Surfin' USA

The success of the Surfin' Safari LP convinced the Beach Boys and Capitol Records to keep the formula going for a second LP, Surfin' USA. Nick Venet returned as producer, though the oldest Wilson brother (Brian) was also heavily involved in the production.

The album's title track was written by Brian Wilson, using the tune of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" and replacing its various cities with a list of favorite surfing spots along the Southern California shores and Australia. Berry was originally uncredited on the song, but he noticed the similarity and for the past few decades the song has been cocredited to he and Brian Wilson. The song was a sizable hit on its release as a single in March 1963, three weeks ahead of the album.

"Farmers Daughter" is next. It's a minor ditty concerning a teenage boy's infatuation with the farmer's daughter. The song was later covered by Fleetwood Mac on its 1980 Tusk tour, harmonized there by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham and released on the album Fleetwood Mac Live. This is one of three songs on the album originally credited solely to Brian WIlson that were amended to include Mike Love as cowriter after a court settlement in 1994.

"Misirlou" is a guitar-driven instrumental version of a Mediterranean-area folk song with versions going as far back as the 1920s. The song made famous in 1962, just a year before Surfin' USA by surf guitarist Dick Dale. (The Dale version would become a hit again in 1994 following its inclusion in the soundtrack for the film Pulp Fiction.)

This instrumental was followed by another instrumental that showcased Carl Wilson's and David Marks's guitar chops, "Stoked," which is listed as a Brian Wilson composition.

"Lonely Sea" comes next, co-written by Brian with Gary Usher. The song sounds like a precursor to the many great ballads that Brian would later write, including "In My Room" with Usher.

"Shut Down" was written by Brian, this time with lyrics by radio DJ Roger Christian, who was also a gearhead and penned the drag race themed lyrics. This song was the flip side of the "Surfin' USA" single and garnered considerable airplay; it is now standard fare on any Beach Boy compilation.

"Noble Surfer" is written by Brian with lyrics by Cousin' Mike Love (belatedly credited). "Honky Tonk" is another instrumental. This one written by Bill Dogget, Shep Sheppard, Clifford Scott and Billy Butler. The album's cover material was evidence that the Beach Boys' writing had not reached full force, but compared with the covers on the Surfin' Safari album, showed that the Beach Boys were becoming a very good cover band.

"Lana" is a song with music and lyrics by Brian Wilson. It is a very short and relatively forgettable love song. "Surf Jam" is yet another showcase instrumental for Carl and David's guitars and Dennis on drums; the song is credited to Carl. "Let's Go Trippin" is a cover of an instrumental written by Dick Dale and once again showcases the twin surf guitars of Carl Wilson and David Marks.

"Finders Keepers" is a song written by Brian and Mike. It is a relatively forgettable little ditty but the writing relationship between Brian and Mike would soon blossom beyond their simplistic early songs. Surprising, it showed up nearly 60 years later in a cover version by She and Him, in their Brian Wilson tribute album Melt Away.

Was Surfin' USA a good album? In certain terms it certainly was. Like many albums of its day, it was mostly in place to support the "Surfin' USA/Shut Down" single and its myriad covers and instrumentals show that the Beach Boys did not yet have as much saleable product as they had demand. But in addition to the singles, songs like "Farmer's Daughter" and "Lonely Sea" gave indication that much more was forthcoming from the mind of Brian Wilson and the talents of his supporting cast.