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Surfer Girl (song)

"Surfer Girl"
Surfer Girl cover.jpg
Single by The Beach Boys
from the album Surfer Girl
B-side "Little Deuce Coupe"
Released July 22, 1963
Format 7" vinyl
Recorded June 12, 1963
United Western Recorders, Hollywood
Length 2:26
Label Capitol
Writer(s) Brian Wilson
Producer(s) Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"Surfin' U.S.A"
(1963)
"Surfer Girl""
(1963)
"Be True to Your School"
(1963)
Endless Summer track listing
Music sample

"Surfer Girl" is a song written, produced and sung by Brian Wilson for American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released as a single and it then appeared on the 1963 album of the same name, Surfer Girl. The B-side of the single was "Little Deuce Coupe". The single was the first Beach Boys record to have Wilson officially credited as the producer.

Written solely by Brian Wilson, the song is his very first composition. The lyrics were inspired by Judy Bowles, Wilson's first serious girlfriend who he had dated for three and a half years. He explained the genesis of the song: "Back in 1961, I'd never written a song in my life. I was nineteen years old. And I put myself to the test in my car one day. I was actually driving to a hot dog stand, and I actually created a melody in my head without being able to hear it on a piano. I sang it to myself; I didn't even sing it out loud in the car. When I got home that day, I finished the song, wrote the bridge, put the harmonies together and called it 'Surfer Girl'."

The song was based on a Dion and the Belmonts version of "When You Wish upon a Star", which has the same AABA form. As a solo artist, Wilson later covered it for the tribute album In the Key of Disney (2011).

The band first recorded the song at World Pacific Studios on February 8, 1962 which was one of the band's first ever recording sessions. However, the recordings from that session, engineered by Hite Morgan, would ultimately remain unreleased until later archival releases. "Surfer Girl" is played in 12/8 time.

The instrumental track as well as the vocals for the officially released version were recorded on June 12, 1963 at Western Recorders, located at 6000 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The session was produced by Brian; the first song, along with "Little Deuce Coupe", to be credited as a Brian production. The musicians on the track are David Marks and Carl Wilson on guitar; Brian Wilson on bass guitar and Dennis Wilson on drums. The finished instrumental track can be heard on the 1968 release Stack-O-Tracks. The song is sung by the group - Mike Love, Carl and Dennis Wilson - with lead vocal by Brian. Also recorded during that session was "Little Deuce Coupe"


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