The Surfaris vs. The Beach Boys: Vote For the Best Summer Songs
Summer is here, and the time is right for dancing in the streets. But what's the best summer song to soundtrack such activities? We here at Y! Music decided to hold a mega-poll to answer that (sun)burning summer question: a no-holds-barred tournament to determine the best summer anthem of all time.
After lots of heated (pun intended) debate, we've selected 32 of the most memorable summer songs ever, pitting them against each other in a winner-takes-all bracket. Scroll down to vote for this match-up!
“Wipeout” – The Surfaris
Originally penned by Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson, and heard first and most effectively in 1963 as a single by burgeoning surf-rock combo the Surfaris—who paired it with no less than the equally classic “Surfer Joe”—“Wipeout” may be the all-time greatest summer instrumental, and certainly one of the very first songs any self-respecting lead guitarist has attempted to play in his or her formative years. With it’s additional, unforgettable, high-pitched vocal screech of “WIPEOUT,” the classic track helped establish Surf Music a genre and rank among the best-known rock instrumental tracks of all time.
“Surfin’ U.S.A.” – The Beach Boys
Few can argue the legendary status of the Beach Boys, and it’s likely those who’ll be doing the talking remain in awe of early track “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” the 1963 hit which helped launch the band’s career and helped the band ascend to the very top of pop’s pantheon. Borrowing liberally from Chuck Berry’s earlier classic “Sweet Little Sixteen,” the song name-dropped some of the very best Stateside surfing beaches, oozed nothing but good cheer and good times, and helped establish the calling card for a younger generation looking to bust out of the straight-laced conformity they felt—rightly or wrongly—had been laid out for them by their well-meaning but, frankly, fuddy-duddy parents. An inescapable treasure of the ‘60s, “Surfin’ U.S.A.” signals that summer means fun like virtually no other track in pop history.
Which summer song deserves to move onto the next round? Vote in the poll below, vote on other pairings (Round 1 voting ends July 23 at 6 PM PT), tweet out your choices using the hashtag #YSummerSong, and hit the comments to tell us about all the great summer songs we forgot to include.
