Jan & Dean
Jan Berry and Dean Torrence began singing together after football practice at University High School in Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Primitive recording sessions followed soon after in a makeshift studio in Jan's garage. They first performed on stage as The Barons at a high school dance. Then they were known as Jan & Arnie. After Dean returned from a stint in the army reserves, the duo began to make music as Jan & Dean in 1958.
Jan Berry and Brian Wilson collaborated on roughly a dozen hits and album cuts for Jan & Dean Read Full BioJan Berry and Dean Torrence began singing together after football practice at University High School in Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Primitive recording sessions followed soon after in a makeshift studio in Jan's garage. They first performed on stage as The Barons at a high school dance. Then they were known as Jan & Arnie. After Dean returned from a stint in the army reserves, the duo began to make music as Jan & Dean in 1958.
Jan Berry and Brian Wilson collaborated on roughly a dozen hits and album cuts for Jan & Dean, including the number one national hit, "Surf City" (1963). Subsequent Top-10 hits for Jan & Dean included "Honolulu Lulu," "Drag City," "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena," and "Dead Man's Curve" -- which became eerily portentous when Berry received severe head injuries in an automobile accident just a short distance from Dead Man's Curve in April 1966.
This accident marked the end of their commercial peak, during which they'd scored an impressive total of 26 chart hits over eight years. The group finally stopped performing after Jan Berry died in March 2004.
Jan Berry and Brian Wilson collaborated on roughly a dozen hits and album cuts for Jan & Dean Read Full BioJan Berry and Dean Torrence began singing together after football practice at University High School in Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Primitive recording sessions followed soon after in a makeshift studio in Jan's garage. They first performed on stage as The Barons at a high school dance. Then they were known as Jan & Arnie. After Dean returned from a stint in the army reserves, the duo began to make music as Jan & Dean in 1958.
Jan Berry and Brian Wilson collaborated on roughly a dozen hits and album cuts for Jan & Dean, including the number one national hit, "Surf City" (1963). Subsequent Top-10 hits for Jan & Dean included "Honolulu Lulu," "Drag City," "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena," and "Dead Man's Curve" -- which became eerily portentous when Berry received severe head injuries in an automobile accident just a short distance from Dead Man's Curve in April 1966.
This accident marked the end of their commercial peak, during which they'd scored an impressive total of 26 chart hits over eight years. The group finally stopped performing after Jan Berry died in March 2004.
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Surf City
Jan & Dean Lyrics
Two girls for every boy
I bought a '30 Ford wagon and we call it a woodie
(Surf City, here we come)
You know it's not very cherry, it's an oldie but a goodie
(Surf City, here we come)
Well, it ain't got a back set or a rear window
But it still gets me where I wanna go
And we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun
You know we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun, now
Two girls for every boy
They say they never roll the streets up 'cause there's always somethin' goin'
(Surf City, here we come)
You know they're either out surfin' or they got a party growin'
(Surf City, here we come)
Yeah, and there's two swingin' honeys for every guy
And all you gotta do is just wink your eye
And we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun, now
You know we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun
You know we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one, now
Two girls for every boy
And if my woody breaks down on me somewhere on the surf route
(Surf City, here we come)
I'll strap my board to my back and hitch a ride in my wetsuit
(Surf City, here we come)
And when I get to Surf City I'll be shootin' the curl
And checkin' out the parties for a surfer girl
And we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun
You know we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun, now
Two girls for every
Two girls for every boy
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN DOUGLAS WILSON, JAN BERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
Das Vogel
Lyrics:
Two girls for every boy
I bought a '30 Ford wagon and we call it a woodie
(Surf City, here we come)
You know it's not very cherry, it's an oldie but a goodie
(Surf City, here we come)
Well, it ain't got a back set or a rear window
But it still gets me where I wanna go
And we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun
You know we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun, now
Two girls for every boy
You know they never roll the streets
Up 'cause there's always somethin' goin'
(Surf City, here we come)
You know they're either out surfin' or they got a party growin'
(Surf City, here we come)
Yeah, and there's two swingin' honeys for every guy
And all you gotta do is just wink your eye
And we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun
You know we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun, now
Two girls for every boy
And if my woody breaks down on me somewhere on the surf route
(Surf City, here we come)
I'll strap my board to my back and hitch a ride in my wetsuit
(Surf City, here we come)
And when I get to Surf City I'll be shootin' the curl
And checkin' out the parties for a surfer girl
And we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun
You know we're goin' to Surf City, 'cause it's two to one
You know we're goin' to Surf City, gonna have some fun, now
Two girls for every boy
Tarantulisimo
Jan Berry - vocals
Dean Torrence - vocals
Hal Blaine - drums, percussion
Ray Pohlman - bass
Bill Pitman - guitar
Glen Campbell - guitar
Billy Strange - guitar, arranger
Earl Palmer - drums
Brian Wilson, Jan Berry - songwriters
Jan Berry - producer
Papa Murry Wilson was pissed off that Brian had given away what could've/should've/would've been a number one record for the Beach Boys. Brian later said, "I was proud of the fact that another group had had a number 1 track with a song I had written.....But dad would hear none of it. ...He called Jan a 'record pirate'..."
McGoalpost331
Iโm a teenager but I love oldies. This is one of my favs. Shame they donโt make songs like these anymore
Laura Lockman
Got good taste Iโve been listening to music like this since Iโm 9
Sadie Milstein
Well, I love to hear that! You have great taste! My father had this album when I was a teenager in the 80's, and I played it nonstop. Have you checked out Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)? Oh, man... THEY RULE! I think Boston and ELO are my all-time favorites.
ImFakeStation Gaming
wow their is hope for humanity
joe jones
coolness is timeless...
Dexter Haven
Brian Wilson wrote this and gave it to Dean. When Brian heard the demo from the studio musicians called the wrecking crew, the studio pros, he was amazed how good it was. That act of generosity by Brian helped him discover he could do "Good Vibrations" with the wrecking crew himself and get it top quality. So it came back to him that way.
burlingtonbill1
Brian did a TON of songs with The Wrecking Crew WAY before "Good Vibrations."
Bill Ferron
Jan sang this with Brian Wilson.
Gavin Paisley
@Allan Charles here's a full list of Jan Berry's collaborative songwriting credits, listed by the names of the co-writer(s). Surf City is not on the Dean Torrence list. Surf City is on the Brian Wilson list. These are the credits as per Jan's original publishing deal with Screen Gems.
https://jananddean-janberry.com/jan-berry-at-a-glance/jan-berrys-songwriting-collaborators/
Gavin Paisley
it wasn't an act of generosity, he just wasn't interested in having the Beach Boys record it. Jan and Dean wanted Surfin' USA in the beginning but Brian wasn't feeling generous about that, he refused. He was in the same situation as The Beatles in 1963, writing so many songs of such high quality it made sense to have other people record the ones he didn't want for The Beach Boys, he'd get his share of the publishing royalties if they were hits. He wanted to write for other people outside of the rigid formula and 'brand' of The Beach Boys, which wasn't even his idea, it was Dennis who suggested he write songs to exploit the surfing craze.