In the early 1960s, Brian Wilson was looking for inspiration for his band, The Beach Boys, which was emerging as an intriguing idea within the North American scene, reflecting the lives of young Californians with surfing and love as their insignia.
Brian Wilson was inspired to write "Surfin' USA" in conversations with people who lived a surfing lifestyle. To do this, he compiled a list of cities with the names of his surfer friends and sang about them, just as Chubby Checker had done in 'Twistin' U.S.A.'".
Then, for the musical part, he adopted the chorus from Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" and created vocal harmonies with his bandmates. The result was a song that peaked at number one on the US singles charts. The band's 1963 self-titled album, which helped make them famous, contained it.
The album "Surfin' USA" became a landmark in rock history and a unique account of life among surfers in the 1960s. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame compiled a list of 500 songs that They helped create rock and roll.