drive that coast on Route 1 … you experience the water and the animals and the sea life, the whole thing. It’s really magical. It really is,” he told American Songwriter.
The song mentions 15 surfing spots, most of which are located in California. Only “Australia’s Narrabeen” (located in Australia), and “Waimea Bay” (located in Hawaii) are spots outside of California.
The Legacy of Surfin’ USA
Together with “Surfer Girl” and “California Girls”, “Surfin’ USA” is seen as the embodiment of the California Sound. It makes the song a typical early Beach Boys record.
“Surfin’ USA” was released as a single with “Shut Down” as a B-side. “Surfin’ USA” reached number 3 on the US charts, which was the band’s first top 5 hit in the US, whilst “Shut Down” peaked at number 23. At the end of 1963, Billboard declared the single the ‘best-selling record of 1963’.
The big success of “Surfin’ USA” and the album of the same name made the Beach Boys one of the most popular groups in America. Brian Wilson used the success to convince Capitol Records to give him full control of the band’s productions. It makes “Surfin’ USA” an important song in The Beach Boys’ history.
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I was born and lived in Jamestown,New York when I first heard the Beach Boys. I really didn’t know much about California. I thought everywhere was like Jamestown. I loved the harmonies the Beach Boys had and the fun they brought. They brought California to the world. I told everyone that when I can, I am moving to California. I live in Huntington Beach,CA now and love it here. Their music gave me a dream, and I followed it.