Written by group leader Brian Wilson, "Surfer Girl" was part of a run of surf-related hits for The Beach Boys, following in the wake of "Surfin' Safari" and "Surfin' U.S.A.." Unlike those tracks, "Surfer Girl" is a love song, with the singer professing his devotion and imagining a life of oceanside joy together.
Wilson's girlfriend when he wrote this song was Judy Bowles, who was with him before he formed the band. It's not clear if she directly inspired this song (Wilson has given conflicting answers), but he did write another song about her around this time called "Judy," which was not released until it was issued on a collection of outtakes in 1991.
The Beach Boys first attempt to record this song came on February 8, 1962 at World Pacific studios in Los Angeles. This languid version, which can be heard on the 2016 release Becoming the Beach Boys: The Complete Hite & Dorinda Morgan Sessions, was not broadcast quality; when they took another crack at it on June 12, 1963 at Western Recorders, they were a much more polished band. This is the version that was released on July 22 and used as the title track to the third Beach Boys album.
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