Jan & Dean - Skateboard Surfin USA (Jan Berry) (Sidewalk)

[yrmop]

SUPER COOL!!!

[hwgray]

Jan and Dean wrote new lyrics to the tune of "Catch A Wave" in order to make it into a jocular song about skateboarding - cf. the refrain, "Bust your buns / Bust your buns, now" - and renamed it "Sidewalk Surfin.' " It was released as a single in 1964.

[colindominy]

Well .. I think this is a case of 'let sleeping dogs lie'. As sad & tragic as Jan's 1966 auto accident was .. it'd've been better to have left those classic, awesome, timeless hits from 1962-65 stay as they were .. in all their original glory. This later effort .. ever so sadly, on direct comparison .. just doesn't cut it.

[ngnnick1967]

@colindominy While I agree, the original was better. This still was produced well.

[Haplotype0]

catch a wave is better. But this is the first song about skateboarding I think.

[crusherc]

The fact that "Catch a Wave" was just an album cut, and "Sidewalk Surfin" actually charted as a single in the Top 40, one would have to question which is better. As far as which was more commercially successful? The answer is Sidewalk Surfin.

[Haplotype0]

I agree with what you said. But it is funny how the best stuff Jan and Dean did was assisted by Brian Wilson.

[crusherc]

@Haplotype0 Not exactly true...4 out of 7 of their top 10 hits: Jenny Lee, Baby Talk, The Little Old Lady From Pasadena and Ride the Wild Surf had nothing to do with Brian Wilson. Don't get me wrong, I think Brian Wilson is amazing in his own right, with that said, don't sell Jan Berry short either. They collaborated very well together.

[crusherc]

@Haplotype0 Where Jan benefited from Brian's music, Brian benefited from Jan's production skills. As Dean Torrence once said..."It was a formidable team". 

[ezpowerequipment]

@Haplotype0 Assisted , you know I really doubt Brian Wilson was at every recording. Sure he may have helped co-write somethings, you can hear a difference between BB and Jan and Dean.

Co writing and producing are a light years apart from each other .

[Haplotype0]

I didn't mean better commercially, I meant musically, I like Catch a Wave better.

[TheBeachboys4ever]

@crusherc The answer? Both are great!! Why pick? The original is fantastic despite Mike Love's noticeable head cold. Then Jan and Dean knocked it out of the park reworking the lyrics into the skateboarding anthem!

[ventues97]

Jan sounds great on this post-accident release from 1978

[chuckiewojo]

Remake or not - they did an EXCELLENT JOB. I saw them way back in 1981 or 1982 at the Mill Run in the Chicago area. One or the best concerts I ever went to, they were absolutely awesome.

[cafe9802]

Jan and Dean are tops with me, be it their own hits or hits made famous by another artist...if it's Jan and Dean singing I could listen to them all day, I'm sure i can't say the same for any other artist from the Doowop era of rock and roll. I do prefer there classic version of this song but this ones A-O-K...Baby Talk/Popsicle/Yellow Balloon you name it, it's jan and dean for me!!

[jonnymapleleafs]

I heard the original in my history class when we were learning about the origins of skateboarding. This song was meant for a new modern era and the tricks mentioned in thissong are totally different from the original. meeant for a new generation. great song

[mahkindofmusic]

This is the kind of stuff that I don't like. You just don't do re-makes of your own hits imho.

[crusherc]

Oh I disagree big time. Jan took this decent hit from 1964 and modified it to a whole new sound for 1977. The chord changes and rhythm track are amazing on this version. I also think Jan sounded his best in post accident material on this cut. And it was great to hear Dean on this as well.

[ventues97]

Great modern sounding remake with Dean singing!! This was a major label realease with A&M and should have been a hit!!