Music for Surfing and Gunslinging

Surf music is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. Dick Dale (whose father and uncles were Lebanese-American musicians) developed the surf sound from instrumental rock, where he added Middle Eastern and Mexican influences, a spring reverb, and rapid alternate picking characteristics. A prime example is Misirlou, a folk song from the Eastern Mediterranean region that was first recorded in the 1920s. In 1962, Dale rearranged the song as a solo instrumental guitar piece, vastly increasing the song's tempo to make it into rock and roll. It was Dale's surf version that introduced Misirlou to a wider audience in the U.S. His regional hit Let's Go Trippin', in 1961, launched the surf music craze, inspiring many others to take up the approach. Listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1gskj1VQR0&list=RDW1gskj1VQR0&start_radio=1

Surf music was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental surf, distinguished by reverb-heavy electric guitars played to evoke the sound of crashing waves, largely pioneered by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones. The second is vocal surf, which took elements of the original surf sound and added vocal harmonies, a movement led by the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean.

Dale said of such groups, "The music wasn't surfing music. The words made them surfing songs. ... That was the difference ... the real surfing music is instrumental." In 1964, the each Boys’ leader and principal songwriter, Brian Wilson, explained: "It wasn't a conscious thing to build our music around surfing. We just want to be identified with the interests of young kids.” A year later, he said, "I hate so-called surfin' music. It's a name that people slap on any sound from California. Our music is rightfully 'the Beach Boy sound'—if one has to label it." RIP, Brian Wilson.

Vocal surf can be interpreted as a regional variant of doo-wop music, with tight harmonies on a song's chorus contrasted with scat singing. According to musicologist Timothy Cooley, "Like instrumental surf rock with its fondness for the twelve-bar blues form, the vocal version of Surf Music drew many key elements from African-American genres ... what made the Beach Boys unique was its ability to capture the nation's and indeed the world's imagination about the emerging new surfing lifestyle now centered in Southern California, as well as the subtle songwriting style and production techniques that identify the Beach Boys' sound.” Paul McCartney famously stated that God Only Knows is the "greatest song ever written," and described Don't Worry Baby as a "brilliantly done" testament to Wilson's musical genius.

The Ventures were highly popular with California surfers in the 1950s and 1960s. Their instrumental surf rock sound, characterized by twangy guitars and catchy melodies like Walk, Don't Run and Hawaii Five-O, resonated strongly with the surf culture. Their music captured the energetic, carefree vibe of surfing, making them a staple among surfers and a defining influence in the surf rock genre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgO1KNETzuI&list=OLAK5uy_mgwlabbW82jwbEsxqw52uj7GJ0zoUqHFk

In 1962, instrumental surf rock style guitar was used in the James Bond Theme of Dr. No, recorded by Vic Flick with the John Barry Seven. The theme became a signature for Bond films and influenced the music of spy films of the 1960s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd2voK1FI_M

At the same time, Ennio Morricone was incorporating Mexican influences into Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western soundtracks, and producing a surf music analog. Morricone's soundtracks are iconic for their innovative blend of orchestral, choral, and unconventional sounds. He was known to incorporate elements of American folk and Mexican mariachi music to evoke the Western setting, blending them with his European sensibility. His use of electric guitar in tracks like the main theme for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly share some sonic similarities with surf music's twangy, reverberant guitar sound. The prominent use of electric guitar, played by session musicians like Bruno Battisti D'Amario, often featured a sharp, staccato quality that loosely recalls the surf guitar style. Surf music's cultural prominence could have indirectly shaped the era's guitar-driven sound, though Morricone's work seems more rooted in creating a unique sonic identity for Leone’s films than in borrowing from any single popular genre. “For a Few Guitars More” is a surf-music tribute to Morricone’s Spaghetti Western themes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOvvqXfdWsY&list=PLanyoplDfV69lXX5tkX5B5GZlUYkmI2Om

For more “Western” Surf Rock, try here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9vsFdlVqkM&list=PLLr77o1sGeiSbgFUL-Q6Q7VCvRS63np0_

At the height of its popularity, surf music rivaled girl groups and Motown for the top American popular music trend. It is sometimes referred to interchangeably with the "California sound". During the later stages of the surf music craze, many of its groups started to write songs about cars and girls; this was later known as "hot rod rock", which gained national popularity beginning in 1962 with the Beach Boys' 409, which is often credited with initiating the hot rod music craze, which lasted until 1965. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frtVqCZub-0&list=RDfrtVqCZub-0&start_radio=1

