Surfin' USA is the second album released by the American rock band The Beach Boys. The majority of the album's recording commenced in the first week of 1963, three months after the release of Surfin' Safari. Like the group's debut album, production was credited to Capitol's representative for Artists and Repertoire, Nick Venet.
Surfin' USA reached number 2 in the US, lasting 78 weeks on the albums chart. It reached number 17 in the UK in late 1965.
Surfin' USA is notable for giving The Beach Boys their first widespread success with its title track, and for Brian Wilson's increasing prowess in songwriting, as well as vocal arrangement. The fuller-sounding vocals were achieved using double tracking, creating The Beach Boys' own unique sound. As with Surfin' Safari, some have speculated that it was not Nick Venet, the officially-listed producer, but rather Brian, who produced Surfin' USA. The title track, "Surfin' USA", credited as composed by Brian Wilson, was an almost note-for-note cover of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen". A lawsuit officially granted Berry writing credit and royalties from the record. Additionally, the lyrics seem inspired by the Bobby Rydell 1959 hit "Kissin' Time" (mentions various cities across the USA), which melodically also borrows liberally from Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen."
What is also interesting about this particular album is that five of its twelve tracks are surf instrumentals, "Stoked" being Brian Wilson's first of many instrumental songs he composed over the years for The Beach Boys. In addition, "Surf Jam" marks the first time Carl Wilson, aged 16 at the time, received a songwriting credit.
While the title track of the album was the center of attention (with its B-side "Shut Down" receiving some notice in the process), there were other highlights to be found. "Farmer's Daughter", the first of many Brian Wilson falsetto lead vocals, was affecting enough that Fleetwood Mac covered it live in 1980. "Lonely Sea" is a melancholic ballad Wilson wrote with Gary Usher. It was first recorded on the 19th of April 1962 at Western Studios and was included on the demo track that resulted in the band getting signed to Capitol Records. That recorded performance appears on Surfin' USA accompanied with overdubbed harmonies added during the recording of the rest of Surfin' USA. "Lana" and "Finders Keepers" (with its Four Seasons-esque hook) are also acclaimed tracks from Surfin' USA.
The title track, "Surfin' USA", became The Beach Boys' first big hit in the US and took its parent album into gold record status and the Top 10, peaking at number 2. In 1965, upon re-release in the UK, Surfin' USA would reach number 17.
The song "Surfin' USA" is part of the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.
The photograph that adorns the front sleeve was taken by artist/photographer/surfer John Severson during January 1960, showing California-based waverider Leslie Williams riding the winter swell at Sunset Beach (Oahu) in Hawaii. Intended for the front cover of Severson's legendary Surfer magazine, the original negative was damaged during the color separation process and couldn't appear in print. When Capitol Records requested a suitable photograph for the new Beach Boys album Severson fixed the damaged image and sold it to them.Surfin' USA is the second album released by the American rock band The Beach Boys. The majority of the album's recording commenced in the first week of 1963, three months after the release of Surfin' Safari. Like the group's debut album, production was credited to Capitol's representative for Artists and Repertoire, Nick Venet.
Surfin' USA reached number 2 in the US, lasting 78 weeks on the albums chart. It reached number 17 in the UK in late 1965.
Surfin' USA is notable for giving The Beach Boys their first widespread success with its title track, and for Brian Wilson's increasing prowess in songwriting, as well as vocal arrangement. The fuller-sounding vocals were achieved using double tracking, creating The Beach Boys' own unique sound. As with Surfin' Safari, some have speculated that it was not Nick Venet, the officially-listed producer, but rather Brian, who produced Surfin' USA. The title track, "Surfin' USA", credited as composed by Brian Wilson, was an almost note-for-note cover of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen". A lawsuit officially granted Berry writing credit and royalties from the record. Additionally, the lyrics seem inspired by the Bobby Rydell 1959 hit "Kissin' Time" (mentions various cities across the USA), which melodically also borrows liberally from Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen."
What is also interesting about this particular album is that five of its twelve tracks are surf instrumentals, "Stoked" being Brian Wilson's first of many instrumental songs he composed over the years for The Beach Boys. In addition, "Surf Jam" marks the first time Carl Wilson, aged 16 at the time, received a songwriting credit.
