Jan and Dean/Peter and Gordon

[Alex]

I don't know if I'm the only one who's noticed it or not, but J&D and Peter and Gordon seem to have some things in common. Both were duos who were sort of "second banana" to a much more popular act in the same genre whose name started with "b-e-a", and both groups' biggest hits were either written or co-written by the born-in-1942 bass player from the "b-e-a" group.

[Mark A. Moore]

It's interesting to look at the numbers, with regard to Jan and Brian.

Of Jan & Dean's seven Top 10 records, as charted by Billboard and Cash Box, three were co-written by Brian Wilson:

Surf City
Drag City
Dead Man's Curve

The other four were:

Jennie Lee (Jan & Arnie)
Baby Talk
Honolulu Lulu
The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)

Overall, Jan and Brian wrote nine songs together -- eleven if you count "Sidewalk Surfin'" (not co-written by Jan, but a J&D song), and the various incarnations of "Gonna Hustle You" (which became "The New Girl In School").

Songs with Jan Berry and Brian Wilson as co-writers:

Surf City
She's My Summer Girl
Drag City
Surf Route 101
Dead Man's Curve
The New Girl In School
Surfin' Wild
Ride the Wild Surf
Move Out Little Mustang


J&D had 26 Top 100 records between 1958 and 1966. Sixteen of them were Top 40, as charted by Billboard and Cash Box — An additional two "bubbled under," for a total of 28 chart entries).

(JB) = Co-written by Jan Berry
(BW) = Co-written by Brian Wilson

1. Jennie Lee — #3 CB, #4 R&B, #8 B — (JB)
Gas Money — (JB)
2. Baby Talk — #7 CB, #10 B, #28 R&B, Year-End #95 B
There's A Girl
Clementine — (JB - traditional)
3. We Go Together — #39 CB, #53 B
Gee
4. Heart & Soul — #16 CB, #25 B, #24 UK
A Sunday Kind of Love
Tennessee
5. Linda — #26 CB, #28 B
6. Surf City — #1 B, #1 CB, #3 R&B, #26 UK, Year-End #26 CB, #28 B — (JB) (BW)
7. Honolulu Lulu — #10 CB, #11 B — (JB)
8. Drag City — #10 B, #10 CB — (JB) (BW)
9. Dead Man's Curve — #8 B, #9 CB, Year-End #28 B, #70 CB — (JB) (BW)
10. The New Girl In School — #26 CB, #37 B — (JB) (BW)
11. The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena) — #3 B, #5 CB, Year-End #48 B — (JB)
12. Ride the Wild Surf — #16 B, #23 CB — (JB) (BW)
Anaheim, Azusa — (JB)
13. Sidewalk Surfin' — #25 B, #28 CB — (BW)
(Here They Come) From All Over the World
14. You Really Know How to Hurt A Guy — #27 B, #39 CB — (JB)
15. I Found A Girl — #30 B, #39 CB
Batman — (JB)
16. Popsicle — #21 B, #24 CB
Fiddle Around

Wanted, One Girl — "bubbled under" at #104
A Beginning From An End — "bubbled under" at # 109 — (JB)


Jan Berry co-wrote 14 of Jan & Dean's chart records — 50%.

Of the 16 Top 40 entries, Jan co-wrote 9 of them, and Brian co-wrote 6 of them. Of Brian's six contributions, five were co-written with Jan.


Chart Records co-written by Jan Berry for other artists:

The Angels (1963)
I Adore Him — #13 R&B, #23 CB, #25 B — (JB)

The Rip Chords (1964)
Three Window Coupe — #28 B, #29 CB — (JB)

Johnny Crawford (1964)
Judy Loves Me — #95 B — (JB)

Ronny & the Daytonas (1965)
Bucket T — #54 B, #61 CB — (JB)


With the addition of outside artists, the total number of Top 40 songs co-written by Jan rises to 11, and his overall chart number as a songwriter comes to 18.

Jan officially arranged and produced everything between 1963 and 1966. Unofficially, he was arranging from the beginning, but began getting label credit as an arranger in 1961, while Lou Adler was still producing.


Jan & Arnie/Jan & Dean — Non-charting singles, B-bides, and album cuts co-written by Jan (1958-1966) = 45 — (Not counting the 8 Batman skits, which Jan co-wrote but left his name off, while scheming against Screen Gems).

Of J&D's 16 albums,  5 were Top 40, 4 were Top 100, 1 was Top 200, and 6 did not chart.

Jan & Dean Albums, 1960-1966

The Jan & Dean Sound — (6 songs co-written by JB)
Golden Hits — (1 song co-written by JB)
Jan & Dean Take Linda Surfin' — #71 B — (1 song co-written by JB, 2 by BW — 2 BB songs) — First album produced by Jan
Surf City (and Other Swingin' Cities) — #21 CB, #32 B — (3 songs co-written by JB, 1 by BW)
Drag City — #17 CB, #22 B, Year-End #98 CB — (8 songs co-written by JB, 4 by BW — 1 BB song)
Dead Man's Curve / The New Girl In School — #42 CB, #80 B — (9 songs co-written by JB, 2 by BW)
Ride the Wild Surf — #26 CB, #66 B — (8 songs co-written by JB, 4 by BW)
The Little Old Lady from Pasadena — #40 B, #40 CB — (5 songs co-written by JB, 2 by BW)
Command Performance / Live in Person — #33 B, #42 CB — (3 songs co-written by JB, 5 by BW — 2 BB songs)
Pop Symphony — (7 songs co-written by JB, 5 by BW)
Golden Hits Vol. 2 — #71 CB, #107 B — (9 songs co-written by JB, 6 by BW)
Folk 'n Roll — #87 CB, #145 B — (4 songs co-written by JB)
Jan & Dean Meet Batman — (3 songs co-written by JB, not counting skits)
Filet of Soul — #127 B — (3 songs co-written by JB, 2 by BW)
Popsicle — (5 songs co-written by JB, 3 by BW)
Golden Hits Vol. 3 — (1 song co-written by JB, 1 by BW — 1 BB song)


These should be Hall of Fame numbers for Jan and J&D — especially considering they were doing it part-time while in college and medical school.

Not a bad eight-year run, and Brian was certainly a big part of it.

[Rocker]

These should be Hall of Fame numbers for Jan and J&D — especially considering they were doing it part-time while in college and medical school.

I don't think the part-time thing would be a reason to introduct them, but the numbers and the influence should be enough. I still hope that soeday they will get inducted. Like Dean said, they have had more hits than many people who are in there