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Surf's Up (Music)

 Surf's Up (Music)
type
TVTItem
 Surf's Up (Music)
label
Surf's Up (Music)
 Surf's Up (Music)
page
SurfsUp
 Surf's Up (Music)
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Surf's Up is the seventeenth studio album by The Beach Boys, released in 1971. It is their last album to fully feature Bruce Johnston before his departure (He appeared on one song — "Marcella"- - on the following album Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"). Johnston would not return to The Beach Boys until late-1978, and has remained with them since.The name and cover (as well as the title track) are meant to be ironic, as it couldn't be possibly more different from their early Surf Rock albums. The title track is a leftover from the cancelled Smile.Speaking of that, "Long Promised Road" and "Feel Flows" are generally considered to be Carl Wilson's greatest achievements (along with "The Trader" from Holland), and "Disney Girls (1957)" is the most acclaimed Bruce Johnston song. Alternatively, for better or worse "Student Demonstration Time" is generally considered (at least by the fan-base) to be one of the worst Beach Boys songs, partly for being a re-write of the Leiber and Stoller classic "Riot in Cell Block #9", and for taking the place of the Dennis Wilson masterpiece "(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again". That doesn't mean it has no fans; it was a modest success in Australia and the Netherlands when released as a single (and got some radio airplay in America), and is also acclaimed as one of the heaviest Beach Boys songs. "'Til I Die" and "Surf's Up" are also undisputed classics.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })Unlike Sunflower, there is a complete absence of songs by Dennis Wilson. "4th of July" and "(Wouldn't It Be Nice to) Live Again" were meant for the album, but Dennis chose to remove it due to a dispute with Carl about the track-listing and which song should end the album. Also, this is the last album where Dennis plays drums (with "Student Demonstration Time" being the last song he plays drums on) before his hand injury prevented him from playing drums for several years. This led to Ricky Fataar (former member of The Flames, future member of The Rutles) joining The Beach Boys shortly after this album was released.Upon release, Surf's Up became The Beach Boys' best-selling album in years (vastly contrasting from the since-Vindicated by History Sunflower), and was a major critical success from the start.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_3'); })
 Surf's Up (Music)
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2022-05-24T07:41:43Z
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2022-05-24T07:41:43Z
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Dropped link to AlJardine: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Surf's Up (Music)
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 Surf's Up (Music)
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DBTropes
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_14beeefd
type
Darker and Edgier
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_14beeefd
comment
Darker and Edgier: The whole album, but especially "'Til I Die".
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_14beeefd
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_1616e13
type
Ripped from the Headlines
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_1616e13
comment
Ripped from the Headlines: "Student Demonstration Time" is about the wave of riots on college campuses in 1969-70, specifically namechecking the incidents at UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, Jackson State and Kent State.
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_1649e053
type
Your Mom
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_1649e053
comment
Your Mom: "Student Demonstration Time"
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_1649e053
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_22294000
type
Sarcastic Title
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_22294000
comment
Sarcastic Title: "Surf's Up" was given its name to jokingly contrast it with the Surf Rock material the band had long moved past by that point.
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_22294000
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_2719ab04
type
Special Guest
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_2719ab04
comment
Special Guest: Manager Jack Rieley sings lead vocals on "A Day in the Life of a Tree", with Van Dyke Parks also contributing vocals to the song.
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_2719ab04
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_295087bf
type
Non-Indicative Name
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_295087bf
comment
Non-Indicative Name: "Surf's Up". Whatever the song's about, it sure as hell ain't surfin'. note Word of God apparently indicates that it's about a man at the opera who loses faith in humanity and hallucinates about the past, then finds God in the song the children sing.
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_3213b689
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This Is a Song
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_3213b689
comment
This Is a Song: "Don't Go Near the Water"
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_3213b689
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_56b53152
type
Green Aesop
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_56b53152
comment
Green Aesop: "Don't Go Near the Water" and "A Day in the Life of a Tree" have environmental messages.
