The Styrous® Viewfinder: Brian Wilson

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March 4, 2026

45 RPMs 104: Beach Boys ~ Surfin' U.S.A.

On, Mach 4, 1963, the single Surfin' U.S.A. by was released. Written by Chuck Berry and Brian Wilson. It is a rewritten version of Berry's Sweet Little Sixteen set to new lyrics written by Wilson and an uncredited Mike Love. The song was released as a single on March 4, 1963, backed with Shut Down. It was then placed as the opening track on their album of the same name. The song is part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.

The single peaked at number two on the chart of the Music Vendor trade paper and at number three on the Billboard and Cash Box charts. Billboard ranked "Surfin' U.S.A. the number 1 song of 1963. It has since become emblematic of the California Sound, and the song's depiction of California is emblematic of the genre.

Surfin' U.S.A. uses the comparison of California to the rest of the United States to drive its stereotypical images of California. It uses a recognizable steady, upbeat drum tempo seen in many surf rock songs that seems to “drive” the music forward. The Beach Boys popularized this staccato drum style, and is reminiscent of “a locomotive getting up to speed”. This technique was seen earlier in the Jan & Dean 1963 hit Surf City, which was the first Surf song to achieve the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100.

In the song the following surfing spots are mentioned, mostly in California, as well as one in Hawaii (possibly two) and one in Australia:

"Del Mar" – Del Mar, San Diego County, California
"Ventura County Line" – County Line Beach in Ventura County, California
"Santa Cruz" – Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California
"Trestles" – San Onofre State Park, San Diego County, California
"Australia's Narrabeen" – Narrabeen, Australia
"Manhattan" – Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles County, California
"Doheny" – Doheny Beach, Dana Point, Orange County, California
"Haggerty's" – Palos Verdes Estates, Los Angeles County, California
"Swami's" – Swami's Beach, Encinitas, San Diego County, California
"Pacific Palisades" – Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles County, California
"San Onofre" – San Onofre State Park, San Diego County, California
"Sunset" – Sunset Beach, Oahu, Hawaii – or – Sunset Beach, Orange County, California [Could also be Sunset Blvd at PCH in LA County]
"Redondo Beach, L.A." – Redondo Beach, Los Angeles County, California
"La Jolla" – La Jolla, San Diego County, California
"Waimea Bay" – Waimea Bay, Hawaii

- Surfin' U.S.A.

45 RPM record

- Surfin' U.S.A.

45 RPM record

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - Surfin' U.S.A., written by Brian Wilson - 2:25

Side 2:

B - Shut Down, written by Brian Wilson, - 1:50

Companies, etc.

Manufactured By – Capitol Records, Inc.
Published By – Arc Music Corp.
Published By – Sea Of Tunes Publishing Co.
Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Scranton

Notes:

This version gives a writing credit to Roger Christian on side B (as opposed to this release which does not).

Side A published by Arc Music Corp.
Side B published by Sea Of Tunes Publishing Co

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Matrix / Runout (Label side A): 45-39181
Matrix / Runout (Label side B): 45-39180
Pressing Plant ID (Stamped in runouts): IAM Triangle logo
Rights Society: BMI
Other (Labels): 3-43
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, stamped, variant 1): 45-39181-N2#2 IAM
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, stamped, variant 1): 45-39180-N1 15 IAM
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, stamped, variant 2): 45-39181-N2#2 IAM
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, stamped, variant 2): 45-39180-N2 IAM
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, stamped, [etched] - variant 3): 45-39181-N2[#3] IAM
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, stamped - variant 3): 45-39180-N1#4 IAM

Beach Boys* – Surfin' U.S.A.
Label: Capitol Records – 4932
Format: Vinyl, 7", Single, 45 RPM, Scranton Pressing
Country: US
Released: Mar 4, 1963
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Surf, Vocal

Viewfinder links:

Chuck Berry
Roger Christian

Jan & Dean

Mike Love

Brian Wilson

Net links:

YouTube links:

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April 6, 2021

Capitol Records ~ the inner sleeve: The Capitol Tower

Capitol Records record sleeve

photo by Styrous®

Sixty-five years ago today, April 6, 1956, Capitol Tower, the home of Capitol Records was dedicated. It was the first circular office tower designed in America.

Capitol Records record sleeve detail

detail photo by Styrous®

That day is crystal clear in my mind as it was at the pinnacle of the Golden Age of Sci-Fi, I was deep into it and the building was right out of one of the books and pulp magazines I devoured. I thought to myself it was the future coming to life right in front of me. Little did I know my life would witness MANY Sci-Fi fantasies come true.

Located at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California, it is thirteen stories tall and 92 feet in diameter. The photo below shows the Capitol Records Building seen from the Hollywood and Vine intersection near sunset on June 30, 2009.

Capitol Records headquarters building
photo by Downtowngal

Designed by Welton Becket with Louis Naidorf, a young architect from Becket's office, serving as project designer the earthquake-resistant Capitol Records Tower is the world's first circular office building. Home to several recording studios, it is one of Hollywood's most distinctive landmarks. Although not intended as a tribute to record players, its wide curved awnings and tall narrow tower mimic the appearance of a stack of gramophone records atop a phonograph. The building was commissioned by EMI after its acquisition of Capitol Records in 1955 and was completed on April 6, 1956.

Capitol Records tower elevation drawing

According to Atlas Obscura (link below), the light at the top of the tower on the Capitol Records Building sends out a secret message. It was the former president of Capitol Records, Alan Livingston, who got the idea to have the light on top of the building send out a signal in Morse code. The word chosen for this secret message was “Hollywood.” When the building opened in 1956, Samuel Morse’s granddaughter Leila Morse had the honor of turning the light on.

Capitol Records Building construction - 1955
photographer unknown

Photographer Ted VanCleave has done a series of very dramatic and beautiful black and white images of the Capitol Records Building. Phaidon has issued a book, California Captured which features the tower. According to Slipped Disc, the tower has been shut down and its staff laid off; and Moses Avalon says it has been converted to condos (links below).