“S” marks the spot: Aerial view of 2000 Lesser Flamingos at Kamfers Dam
Posted on 12/17/2010 8:58:36 AM PST by a fool in paradise
The Trashmen’s immortal rock ‘n’ roll classic “Surfin’ Bird” continues to demonstrate its timeless appeal this holiday season. The beloved 1963 garage-surf anthem is currently at the center of a successful grass-roots campaign in Britain to return the 47-year-old song to the upper reaches of the pop charts.
This holiday season, a cadre of British rock ‘n’ roll fanatics—represented by a Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/birdbirdbirdistheword) that boasts over 620,000 members—has mounted an audacious campaign that has already pushed the song to the Number Three spot on the U.K. charts, alongside the likes of the Black Eyed Peas and Rihanna. The effort, originally launched by “Birdman Jack,” has achieved this unprecedented feat by encouraging its members to purchase the song.
In a recent statement, the group explained that the campaign represents a concerted effort to strike a blow for real music, and to wrest the U.K. chart spotlight back from the domination of lightweight manufactured pop, as exemplified by Simon Cowell’s wildly successful TV show X Factor. “Our mission,” the group explains, “is to continue the success of last year’s ‘Rage Against The Machine’ Facebook campaign, which snatched the Christmas Number One spot from X Factor. The reason behind this campaign is to further prevent the domination of manufactured music, and to allow something truly great to take the limelight. We are quickly closing the gap on the Number One spot, and we won’t stop until everybody knows that the bird is the word!”
As part of the effort, the group is also supporting several charities and is asking members to make donations to these worthy causes, including Shelter, PinkRibbon, British Heart Foundation, Childline and the wildlife preservation organization the RSPB. The RSPB, which has long worked to protect the welfare of actual birds, has produced a new video to help promote the “Surfin’ Bird” chart campaign (http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.aspx?id=266053).
The Trashmen were already regional heroes on the Minnesota teen scene when they released “Surfin’ Bird” as their debut single in late 1963. The song brilliantly encapsulated the primitive, uninhibited abandon of the quartet’s uniquely primitive take on the surf-music sound. In the early months of 1964, as America was in the grip of the early stages of Beatlemania, the Bird ascended to the Number Four spot on the Billboard pop singles chart, as well as becoming a smash in such far-flung locales as Australia, Sweden, Mexico and Venezuela.
In the decades since, “Surfin’ Bird” has remained an enduring pop-culture touchstone, appearing in numerous movies, TV shows and commercials, and inspiring cover versions by the Ramones, the Cramps and countless other bands. Most recently, the Bird reentered the mainstream consciousness when the animated TV sitcom The Family Guy built an entire episode around protagonist Peter Griffin’s obsession with the song. Meanwhile, the Trashmen—still anchored by original members Tony Andreason, Dal Winslow and Bob Reed—continue to perform for rabid, ecstatic audiences in America and overseas.
Supposedly the name comes from Kai Ray's "Trashman's Blues"
So shouldn’t they sue the Oak Ridge Boys for using that on “Elvira.”
Have you got that right.I sampled some of that crap.Yuck!!!!!
With Junior Brown to boot!
Junior Brown is awesome.
“S” marks the spot: Aerial view of 2000 Lesser Flamingos at Kamfers Dam
Junior Brown can play Hendrix, Surfer Music, and Bob Wills in the same song and never miss a lick. With his Git-steel he can reproduce anything Hendrix could with relish.
No, that goes, “Um-papa-Um-papa-maw-maw, Um-papa-Um-papa-maw-maw.”
...Under pressure! boom bada boom badada...
Ice Ice Baby!
Yes, Vanilla Ice’s explanation was that it wasn’t a straight sample. He supposedly added another beat in there somewhere.
Yes a novelty song id place it right alongside such classics as purple people eater, monster mash and There coming to take me away...ha ha. That doesn’t make it less endearing it just is what it is. It always gives me a chuckle but its hardly music. On the other hand Light My Fire or Hey Jude are in a class altogether different.
Chantilly Lace was on a novelty single. It was the B-side of DJ JP Richardson’s attempt at a novelty hit (The Witch Doctor Meets The Purple People Eater).
Chantilly Lace was the throw away cut.
But if Surfin Bird is a novelty song, does that make the two source songs, Papa Oo Mow Mow and The Bird’s The Word both novelty songs?
Is Tutti Frutti also a novelty song since it has silly words shouted throughout?
Don’t recall suggesting that song. Surfin’ Bird is trash.
No, that’s The Trashmen.
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