# Why did "surf music" come to be? Why the connection to surfing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 12, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039 "2011-04-12T01:51:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/1 "2011-04-12T01:51:39Z")
I have never really understood the phenomenon of early-60s “surf music” that became hugely popular. What did this music have to do with surfing? Is there something about the melody that’s reminiscent of surfing? There haven’t really been any other genres of American rock music that were tied to a particular pastime like this. Why was it so popular? Why did the public associate it with surfing? Was it just a result of marketing? And what were its roots, musically? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/2 "2011-04-12T02:16:13Z")
Here’s a good summary: [noparse][http://files.legendarysurfers.com/surf/legends/lsc212.html#surf\_music\_roots[/noparse]](http://files.legendarysurfers.com/surf/legends/lsc212.html#surf_music_roots%5B/noparse%5D) _MOD NOTE: site may contain malware._ ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/3 "2011-04-12T02:36:06Z")
OK, thanks for that. I have got to say…that might be the absolute worst background for text that I have ever seen in my life. Whose idiotic idea was it to set the text against a busy, ugly, multicolored background? I will have to copy and paste that into Word before I read it. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/4 "2011-04-12T03:14:06Z")
When going to that legendary surfers site the Microsoft Malware tool reports a Trojan:Win32/Jpgiframe.A > [@](#): > > Trojan:Win32/Jpgiframe.A is detection for JPG and GIF image files that contain IFrames in HTML web pages that execute arbitrary code. In the wild, this trojan has been known to redirect users to Web sites containing malicious content. So, heads up. ---
**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/5 "2011-04-12T03:39:48Z")
Just goes to show that you never can be too careful when _surfing_ the Internet. Ha ha ha! _dodges tomatoes_ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/6 "2011-04-12T03:46:53Z")
Surfing took off in the late 50s early 60s, and people write songs about what they love. Besides, [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7c2ZKamzS4) just screams surf. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/7 "2011-04-12T04:30:27Z")
The Beach Boys made a career out of the California lifestyle. Fun, sun, beaches, babes in bikinis and surfing. I’ve heard only one member of the group even surfed. But, the image was great for marketing their early records. I’ve wondered if the Beach Boys created the beach, surfing music? Or were there earlier groups that pioneered it? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/8 "2011-04-12T12:38:26Z")
The Beach Boys didn’t create surf music. Heck, one of the classic instrumental tunes was recorded by a **British** group back in [1960](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY-rPDwzM9M). Dick Dale had hits with “Let’s Go Trippin’” and “Miserlou” before the Beach Boys were ever formed. Link Wray was surf before Brian Wilson ever saw an ocean. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/9 "2011-04-12T13:00:23Z")
Let’s go surfin’ now. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/10 "2011-04-12T13:07:16Z")
Everybody’s learnin’ how. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/11 "2011-04-12T13:24:47Z")
Come on and safari with me! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/12 "2011-04-12T13:25:49Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Let’s go surfin’ now. But there’s [no surf in Cleveland](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4diS3khW-5k). ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/13 "2011-04-12T13:32:43Z")
Oh yes there is! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/14 "2011-04-12T13:40:10Z")
Linky no worky. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/15 "2011-04-12T13:42:56Z")
I’m still wet behind the ears. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/16 "2011-04-12T13:54:50Z")
Wipeout! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/17 "2011-04-12T13:57:59Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Dick Dale had hits with “Let’s Go Trippin’” and “Miserlou” before the Beach Boys were ever formed. [_Misirlou_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misirlou) (‘Egyptian Girl’) was a rebetiko (Greek urban folk music) song first performed in 1927. Dick Dale is partly of Lebanese descent, and an uncle was an oud player performing belly-dancing music. He was influenced by Middle-Eastern music, and he also performed a surf version of _Hava Nagila_. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/18 "2011-04-12T14:00:26Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > Come on and safari with me! That’s _ **surf** _ari. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/19 "2011-04-12T14:08:49Z")
I’m board. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039/20 "2011-04-12T14:14:53Z")
Is “California Sun” by The Rivieras properly considered surf music? It doesn’t _reference_ surfing, but it’s about California and has that surf sound or rhythm or wave or whatever you call it. I’ve wondered about this for a long time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-surf-music-come-to-be-why-the-connection-to-surfing/578039.md?page=2)