1963 Hit Named One of the Best America Songs for the 4th of July - And It Still Rocks
One of the best America songs for the 4th of July is a blatant rip-off of another rock classic – and it wasn't a secret at all.
Brian Wilson revealed the Beach Boys hit Surfin U.S.A. was directly impacted by Chuck Berry's iconic hit Little Sweet Sixteen.
"I was going with a girl called Judy Bowles, and her brother Jimmy was a surfer. He knew all the surfing spots," he said.
"I started humming the melody to Sweet Little Sixteen and I got fascinated with the fact of doing it, and I thought to myself, ‘God! What about trying to put surf lyrics to Sweet Little Sixteen's melody? The concept was about, ‘They are doing this in this city, and they're doing that in that city' So I said to Jimmy, ‘Hey Jimmy, I want to do a song mentioning all the surf spots.' So he gave me a list."
'Surfin' U.S.A Named Among Best America Songs for the 4th of July
In a list of the best America songs for the 4th of July, Billboard placed the Beach Boys classic at No. 9.
According to the biopic, Cadillac Records, which focused on Leonard Chess, the man responsible for bringing Chicago blues and rhythm and blues to a wider audience, actor Mos Def portrayed Chuck Berry as having been angry upon hearing Surfin' U.S.A. However, Chuck Berry was civil about it.
Carl Wilson from The Beach Boys would recall: "We ran into Chuck Berry in Copenhagen and he told us he loves Surfin' U.S.A."
After threatening a lawsuit, though, Berry eventually received a writing credit on the iconic Beach Boys classic, three years after its release.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jul 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 4:31 PM.