Instrumental surf music was often preferred by surfers for its gritty, authentic energy, while vocal surf pop was seen as more commercial, targeting a broader teen audience. Songs explicitly about surfing, like The Beach Boys’ Surfin’ Safari, gained massive mainstream popularity but didn’t always resonate with the core surf community, who felt their lifestyle was being packaged for outsiders. In 2015’s Love & Mercy, about Brian Wilson’s life, there’s a scene where band member Mike Love remarks that “real surfers don’t like our music.” The band, except for drummer Dennis Wilson, who was an avid surfer, did not actively participate in the sport, and their polished pop sound contrasted with the raw, instrumental surf rock (e.g., Dick Dale, The Ventures) preferred by many surfers.

This divide persisted into later decades, where bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and artists like Jack Johnson earned respect by embodying the surf lifestyle or contributing to its authentic representation, rather than just singing about it. Other Bands Popular with Surfers (1950s–1980s) included:

1. The Surfaris (1960s): Famous for Wipe Out, their high-energy surf rock instrumentals were a favorite among surfers for their driving rhythms and iconic drum solos.

2. The Chantays (1960s): Known for their instrumental hit Pipeline, they were another key surf rock band whose music captured the essence of riding waves.

3. The Trashmen (1960s): Their hit Surfin' Bird became a cult classic among surfers, blending surf rock with garage rock energy.

4. The Atlantics (1960s, Australia): While not Californian, their instrumental Bombora was influential in surf culture and gained popularity among surfers globally, including in California.

5. The B-52s (late 1970s–1980s): By the late 1970s, their quirky, surf-inspired new wave sound, with songs like Rock Lobster, appealed to a new generation of surfers blending punk and retro surf vibes.

6. The Barracudas (1980s): A British band with a revivalist surf rock sound, their album Drop Out with The Barracudas resonated with surfers in the 1980s, mixing 1960s surf influences with punk energy.

Surf culture also embraced music that captured the rebellious, free-spirited vibe, even if not strictly surf music, such as The Doors or Jimi Hendrix in the late 1960s–1970s, though they were less genre-specific to surfing.

The Chili Peppers were popular with California surfers from the 1980s onward, due to their deep connection to Los Angeles culture and their fusion of funk, punk, and rock that resonated with the rebellious, free-spirited surf community. Their music, especially albums like Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) and Californication (1999), captured a raw, hedonistic vibe that aligned with the surf and skate culture of Southern California. Songs like Californication and Dani California explicitly reference the state, blending themes of Hollywood’s allure and its darker underbelly, which appealed to surfers who lived in and around this cultural epicenter. Additionally, frontman Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea were known surfers, which gave them authenticity within the surf community. Their involvement in surf-related media, such as Kiedis’s cameo in the surf-heavy film Point Break (1991), further tied them to surf culture. Their music’s energy and California-centric identity made them a staple in surf culture, especially in the 1980s–1990s.

Surf music influenced a number of later rock musicians, including Keith Moon of the Who, East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys, and Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago. During the mid-to late 1990s, surf rock experienced a revival with surf acts, including Dick Dale recording once more, partly due to the popularity of the movie Pulp Fiction in 1994, which used Dale's Misirlou and other surf rock songs in the soundtrack. Coincidentally nor not, the movie features some serious gunslinging, starting with the opening scene, which freezes as Misirlou starts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOoBomvuYnw

Jack Johnson is another artist with strong ties to surf culture, and was popular among California surfers, particularly from the early 2000s onward. A native of Oahu, Hawaii, Johnson was a competitive surfer before transitioning to music, giving him deep credibility within the surf community. His laid-back, acoustic-driven sound, with albums like Brushfire Fairytales (2001) and In Between Dreams (2005), became a soundtrack for the modern surf lifestyle, evoking the mellow, beachside vibe that surfers embraced. Songs like Better Together and Flake were perfect for post-surf sessions or beach bonfires. Johnson also directed and starred in surf films like Thicker Than Water (2000) and The September Sessions (2002), which were celebrated for their authentic portrayal of surfing and featured music by artists like G. Love and Donavon Frankenreiter, further cementing his influence. His self-financed 16mm surf films are considered modern classics by the surf media, appealing to a new generation of surfers who valued authenticity over commercialized surf culture.