Surfer Girl
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| Surfer Girl | ||
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| Studio album by The Beach Boys | ||
| Released | 23 September 1963 | |
| Recorded | 12 June and 16 July 1963 | |
| Genre | Surf Rock | |
| Length | 25:30 | |
| Label | Capitol Records | |
| Producer(s) | Brian Wilson | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| The Beach Boys chronology | ||
| Surfin' USA (1963) |
Surfer Girl (1963) |
Little Deuce Coupe (1963) |
Surfer Girl was the third album officially released by The Beach Boys and their second longplayer in 1963. This was the first album by The Beach Boys to which Brian Wilson was given full production credit, a position Wilson would maintain, with increasing brilliance, until the end of the Smile sessions in 1967.
The first sophisticated Beach Boys album, Surfer Girl is also notable for the proficiency that everyone in the band gains. Although this album marks the point where Wilson begins using outside professional musicians, The Beach Boys all exhibit more confidence vocally.
Brian Wilson himself turns in, along with, variously, Mike Love, Gary Usher and Roger Christian's help, some of his most cherished songs. The title track, a #7 US hit, was the first song Brian had ever composed, at the age of 19, using "When You Wish Upon A Star" as a guide while writing it. As a ballad, it was a risky move for a single, but its obvious quality overcame any potential commercial risks. Its flip-side, "Little Deuce Coupe", proved to be The Beach Boys' most successful B-side, reaching US #15 and becoming a hot rod staple. It also continued the band's current trend of putting a surf-related song on the A-side of singles, and car songs on the B-side. "Catch a Wave" (an obvious single that never was) featured Mike Love's sister, Maureen, on harp, while "The Surfer Moon" was the first Beach Boys song to have a string arrangement. "In My Room" was perhaps Brian Wilson's first personal song, a reflection on having a place to go to feel a sense of security and safety from the stress of one's life. Despite some slight material ("South Bay Surfer", "Boogie Woodie"), it was clear that Surfer Girl was a giant step forward for The Beach Boys - and the first of many.
The front cover of Surfer Girl features (from right to left), Dennis Wilson, David Marks, Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Brian Wilson holding a surfboard from the same 1962 photo shoot that produced the cover of their album debut Surfin' Safari.
An interesting note: "South Bay Surfer" is co-credited to Al Jardine, who had recently rejoined The Beach Boys in the summer of 1963 to replace Brian on the road (which he was already tiring of). So, for a brief period, both Al and his replacement, David Marks, were in The Beach Boys together.
Coming after their breakthrough Surfin' USA album, Surfer Girl hit #7 in the US (where it went gold) and, later in 1967, #13 in the UK.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "Surfer Girl" (Brian Wilson) – 2:26
- Features Brian Wilson on lead vocals
- "Catch a Wave" (Brian Wilson/Mike Love) – 2:07
- Features Mike Love and Brian Wilson on lead vocals
- "The Surfer Moon" (Brian Wilson) – 2:11
- Features Brian Wilson on lead vocals
- "South Bay Surfer" (Brian Wilson/Carl Wilson/Al Jardine) – 1:45
- Features Brian Wilson and Mike Love on lead vocals
- "The Rocking Surfer" (Trad. Arr. Brian Wilson) – 2:00
- Instrumental
- "Little Deuce Coupe" (Brian Wilson/Roger Christian) – 1:38
- Features Mike Love on lead vocals
- "In My Room" (Brian Wilson/Gary Usher) – 2:11
- Features Brian Wilson on lead vocals
- "Hawaii" (Brian Wilson/Mike Love) – 1:59
- Features Mike Love and Brian Wilson on lead vocals
- "Surfers Rule" (Brian Wilson/Mike Love) – 1:54
- Features Dennis Wilson on lead vocals
- "Our Car Club" (Brian Wilson/Mike Love) – 2:22
- Features Brian Wilson and Mike Love on lead vocals
- "Your Summer Dream" (Brian Wilson/Bob Norberg) – 2:27
- Features Brian Wilson on lead vocals
- "Boogie Woodie" (Trad. Arr. Brian Wilson) – 1:56
- Instrumental
[edit] Singles
- "Surfer Girl" b/w "Little Deuce Coupe" (Capitol 5009), 22 July 1963 US #7 ("Little Deuce Coupe" US #15).
- "In My Room" featured as the B-side of "Be True to Your School" US #23
Surfer Girl (Capitol (S) T 1981) is now paired on CD with Shut Down Volume 2, with bonus tracks from that period.
Surfer Girl hit #7 in the US during a chart stay of 56 weeks. In the UK, the album was re-released in spring 1967 and reached #13.
[edit] Sources
- Surfer Girl/Shut Down Volume 2 CD booklet notes, David Leaf, c.1990.
- "The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and the Southern California Experience", Timothy White, c. 1994.
- "Wouldn't It Be Nice - My Own Story", Brian Wilson and Todd Gold, c. 1991.
- "Top Pop Singles 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002.
- "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002.
- All Music Guide.com
[edit] External links
- Greg Panfile's musical analysis of "Surfer Girl"
- Greg Panfile's musical analysis of "In My Room"
- Surfer Girl lyrics
