The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hi all,

I was on you tube over the weekend.  While I was listening to songs I noticed one of the choi8ces was Leif Garrett singing Surfin' USA.  I listened to it.  He sang this song very well.   

A few years back, I played an old girlfriend of mine from the Philippines a live version of "Surfin' U.S.A" by The Beach Boys. She said, "Wow, who's that?" I said, "The Beach Boys". She said she bought Leif's 45 when it came out and always thought it was he who wrote and sang it originally. I gave her the lowdown and she was surprised. Brian re-wrote the lyrics to Sweet Sixteen, released it, and got threatening letters from Chuck Berry to include his name on publishing/label credit. I have the early version of the single - one that has "Brian Wilson" on the label credit and a later pressing with "Chuck Berry" on the label credit. And while I'm on the subject; I just realized it. Brian was also the sole credit to the flip side of the Surfin' USA single, "Shut Down"! Then on later pressings, Roger Christian was credited along with Brian. Was that Murry pulling a fast one to get more publishing dollars? Maybe. Or maybe just an oversight. Yeah, that's it!

So. A trivia question. Who wrote the lyrics to Surfin' USA? Specifically, who compiled a list of surfing sites and gave it to Brian? Was it Jimmy Bowles or Mike Love?

Both, right? Bowles came up with the list, Mike turned them into lyrics.

I remember when Leif's version of that record came out, he was on perhaps "American Bandstand" and gave an interview saying that he hoped to make the songs he was covering popular once more as most of the kids his age had "no memory of them because most of them were very young when they were originally on the radio". 

Jimmy Bowles wrote out a list of surfing spots at Brian's request, but he didn't write any other lyrics.

The thing that got me was that the original Surfin' USA made it to #3 in 1963, and then again in 1974 it made it to #36 on Billboard! This was on the heels of the Endless Summer/Spirit of America popularity resurgence. It blew Brian's mind too as he expressed on the Jim Pewter interview in August of that year. And then yet again with Leif Garrett's version in 1977, which hit #20 on Billboard; #2 in Australia! So Leif's release made it the highest on the charts!!

I'm reminded of this interesting exchange of opinions taken from the 2004 BBC documentary "Wouldn't It Be Nice."


Brian: "Dennis was our surfer. He told me names of places where people surf. So I put Surfin' U.S.A. together like that."

Al: "Mike Love will tell you that he gave the names."

Mike: "I was actually the one who arranged those words. I wrote them out because I was singing the lead. There are other fabrications or stories that are told but that was what happened."

Al: "I can't honestly say that I beleive that because Mike didn't surf either."

I side with Brian and Al on this one. I don't have anything against Mike. Just seems like he feels inadequate in some way.

2addsomemusic/Mr. Tudball: um, did you read these comments?:


No mention of Dennis, Brian's memory is shaky (as if no one knew?).

I thought only US & UK charts had any kind of weight. Australia was a big deal too?

OK, so we know the Surfin USA writer's credit on the label went from "Brian Wilson" to "Chuck Berry", but does anyone know why it then went to "C. Berry, B. Wilson"?

Anyone know the specifics of the lawsuit or agreement with Chuck Berry and/or his publisher?  Does Brian currently get a % of the writer's credit for lyrics?

And how come Mike didn't ask for a slice during the legal case? After all, he claimed to have arranged be place names…

Note that on the 2012 remaster mono/stereo Surfin USA CD it was Berry while on 50 BOs it was Bery/Wilson. No consistency…

Wow that cove of Sufin' USA by Leif Gaett is nowhee nea as good as the vesion Bian Wilson and his bothers, cousin and fiend poduced.

But hey, what is? At least this Leif Gaett fellow tied to bing the geat music we love so much to the geneal population.

...particularly as he claims in the 1992 Goldmine interview that he wrote 90 percent of "Surfin' U.S.A." for which he didn't receive a writing credit.

Tish

It was a big deal to Australians! The record obviously sold like hotcakes in Australia. The following year the band went to Australia because they new they were hot there based on the sales of their records sold up to that point. Plus, I just threw that up for conjecture because it went all the way to #2. Because I get to.  :)

It ain't tish. He's got a very valid point. Leif's record exposed a Beach Boys song to the masses one more time. Just like the Roth cover did later on.

tish on account of he should know better than to post when he's sky high and can't type

He ain't high. He's just missing the "R" on his keyboard!

Nahhh, I see now, it was just a stupid lame humor attempt , as these bookends demonstrate: