1963Released
2:19

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about Pipeline. By Songfacts®.

This was surf-rock group The Chantay's only charting Billboard Top-40 hit. However, it is considered today one of the staples of the surf-rock genre. It was actually the B-side of a single; the A-side, "Move It," never charted.

The title "Pipeline" refers to a term in surfing jargon, in which a wave closes over your head while you ride it horizontally, so it looks like you're in a rolling pipe made of water (until it collapses, that is!). This maneuver is also sometimes called "shooting the tube."

The unique sound of this track is partly due to its composition, which is inverted from standard practice. The bass and rhythm guitars are at the fore, while the lead guitar, keyboard, and drums are in the background. Also it was recorded in stereo even though it was going to be released in mono as the typical 45-RPM single record of the day.

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of Pipeline.
AKey
MinorMode
4/4Time Signature
152BPM

Album

The album Pipeline is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released Pipeline.
Geffen
© 1963 Geffen Records
℗ 2014 Geffen Records

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