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Surfin' U.S.A. (album)
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<h2 id="background">Background</h2> <p>In 1990, Brian Wilson reflected on <i>Surfin' U.S.A.</i> in <a href="/facts/Liner_notes/o2TJaRQT">liner notes</a> which accompanied its first CD issue: </p> <blockquote><p>By the time I got to the album, <i>Surfin’ USA</i>, I was more experienced at producing. The album <i><a href="/facts/Surfin%2527_Safari/STwY6Eoj">Surfin' Safari</a></i> was practice for me. ... This album showcased our voices. We were just kids, but we were serious about our craft. The point being that when you are given the chance, you do your best. ... I think that I was a good coach for the boys. I didn’t like second-rate vocals. It was either the best or nothin’, in my opinion. The boys picked up. We had a good understanding between us and I was their leader. We got it done relatively fast in the studio. ... On this album, we had gotten into a fast pace: almost athletic in nature. It was because "Surfin’ USA" was such a smash hit on the radio. It was the big time for us. ... Production-wise, this album was an early Brian Wilson production.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a></p></blockquote> <h2 id="reception">Reception</h2> Professional ratings<table><tbody><tr><th colspan="2">Retrospective reviews</th></tr><tr><th scope="col" colspan="2">Review scores</th></tr><tr><th scope="col">Source</th><th scope="col">Rating</th></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/AllMusic/Hb8cU8Fb">AllMusic</a></td><td><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a></td></tr><tr><td><i><a href="/facts/Blender_(magazine)/P1FVKvtI">Blender</a></i></td><td><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a></td></tr><tr><td><i><a href="/facts/Encyclopedia_of_Popular_Music/W9YQ0u46">Encyclopedia of Popular Music</a></i></td><td><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></td></tr><tr><td><i><a href="/facts/Record_Mirror/rXkWIb0B">Record Mirror</a></i></td><td><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a></td></tr><tr><td><i><a href="/facts/The_Rolling_Stone_Album_Guide/RRNrAt8J">The Rolling Stone Album Guide</a></i></td><td><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>In a retrospective review, <a href="/facts/Richie_Unterberger/sykSK40E">Richie Unterberger</a> wrote: "The album as a whole is the best they would make, prior to the late '60s, as a band that played most of their instruments, rather than as a vehicle for Brian Wilson's ideas. The LP was a huge hit, vital to launching surf music as a national craze, and one of the few truly strong records to be recorded by a self-contained American rock band prior to the <a href="/facts/British_Invasion/B6c6L61D">British Invasion</a>."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> Author Luis Sanchez summarized the album's impact on culture and the image it established for the Beach Boys: </p> <blockquote><p>If <i>Surfin' U.S.A.</i> didn't literally transform America into an endless beach, it added vivid dimension to California mythos and took it further than anyone would have thought. You could call The Beach Boys’ version of Southern California cutesy or callow or whatever, but what matters is that it captured a lack of self-consciousness—a <i>genuineness</i>—that set them apart from their peers. And it was this quality that came to define Brian’s oeuvre as he moved beyond and into bigger pop productions that would culminate in <i><a href="/facts/Smile_(Beach_Boys_album)/qjGhg9Xk">Smile</a></i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a></p></blockquote> <h2 id="track-listing">Track listing</h2> Side one<table><tbody><tr><th scope="col">No.</th><th scope="col">Title</th><th scope="col">Writer(s)</th><th scope="col">Lead vocal</th><th scope="col">Length</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">1.</th><td>"<a href="/facts/Surfin%2527_U.S.A./62pYDlqh">Surfin' U.S.A.</a>"</td><td><ul><li><a href="/facts/Brian_Wilson/lHqBFEUI">Brian Wilson</a></li><li><a href="/facts/Chuck_Berry/PgK6bJLf">Chuck Berry</a></li></ul></td><td><a href="/facts/Mike_Love/y5Re5z7l">Mike Love</a></td><td>2:29</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">2.</th><td>"<a href="/facts/Farmer%2527s_Daughter_(The_Beach_Boys_song)/AgH6rlkD">Farmer's Daughter</a>"</td><td><ul><li>B. Wilson</li><li>Love</li></ul></td><td>B. Wilson</td><td>1:49</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">3.</th><td>"<a href="/facts/Misirlou/rPl4Q1yo">Misirlou</a>"</td><td><ul><li>Nick Roubanis</li><li><a href="/facts/Fred_Wise_(songwriter)/xKhMU0Ij">Fred Wise</a></li><li>Milton Leeds</li><li><a href="/facts/Bob_Russell_(songwriter)/RsHFTKep">Bob Russell</a></li></ul></td><td>instrumental</td><td>2:03</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">4.</th><td>"Stoked"</td><td>B. Wilson</td><td>instrumental</td><td>1:59</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">5.</th><td>"Lonely Sea"</td><td><ul><li>B. Wilson</li><li><a href="/facts/Gary_Usher/U9wLTt1k">Gary Usher</a></li></ul></td><td>B. Wilson</td><td>2:21</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">6.</th><td>"<a href="/facts/Shut_Down_(The_Beach_Boys_song)/2FDyXTXd">Shut Down</a>"</td><td><ul><li>B. Wilson</li><li><a href="/facts/Roger_Christian_(songwriter)/KxEezVus">Roger Christian</a></li></ul></td><td>Love</td><td>1:49</td></tr></tbody></table> Side two<table><tbody><tr><th scope="col">No.</th><th scope="col">Title</th><th scope="col">Writer(s)</th><th scope="col">Lead vocal</th><th scope="col">Length</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">1.</th><td>"Noble Surfer"</td><td><ul><li>B. Wilson</li><li>Love</li></ul></td><td>Love</td><td>1:51</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">2.</th><td>"<a href="/facts/Honky_Tonk_(composition)/h3HNp6nT">Honky Tonk</a>"</td><td><ul><li><a href="/facts/Bill_Doggett/xAJ8SAnr">Bill Doggett</a></li><li>Shep Sheperd</li><li>Clifford Scott</li><li><a href="/facts/Billy_Butler_(guitarist)/2tl1Vxby">Billy Butler</a></li></ul></td><td>instrumental</td><td>2:01</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">3.</th><td>"Lana"</td><td>B. Wilson</td><td>B. Wilson</td><td>1:39</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">4.</th><td>"Surf Jam"</td><td><a href="/facts/Carl_Wilson/ewy0VSWt">Carl Wilson</a></td><td>instrumental</td><td>2:10</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">5.