I finally got to meet my boyhood idols during an outdoor performance in Pittsburgh in 2000. I talked with Dean before the show. He's a great guy. (Jan was in his trailer). I actually went on stage and sang with them for one song. What a thrill! I have a nice framed picture of Dean and myself on stage.
From 1965-67, I was a 15-17 old kid, east coast Australia, Cronulla Beach. Worked five and a half days at a small grocery, ($35 a week, plus half saturday, all the free fruit I could eat), walked 200 hundred yards from home to the water before and after work, even in winter, (it was bloody cold, could'nt afford a 'wetsuit', just a T-shirt), swam and surfed, (I could'nt ride to save my life!), after work, each day. The mates were great, the girls were OH! Do it again ?. In a heartbeat.
My Grandma was born about 8 miles south of Pasadena, and man was she ever a lead foot, so naturally this song title was one of her nicknames. She lived the past thirty years in Atlanta, when driving there you gotta know how put peddle to metal. Lost her last year...miss you Grammy.
Yes I agree with you spongebobbette23,,,they were a big part of the generation when music was clean, fun and exciting and brought out the best in all of us! The magic music and times were a gift from GOF Himself, so sad this generation does not have a grasp of the precious memories we share. Yours in CHRIST, Rickey downtown Brown , Jackson, Tennessee USA
They were considered the Crown Prince of Rock and Roll. I remember watching them on Lloyd Thaxton TV show in 1965 and thought they were the coolest! They did "Rock and Roll Music" on stage. Super Cool!
I had no idea at the time. but this song was written form me!!! I, 58 yrs, have had more speeding tickets than the rest of yall of yall put together! lol
That was the Pasadena of the 1960's. I live about five miles south of Pasadena and it now is a very happening kind of area with theaters, restaurants, progressives, and lots of activity and young people.
Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys were buds and used to sing on each other's records all the time. I've heard they used to flip a coin to decide whose name would go on the record. Brian Wilson wrote "Surf City" and Dean was the distinctive high voice on "Barbara Ann"...
Yes, I saw them on Lloyd Thaxton TV tearing apart the set . I really liked that show. I just watched the T.A.M.I show on PBS. Jan & Dean were the MC'S. A rare show to watch on TV.
Yes, I'm pretty sure. Brian doubled with Jan and Tony(Matadors) on Surf City.Brian sang on the album version of Deadman's Curve and did some parts on Drag City.But he had nothing to do with the Little Old Lady. You are right that Brian has an amazing falsetto. Brian was/is a great singer and producer. Jan Berry was pretty damn good himself.They were a potent team in the studio when they did work together.
On this day in 1965 {September 16th} Jan and Dean performed "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" on the NBC-TV program 'The Dean Martin Show'... Three months earlier on June 27th it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #3 and spent 11 weeks on the Top 100 chart... Sadly; Jan Berry passed away on March 26th, 2004 at the age of 62... R.I.P. Mr. Berry, Mr. Martin {1917 - 1995}, and Dean Torrence will celebrate his 74th birthday come next March 10th...
@pjsman5252 according to history-of-rock com, Brian gave the music to this song to Jan & Dean, who in turn added lyrics. Also The subtle falsetto in the line, "Surf City, here we come," was sung by Brian Wilson.
@ekocentric Jan and Brian met in 1962. I think Lou Adler introduced them. Brian showed Jan an unfinished song and Jan and Brian wrote Surf City together. Brian had some great ideas and Jan was a great producer. Jan taught Brian how to make cleaner tracks and Brian shared some song ideas with Jan. They wrote 12 songs together. 6 of them were major hits. Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys also played concerts together. I think Jan and Brian meeting each other was a major event in rock n roll history.
To ANY critics : this track should be taken in its good & proper context. FACTS : it reached # 3 in the USA in Summer 1964, & was J & D's 5th biggest-ever hit, out of over 30 they had. It was a FUN SONG .. & it introduced the outrageously-lovable motif of Drop-Out Surf / Drag Senior-Citizens (I'm one). To all hard-core way-back fans who adore this novelty theme of Little Old Ladys & Grannies, be sure to check out Carson Robison's 1956 RockaBilly Hit "Rockin & Rollin With Grandmaw" .. awesome !!
I remember a video of this in the 60's, with a lil' ol' lady getting her 63 red 426 Dodge out of a 1 car garage and taking it for a spin. She looked like granny, from the Beverly Hillbillies. It was one of the first videos of a record that I can remember.
