"Wipe Out" | ||||
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Single by The Surfaris | ||||
from the album Play | ||||
A-side | "Surfer Joe" | |||
Released | January 1963 | |||
Recorded | 1962 | |||
Studio | Pal Recording Studio, Cucamonga, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:40 | |||
Label | DFS, Princess, Dot | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller, Ron Wilson | |||
The Surfaris singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"Wipeout" |
"Wipe Out" is a surf rock instrumental composed by Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson. Composed in the form of twelve-bar blues, [1] the tune was first performed and recorded by the Surfaris, who became famous with the single in 1963.
The single was first issued on the independent labels DFS (#11/12) in January 1963 and Princess (#50) in February and finally picked up for national distribution on Dot as 45-16479 in April. Dot reissued the single in April 1965 as 45-144.
The song—both the Surfaris' version as well as cover versions—has been featured in over 20 films and television series since 1964, appearing at least once a decade. [2] [ better source needed ]
The title of the song is a colloquial surfing term of Southern California. Specifically, a "wipe out" is a fall from a surfboard, especially one that looks painful.
Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson wrote "Wipe Out" almost on the spot while at Pal Recording Studio in Cucamonga, California, in late 1962, when they realized they needed a suitable B-side for the intended "Surfer Joe" single. One of the band members suggested introducing the song with a cracking sound, imitating a breaking surfboard, followed by a manic voice babbling, "ha ha ha ha ha, wipe out". The voice was that of the band's manager, Dale Smallin.
"Wipe Out" spent four months on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1963, reaching number 2, behind Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips". Meanwhile, the original A-side "Surfer Joe", sung by Ron Wilson, only attracted airplay in the wake of "Wipe Out"'s success, peaking at number 62 during its six-week run. "Wipe Out" returned to the Hot 100 in 1966, reaching number 16 on the Hot 100 (and number 63 for the year), peaking at number 9 on the Cash Box chart, selling approximately 700,000 copies in the U.S. The single spent a grand total of 30 weeks on the Hot 100. Wilson's energetic drum solo for "Wipe Out" (a sped-up version of his Charter Oak High School marching band's drum cadence) helped the song become one of the best-remembered instrumental songs of the period. Drummer Sandy Nelson issued different versions on multiple LPs. In 1970, "Wipe Out" peaked at number 110 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
Chart (1963/1966) | Peak position |
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Canadian RPM Top Singles [3] | 5 |
German Singles Chart [4] | 46 |
UK Singles Chart [5] | 5 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [6] | 2 |
US Cashbox Top 100 [7] | 5 |
US Hot R&B Singles [6] | 10 |
Following the 2001 death of television personality Morton Downey Jr., news reports, obituaries and Downey's official website incorrectly credited him as the composer of "Wipe Out". [8] [9] [10]
In science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax series, the DNA sequence for a deadly virus is saved in a computer folder entitled "Surfaris". A character immediately recognizes this as a reference to "Wipe Out" and determines that the virus will wipe out all of the Neanderthals on a parallel universe's Earth. She then rewrites the DNA code to a non-lethal version and calls the file "Surfer Joe" in reference to the A-side of "Wipe Out".
In the late 2000s, the track was used on Harry Hill's TV Burp , usually played when Harry or the Knitted Character ride a jelly.
"Wipe Out" has been included in a number of film soundtracks, including those of Dark Star (1974), Dirty Dancing (1987), The Sandlot (1993), Toy Story 2 (1999), Recess: School's Out (2001), The Cat in the Hat (2003), Herbie Fully Loaded (2005), Surf's Up (2007), Far Cry New Dawn (2019), and Stranger Things (2022).
In 2014, the track was played in the 29th episode of season 5 of Regular Show as the "ancient call of the surfers".
"Wipeout!" | ||||
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Single by The Fat Boys & the Beach Boys | ||||
from the album Crushin' and Still Cruisin' | ||||
B-side | Fat Boys - "Crushin" | |||
Released | July 10, 1987 | |||
Recorded | 1986 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:50 | |||
Label | PolyGram | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson | |||
Producer(s) | Brian Wilson, Albert Cabrera, Tony Moran & The Beach Boys | |||
The Fat Boys & the Beach Boys singles chronology | ||||
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In the summer of 1987, the Fat Boys collaborated with the Beach Boys on a version of "Wipe Out" that made it to number 12 in the U.S. and number 2 in the UK.
