View source for Surfin' Safari

{{About|the album|the song of the same name|Surfin' Safari (song)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Surfin' Safari
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[the Beach Boys]]
| cover        = Surfin'SafariCover.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = October 1, 1962<ref name="DoeBellagioGS61-62">{{cite web |last1=Doe |first1=Andrew G.|title=Gigs & Sessions 1961-1962 |url=http://www.bellagio10452.com/gigs6162.html |website=Bellagio10452|access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref>
| recorded     = November 1961;<ref name="DoeBellagioGS61-62"/> April 19, August 8, September 5–6, 1962<ref name="DoeBellagioGS61-62"/>
| venue        = 
| studio       = *[[Capitol Studios|Capitol]] (Hollywood)<ref name="DoeBellagioGS61-62"/>
*Hite Morgan (Los Angeles)<ref name="DoeBellagioGS61-62"/>
*[[United Western Recorders|Western]] (Los Angeles)<ref name="DoeBellagioGS61-62"/>
| genre        = [[Surf music|Garage surf]]<ref name="blend"/>
| length       = 24:49
| label        = [[Capitol Records|Capitol]]
| producer     = [[Nick Venet]]
| prev_title   = 
| prev_year    = 
| next_title   = [[Surfin' U.S.A. (album)|Surfin' U.S.A.]]
| next_year    = 1963
| misc         = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = The Beach Boys UK
 | type       = studio
 | prev_title =
 | prev_year  =
 | title      = Surfin' Safari
 | year       = 1963
 | next_title = [[Shut Down Volume 2]]
 | next_year  = 1964
}}
{{Singles
 | name        = Surfin' Safari
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Surfin'|Surfin{{'-}}]]
 | single1date = November 1961
 | single2     = [[Surfin' Safari (song)|Surfin' Safari]]" / "[[409 (song)|409]]
 | single2date = June 4, 1962
 | single3     = [[Ten Little Indians (Beach Boys song)|Ten Little Indians]]" / "[[County Fair (Beach Boys song)|County Fair]]
 | single3date = November 26, 1962
}}
}}

'''''Surfin' Safari''''' is the debut studio album by the American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Beach Boys]], released on October 1, 1962 by [[Capitol Records]]. The official production credit went to [[Nick Venet]], though it was [[Brian Wilson]] with his father [[Murry Wilson|Murry]] who contributed substantially to the album's production; Brian also wrote or co-wrote nine of its 12 tracks.<ref name="Leaf1990">{{cite AV media notes|title=Surfin Safari / Surfin U.S.A.|others=[[The Beach Boys]]| year=1990|first=David|last=Leaf|author-link=David Leaf|publisher=[[Capitol Records]]|type=CD Liner|url=http://albumlinernotes.com/Surfin_Safari_Surfin_USA.html}}</ref> The album reached number 32 in the US during a chart stay of 37 weeks.

The album was preceded by two singles: "[[Surfin'|Surfin{{'-}}]]" and "[[Surfin' Safari (song)|Surfin' Safari]]", which charted at numbers 75 and 14, respectively. The success of "Surfin' Safari" helped secure a full album for the group while an additional single, "[[Ten Little Indians (Beach Boys song)|Ten Little Indians]]," was issued, charting at number 49.

==Background==
{{blockquote|The group is mainly {{sic|comprised|hide=y| of}} people from Hawthorne, California, named Wilson … there’s Brian, Dennis, Carl, and their Dad, Murry Wilson, a long-time songwriter who acts as manager for the outfit. Then there's the boys' talented cousin, Mike Love … who sings both the lead tenor and deep bass parts in their unusual vocal arrangements. … [and] young David Marks, a neighbor of the Wilsons who plays a driving rhythm guitar. Brian, the oldest of the Wilson boys, is the group's leader and vocal arranger. Carl is the very accomplished lead guitarist, while brother Dennis sings and plays the drums. None of them, incidentally, had any formal training, but they all grew up in an atmosphere where music was a regular part of their lives|excerpt taken from the album's original liner notes<ref name="Leaf1990"/> }}

==Production==
Recording sessions for ''Surfin' Safari'' took place in [[Capitol Studios|Capitol's basement studios]] in the [[Capitol Records Building|famous tower building]] in August.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=26}} During the sessions, Brian Wilson fought for, and won, the right to helm the production – though this fact was not acknowledged with an album liner notes production credit.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=26}} David Marks remembered, "Brian did everything. Played, did the arrangements, screwed up the lead sheets himself. He didn't need any help to do that. You listen to those first albums and they sound campy and corny but Brian was dead serious."{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=25}}

==Songs==
===Side one===
"County Fair" was inspired by Gary Usher and Brian Wilson visiting a [[Agricultural show|county fair]] in [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]]. The song was written in about ten minutes. "Ten Little Indians" saw the group trying to emulate the style of the song "[[Running Bear]]".<ref name="Leaf1990"/> "Little Miss America" features a [[doo-wop]] style,<ref name="AM2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/surfin-safari-surfin-usa-mw0000203289|title=Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A. - The Beach Boys|via=www.allmusic.com}}</ref> and according to biographer [[David Leaf]], is about "the ideal southern California [[wikt:dreamgirl|dream girl]]".<ref name="Leaf1990"/>