Actually the "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" was Kathryn Minner, hired by Dodge to do TV and radio advertising. Her famous line was "PUT A DODGE IN YOUR GARAGE....HONEY!" Think she also did advertising for Cragar Mags in the 60's too.
@yourmoment Yeah, Jan & Dean did that a lot! I have a video of them doing Sidewalk Surfin' on Dick Clark's show in 1964. Dean deliberately stopped lip-synching during a video close-up of his face; Jan laughed and pointed at him, saying "That's you!" Meanwhile, the song track continued to roll!
@1960sbabe At the time, Jan was in med school and Dean was working on a degree in graphic design (after switching from architecture). You're right--neither of them thought they'd ever be in the music business for decades. Yet Jan was a terrific producer/arranger and was planning to set up his own label at the time he had the accident. Probably a big reason they aren't in the Hall of Fame is because they didn't write serious music!
@ekocentric Jan and Dean were first. Actually, Jan and Arnie did Jennie Lee in 1958. Then Jan & Dean did Baby Talk in 1959.Both top 10 hits and both influenced the Beach Boys sound. The Beach Boys came out in 1961.
Cool! I have a piece of that show on audio--you saw it on TV? Did you see Jan & Dean break Lloyd's set? LOL! Unfortunately, all of the video for the Lloyd Thaxton Show got erased :-( I wish Lloyd had had the foresight to save all that stuff!
While they were the clown prince's of surf and rock and roll, history shows that Jan Berry was a very talented composer and producer. Brian Wilson has even stated that Jan taught him a thing or two. It's sad to think what might have been if not for the accident.
Actually Jan and Arnie released Jennie Lee in 58 or 59 and then Jan and Dean released Baby Talk in 59 so I would say Jan and Dean were recording before The Beach Boys.
This ong was a comment on widows of dust bowl farmers who moved to Californis and did well, buying new cars regularly. Man would die, leaving widow with a 7 litre monster she had trouble steering.
Someone should tell today's senior lady speeders about Velocitization and the Vestibular Structures effect on speeding. Pasedena should solve it's problem by the song's 50th Anniversary or at least by Mothers Day!
actually The Beach Boys did and Brian Wilson invited Jan and Dean to perform with them in 1963 and Brian Wilson gave them "Surf City" partially written and he helped them with vocals so actually railbuggy and the GarfieldVsSnoopy it was the Beach Boys. Sorry
@melbea03 I have the original record and also youtube has a Brian Wilson interview. Clearly, on the record it says J.Berry/ B.Wilson as the writers. In the interview with Brian, he talks about writing Surf City WITH Jan Berry. But it did start out as Brian's idea.
No, not on this one. That's the Fantastic Baggy's on background vocal. Brian sang some on Surf City and Drag City. The Beach Boys are not on any Jan & Dean singles. Just Brian on a couple. Brian and Jan wrote several Jan & Dean hits together, but this one was written by Jan, Don A, and Roger C.
@freqazoidiac I wasn't annoyed. They could have done a lot worse than Jan & Dean as hosts--plus they were one of the top ten singles-selling artists of 1964 as well as being the most popular duo of that year. Not too shabby for a couple of guys who were full-time students! I think the reason they don't get a lot of respect is the fact that they didn't take themselves too seriously. They were studying for other careers anyway and figured if they got a few years out of music, it would be fun.
@freqazoidiac They were just medical students (I think!) having a laugh and it was fun while it lasted - not to be taken too seriously and definitely not to be scrutinized too finely.
Howdy! The 60's band, "The Royal Guardsmen", responsible for the hits "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" and "Snoopy's Christmas" are back and making music again after 40+ years!Come over to facebook and "like" their band page and you'll be elligible for monthly giveaways, the next of which is on Dec. 5th for their new live cd, "Beaglemania!" Stay up to date regarding tour dates,history and links to "Royal Guardsmen" trivia.Thanks,hope to see you there!Come see us at facebook dot com/theroyalguardsmen
@ekocentric Arnie joined the Navy, I believe. Being a rock star was not his cup of tea. Also, it seems he couldn't work with Jan anymore. Jan then recruited Dean and the rest is history.
uhhhh. i dont know lol, i think jan and dean had such an uplifting spirit in their tunes. Sure, mgmt borrows a little influence from the surf rock sound, but its not predominant in all their songs. And mgmt only shows that , albeit vaguely , in their Congratulations album. And they have a lot more influences from 60s rock, Siberian Breaks has a part where it reminds me of the choruses in some Mommas and the poppas songs. But mgmt are more electronic psychedelic and experimental.
The oldies never get old!
