Wipe Out (instrumental) explained

Wipe Out
Cover:Surfaris Wipeout single.jpg
Type:single
Artist:The Surfaris
Album:Play
A-Side:Surfer Joe
Released:January 1963
Recorded:1962
Studio:Pal Recording Studio, Cucamonga, California
Length:2:40
Label:DFS, Princess, Dot
Next Title:Point Panic
Next Year:1963

"Wipe Out" is a surf music instrumental composed by Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson. Composed in the form of twelve-bar blues,[1] the tune was first performed and recorded by the Surfaris, who became famous with the single in 1963.

The single was first issued on the independent labels DFS (#11/12) in January 1963 and Princess (#50) in February and finally picked up for national distribution on Dot as 45–16479 in April. Dot reissued the single in April 1965 as 45–144. A second version by the Surfaris (with a different B side) was released in 1966 as Decca 32003 and again in 1973 as MCA 60055.

The song—both the Surfaris' version as well as cover versions—has been featured in over 20 films and television series since 1964, appearing at least once a decade.[2]

The title of the song is a colloquial surfing term of Southern California. Specifically, a "wipe out" is a fall from a surfboard, especially one that looks painful.

In 2020, the version of the song by The Surfaris was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[3]

Background

Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson wrote "Wipe Out" almost on the spot while at Pal Recording Studio in Cucamonga, California, in late 1962, when they realized they needed a suitable B-side for the intended "Surfer Joe" single. One of the band members suggested introducing the song with a cracking sound, imitating a breaking surfboard, followed by a manic voice babbling, "ha ha ha ha ha, wipe out". The voice was that of the band's manager, Dale Smallin.

Single reception

"Wipe Out" spent four months on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1963, reaching number 2, behind Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips". Meanwhile, the original A-side "Surfer Joe", sung by Ron Wilson, only attracted airplay in the wake of "Wipe Out"'s success, peaking at number 62 during its six-week run. "Wipe Out" returned to the Hot 100 in 1966, reaching number 16 on the Hot 100 (and number 63 for the year), peaking at number 9 on the Cash Box chart, selling approximately 700,000 copies in the U.S. The single spent a grand total of 30 weeks on the Hot 100. Wilson's energetic drum solo for "Wipe Out" (a sped-up version of his Charter Oak High School) helped the song become one of the best-remembered instrumental songs of the period. Drummer Sandy Nelson issued different versions on multiple LPs. In 1970, "Wipe Out" peaked at number 110 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1963/1966)Peak
position
Canadian RPM Top Singles[4] 5
German Singles Chart[5] 46
UK Singles Chart[6] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 2
US Cashbox Top 100[8] 5
US Hot R&B Singles10

In popular culture

Following the 2001 death of television personality Morton Downey Jr., news reports, obituaries and Downey's official website incorrectly credited him as the composer of "Wipe Out".[9] [10] [11]

The song lends its title to the 1995 video game of the same name.[12]

The Fat Boys feat. The Beach Boys version

Wipeout!
Type:single
Artist:The Fat Boys & the Beach Boys
Album:Crushin' and Still Cruisin'
B-Side:Fat Boys - "Crushin"
Released:July 10, 1987
Recorded:1986
Length:3:50
Label:PolyGram
Producer:Brian Wilson, Albert Cabrera, Tony Moran & The Beach Boys
Prev Title:Jail House Rap
Prev Year:1985
Next Title:The Twist (Yo, Twist)
Next Year:1988

In the summer of 1987, the Fat Boys collaborated with the Beach Boys on a version of "Wipe Out" that made it to number 12 in the U.S. and number 2 in the UK.

Music video

The music video begins with an announcement of a boxing match with the Fat Boys and Beach Boys in attendance, but the match is interrupted by a fight. In the following scene, the Fat Boys load up a car with swimsuits and then drive off. The Beach Boys are driving a dune buggy through the city. Both bands go around the city in the direction of a beach, while they perform the song and draw the city inhabitants to the beach, where one of the Fat Boys tries to lift a heavy weight and is laughed at by some women. The Beach Boys play DJ in the street.[13]

Track listings

7" single

  1. "Wipeout!" - 3:50
  2. "Fat Boys - Crushin'" - 3:40

12" maxi

  1. "Wipeout! (Wave I)" - 6:05
  2. "Wipeout! (Wave II)" - 5:43
  3. "Fat Boys - Crushin'" (12") - 5:38

Charts

Other cover versions

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Stuff! Good Guitar Players Should Know: An A-Z Guide to Getting Better . Wolf Marshall . 2008 . 131 . 9781423430087 . September 27, 2016.
  2. Web site: The Surfaris. Internet Movie Database. September 27, 2016.
  3. https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#w
  4. Web site: Wipe out in Canadian Top Singles Chart . . 5 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171027125422/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.5732&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=u9874ano8k0c5b6bkp4r8qrbp3 . 2017-10-27 . dead .
  5. Web site: Wipe out in German Chart . Media control . 5 June 2013.
  6. Web site: Surfaris . . 5 June 2013.
  7. Web site: The Surfaris awards on Allmusic . Allmusic . 5 June 2013.
  8. Web site: Cashbox Top 100: July 27, 1963. cashboxmagazine.com . 2021-03-10.
  9. Web site: Wiping Out a Myth . Orange County Register . 2002 . 2007-06-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928210857/http://www.buriedlede.com/journalism/wipeout.html . 2007-09-28.
  10. News: Morton Downey Jr. Dies, Combative Talk Show Host Was An Icon Of The 1980s . CBS News . 2001-03-13.
  11. Web site: Morton Downey Jr.'s Home Page . mortondowneyjr.com . 17 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20011214091710/http://mortondowneyjr.com/mortondowney.html . 14 December 2001 . dead.
  12. Web site: Edge staff writers . 24 February 2013 . The Making Of: Wipeout . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130510073124/http://www.edge-online.com/features/making-wipeout/ . 10 May 2013 . 5 June 2024 . Edge.
  13. Web site: The Fat Boys, feat. The Beach Boys - "Wipe Out" - ORIGINAL VIDEO - stereo HQ . https://web.archive.org/web/20111229214728/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1cxjUGDbJU&gl=US&hl=en . 2011-12-29 . dead. . 2010-03-09 . 2016-09-27.
  14. Web site: ANIMAL | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company . Officialcharts.com . 2016-09-27.