In "Chug-a-Lug", written by Brian and Usher, the lyrics refer to Usher, Marks, Carl, and Dennis, as well as a Larry. The latter was possibly Larry Lennear, a saxophonist who played and recorded with Brian at the time.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=273eCQAAQBAJ&q=larry+lennear+beach+boys&pg=PA227|title=Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961-1963|first=James B.|last=Murphy|date=June 8, 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786473656|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sLEMdjRhDgQC&q=brian+wilson+larry+chug-a-lug&pg=PA29|title=The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio|first=Keith|last=Badman|date=August 15, 2004|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=9780879308186|via=Google Books}}</ref> "409" was written about Usher's obsession over [[hot rod|hot-rods]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/409-mt0000107032|title=The Beach Boys: 409|work=allmusic|publisher=[[Rovi Corporation]]|access-date=10 December 2012}}</ref> The car sound effects were recorded by Usher driving his car past the home of the Wilsons, who had set up a tape recorder outside using a 100-foot extension cord.<ref name="Leaf1990"/>

===Side two===
Brian stated that the song "[[Surfin'|Surfin{{'-}}]]" was composed after Dennis told him "surfing’s getting really big. You guys ought to write a song about it."<ref name="Leaf1990"/> "Heads You Win, Tails I Lose" was written because of Usher and Brian Wilson's frequent use of [[coin flipping]] to decide things. The group wanted to make contemporary expressions into songs.<ref name="Leaf1990"/>

The instrumental "Moon Dawg", originally performed by [[The Gamblers (surf band)|the Gamblers]], was considered the first [[Surf music|surf]] record.<ref name="Leaf1990"/> The Beach Boys became the first group to cover the song, exposing it to a much wider audience.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=273eCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA230|title=Becoming The Beach Boys, 1961-1963|author=Murphy, James B.|publisher=McFarland Publishing|year=2015|page=230|isbn=9780786473656}}</ref> "The Shift" was presented as a "[[fashion]] statement" from Brian and Love.<ref name="Leaf1990"/>

==Release and reception==
{{Music ratings
|title = Retrospective professional ratings
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="allmusic"/>
|rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
|rev2score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="blend">{{cite web|first=Douglas|last=Wolk |url=http://blender.com:80/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2253|title=The Beach Boys ''Surfin Safari/Surfin U.S.A.''|magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |date=October 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630150125/http://blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2253|archive-date=June 30, 2006|access-date=June 2, 2017|url-status=dead }}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev5Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="RSAG">{{cite book|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=with Hoard|editor2-first=Christian |year=2004|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |edition=4th|location=New York, NY |publisher=Fireside/Simon & Schuster|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/46 46]|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/46 }}</ref>
}}
The album was released through Capitol on October 1, 1962, and peaked at number 32.<ref name="Leaf1990"/> Lead single, "[[Surfin'|Surfin{{'-}}]]", was later credited with creating the genre of [[California Sound]], a music aesthetic primarily revolving around surfing, hot rod culture, and youthful innocence.<ref>{{cite book|last=Starr|first=Kevin|author-link=Kevin Starr|title=Golden Dreams: California in an Age of Abundance, 1950-1963|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWy4TexzsScC|year=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-515377-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Howard|first=David N.|title=Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y4Sk0FNXkjcC|year=2004|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=978-0-634-05560-7|page=57}}</ref> "409" was similarly credited with starting the [[hot rod music]] craze of the 1960s,<ref name="HotRod">{{cite book|last=Breitenstein|first=Jeff|title=Ultimate Hot Rod Dictionary: A-Bombs to Zoomies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OtKWmLLiuTgC|publisher=MotorBooks International|isbn=978-1-61059-235-2|page=107}}</ref> According to Usher, Capitol chose "Ten Little Indians" as the second single due to thinking that surf music was a [[fad]].<ref name="Leaf1990"/>

Richie Unterberger, in a retrospective review for AllMusic, felt that most of the songs on ''Surfin' Safari'' are substandard, but that as the album was recorded by the Beach Boys themselves rather than session musicians, it offered an opportunity to hear what the band sounded like in the studio.<ref name="allmusic">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1405}} Allmusic review</ref>

