Surf City (song)
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| "Surf City" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Jan and Dean | |
| from the album Surf City (#7314) | |
| Released | June 1963 |
| Format | vinyl single |
| Genre | surf rock, pop |
| Length | 2:42 |
| Label | Liberty Records (#55580) |
| Writer(s) | Brian Wilson, Jan Berry |
| Producer | Jan Berry |
"Surf City" is a surf song which, as recorded by Jan and Dean, was a #1 hit record in July 1963 for two weeks.
The first draft of the song, with the working title "Goody Connie Won't You Come Back Home", was written by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. He gave it to Jan Berry and Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean who finished writing and recording it with Wilson in the early 1960s.[citation needed] Although Torrence contributed several important phrases to the song and kept the original lyrics, which were scanned and appear on the official Jan and Dean website, Torrence never insisted that his name should be recognized on the label as one of the authors of the song and his contribution is often overlooked.[citation needed] "Surf City" became the first surf song to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1963.[1] The song also crossed to #3 on Billboard's R&B charts.
A handful of Jan and Dean songs used the group of crack studio musicians know as The Wrecking Crew, and Surf City is one of them. According to the AFM (Freelance Musicians) contracts these included: Billy Strange - guitar, arranger, Hal Blaine - drums, Bill Pittman - bass, Glenn Campbell - guitar, Earl Palmer - drums and Ray Pohlman - guitar, leader. There are in fact the unusual setup of two drummers on the tune, as Billy Strange preferred that sound. [2]
In 1991, after moving to the city of Huntington Beach, California, Torrence went on to help convince elected officials that his new home town should be officially nicknamed "Surf City".[1] The name was embraced and, as of 2009, more than 65 businesses in the city include "Surf City" as part of their name.
The Ramones covered "Surf City" on their album Acid Eaters. The Go-Go's sang a cover version at An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson (2001). They substituted the lyrics "Two girls for every boy" with "Two boys for every girl". The Meteors sang a cover version as well.
The Beach Boys have also covered the song in their live concerts.[3]
| Preceded by "Easier Said Than Done" by The Essex |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single July 20, 1963 (two weeks) |
Succeeded by "So Much in Love" by The Tymes |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "About HB". Surf City USA web site. Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau. http://www.surfcityusa.com/huntington-beach-vacation/legend.aspx.
- ^ http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com/afmcontracts/Jan+Dean_SurfCity.pdf
- ^ http://members.tripod.com/~fun_fun_fun
[edit] External links
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