MIX NO. 18 // SURF'S UP

Right at the top, I have to admit, this is one of the most fun mixes I've made. Mainly because I got inspiration from it, randomly, from the radio and it led me down a rabbit hole. This playlist is a shout out to the summer I spent watching Gidget on TV Land as a teenager.

A Little History

Surf Rock or Surf Music, whatever you want to call it, is a style of music that became the soundtrack to surf culture. Surf Culture, and it's music, was prominent from the late 1950s to 1960s in America. It hit peak popularity in 1962 but eventually fell out of fashion due to the British Invasion in 1964. The sound was created and crafted in Southern California, duh. Of course, the music is guitar heavy and has a unique sound to it. It rose in popularity due to songs with lyrics by the Beach Boys and others. Eventually, Surf Rock became less about catching a wave and more about cars and girls. Enter Hot-Rod Rock.

I don't know enough about the guitar or it's sound to get in-depth about surf rock's qualities. To me, the California Sound of the Beach Boys screams summer. It's not summer until the Beach Boys early records are back in heavy rotation. But, rather than just creating a Beach Boys Essential playlist, I dug a little deeper into surf rock. Of course, there are incredibly popular songs I didn't realize defined this genre. In fact, the only mention I ever heard of this genre was back in my film class when we discussed the popular beach party movies of the 1950s. You know the ones.

So, like I said, this playlist features some of the best Surf Rock songs and just the perfect songs for spending the day at the beach. Or just dancing like a scene in Gidget (which is what I do).

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Tracklist:

1. Surfin' USA - The Beach Boys

2. Misirlou - Dick Dale & His Del-Tones

3. Pipeline - The Chantays

4. Wipe Out - The Safaris

5. Walk Don't Run - The Ventures

6. Out of Limits - The Marketts

7. California Sun - The Rivieras

8. Bustin' Surfboards - The Tornados

9. Hanging Five - The Delltones

10. Hawaii Five O - The Ventures

11. Surf City - Jan & Dean

12. Apache - The Shadows

13. Let's Go Trippin' - Dick Dale & His Del-Tones

14. Breakfast at Tressels - Rhythm Rockers

15. Rumble At Waikiki - Jon & the Nightriders

16. Surfer's Slide - Richie Allen and the Pacific Surfers

17. Sleepwalk - Santo & Johnny

18. Surfer Girl - The Beach Boys

19. Theme from the Endless Summer - The Sandals

Listen on Spotify