==Track listing==
All lead vocals by Mike Love, except where noted.
{{track listing
| headline        = Side one
| all_writing     = 
| extra_column    = Lead vocals
| title1          = [[Surfin' Safari (song)|Surfin' Safari]]
| writer1         = {{hlist|[[Brian Wilson]]|[[Mike Love]]}}
| length1         = 2:06
| title2          = [[County Fair (The Beach Boys song)|County Fair]]
| writer2         = {{hlist|Wilson|[[Gary Usher]]}}
| length2         = 2:16
| title3          = [[Ten Little Indians (The Beach Boys song)|Ten Little Indians]]
| writer3         = {{hlist|Wilson|Usher}}
| length3         = 1:29
| title4          = [[Chug-A-Lug (The Beach Boys song)|Chug-A-Lug]]
| writer4         = {{hlist|Wilson|Usher|Love}}
| length4         = 2:00
| title5          = [[Little Girl (You're My Miss America)]]
| writer5         = {{hlist|[[Herb Alpert]]|Vincent Catalano}}
| extra5          = [[Dennis Wilson]]
| length5         = 2:06
| title6          = [[409 (song)|409]]
| writer6         = {{hlist|Wilson|Usher|Love}}
| length6         = 2:00
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side two
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| title1 = [[Surfin'|Surfin{{'-}}]]
| writer1 = {{hlist|Wilson|Love}}
| length1 = 2:12
| title2 = [[Heads You Win–Tails I Lose]]
| writer2 = {{hlist|Wilson|Usher}}
| length2 = 2:19
| title3 = [[Summertime Blues#The Beach Boys version|Summertime Blues]]
| writer3 = {{hlist|[[Eddie Cochran]]|[[Jerry Capehart]]}}
| extra3 = {{hlist|[[David Marks]]|[[Carl Wilson]]}}
| length3 = 2:11
| title4 = [[Cuckoo Clock (song)|Cuckoo Clock]]
| writer4 = {{hlist|Wilson|Usher}}
| extra4 = Brian Wilson
| length4 = 2:11
| title5 = Moon Dawg
| writer5 = [[The Gamblers (surf band)|Derry Weaver]]
| extra5 = instrumental
| length5 = 2:03
| title6 = The Shift
| writer6 = {{hlist|Wilson|Love}}
| length6 = 1:56
| total_length = 24:49
}}
{{Track listing
| headline        = ''Surfin' Safari / [[Surfin' U.S.A. (album)|Surfin' U.S.A.]]'' 
 1990/2001 CD reissue bonus tracks
| extra_column    = Lead vocals
| title13         = [[Cindy, Oh Cindy]]
| writer13        = {{hlist|[[Robert B. Nemiroff|Robert Barron]]|Burt Long}}
| extra13         = B. Wilson
| length13        = 2:10
| title14         = The Baker Man
| writer14        = Wilson
| extra14         = B. Wilson
| length14        = 2:37
| title15         = Land Ahoy
| writer15        = Wilson
| length15        = 1:38
| total_length    = 31:14
}}
'''Notes'''
* Mike Love was not originally credited for "[[Chug-A-Lug (The Beach Boys song)|Chug-A-Lug]]" and "[[409 (song)|409]]". His credits were awarded after a [[Love v. Wilson|1994 court case]].<ref name="Doe">{{cite web|last1=Doe|first1=Andrew G.|title=Album Archive |url=http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/albumarchive1.html|website=Bellagio 10452|publisher=Endless Summer Quarterly}}</ref>
* Some reissue pressings omit "Surfin{{'-}}" and "Cuckoo Clock", and move "Chug-A-Lug" to the beginning of side two.<ref name="Doe"/>

==Personnel==

Partial credits compiled from the original album liner notes plus additional information from David Leaf,<ref name="Leaf1990"/> Jon Stebbins,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stebbins|first=Jon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YM-GDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT95|title=The Beach Boys FAQ: All That's Left to Know About America's Band|date=2011-09-01|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4584-2918-6|language=en}}</ref> and James Murphy.{{sfn|Murphy|2015|p=5}}

'''The Beach Boys'''
*[[Brian Wilson]] – vocals; [[electric bass]] (except "Surfin{{'-}}"), organ on “Cuckoo Clock”,<ref>Doe, Andrew G. & Tobler, John: "Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys: The Complete Guide to their Music", page 10. Omnibus Press, 2004.</ref> [[snare drum]] tapped with pencil on "Surfin'", additional production (uncredited)
*[[Mike Love]] – vocals; [[saxophone]] on "Ten Little Indians"
*[[Al Jardine]] – vocals and [[double bass]] on "Surfin{{'-}}"
*[[Carl Wilson]] – vocals; electric lead guitar (except "Surfin'"), acoustic guitar on "Surfin{{'-}}"
*[[Dennis Wilson]] – vocals; drums (except "Surfin{{'-}}")
*[[David Marks]] – vocals and rhythm guitar (except "Surfin{{'-}}")
;Additional musicians and production staff
*[[Gary Usher]] – car sound effects on "409"
*[[Nick Venet]] – producer
*[[Murry Wilson]] – additional production (uncredited)

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Chart
!Position
|-
| 1963
| US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/surfin-safari-mw0000625284/awards|title=Surfin' Safari - The Beach Boys: Awards|publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"|32
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Discogs master|type=album|246896|name=Surfin' Safari}}
* {{Cite web|ref=none|url=https://www.rockaway.com/catalog/product/view/id/9457/s/the-original-beach-boys-surfboard/category/10/|title=THE ORIGINAL BEACH BOYS SURFBOARD|website=www.rockaway.com|language=en|access-date=2019-11-08}}

{{Surfin' Safari}}
{{The Beach Boys main}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:The Beach Boys albums]]
[[Category:1962 debut albums]]
[[Category:Capitol Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Nick Venet]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Capitol Studios]]