For some, surfing is a recreational sport. For others, it’s a way of life. To conquer a wave some 30 feet high as you head out on the Dawn Patrol and find the perfect A-frame, nothing beats ripping through the chandelier as you hang ten, carving the barrel. Beach Boy Brian Wilson was not a surfer, but his brother Dennis spent more time at the beach and knew the lingo. When the idea for a song about the sport was brought up by Wilson’s cousin Mike Love, they turned to Dennis for lyric ideas. As Jeff Spicoli said in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, “It’s a way of looking at that wave and saying, ‘Hey, bud, let’s party!’” Let’s take a look at the story behind “Surfin’” by The Beach Boys.
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Surfin’ is the only life
The only way for me
Now surf, surf with me
Bom bom dit di dit dip
Bom bom dit di dit dip
Folk vs. Rock
When Al Jardine attended El Camino College in 1961, he was reunited with Brian Wilson. The pair had attended Hawthorne High School and were both on the football team. As the duo worked through harmony ideas, Jardine brought up the idea of forming a band. Wilson suggested his brothers and cousin for the group. Jardine envisioned a folk group but was overruled by the rest of the band in favor of rock ‘n’ roll.
I got up this mornin’ turned on my radio
I was checkin’ on the surfin’ scene
To see if I would go
And when the DJ tells me that the surfin’ is fine
That’s when I know my baby and I will have a good time
The Morgans
In August 1961, Al Jardine gathered everyone together to record “The Wreck of the John B.” They went to Stereo Masters Studio owned by Hite and Dorinda Morgan. In addition to the folk song, they performed pop hits of the day for the Morgans in hopes of securing a record deal. Dorinda encouraged the group to come up with some original songs. The band immediately began writing “Surfin’.” They returned to the studio to perform their new work for the couple. The Morgans felt it still needed some work, but agreed to record the song. Brian Wilson’s home recordings of their rehearsals reveal the three Wilson brothers and Mike Love, but no evidence of Al Jardine.
We’re going surfin’
Surfin’
Surfin’
Surfin’
Surfin’
Surfin’
Surfin’
Surfin’
Rented Instruments
The Wilson brothers’ parents, Murry and Audree, visited Mexico City with some friends from England for vacation, leaving money for extra food and drinks for the children. The exact amount of money has been disputed over the years. Al Jardine suggested they rent musical equipment to practice their new song, now called “Surfin’.” David Marks, the 13-year-old who lived across the street from the Wilsons, had been playing guitar with Carl and wanted to join in the musical fun. However, his parents did not allow him to stay up late to rehearse with the rest of the future Beach Boys.
From the early morning to the middle of the night
Any time the surf is up, the time is right
And when the surf is down to take its place
We’ll do the surfer’s stomp, it’s the latest dance craze
Rehearsals
As the band worked on the song in the Wilson home, Brian recorded some of the proceedings, which were released in 2007. There is some back-and-forth between Brian and Dennis on the recordings about who should take credit for the songwriting. Mike Love chimes in with, “Don’t sweat it. It’s not worth arguing about until the coins start coming in because there won’t be any coins at this rate.”
Now the dawn is breaking, and we really gotta go
But we’ll be back here very soon that you better know
Yeah, my surfer knots are rising, and my board is losing wax
But that won’t stop me, baby, ’cause you know I’m coming back
Recording
When the Wilson parents returned from vacation, they were met by the excited youngsters. Audree Wilson told Rolling Stone magazine in 1976, “They had used every bit of their food money. And they said, ‘We want to play something for you.’ They were very excited about it, and I thought the song was darling—never dreaming anything would happen.”
Murry Wilson offered to help the boys. The Pendletones, as they named themselves at the time, walked into World Pacific Studio in Los Angeles on October 3, 1961. Brian Wilson played a snare drum with a pencil, Al Jardine played upright bass, Carl Wilson played acoustic guitar and sang, and Dennis Wilson and Mike Love sang. They attempted eight takes of the song, with the final one chosen as the master.
Surfin’ is the only life, the only way for me
Now come on, pretty baby, and surf with me, yeah
Candix Records
Brothers Robert and Richard Dix, along with William Silva, founded Candix Records in August 1960. Hite Morgan took the acetate of “Surfin’” to Bill Angel at radio station KFWB in Los Angeles to get his opinion. He called Candix A&R man Joe Saraceno who recommended it to Robert Dix. Morgan had suggested the band be called The Surfers, but they discovered another group from Hawaii had already claimed that name. Distributor Russ Regan made the executive decision to rename the band. They attributed Candix 331, “Surfin’” b/w “Luau” to The Beach Boys without consulting with the group. The song became a regional hit, reaching the Top 5 in Los Angeles. Nationally, it peaked at No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100. After Dot Records and Liberty Records rejected them, Nick Venet of Capitol Records signed a seven-year deal with The Beach Boys and went on to enjoy many smash hits.
Bom bom dip di dit
Bom bom dip di dit
Bom bom dip di dit
Bom bom dip di dit
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Photo by The Legacy Collection/THA/Shutterstock
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