</th><td>"<a href="/facts/Let%2527s_Go_Trippin%2527/1yQ2kjXJ">Let's Go Trippin'</a>"</td><td><a href="/facts/Dick_Dale/IzQ7sIkl">Dick Dale</a></td><td>instrumental</td><td>1:57</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">6.</th><td>"Finders Keepers"</td><td><ul><li>B. Wilson</li><li>Love</li></ul></td><td>Love</td><td>1:38</td></tr><tr><th colspan="4" scope="row">Total length:</th><td>24:15</td></tr></tbody></table> <i><a href="/facts/Surfin%2527_Safari/STwY6Eoj">Surfin' Safari</a> / Surfin' U.S.A.</i> 1990/2001 CD reissue bonus tracks<table><tbody><tr><th scope="col">No.</th><th scope="col">Title</th><th scope="col">Writer(s)</th><th scope="col">Lead vocal</th><th scope="col">Length</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">13.</th><td>"<a href="/facts/Cindy%2c_Oh_Cindy/0vmNj4Ur">Cindy, Oh Cindy</a>"</td><td><ul><li><a href="/facts/Robert_B._Nemiroff/9zoGrJK1">Robert Barron</a></li><li>Burt Long</li></ul></td><td>B. Wilson</td><td>2:10</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">14.</th><td>"The Baker Man"</td><td>B. Wilson</td><td>B. Wilson</td><td>2:37</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">15.</th><td>"Land Ahoy"</td><td>B. Wilson</td><td>Love</td><td>1:38</td></tr><tr><th colspan="4" scope="row">Total length:</th><td>30:40</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Notes </p> <ul><li>Mike Love was not originally credited for any of the tracks on the album. His credits for "Farmer's Daughter", "Noble Surfer", and "Finders Keepers" were awarded after a <a href="/facts/Love_v._Wilson/bd4HPqko">1994 court case</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a></li> <li>Some later reissues of the album omit "Stoked" and "Surf Jam".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="charts">Charts</h2> <table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Chart</th><th>Position</th></tr><tr><td>1963</td><td>US <i>Billboard</i> 200<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a></td><td>2</td></tr><tr><td>1965</td><td>UK Top 40 Albums<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a></td><td>17</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Citations </p> <p>Sources </p> <ul><li>Sanchez, Luis (2014). <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=FC0_AwAAQBAJ"><i>The Beach Boys' Smile</i></a>. Bloomsbury Publishing. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-62356-956-3.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Paul_Trynka/Dnq19xoI">Trynka, Paul</a>; Bacon, Tony, eds. (1996). <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=HDrIjd5FQ8QC"><i>Rock Hardware</i></a>. Hal Leonard Corporation. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 9780879304287.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/master/78410">Surfin' U.S.A.</a></i> at <a href="/facts/Discogs/wdyMoREv">Discogs</a> (list of releases)</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Trynka & Bacon 1996, p. 126. - Trynka, Paul; Bacon, Tony, eds. (1996). Rock Hardware. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879304287. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=HDrIjd5FQ8QC" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=HDrIjd5FQ8QC</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Leaf, David (1990). Surfin Safari / Surfin U.S.A. (CD Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records. <a href="/wiki/David_Leaf" target="_blank">/wiki/David_Leaf</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Allmusic review <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1411" target="_blank">https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1411</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Wolk, Douglas (October 2004). "The Beach Boys Surfin Safari/Surfin U.S.A.". Blender. Archived from the original on June 30, 2006. Retrieved June 2, 2017. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060630150125/http://blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2253" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20060630150125/http://blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2253</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). London: Oxford University Press. p. 479. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4. <a href="978-0-19-531373-4" target="_blank">978-0-19-531373-4</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (4 September 1965). "The Beach Boys: Surfin' U.S.A." (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 234. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022. <a href="/wiki/Peter_Jones_(journalist)" target="_blank">/wiki/Peter_Jones_(journalist)</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Brackett, Nathan; with Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 46. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. <a href="0-7432-0169-8" target="_blank">0-7432-0169-8</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Allmusic review <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1411" target="_blank">https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1411</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Sanchez 2014, p. 32. - Sanchez, Luis (2014). The Beach Boys' Smile. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62356-956-3. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=FC0_AwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=FC0_AwAAQBAJ</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Doe, Andrew G. "Album Archive". Bellagio 10452. Endless Summer Quarterly. <a href="http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/albumarchive1.html" target="_blank">http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/albumarchive1.html</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Doe, Andrew G. "Album Archive". Bellagio 10452. Endless Summer Quarterly. <a href="http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/albumarchive1.html" target="_blank">http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/albumarchive1.html</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"Surfin' U.S.A. - The Beach Boys: Awards". AllMusic. <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/surfin-usa-mw0001955277/awards" target="_blank">http://www.allmusic.com/album/surfin-usa-mw0001955277/awards</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"UK Top 40 Hit Database". EveryHit. <a href="http://www.everyhit.com" target="_blank">http://www.everyhit.com</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>