Single:
Surf City entered the Australian singles chart* on 29 June 1963 and peaked at #1. It was #22 on the Top 100 of 1963.
Album:
The song is on Jan and Dean’s 1963 album Surf City and Other Swingin’ Cities.
Songwriters:
Brian Wilson, Jan Berry
Producer:
Jan Berry
Record label of Australian release:
Liberty
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Songfacts:
Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys wrote Surf City in collaboration with Jan Berry from Jan & Dean. It’s very similar to many of the Beach Boys recordings, starting with the vocal hook “Two girls for every boy” and moving into the harmonies and chord progressions that were typical of Wilson’s work. Wilson was working with a few different artists at the time, including the girl group The Honeys.
The Beach Boys met Jan & Dean in the summer of 1962 when both groups played at a teen hop. That fall, The Beach Boys served as Jan & Dean’s backing group on a few live dates for the duo.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/jan-dean/surf-city
Jan and Dean began performing as a duo in 1959 after previously being in a band together with other school friends. Their first single that year was Baby Talk.
The Beach Boys formed in 1961. Their first record called Surfin’ was released that year.
Lyrics:
Two girls for every boy
I bought a ’34 wagon and we call it a woodie
(Surf City, here we come)
You know it’s not very cherry, it’s an oldie but a goodie
(Surf City, here we come)
Well, it ain’t got a back seat or a rear window
But it still gets me where I wanna go
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 60s
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
New to Bang a Gong? Click HERE to learn more about us.