Ride the Wild Surf

The sun, the surf, the salty air, and the sand between my toes.
Colourful umbrellas, surfboards and bikini-clad girls everywhere.

“In the wake of the Beach Boys’ success, many singles by new surfing and hot rod groups were produced by Los Angeles groups. Himes notes: “Most of these weren’t real groups; they were just a singer or two backed by the same floating pool of session musicians: often including Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine and Bruce Johnston. If a single happened to click, a group would be hastily assembled and sent out on tour. It was an odd blend of amateurism and professionalism.”¹

This week Jim at A Unique Title for Me, host of Song Lyric Sunday has asked us to look to the beach for inspiration. The song I am highlighting is “Surf City.” Released by Jan and Dean in 1963, the only other band from the surf era to achieve any real commercial success. Jan and Dean’s success would be cut short when real life would mimic one of the band’s other songs. Jan Berry would crash his Corvette not far from the location prominently featured in one of the band’s other hits, “Dead Man’s Curve.” The accident would leave him with brain damage. Berry would eventually overcome the effects of the accident but Jan and Dean would never achieve the success they saw prior.

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