How The Beach Boys Gave 1960s Surf Culture a Soundtrack

The idea to incorporate surfing culture into their songs came from Dennis—the only avid surfer in the group. Though surfing was introduced to California from Hawaii in 1885, it surged in popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Several of their songs, including “Surfin’ Safari,” (1962) and “Surfin’ USA” (1963) make references to surfing locations around the world.

When writing “Surfin’ Safari,” Brian Wilson recalled, “I was going out with a girl called Judy Bowles. Her brother Jimmy was a surfer who knew all the surfing spots. I said to Jimmy, ‘Hey, I want to do a song mentioning all of the surf spots,”’ he told The Times in 2018. The album covers of “Surfin’ Safari” and their third album, “Surfer Girl,” were photographed at Paradise Cove’s pier in Malibu.

“The first in a string of US Top 10 hits for the group, 'Surfin' USA' weaponised doo-wop harmonies, youthful vigour and the structure of Chuck Berry's 'Sweet Little Sixteen' into a summertime anthem that mythologized their native California,” writes music journalist Al Newstead.

Early in the mornin' we'll be startin' out Some honeys will be comin' along We're loadin' up our Woody with our boards inside And headin' out singin' our song

The lyrics from "Surfin' U.S.A.” describe the fashion that defined 1960s beachwear. The song mentions clothing items like “baggies,” referring to the loose-fitting swim trunks that were designed for comfort and mobility on a board, popular among surfers at the time.

The band’s lyrics also mention “Huarache sandals,” which were traditionally handmade Mexican shoes of woven leather that became a staple of West Coast casual wear in the surf scene. Paired with a “bushy bushy blond hairdo,” the stereotypical beach-look embodied the laid-back, aspirational cool of the Californian dream.

You'd see them wearing their baggies (ooh) Huarache sandals too (ooh) A bushy bushy blond hairdo (ooh) Surfin' U.S.A. (ooh)

The surf anthem “Surfer Girl” (1963) not only reflects the sun-soaked idealism of 1960s beach culture, but also the growing presence of women in the surf scene—popularized by Gidget, the late 1950s character of a teenaged surfer.

Gidget, who also became the focus of a 1960s TV series, contributed to shifting public perception of surfing from a male-dominated subculture to a more inclusive hobby.

We could ride the surf together While our love would grow In my Woody I would take you everywhere I go So I say from me to you I will make your dreams come true Do you love me do you surfer girl Surfer girl my little surfer girl

Beyond the shore, The Beach Boys reminisced about the thrill of small rebellions and youthful exploration.

In “Fun, Fun, Fun,” (1964) the girl in the song skips the library to cruise—driving aimlessly in a Ford Thunderbird (“T-bird”). For 1960s youth, hamburger stands and other drive-in spots were more than just places to eat; they were social hubs where people gathered after school or a day at the beach. It was at a Foster’s Freeze (a Californian soft-serve staple) in Hawthorne, California where Dennis Wilson originally spotted the girl in the Thunderbird he sang about in “Fun, Fun, Fun.”

These spaces—cars, drive-ins, coastal roads—formed the backdrop of the Californian spirit, where the pursuit of fun reigned supreme, and beach culture extended to the highways and parking lots of California’s suburban sprawl in postwar America. In a tribute to the musician, Rob Sheffield writes in Rolling Stone, “...Brian created a tableau of Southern California heartbreak, the sound of surfer boys and girls searching for a place to belong.”

Well, she got her daddy's car And she cruised through the hamburger stand, now Seems she forgot all about the library Like she told her old man, now And with the radio blasting Goes cruising just as fast as she can now And she'll have fun, fun, fun till her daddy takes the T-bird away

“All Summer Long,” released July 13, 1964, continued the theme of carefree beach spirit in which clothing meant minimalist comfort, such as “T-shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs” (with “thongs” referring to flip-flops). T-shirts, once considered undergarments, gained popularity as outerwear thanks to their simplicity and cut-off jeans were a DIY trend born from practicality—turning old denim into breezy beachwear.

The album “All Summer Long,” also contained the band’s first number one single, “I Get Around.” “That whole album is a turning point for me and for the band," Brian Wilson wrote in his 2016 memoir, "or maybe it makes more sense to say it’s a turning point for how I understood how to write for the band."

T-shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs (T-shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs) We've been having fun all summer long