Surfin' Bird
 |
| "Surfin' Bird" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "King of the Surf" |
"Surfin' Bird" is a song performed by the American surf rock band The Trashmen, which reached #4 [1] on the Billboard Hot 100. It is a combination of two R&B hits by The Rivingtons, "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" and "The Bird's the Word" and was released in 1963, along with an album of the same name, becoming popular in the Vietnam war era. The Trashmen were from the Minneapolis, Minnesota area and were signed to the local Soma record label, which released the song.
Notably, it appears in the films Fred Claus, Pink Flamingos, Full Metal Jacket, Home for the Holidays and Back to the Beach. It was also used the video game Battlefield Vietnam (in reference to the Stanley Kubrick film).
Lyrical content
The majority of the song's rapid fire lyrics are derived simply from the titles of two songs by Los Angeles R&B group The Rivingtons - "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow", itself a parody of doo wop from 1962, and "The Bird's The Word" from 1963.
Lyrics:
Bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word A-well-a, don't you know about the bird Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
Cultural references
Popular animated sitcom Family Guy parodied the song on the episode I Dream of Jesus, in which Peter Griffin acquires a recording of the song and annoys everyone by endlessly playing and singing to it. He also purchases air time on television to spread the message that "the bird is the word". After watching Peter's commercial, mayor Adam West orders a mathematical analysis of Peter's claim to be conducted. His scientists, after conducting a series of calculations, subsequently report that "the bird is equal to, or greater than, the word."[2] It also appears in the films Fred Claus, Pink Flamingos, Full Metal Jacket, Home for the Holidays and Back to the Beach and the video game Battlefield Vietnam (in reference to the Stanley Kubrick film).[citation needed]
Cover versions
This song has been covered many times, across many types of media, including film.
- The Iguanas (circa 1965)
- Ramones (1977)
- The Deviants (1978)
- The Cramps (1979)
- Pee-Wee Herman in Back to the Beach (1987)
- Polo Pepo y Sociedad Corrupta as "Pajaro Slam" (late 80s)
- The Queers (1994)
- Sodom (1996)
- Silverchair (1997)
- Schwervon! (2000)