While the title track of the album was the center of attention (with its B-side "Shut Down" receiving some notice in the process), there were other highlights to be found. "Farmer's Daughter", the first of many Brian Wilson falsetto lead vocals, was affecting enough that Fleetwood Mac covered it live in 1980. "Lonely Sea" is a melancholic ballad Wilson wrote with Gary Usher. It was first recorded on the 19th of April 1962 at Western Studios and was included on the demo track that resulted in the band getting signed to Capitol Records. That recorded performance appears on Surfin' USA accompanied with overdubbed harmonies added during the recording of the rest of Surfin' USA. "Lana" and "Finders Keepers" (with its Four Seasons-esque hook) are also acclaimed tracks from Surfin' USA.
The title track, "Surfin' USA", became The Beach Boys' first big hit in the US and took its parent album into gold record status and the Top 10, peaking at number 2. In 1965, upon re-release in the UK, Surfin' USA would reach number 17.
The song "Surfin' USA" is part of the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.
The photograph that adorns the front sleeve was taken by artist/photographer/surfer John Severson during January 1960, showing California-based waverider Leslie Williams riding the winter swell at Sunset Beach (Oahu) in Hawaii. Intended for the front cover of Severson's legendary Surfer magazine, the original negative was damaged during the color separation process and couldn't appear in print. When Capitol Records requested a suitable photograph for the new Beach Boys album Severson fixed the damaged image and sold it to them.false2024-01-19 00:44:02Surfin’ USA820122012-10-092012-10-0949Doo-WopPopPop RockRockSurf RockVocal SurfSurf11125121097722c14edcd-aad5-475c-b745-4ad9740cab8bebfc1398-8d96-47e3-82c3-f782abcdb13d9a7228ff-f6f9-3d90-a39b-65a2f1dabade/media/data/media5/Music/The Beach Boys/Surfin’ USA (1963)/folder.jpgThe Beach BoysAlbumArtistThe Beach BoysArtistThe Beach BoysThe Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by its vocal harmonies, adolescent-oriented lyrics, and musical ingenuity, the band is one of the most influential acts of the rock era. The group drew on the music of older pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and black R&B to create its unique sound. Under Brian's direction, it often incorporated classical or jazz elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways.
The Beach Boys formed as a garage band centered on Brian's songwriting and managed by the Wilsons' father, Murry. In 1963, the band enjoyed its first national hit with "Surfin' U.S.A.", beginning a string of top-ten singles that reflected a southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance, dubbed the "California sound". It was one of the few American rock bands to sustain its commercial standing during the British Invasion. Starting with 1965's The Beach Boys Today!, the band abandoned beachgoing themes for more personal lyrics and ambitious orchestrations. In 1966, the Pet Sounds album and "Good Vibrations" single raised the group's prestige as rock innovators; both are now widely considered to be among the greatest and most influential works in popular music history. After scrapping the Smile album in 1967, Brian gradually ceded control of the group to his bandmates.
In the late 1960s, the group's commercial momentum faltered in the U.S., and it was widely dismissed by the early rock music press before undergoing a rebranding in the early 1970s. Carl took over as de facto leader until the mid-1970s, when the band responded to the growing success of its live shows and greatest hits compilations by transitioning into an oldies act. Dennis drowned in 1983, and Brian soon became estranged from the group. Following Carl's death from lung cancer in 1998, the band granted Love legal rights to tour under the group's name. In the early 2010s, the original members briefly reunited for the band's 50th anniversary tour. As of 2024, Brian and Jardine do not perform with Love's edition of the Beach Boys, but remain official members of the band.
The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, selling over 100 million records worldwide. It helped legitimize popular music as a recognized art form, and influenced the development of music genres and movements such as psychedelia, power pop, progressive rock, punk, alternative, and lo-fi. Between the 1960s and 2020s, the group had 37 songs reach the US Top 40 (the most by an American band), with four topping the Billboard Hot 100. In 2004, the group was ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest artists of all time. Many critics' polls have ranked Today!, Pet Sounds, Smiley Smile (1967), Sunflower (1970), and Surf's Up (1971) among the finest albums in history. The founding members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Other members during the band's history have been David Marks, Bruce Johnston, Blondie Chaplin, and Ricky Fataar.