Surfer Girl (song)

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"Surfer Girl"
Surfer Girl cover.jpg
Single by the Beach Boys
from the album Surfer Girl
B-side"Little Deuce Coupe"
ReleasedJuly 22, 1963[1]
RecordedJune 12, 1963[2]
StudioWestern, Hollywood[2]
Length2:26
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Brian Wilson
Producer(s)Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"Surfin' U.S.A"
(1963) 		"Surfer Girl"
(1963) 		"Be True to Your School"
(1963)
Endless Summer track listing
20 tracks
Audio sample
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"Surfer Girl" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1963 album Surfer Girl. Written and sung by Brian Wilson, it was released as a single, backed with "Little Deuce Coupe", on July 22, 1963. The single was the first Beach Boys record to have Wilson officially credited as the producer.

Background[]

Wilson frequently referred to "Surfer Girl" as his first original composition. However, his closest high school friends disputed this, recalling that Wilson had written numerous songs prior to "Surfer Girl".[3] The lyrics were inspired by Judy Bowles, Wilson's first serious girlfriend, whom he had dated for three and a half years.[4] He explained the genesis of the song:

Back in 1961, I'd never written a song in my life. I was 19 years old. And I put myself to the test in my car one day. I was actually driving to a hot dog stand, and I actually created a melody in my head without being able to hear it on a piano. I sang it to myself; I didn't even sing it out loud in the car. When I got home that day, I finished the song, wrote the bridge, put the harmonies together and called it 'Surfer Girl'."[citation needed]

The song was based on a Dion and the Belmonts version of "When You Wish Upon a Star",[4] which has the same AABA form.[5][6] As a solo artist, Wilson later covered it for the tribute album In the Key of Disney (2011), saying, "We're doin' "When You Wish Upon a Star" for the new album. It kinda inspired "Surfer Girl.".[7]

Recording[]

The band first recorded the song at World Pacific Studios on February 8, 1962,[8] at an early recording session. However, the recordings from that session, engineered by Hite Morgan, would not be released until 1969.

The song is written in the key of D major, with a key change to E-flat major after the B section.

Single release[]

The "Surfer Girl" single backed with "Little Deuce Coupe" was released on Capitol Records in the United States on July 22, 1963.[2]

Charts[]

Chart (1963) Peak
position
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[9] 5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[citation needed] 7
U.S. Billboard R&B Best Sellers[citation needed] 18

References[]

  1. ^ Badman 2004, p. 39.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Shows and Sessions 1963". bellagio10452.com. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  3. ^ Murphy 2015, p. 135.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Murphy 2015, pp. 135–136.
  5. ^ Lambert 2007, p. 28.
  6. ^ Covach, John (2005), "Form in Rock Music: A Primer", in Stein, Deborah, Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis, New York: Oxford University Press, p.70, ISBN 0-19-517010-5 .
  7. ^ Brian Wilson, in @BrianWilsonLive, February 16, 2011: "We're doin' "When You Wish Upon a Star" for the new album. It kinda inspired "Surfer Girl." - Brian".
  8. ^ "Sessions 1961-62". bellagio10452.com. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  9. ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 17 October 1963

Bibliography

External links[]

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