Best Surfing Songs
Surf rock conjures up images of sunny days spent chasing the perfect wave. Put your futures thruster fins on your board, pick your destination, pull up some classic surfing songs on your car’s sound system and head for the beach. You have your favorites. Here are some of ours.
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Ask someone to name a surf song from the 1960s and the Beach Boys “Surfin’ USA” is one of the most popular answers. It captures the longing for the summer vacation that we always had as the end of the school approached. “We’ll all be planning on the route/We’re gonna take real soon/We’re waxing down our surfboards/We can’t wait for June.” And the song’s opening guitar riff would be the perfect soundtrack for a movie montage of surfers grabbing their boards with futures fins from their vehicles and heading down to the beach.
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And talking about racing, we love the energy in “Wipe Out” by The Surfaris, especially that epic drum solo. This song also has an interesting story behind it. It was a spur of the moment composition at the recording studio when the group need a B side for a single. Ironically, “Wipeout” became the A side. We love the opening to the song ... the sound simulating a surfboard breaking followed by the maniacal laughing: “Ha ha ha ha ha wipeout.” Let’s hope the fins on your surfboards don’t break when you wipeout.
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The verses of The Trashmen’s hit “Surfin’ Bird” are rather monotonous. But that hasn’t dampened its popularity through the years, with numerous cover versions out there. Although isn’t repetition what surfing is? Pick your wave. Ride it to the end on those futures thruster fins. Then paddle out and do it again.
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Like fins for surfboards, guitars and drums were part of what gave sixties surf rock its own musical style. Sandy Nelson’s hit, “Let there Be Drums” focuses on just those two instruments with catchy guitar riffs and extended drum sequences that epitomize the sound of the surf music.
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The Sunrays’ “I Live for the Sun,” with vocals reminiscent of the Beach Boys, isn’t well-known. Without the driving guitars and pounding drums, the smooth easy vibe evokes days of relaxing at the beach under the summer sun.
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Jan and Dean’s “Surf City” takes us to another aspect of the surf scene. Girls ... “Two girls for every boy” no less. What more could a guy want? This was also the first surf song to reach number one on the Billboard charts.
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Cheerleaders and sports fans worldwide know the “clap clap clap-clap-clap clap-clap-clap-clap let's go!" chant from “Let's Go (Pony)” by The Routers. The song is built on the classic guitar sounds of surf music.
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Hold on to your futures fins. “Sidewalk Surfin’” rounds out our list. Jan and Dean moved from waves and fins to concrete and wheels. If the tune sounds familiar, but lyrics seem different, you’re not mistaken. This song is "Catch a Wave" (another great surfing song from The Beach Boys) with lyrics about skateboarding.
