Dead Man's Curve
Jan Berry
Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!
I was cruisin' in my Stingray late one night When an XKE pulled up on the right He rolled down the window of his shiny new Jag And challenged me then and there to a drag I said "You're on buddy -- my mill's running fine Let's come off the line now at Sunset and Vine But I'll go you one better, if you've got the nerve Let's race all the way -- to Dead Man's Curve" (Dead Man's Curve) is no place to play (Dead Man's Curve) you'd best keep away (Dead Man's Curve) I can hear 'em say "Won't come back from Dead Man's Curve" The street was deserted late Friday night We were buggin' each other while we sat out the light We both popped the clutch when the light turned green You shoulda heard the whine from my screamin' machine! I flew past La Brea, Schwab's and Crescent Heights And all the Jag could see were my six taillights He passed me at Doheny then I started to swerve But I pulled her out and there we were - at Dead Man's Curve (Dead Man's Curve) is no place to play (Dead Man's Curve... ) "Well, the last thing I remember, Doc I started to swerve And then I saw the Jag slide into the curve I know I'll never forget that horrible sight I guess I found out for myself that everyone was right" Won't come back from Dead Man's Curve (Dead Man's Curve) is no place to play (Dead Man's Curve) you'd best keep away (Dead Man's Curve) I can hear 'em say "Won't come back from Dead Man's Curve" (Dead Man's Curve) is no place to play (Dead Man's Curve) you'd best keep away (Dead Man's Curve) I can hear 'em say "Won't come back from Dead Man's Curve"
Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!
Written by: ARTIE KORNFELD, BRIAN DOUGLAS WILSON, JAN BERRY, ROGER VAL CHRISTIAN
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Song Background"Dead Man's Curve" is a hit song from 1963 that was co-written and performed by Jan Berry, one half of the surf pop duo, Jan and Dean.
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Song ConceptThe song was about two boys racing their cars along the winding 'Dead Man's Curve', which ended in a catastrophic crash for one of them. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of reckless driving.
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Song InfluenceJan Berry was inspired to write "Dead Man's Curve" after he had to swerve to avoid an accident at the real-life location in Los Angeles known as Dead Man's Curve, an infamous section of Sunset Boulevard notorious for its dangerous turn.
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Song Chart Performance"Dead Man's Curve" reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became one of Jan and Dean's biggest hits.
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TV movie InspirationIn 1978, the TV movie "Deadman's Curve" was made, inspired by the life of Jan Berry and Dean Torrence. The film features a fictionalized depiction of the recording of the song.
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Personal ConnectionIronically, in 1966, just three years after releasing "Dead Man's Curve," Jan Berry himself was involved in a near-fatal car accident, not far from the actual location in Los Angeles known as Dead Man's Curve.
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Claim to Fame"Dead Man's Curve" is so popular that it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance."
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Recording ProcessThe song was recorded using the Wall of Sound technique, a music production formula developed by Phil Spector to create a dense, layered, and reverberant sound that came across well on radios and jukeboxes.
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CollaborationThe lyrics to "Dead Man's Curve" were a collaboration between Jan Berry, Roger Christian, Artie Kornfeld, and Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. Wilson, who was a close friend of Jan and Dean, often collaborated with Berry on many of their songs.
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IdentificationThe song 'Dead Man's Curve' helped solidify Jan and Dean's reputation as pioneers of the California Sound and surf rock genre. The song remains one of their most recognized recordings.
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"Dead Man's Curve Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/2114766/Jan+Berry/Dead+Man%27s+Curve>.
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