Surfer Girl (song)
1963 single by the Beach Boys From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1963 single by the Beach Boys From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"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 Brian Wilson officially credited as the producer.
"Surfer Girl" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by the Beach Boys | ||||
from the album Surfer Girl | ||||
B-side | "Little Deuce Coupe" | |||
Released | July 22, 1963[1] | |||
Recorded | June 12, 1963[2] | |||
Studio | Western, Hollywood[2] | |||
Genre | Sunshine pop[3] | |||
Length | 2:26 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Songwriter(s) | Brian Wilson | |||
Producer(s) | Brian Wilson | |||
The Beach Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio sample | ||||
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".[4] The lyrics were inspired by Judy Bowles, Wilson's first serious girlfriend, whom he had dated for three and a half years.[5] 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",[5] which has the same AABA form.[6][7] 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.".[8]
The band first recorded the song at World Pacific Studios on February 8, 1962,[9] 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.
The "Surfer Girl" single backed with "Little Deuce Coupe" was released on Capitol Records in the United States on July 22, 1963.[2] Cash Box described it as "a lilting soft beat-ballad charmer."[10]
Chart (1963) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (CHUM Chart)[11] | 3 |
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[12] | 5 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13] | 7 |
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles[14] | 18 |