"The Rocking Surfer" question

[Beagle Boy]

The writing credit for "The Rocking Surfer" on the Surfer Girl album is "Traditional; Arranged By Brian Wilson". I don't recognize the tune at all, but apparently it's based on something. The booklet says it was originally called "Good Humor Man", but is that an early title of the BB's version, or is there a traditional song by that title?

[MBE]

Good Humor was a Brian title. I looked and looked for info on the song this was based but could not find it anywhere.

[c-man]

The Tri-Five released a single called "Come And Get It" on the Damark label in March 1963.  Per Brad Elliott's liner notes for the Beach Boys "Surfin'" CD (on the Varese Sarbande label), "Come And Get It" and its B-Side, "Like Chop", were "surf instrumental rearrangements of popular tunes...Beach Boys fans should recognize the melody of 'Come And Get It'.  Six months after the Tri-Five single was released, Brian put out his own version of the song, retitled 'The Rockin' Surfer' on The Beach Boys' 'Surfer Girl' album".  Unfortunately, Brad doesn't say which poplular tune "Come And Get It" was based on, but it's obvious that "Like Chop" is based on the classic piano tune "Chopsticks".  The writing credit for both songs on the "Surfin'" CD is given to Gary Usher and Mike Borchetta, but both songs were merely "adapted" and "arranged" by them.

Incidentally, both sides of the Tri-Five single featured Dennis on drums and Carl on lead guitar.

[LeeDempsey]

I may have solved the mystery...

Here's a link to the website of a gentleman who published a Master's Degree paper on Ice Cream truck music:

http://homepages.nyu.edu/~dtn9606/ictm.html

And here's a link to his published paper:

http://homepages.nyu.edu/~dtn9606/NeelySoftServe.pdf

According to the gentleman, the Good Humor melody used in Southern California was based on a Polish (some sources say Czechoslovakian) folk melody called "Stodola Poompa" or "Stodola Pumpa".  If you Google "Stodola Pumpa" you can find a couple of MP3's, and it's definitely the same melody as "The Rocking Surfer" and "Come and Get It!"

Lee

[LeeDempsey]

Here's a link to an MP3 of the traditional melody "Stodola Pumpa" (Quicktime plugin required):

http://www.mrwentzel.com/Bandsongs/Stodola%20Pumpa.mp3

Lee

[MBE]

Thank you Lee that is great reasearch on your part.

[Beagle Boy]

Great info from everyone. This place rocks!