"Wipe Out" is a surf rockinstrumental composed by Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson. It is a twelve-bar blues first performed and recorded by The Surfaris, who became known worldwide with the release of the "Surfer Joe"/"Wipe Out" single in 1963. The single was first issued on the independent labels DFS in January 1963 and Princess in February and finally picked up for national distribution on Dot as 45-16479 in April. Dot reissued the single in April 1965 as 45-144. The song—both the Surfaris' version as well as cover versions—has been featured in over 20 films and television series since 1964, appearing at least once a decade. A "wipe out" is a fall from a surfboard, especially one that looks painful.
Background
"Wipe Out" is based on the 1959 song "Bongo Rock" by Preston Epps. Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson wrote the song almost on the spot while at Pal Recording Studio in Cucamonga, California in late 1962, needing a suitable B-side for the intended "Surfer Joe" single. One of the band members suggested introducing the song with a cracking sound, imitating a breaking surfboard, followed by a manic voice babbling, "ha ha ha ha ha, wipe out". The voice was that of the band's manager, Dale Smallin.
Single reception
The afterthought track spent four months on the Hot 100in the summer of 1963, reaching #2, kept out of the top slot only by Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips". Meanwhile, the original A-side "Surfer Joe", sung by Ron Wilson, only attracted airplay in the wake of "Wipe Out"'s success, peaking at #62 during its six-week run. "Wipe Out" returned to the Hot 100 in 1966, reaching #16 on the Hot 100, peaking at #9 on the Cash Box chart, selling approximately 700,000 copies in the U.S. The single spent a grand total of 30 weeks on the Hot 100. Wilson's energetic drum solo for "Wipe Out" helped the song become one of the best-remembered instrumental songs of the period. Drummer Sandy Nelson issued different versions on multiple LPs. In 1970, "Wipe Out" peaked at #110 in the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
Following the 2001 death of television personality Morton Downey Jr., news reports, obituaries and Downey's official website incorrectly credited him as the composer of "Wipe Out". In science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax series, the DNA sequence for a deadly virus is saved in a computer folder entitled "Surfaris". A character immediately recognizes this as a reference to "Wipe Out" and determines that the virus will wipe out all of the Neanderthals on a parallel universe's Earth. She then rewrites the DNA code to a non-lethal version and calls the file "Surfer Joe" in reference to the A-side of "Wipe Out". In the late 2000s, the track was used on Harry Hill's TV Burp, usually played when Harry or the Knitted Character ride a jelly. "Wipe Out" has been included in a number of film soundtracks, including those of Dark Star, Dirty Dancing, The Sandlot, Toy Story 2, , The Cat in the Hat, Surf's Up and Far Cry New Dawn. In 2014, the track was played in the 29th episode of season 5 of Regular Show as the "ancient call of the surfers".
In the summer of 1987, the Fat Boys collaborated with the Beach Boys on a version of "Wipe Out" that made #12 in the U.S. and #2 in the U.K.
Music video
The music video begins with an announcement of a boxing match with the Fat Boys and Beach Boys in attendance, but the match is interrupted by a fight. In the following scene, the Fat Boys load up a car with swimsuits and then drive off. The Beach Boys are driving a dune buggy through the city. Both bands go around the city in the direction of a beach, while they perform the song and draw the city inhabitants to the beach, where one of the Fat Boys tries to lift a heavy weight and is laughed at by some women. The Beach Boys play DJ in the street.
Track listings
7" Single
Wipeout! 3:50
Fat Boys - Crushin' 3:40
12" Maxi
Wipeout! 6:05
Wipeout! 5:43
Fat Boys - Crushin' 5:38
Charts
Other cover versions
The Ventures covered "Wipe Out" on their albums Let's Go and The Ventures On Stage.
English punk band the Toy Dolls recorded a very fast version of "Wipe Out" on their second studio albumA Far Out Disc in 1985.
In 1993, Animal from The Muppets covered the song for the album Muppet Beach Party. Released as a single in 1994, it reached number 38 on the UK Singles Chart. A music video was created to promote the single and the album.
Jan & Dean's live cover of "Wipe Out" from an earlier television appearance was featured on their 2001 album Live In Concert: Surf City.
