Last Updated on 6 July 2025

The following list is a snapshot of society’s current opinions of the 150 best surf songs of all time.

Surf music is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms: instrumental surf, characterized by reverb-heavy electric guitars that evoke the sound of crashing waves, and vocal surf, which incorporated vocal harmonies.

I averaged 18 different ranked lists of “Best surf songs of all time” to get this definitive compilation.  See my Methodology page for the research process that was used, including all 18 lists that were averaged.

  1. Surfin’ U.S.A. – The Beach Boys
  2. Wipe Out – The Surfaris
  3. Pipeline – The Chantays
  4. Surf City – Jan & Dean
  5. Misirlou – Dick Dale and His Del-Tones
  6. Surfin’ Bird – The Trashmen
  7. Walk, Don’t Run – The Ventures
  8. Surfer Girl – The Beach Boys
  9. Surfin’ Safari – The Beach Boys
  10. California Sun – The Rivieras
  11. Mr. Moto – The Belairs
  12. Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
  13. Hawaii Five-O Theme – The Ventures
  14. Apache – The Shadows
  15. Surf Rider – The Lively Ones
  16. Ride the Wild Surf – Jan & Dean
  17. Island In the Sun – Weezer
  18. Rumble -Link Wray & His Ray Men
  19. Penetration – The Pyramids
  20. Let’s Go Trippin’ – Dick Dale and his Del-Tones
  21. The Lonely Surfer – Jack Nitzsche
  22. Honolulu Lulu – Jan & Dean
  23. Bombora – The Atlantics
  24. Out of Limits – The Marketts
  25. Sidewalk Surfin’ – Jan & Dean
  26. Surfin’ on Heroin – Forgotten Rebels
  27. New York’s a Lonely Town – The Trade Winds
  28. Catch a Wave – The Beach Boys
  29. Surfer’s Stomp – The Marketts
  30. Surf Wax America – Weezer
  31. Point Panic – The Surfaris
  32. Under the Boardwalk – The Drifters
  33. Wild Weekend – The Rebels
  34. Perfidia – The Ventures
  35. You and Your Heart – Jack Johnson
  36. Let’s Go (Pony) – The Routers
  37. I Live For the Sun – The Sunrays
  38. Surfer Joe – The Surfaris
  39. Bustin’ Surfboards – The Tornadoes
  40. Guitar Noir – The Aqua Velvets
  41. King of the Surf Guitar – Dick Dale and his Del-Tones
  42. Surf Beat – Dick Dale and his Del-Tones
  43. Church Key – Dick Dale and His Del-Tones
  44. California Gurls – Katy Perry
  45. Riders on the Storm – The Doors
  46. Gypsy Surfer – The Phantom Surfers
  47. Let’s Go Trippin’ – The Beach Boys
  48. Beach in Hawaii – Ziggy Marley
  49. Jack Johnson – Better Together
  50. Let There Be Drums – Sandy Nelson
  51. Rock Lobster – The B-52s
  52. Baja – The Astronauts
  53. Latin’ia – The Sentinals
  54. Diamond Head – The Ventures
  55. Charlie Don’t Surf – The Clash
  56. Sloop John B – The Beach Boys
  57. Surf’s Up – Brian Wilson
  58. Balboa Blue – The Marketts
  59. Bulldog – The Fireballs
  60. I Get Around – The Beach Boys
  61. Solar Power – Lorde
  62. This Life – Vampire Weekend
  63. Undercover Martyn – Two Door Cinema Club
  64. Surfer Dan – The Turtles
  65. Torquay – The Fireballs
  66. Toes on the Nose – Eddie and The Showmen
  67. Oldest Surfer on the Beach – Jimmy Buffett
  68. San Francisco – The Mowgli’s
  69. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and The Waves
  70. Underwater – The Frogmen
  71. Save Your Sundays for Surfin’ – Fantastic Baggys
  72. The Caterpillar Crawl – The Strangers
  73. K-39 – The Challengers
  74. Quite a Party – The Fireballs
  75. California Dreamin’ – The Mamas & The Papas
  76. Fun Fun Fun – The Beach Boys
  77. Malibu – Miley Cyrus
  78. Man of Mystery – The Shadows
  79. Sandy – The Drums
  80. Fiberglass Jungle – The Crossfires
  81. Bust Out – The Busters
  82. Ram-Bunk-Shush – The Ventures
  83. Boss – The Rumblers
  84. Surfin’ Tragedy – The Sentinals
  85. Bombora – The Surfaris
  86. Magic in the Hamptons – Social House
  87. Ventura Highway – America
  88. Werewolf – The Frantics
  89. Young & Wild – The Killers
  90. Surfin – The Beach Boys
  91. King of the Surf – The Trashmen
  92. Moon Dawg – The Gamblers
  93. Escape (The Piña Colada Song) – Rupert Holmes
  94. Let’s Go Surfing – The Drums
  95. Longboard – Ookay
  96. Sleep Walk – Santo and Johnny
  97. Soul Surfer – Johnny Fortune
  98. Blue Moon – The Ventures
  99. Mar Gaya – Fender IV
  100. Wonderful Land – The Shadows
  101. Tell ’em I’m Surfin’ – The Fantastic Baggys
  102. James Bond Theme – John Barry
  103. Night of the Vampire – The Moontrekkers
  104. Bangalore – The Blazers
  105. Summer Means Fun – Bruce and Terry
  106. Malibu Run – Fender IV
  107. Mr. Rebel – Eddie and The Showmen
  108. Wonderful Summer – Robin Ward
  109. Surfer’s Slide – Richie Allen and The Pacific Surfers
  110. The Ninth Wave – The Ventures
  111. Blue Hotel – Chris Isaak
  112. California Nights – Lesley Gore
  113. F.B.I. – The Shadows
  114. Gidget Goes Hawaiian – Duane Eddy
  115. Rumble at Waikiki – Jon & The Nightriders
  116. Teen Beat – Sandy Nelson
  117. My Beach – Surf Punks
  118. Peter Gunn – Duane Eddy
  119. The Crusher – The Novas
  120. The Frightened City – The Shadows
  121. Surfing Drums – Dick Dale & the Del-Tones
  122. Do it Again – The Beach Boys
  123. Hanging Five – The Delltones
  124. Riders in the Sky – The Ramrods
  125. Sputnik-Thema – Sputniks
  126. Shoot the Curl – The Honeys
  127. Tall Cool One – The Wailers
  128. Crossfire – Johnny and the Hurricanes
  129. Surf City – The Fantastic Baggys
  130. Kon-Tiki – The Shadows
  131. Surf’s Up – The Beach Boys
  132. Lonely Sea – The Beach Boys
  133. Rampage – The Revels
  134. Sandy – Ronny and the Daytonas
  135. Surfin’ U.S.S.R. – Ray Stevens
  136. Stampede – The Scarlets
  137. Surfing and Spying – The Go-Go’s
  138. The Curl Rider – Surf Raiders
  139. Foot Tapper – The Shadow
  140. Summerland Road – Tom Curren
  141. Surfing Safari – The Ramones
  142. King of the Beach – Wavves
  143. Pintor – The Pharos
  144. Please Don’t Talk to the Lifeguard – Diane Ray
  145. Stoked – The Beach Boys
  146. Noble Surfer – The Beach Boys
  147. Surfers’ Pajama Party – The Centurians
  148. Lullaby of the Leaves – The Ventures
  149. Beyond the Surf – Jack Nitzsche
  150. Surfin’ Hootenanny – Al Casey

Loading