Surf City

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It was 1963 when Jan and Dean came out with their number one song “Surf City” claiming that there were “two girls for every boy”. This song have everyone an image of sunny California as a paradise with sun, sand and endless summers. This song could have been easily mistaken for a song by the ever popular Beach Boys. Actually the song “Surf City” does owe its existence directly to the Beach Boys and particularly to Brian Wilson of the group. Jan Berry and Dean Torrance were classmates in high school and came out with some songs in their teens among them “Baby Talk” in 1959. It was fate that Jan and Dean met the Beach Boys at a Los Angeles record hop. They became fast friends and Jan and Dean asked Brian Wilson if they could record one of his songs. He gave them the instrumental track and opening line to “Surf City”. In a year’s time the Beach Party movies with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon made their debut. So it became that “Surf City” was the very first surf song to hit the top of the charts. During their career Jan and Dean had four more meaningful surf hits – “Honolulu Lulu”, “Drag City”. “Dead Man’s Curve” and “The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)”. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jan-and-deans-surf-city-hits-1