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_56b53152
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_57efd4c4
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Growing Up Sucks
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_57efd4c4
comment
Growing Up Sucks: Seems to be the subtext of "Disney Girls (1957)", and, in a more abstract way, "A Day in the Life of a Tree", "'Til I Die" and "Surf's Up".
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_57efd4c4
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_704fb854
type
Crying Indian
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_704fb854
comment
Crying Indian: The Native American on the album cover isn't happy looking.
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_704fb854
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_75f626a5
type
Nostalgia Filter
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_75f626a5
comment
Nostalgia Filter: "Disney Girls (1957)", a song that is nostalgic to The '50s, when The Mickey Mouse Club had a lot of girl presenters. The song also mentions Patti Page, a popular crooner of that decade. Funnily enough, the band did preform with ex-Mouseketeer Annette Funicello on a song called "The Monkey's Uncle" in the mid-60s, which was the opening number for the Disney film of the same name.
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_820ac351
type
It Amused Me
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_820ac351
comment
It Amused Me: Al was surprised that "Take A Load Off Your Feet" ended up being on the album because he thought it was just a silly song and an excuse for him to have fun with Brian.
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_820ac351
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_92d6af50
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Truck Driver's Gear Change
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_92d6af50
comment
The last verse of "Disney Girls (1957)", though it's very subtly handled, with a long bridge and the song briefly slowing down before the change. It was definitely an influence on Mr. Truck Driver's Gear Change himself, Barry Manilow, whose Signature Song is another Bruce Johnston composition, "I Write the Songs".
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_a4c37cbe
type
Mood Whiplash
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: From the bittersweet, nostalgic ballad "Disney Girls (1957)" into the harsh, Ripped from the Headlines Protest Song "Student Demonstration Time".
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_a4c37cbe
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_c335b9ec
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Irony
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_c335b9ec
comment
Irony: The title of the album (and the title track) have nothing to do with Surf Music.
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_c335b9ec
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_c75df49a
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Shout-Out
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: "Disney Girls (1957)" is a shout-out to Walt Disney and also name-drops Patti Page (and her 1957 hit "Old Cape Cod"). The bridge ("Hi Rick and Dave, hi Pop, good morning Mom...") is a nod to The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. "Feel Flows" was used in Almost Famous, particularly as the song chosen for the credits. "Take A Load Off Your Feet" references H.E.L.P., a restaurant the band attended at the time which was the inspiration for the song "H.E.L.P. Is On The Way" which was intended for Surf's Up but was ultimately shelved. "H.E.L.P. Is On The Way" also references and promotes the Radiant Radish, a supermarket co-owned by Brian which sold healthy food.
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_c75df49a
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_cff53786
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Cover Version
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_cff53786
comment
Cover Version: "Student Demonstration Time", more or less.
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_cff53786
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_d148b019
type
Mundane Made Awesome
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_d148b019
comment
Mundane Made Awesome: "Take A Load Off Your Feet" is litterally about foot care despite its upbeat melody and all-around wholesome ambiance. Even Al Jardine, the song's co-writer, was surprised by Rieley's attempt at making it an ecological statement.
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_dbfd6b8
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Lyrical Dissonance
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_dbfd6b8
comment
Lyrical Dissonance: Most of the album pairs up mellow, pleasant 70s pop with lyrics that range from cryptic to depressing.
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_dbfd6b8
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_dda99fa8
type
Despair Event Horizon
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_dda99fa8
comment
Despair Event Horizon: The album cover is based on the statue "End of the Trail" (1915) by James Earle Fraser, which shows an exhausted Native American horseman, symbolizing how their struggle for their land from the white man's greed was over. This also ties in with the environmental messages on the album.
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_dda99fa8
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 Surf's Up (Music) / int_fd86da63
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Crisis of Faith
 Surf's Up (Music) / int_fd86da63
comment
Crisis of Faith: On the album cover. "Surf's Up", where the protagonist loses faith in humanity, yet regains it in the end. "Looking at Tomorrow", where the protagonist tries to find a job, but can only start sweeping floors, which he doesn't mind about, but he knows he could be doing so much more.
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Surf's Up (Music)

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