# Surf Music, Spy Movies and Pop Culture **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 2, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610 "2012-05-02T07:26:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610/1 "2012-05-02T07:26:30Z")
I am amazed at how much surf music sounds as if it were written the be the theme of spy movies. [The James Bond Theme](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye8KvYKn9-0) is essentially surf music. [The Peter Gunn Theme](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4GlGZKpUow) may not have started out as surf music, but it’s been covered by so many surf bands that surf versions are probably more recognized than the original. _Pulp Fiction_ featured _The Black Eyed Peas_ performing [Pump It!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaI2IlHwmgQ), which is mostly a cover of the surf classic [Misirlou](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIU0RMV_II8). Then there’s the [Hawaii 5-O Theme](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUROLURuKfE), another franchise taken over by surf musicians and [The Secret Agent Man Theme.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iaR3WO71j4) And just for illustration, here are a couple of more surf tunes that sound like the should be played under thriller movie scenes, [El Nino](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JodrQ_ybF5E) and [Killer Dana](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRCooxUQC10). And when you look at surf music titles, the people writing them seem to be pretty obsessed with science, science fiction, and technology. I’m just curious about this combination of ideas that feed into the genre and whether anyone else has thoughts about it. Also whether there is more surf music that is used in music and TV shows. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610/2 "2012-05-02T07:45:54Z")
In an alternate universe, [there was this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAGdJqaa3ag)! Seems like a hip swinging sixties thing, baby. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610/3 "2012-05-02T07:59:29Z")
I’ve always thought that [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-avHA_9SvY) opening could hold its own with any surf music themes ever written. The band rejected that category, though; even releasing a song on one of their CDs called _We’re Not a Fucking Surf Band_. Bonus points to anyone who knows what it is before clicking. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610/4 "2012-05-02T08:04:28Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > _Pulp Fiction_ featured _The Black Eyed Peas_ performing [Pump It!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaI2IlHwmgQ), which is mostly a cover of the surf classic [Misirlou](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIU0RMV_II8). No, Pulp Fiction featured Dick Dale’s version of Miserlou, which was _much_ later heavily sampled by The Black Eyed Peas. “Surf music” is just a name, apart from Dick Dale most of the people who played “surf music” were not surfers. Both “spy movie music” and “spaghetti western music” owe a lot to “surf music”, and to some extent the labels are interchangeable. “Hot rod music” is another, lesser known, example. “60s guitar-based instrumental music” is a better name, though less catchy, and it excludes the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean who played pop music with surfer themes and not surf music as such. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610/5 "2012-05-02T13:01:19Z")
My favourite in the “early rock instrumental” genre is The Shadows’ Apache, and I doubt those boys were anywhere near a surfboard in their formative years. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610/6 "2012-05-02T13:11:13Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I am amazed at how much surf music sounds as if it were written the be the theme of spy movies. This is pretty much the entire point of [Top Secret!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaXOHCNgYrc) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610/7 "2012-05-02T13:12:40Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > My favourite in the “early rock instrumental” genre is The Shadows’ Apache, and I doubt those boys were anywhere near a surfboard in their formative years. Perhaps you will also like the [Incredible Bongo Band’s version of it](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa8d19ZbYnk&feature=fvst). No idea whether they got any closer to a surfboard, though. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610/8 "2012-05-02T13:22:04Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > This is pretty much the entire point of [Top Secret!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaXOHCNgYrc) Maurice Jarre wrote surf music? Who knew? ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610/9 "2012-05-02T14:28:30Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > My favourite in the “early rock instrumental” genre is The Shadows’ Apache, and I doubt those boys were anywhere near a surfboard in their formative years. Yes - I thought about “Apache,” as well as Link Wray’s [“Rumble”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjs5QWjvNWc), which predated “Apache” by two years, and basically paved the way for all surf-spy-spaghetti western music. I don’t think Link ever got near a surftboard, either. And, just to confuse things further, don’t confuse surf music with [Beach Music](http://www.allmusic.com/explore/style/beach-d2782), neither of which were played by the Beach Boys! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music-spy-movies-and-pop-culture/620610/10 "2012-05-02T14:46:56Z")
The Beach Boys played _some_ surf music, notably [Moon Dawg](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdPjEJNInY4), and [Surf Jam](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p7hPsNgUAc), both instrumentals.