Surfin' U.S.A.

About Surfin' U.S.A.

"Surfin' U. S. A." is a song with lyrics by Brian Wilson set to the music of "Sweet Little Sixteen", written by Chuck Berry. Mike Love also contributed to the lyrics, but was not credited. The song was first recorded by Wilson's band the Beach Boys and released as a single on March 4, 1963, then appeared as the title track to their album Surfin' U. S. A. Also produced by Wilson, the single peaked at number two in the chart of the Music Vendor trade paper (within a year renamed Record World) and at number three on the Billboard and Cash Box charts. It was backed with "Shut Down". Billboard ranked "Surfin' U. S. A." the number 1 song of 1963, Although this song was Billboard's original number 1 song of that year, later lists from Billboard rank "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs as the number 1 song of 1963. It has since become emblematic of the California Sound. The song "Surfin' U. S. A." is part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list. more »