This Beach Boys Hit Gave the Songwriter Credit While He Was in Jail So He Wouldn’t Sue

In 1963, The Beach Boys had their first Top 5 hit, with “Surfin’ U.S.A.”, the title track of their sophomore album. The song features Chuck Berry as a co-writer of the song. It’s an interesting credit since Berry was incarcerated at the time, for transporting a minor across state lines. 

The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson is the actual writer of the song. But it was intended as a tribute of sorts to Berry’s own 1958 “Sweet Little Sixteen” hit. Berry wasn’t actually credited, at least initially. It resulted in Berry threatening to sue, since the song borrowed from his hit single. To appease Berry, and avoid any legal action, Berry is listed as a co-writer on “Surfin’ U.S.A.”, along with Wilson.

“Sweet Little Sixteen” might have been inspired by Berry’s hit. But the song’s concept is Wilson’s, who listed beaches all over the world. “Surfin’ U.S.A.” says, “Youu’d catch ’em surfin’ at Del Mar / Ventura County line / Santa Cruz and Trestles / Australia’s Narrabeen / All over Manhattan / And down Doheny Way / Everybody’s gone surfin’ / Surfin’ U.S.A.“

What Inspired Brian Wilson to Write “Surfin’ U.S.A.”

Ironically, only Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys actually surfed, even though many of their songs have to do with surfing. But “Surfin’ U.S.A.” was inspired by the brother of a girl Wilson was dating at the time.

“The concept was about, ‘They’re doing this in this city, they’re doing that in that city,’ Wilson recalls to KRTH Radio. “The Chubby Checker ‘Twistin’ U.S.A.’ concept.”

“So I thought of calling it ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ I was going with a girl named Judy Bowles at the time,” he continues. “And her brother Jimmy was a surfer, and he knew all the surfing spots. I said to Jimmy, ‘I want to do a song mentioning all the surf spots.’ So he made a list, and, by God, he didn’t leave one out.”

The Beach Boys’ Mike Love explains how so many of the songs by The Beach Boys had to do with surfing, even though they were not avid surfers.

“We lived just a few miles from the beach,” Love tells Paste. “The beach was a big deal for us. [It was] the beach, barbecues, and family outings. Dennis and I would go fishing off the Redondo Beach Pier. We came back to the house where the Wilsons lived and prevailed upon Brian, ‘Let’s do a surfing song,’ because we were asked by some people to do some songs. But we didn’t really like what they were proposing, so we made up our own.”

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images