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The summer of 1963 was a special time for me. That
year marked my final family vacation with the parents and brothers and
sisters. We loaded up the old Pontiac station wagon and headed south a
few hundred miles for a week of fun in the sun at Daytona Beach. Surf
City was the Number 1 song in the country that week and we heard it
everywhere.
That special vacation of long ago is still a vivid memory of sun, sand,
the ocean, bikinis, the smell of Coppertone, and the sight of brand new
split window coupe Corvettes cruising the 23 miles of beautiful beach.
And best of all, Jan and Dean were surfing all over the AM air waves
telling us about two girls for every boy. Life was indeed good.
Surf City was the perfect song for the summer of '63. President Kennedy
would still be with us for a little while longer, we were fast catching
up in the space race, that far away place Vietnam was unknown to most,
gasoline was less than 30 cents a gallon, and even our parents were
still young. I realize that it was not the ideal time for everyone in
the world and problems were many, but for this teenager about to enter
his senior year of high school, it was the best of times.
Surf City is much more than a great recording. I can't explain it, but
somehow, locked within it's vinyl grooves, it captured the spirit of
the summer of 1963. Listen closely. You can hear it! You can feel it!
For those old enough to remember when it was a super hit, hearing Surf
City now takes us back to a time when it was new and we all were much
younger. Many oldies do that, but there is something very special about
Surf City. I cannot think of any other song that created such a time
capsule of happy times with such lasting qualities.
Thank you Jan and Dean and Brian and all the great session musicians
who entered the studio 41 years ago and gave the world such a wonderful
gift. Not only did you create a milestone recording in the history of
popular music, but somehow.... magically, you captured and preserved a
wonderful bit of Americana at a special time in many of our lives.
When I heard of Jan's passing, I was deeply saddened and instantly felt
a little older than my 58 years. Jan not only entertained us, but he
taught us to face hard times head on with the greatest of courage and
determination. And to Dean, all of us would be blessed to have a great
friend, a true friend, like you.
Even though I never met Jan, he was always a "special friend" who
enriched my life greatly with his (and Dean's) wonderful music. He will
always be missed, but never forgotten. My sincerest condolences go to
Jan's wife, his family, to Dean, and to all of us fans who have lost
that very "special friend".
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