Line #35 Music/SurfsUp1971


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_beach_boys_surfs_up.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''"A choke of grief, heart hardened I / Beyond belief, a broken man too tough to cry..."'']]
3
4	''Surf's Up'' is the seventeenth studio album by Music/TheBeachBoys, released in 1971. It is their last album to fully feature Music/BruceJohnston before his departure (He appeared on one song -- "Marcella" -- on the following album ''Music/CarlAndThePassionsSoTough''). Johnston would not return to The Beach Boys until late 1978, and has remained with them since.
5
6	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 ''Music/{{Smile}}''.
7
8	Speaking of that, "Long Promised Road" and "Feel Flows" are generally considered to be Music/CarlWilson's greatest achievements (along with "The Trader" from ''Music/{{Holland\|1973}}''), and "Disney Girls (1957)" is the most acclaimed Music/BruceJohnston 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 Music/LeiberAndStoller classic "Riot in Cell Block #9", and [[ReplacementScrappy 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.
9
10	Unlike ''Music/{{Sunflower}}'', there is a complete absence of songs by Music/DennisWilson. "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 Music/TheRutles) joining The Beach Boys shortly after this album was released.
11
12	Upon release, ''Surf's Up'' became The Beach Boys' best-selling album in years (vastly contrasting from the since-VindicatedByHistory ''Music/{{Sunflower}}''), and was a major critical success from the start.
13	----
14	!! Tracklist:
15	[[AC: Side One]]
16	# "Don't Go Near the Water" (2:39)
17	# "Long Promised Road" (3:30)
18	# "Take a Load Off Your Feet" (2:29)
19	# "Disney Girls (1957)" (4:07)
20	# "Student Demonstration Time" (3:58)
21
22	[[AC: Side Two]]
23	# "Feel Flows" (4:44)
24	# "Lookin' at Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)" (1:55)
25	# "A Day in the Life of a Tree" (3:07)
26	# "'Til I Die" (2:41)
27	# "Surf's Up" (4:12)
28	----
29	!!Principal Members:
30	* Music/AlJardine - lead vocals, guitar, synthesizer, bass
31	* Music/BruceJohnston - lead vocals, piano, keyboards, mandolin, bass, organ, celesta
32	* Music/MikeLove - lead vocals, tambourine
33	* Music/BrianWilson - lead vocals, piano, harmonica, harmonium, roxichord, percussion, snare drum, sound effects
34	* Music/CarlWilson - lead vocals, guitar, drums, keyboard, bass, piano, harpsichord, synthesizer, organ, percussion, tambourine
35	* Music/DennisWilson - drums, vocals
36	----
37	!! '''''I'm a trope on the ocean, floating over the raging sea''''':
38
39	* BreatherEpisode: The light, silly "Take a Load Off Your Feet" acts as one on a fairly dark, angsty album.
40	* CoverVersion: "Student Demonstration Time", as The Robins' "Riot in Cell Block #9" with new Mike Love-penned lyrics, hovers somewhere between this, SongParody and ProtestSong.
41	* CrisisOfFaith:
42	** On the album cover.
43	** "Lookin' 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.
44	** "Surf's Up", where the protagonist loses faith in humanity, yet regains it in the end.
45	* CryingIndian: The Native American on the album cover isn't happy looking.
46	* DarkerAndEdgier: The whole album, but ''especially'' "'Til I Die".
47	* DespairEventHorizon: 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.
48	* GreenAesop: "Don't Go Near the Water" and "A Day in the Life of a Tree" have environmental messages.
49	* GrowingUpSucks: 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".
50	* {{Irony}}: The title of the album (and the title track) have nothing to do with Surf Music.
51	* ItAmusedMe: 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.
52	--> '''Al''': ''A lot of this stuff was to get Brian in the mood to come down and have some fun. So I thought, "Boy, this is really nutty. Let's just do something stupid." I said, "Brian, do you want to help me?" "Sure."''
53	* LyricalDissonance: Most of the album pairs up mellow, pleasant [[TheSeventies 70s]] pop with lyrics that range from cryptic to depressing.
54	* MoodWhiplash: From the bittersweet, nostalgic ballad "Disney Girls (1957)" into the harsh, RippedFromTheHeadlines ProtestSong "Student Demonstration Time".
55	* MundaneMadeAwesome: "Take a Load Off Your Feet" is literally 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.
56	--> '''Al''': ''That's as minimalistic and sappy as you can get. But for some reason Jack Rieley liked it too and said, "It's got to be on the album. That's definitely an ecology song." "Ecology? A song about your feet?" It's personal ecology.''
57	* NonIndicativeName: "Surf's Up". [[WordSaladLyrics Whatever the song's about]], it sure as hell ain't surfin'. [[note]]WordOfGod 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.[[/note]]
58	* NostalgiaFilter: "Disney Girls (1957)", a song that is nostalgic to TheFifties, when ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub'' 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.
59	* RippedFromTheHeadlines: "Student Demonstration Time" is about the wave of riots on college campuses in 1969-70, specifically name-checking the incidents at UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, Jackson State and Kent State.
60	* SarcasticTitle: "Surf's Up" was given its name to jokingly contrast it with the SurfRock material the band had long moved past by that point.
61	* ShoutOut:
62	** "Disney Girls (1957)" is a shout-out to Creator/WaltDisney and also name-drops Patti Page (and her 1957 hit "Old Cape Cod"). The bridge ("Hi [[Music/RickyNelson Rick]] and Dave, hi Pop, good morning Mom...") is a nod to ''Series/TheAdventuresOfOzzieAndHarriet''.
63	** "Feel Flows" was used in ''Film/AlmostFamous'', particularly as the song chosen for the credits.
64	** "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.
65	*** "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.
66	* SoulfulPlantStory: "A Day in the Life of a Tree" is about the life of a tree that takes on a rather existential bent.
67	* SpecialGuest: 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.
68	* ThisIsASong: "Don't Go Near the Water"
69	-->Don't go near the water\
70	To do it any wrong\
71	To be cool with the water\
72	Is the message of this song
73	* TruckDriversGearChange:
74	** 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. TruckDriversGearChange himself, Music/BarryManilow, whose SignatureSong is another Bruce Johnston composition, "I Write the Songs".
75	** "'Til I Die" changes keys in each verse.
76	* YourMom: "Student Demonstration Time"
77	-->The violence spread down South to where Jackson State brothers\
78	Learned not to say nasty things about Southern policemen's mothers

Context Music / SurfsUp1971