Characterized by reverb-heavy guitar riffs and lush harmonies, surf rock is summer incarnate. Though it took a minute to catch on outside the sunny shores of the West Coast, bands like the Beach Boys and The Surfaris helped to bring the So Cal way of life to the rest of the world with the genre.
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Though surf rock is typically confined to the ’60s, there are several bands today keeping it alive. Below, we are riding the wave of surf rock through the decades, charting the history of the rock offshoot to find the best the genre has to offer.
Find our picks for the best surf rock songs in music history, below.
1. “Surfin’ U.S.A” (The Beach Boys)
The Beach obviously had to have a spot on this list. When you think of surf rock, they are the band that instantly comes to mind. Though they have a few songs that could make this list, their quintessential surf rock offering is “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
If everybody had an ocean / Across the U.S.A / Then everybody’d be surfin’ / Like Californi-a. The very onus of surf rock is right there in the lyrics: bringing the spirit of California to the rest of the world.
2. “Wipe Out” (The Surfaris)
Even if you don’t know who The Surfaris are, you will know the iconic guitar riff that drives “Wipe Out.” The Surfaris helped write the rule book for instrumental surf rock. The titular guitar riff in this song bottles up the essence of being on a beach and watching waves crash on the shore. Even without any lyrics, it manages to set a scene.
3. “Surf City” (Jan & Dean)
“Surf City” by Jan & Dean was the first surf rock song to become a national No. 1 hit. Though the duo may not be as popular as some other surf rock bands, the genre wouldn’t be the same without them. The song was written by Brian Wilson, so the same easy charm found in Beach Boys songs is present in “Surf City.” It’s everything you want in a surf rock song. It’s lulling, carefree, and fun.
4. “Rock Lobster” (The B-52s)
Flashing forward to the end of the ’70s, The B-52s set themselves apart from their peers by infusing some surf rock elements into their new wave style. The guitar riff in “Rock Lobster” is reminiscent of “Wipe Out” with its heavy reverb and staccato rhythm. Though they weren’t peddling the same surf rock that took the world by storm in the early ’60s, the genre was brought into modernity by the B-52s.
5. “Island in the Sun” (Weezer)
Flashing forward once again to the early ’00s, we have Weezer’s “Island in the Sun.” Contemporary surf rock has dropped the deep, heavy guitar riffs for something looser. Weezer drives “Island in the Sun” with a simple, breezy guitar line. It manages to evoke the same beach setting as the earlier songs on this list, despite taking a different sonic direction.
6. “This Life” (Vampire Weekend)
Vampire Weekend mixed some of the familiar facets of classic surf rock songs with a 2010s point of view in “This Life.” If a band was to put out a song exactly like “Surfin’ U.S.A” today, it would seem a little juvenile. The music-listening world has outgrown the simple sentiment in that song.
Vampire Weekend combats that with some thoughtful lyricism and fairly intricate production while keeping a beachy guitar riff. The song stands in stark contrast to those from The Beach Boys or Jan & Dean, but it is surf rock all the same—albeit with a little sprucing up.
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