Surfin' Bird

The Trashmen

About Surfin' Bird

"Surfin' Bird" is a song performed by American surf rock band the Trashmen. The song was released in 1963 and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is a combination of two R&B hits by the Rivingtons: "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" and "The Bird's the Word".


Year:
2006
2:21
19 

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A-well-a ev'rybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, b-birdd's a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, bird is a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, well-a bird is a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, well-a bird is a word
A-well, a bird, bird, b-bird is a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, well-a bird is a word
A-well, a bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is a word

A-well-a-bird, bird, b-bird's a word, a-well-a

A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
Bird, bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well, a bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody's talking about the bird!

A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, surfing bird, brrrrrrrrpagh!
Aaah, bap-a-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pap

Ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-ma-ma, ma-ma-mow
Ma-ma-ma-ma, ma-ma-mow
Ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow

A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is a word

A-well, a bird, bird, b-bird's a word
A-well-a mow, mow, pa-pa, ma-ma-mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, ma-ma, mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, ma-ma, mow, pa-pa
Ma-ma-mow, ma-ma, mow, pa-pa

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The Trashmen

The Trashmen are a rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1962. The group's original lineup was Tony Andreason on lead guitar and vocals, Dal Winslow on guitar and vocals, Steve Wahrer on drums and vocals, and Bob Reed on bass guitar. The group played surf rock which included elements from garage rock. more »

1 fan

Written by: John Harris, Turner Wilson Jr, Alfred Frazier, Carl White

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Song Creation
"Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen is a combination of two R&B tracks by The Rivingtons: "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" and "The Bird's the Word".
Release Date
The Trashmen recorded and released "Surfin' Bird" in 1963.
Lyrics
The song has very simple lyrics as "Bird is the word" and "Papa-oom-mow-mow" are repeated many times.
Chart Performance
It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the USA.
Band Identity
The success of "Surfin' Bird" became the most identifiable aspect of The Trashmen, despite the fact they released several other albums and singles.
Legal Issue
Original legal rights to the song were controversial at the time, as The Trashmen weren't initially aware of the two Rivingtons songs they had essentially combined.
Resurgence
"Surfin' Bird" had a resurgence in popularity in 2009 and 2010 thanks to an episode of the TV show "Family Guy". The song was featured on the show, and this led to it reaching No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart in January 2010.
Black Lips Cover
Indie rock band Black Lips did a cover of "Surfin' Bird" and included it on their fourth studio album, "Good Bad Not Evil".
Peers Recognition
The Ramones, a prominent punk rock band, covered "Surfin' Bird" on their third studio album, "Rocket to Russia".
Cultural References
The song has been referenced and included in several films, television series, and video games, including Full Metal Jacket, Pink Flamingos, The Big Bang Theory, and Battlefield Vietnam.

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    Surfin' Bird

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    Top Hot 100 Songs 1964

    Billboard #4


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