The music video begins with an announcement of a boxing match with the Fat Boys and Beach Boys in attendance, but the match is interrupted by a fight. In the following scene, the Fat Boys load up a car with swimsuits and then drive off. The Beach Boys are driving a dune buggy through the city. Both bands go around the city in the direction of a beach, while they perform the song and draw the city inhabitants to the beach, where one of the Fat Boys tries to lift a heavy weight and is laughed at by some women. The Beach Boys play DJ in the street. [11]
7" single
12" maxi
Chart (1987) | Peak position |
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Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [12] | 17 |
Germany (Official German Charts) [13] | 30 |
Ireland (IRMA) [14] | 3 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [15] | 13 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [16] | 2 |
UK Singles (OCC) [17] | 2 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [18] | 12 |
The Surfaris are an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California, United States, in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" and "Wipe Out", which were the A-side and B-side of the same 45 rpm single.
Surf music is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental surf, distinguished by reverb-heavy electric guitars played to evoke the sound of crashing waves, largely pioneered by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones. The second is vocal surf, which took elements of the original surf sound and added vocal harmonies, a movement led by the Beach Boys.
The Fat Boys were an American hip hop trio from Brooklyn, New York, who emerged in the early 1980s. The group was briefly known originally as the Disco 3, originally composed of Mark "Prince Markie Dee" Morales, Damon "Kool Rock-Ski" Wimbley, and Darren "Buff Love" Robinson.
"Fun, Fun, Fun" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1964 album Shut Down Volume 2. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it was released as a single in February, backed with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love". "Fun, Fun, Fun" is one of the Beach Boys' many songs that defined the California myth.
"Little Deuce Coupe" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian. The song first appeared as the B-side to The Beach Boys' 1963 single "Surfer Girl". The car referred to is the 1932 Ford Model 18. "Little Deuce Coupe" became The Beach Boys' highest charting B-side, peaking on September 28, 1963, at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Little Saint Nick" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys first released as a single on December 9, 1963. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the Christmas song applies hot-rod themes to Santa Claus and his sleigh.
"Be True to Your School" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1963 album Little Deuce Coupe. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it was issued as a single October 28, 1963. There are two versions of this song: the album version, and the single version, which added cheerleader yells by Honeys in between verses. The song features the melody of the University of Wisconsin's fight song, "On, Wisconsin!", although it is a tribute to Hawthorne High School, which the Wilson brothers attended. Hawthorne High School's fight song uses the same melody as "On Wisconsin".
"Do You Want to Dance" is a song written by American singer Bobby Freeman and recorded by him in 1958. It reached number No. 5 on the United States Billboard Top 100 Sides pop chart and No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart. Cliff Richard and the Shadows' version of the song reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom in 1962, despite being a B-side. The Beach Boys' version reached No. 12 as "Do You Wanna Dance?" in the United States in 1965, and a 1972 cover by Bette Midler reached No. 17.
Live Phish Vol. 6 was recorded live on the first night of a three night stand at the Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts, on November 27, 1998.
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"Da Doo Ron Ron" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. It first became a popular top five hit single for the American girl group The Crystals in 1963. American teen idol Shaun Cassidy recorded the song in 1977 and his version hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. There have also been many other cover versions of this song, including one by the songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich themselves, performing as The Raindrops.
"Then He Kissed Me" is a song written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry. The song, produced by Spector, was initially released as a single on Philles Records (#115) in July 1963 by The Crystals. The lyrics are a narrative of a young woman's encounter, romance, and eventual engagement with a young man.
Ronald Lee Wilson was an American musician and recording artist, best known as an original member and drummer of The Surfaris, an early surf music group of the 1960s. Wilson's energetic drum solo on "Wipe Out" made it one of the best-known instrumental songs of the period.
Bob Berryhill was a member of The Surfaris and co-writer and recording artist of "Wipe Out" and other Surfaris' hits. In 1960, when Berryhill was 13, he took a trip to the Hawaiian Islands and learned to surf and play ukulele. On returning to California, he began working seriously on guitar and two years later, "Wipe Out" was born. His role of rhythm guitar merged into lead guitar later with his new band, The Surfaris featuring Bob Berryhill.
Crushin' is the fourth studio album by the hip hop group the Fat Boys, released in 1987. It would be their breakout album, charting in the top 10 on both Billboard Pop and R&B album charts. A cover version of the Surfaris' hit "Wipe Out" with the Beach Boys singing back-up vocals made it to #12 on the Billboard chart, and #10 on the corresponding R&B listing.
"Church Key" is an instrumental single that was released by California surf group The Revels on Tony Hilder's Impact Records label in 1960. It was a hit for the group and later a hit for Dave Myers and his Surf-Tones.
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Wipe Out is a Dot Records album credited to The Surfaris, released in 1963. It contains their best known song "Wipe Out". It turned out that only two tracks, "Wipe Out" and "Surfer Joe" were actually played by The Surfaris, therefore repressings were titled Wipe Out and Surfer Joe and Other Popular Selections by Other Instrumental Groups. Those other instrumental groups were never named. The Surfaris were signed to Decca Records, and their first album on that label was called Play.
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