Love it. Go granny go! Had me dancing on the chair. What beautiful voices.
I finally got to meet my boyhood idols during an outdoor performance in Pittsburgh in 2000. I talked with Dean before the show. He's a great guy. (Jan was in his trailer). I actually went on stage and sang with them for one song. What a thrill! I have a nice framed picture of Dean and myself on stage.
Great 60s memories!
I had to sing for my spring concert LOL it is a funny song to me!
awesome song....simple music video, not like what we have now...
From 1965-67, I was a 15-17 old kid, east coast Australia, Cronulla Beach. Worked five and a half days at a small grocery, ($35 a week, plus half saturday, all the free fruit I could eat), walked 200 hundred yards from home to the water before and after work, even in winter, (it was bloody cold, could'nt afford a 'wetsuit', just a T-shirt), swam and surfed, (I could'nt ride to save my life!), after work, each day.
The mates were great, the girls were OH!
Do it again ?.
In a heartbeat.
this song rules
They should be in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.
Love the theme ! Go Granny Go !!!
go granny go! reminds me of my gran from Lompoc!
i saw them when i was like 3 or 4 years old (i'm 24 now)... my first concert
My Grandma was born about 8 miles south of Pasadena, and man was she ever a lead foot, so naturally this song title was one of her nicknames.
She lived the past thirty years in Atlanta, when driving there you gotta know how put peddle to metal. Lost her last year...miss you Grammy.
Yes I agree with you spongebobbette23,,,they were a big part of the generation when music was clean, fun and exciting and brought out the best in all of us! The magic music and times were a gift from GOF Himself, so sad this generation does not have a grasp of the precious memories we share. Yours in CHRIST, Rickey downtown Brown , Jackson, Tennessee USA
Very cool!
I love this song, one of the best treasures of the 60s!
It's Leon Russell's piano that really is the driving force in this song.
They were considered the Crown Prince of Rock and Roll. I remember watching them on Lloyd Thaxton TV show in 1965 and thought they were the coolest! They did "Rock and Roll Music" on stage. Super Cool!
Good stuff!
i love pasedina
i love this song jan and dean are awsome... lol its kinda funny though they are both kinda dancing like Mike Love... they pull it off though...
cool super cool!
I had no idea at the time. but this song was written form me!!! I, 58 yrs, have had more speeding tickets than the rest of yall of yall put together! lol
Oh, I don't know.. I'm over 50 and have been on 6 months probation Twice for speeding tickets... back in 1980 and 1986.
That was the Pasadena of the 1960's. I live about five miles south of Pasadena and it now is a very happening kind of area with theaters, restaurants, progressives, and lots of activity and young people.
Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys were buds and used to sing on each other's records all the time. I've heard they used to flip a coin to decide whose name would go on the record. Brian Wilson wrote "Surf City" and Dean was the distinctive high voice on "Barbara Ann"...
Yes, I saw them on Lloyd Thaxton TV tearing apart the set . I really liked that show. I just watched the T.A.M.I show on PBS. Jan & Dean were the MC'S. A rare show to watch on TV.
One of the Greatest on one of the Greatest 's show.
A Top 5 hit for Jan & Dean in the summer of 1964.
Yes, I'm pretty sure. Brian doubled with Jan and Tony(Matadors) on Surf City.Brian sang on the album version of Deadman's Curve and did some parts on Drag City.But he had nothing to do with the Little Old Lady. You are right that Brian has an amazing falsetto. Brian was/is a great singer and producer. Jan Berry was pretty damn good himself.They were a potent team in the studio when they did work together.
This song and Surf City, two of their best. Great surf music from California.
Yes.
Great song to sing to when on long road trips!!! "she'll give 'em a length and she'll shut 'em down!"
Pretty sweet tiny screen.
I've alway's loved them!!!!!I Thought they were the greatest!!!!!!
On this day in 1965 {September 16th} Jan and Dean performed "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" on the NBC-TV program 'The Dean Martin Show'...
Three months earlier on June 27th it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #3 and spent 11 weeks on the Top 100 chart...
Sadly; Jan Berry passed away on March 26th, 2004 at the age of 62...
R.I.P. Mr. Berry, Mr. Martin {1917 - 1995}, and Dean Torrence will celebrate his 74th birthday come next March 10th...
I first heard this song on the cartoon Animaniacs(the spoof title was Little Old Slappy from Pasadena).
Small is fine; helluva performance - on any scale.
Love it! Funny performance, but a classic song.
were singing this in quire lol
Oh my gosh, this is so cool; I love Jan and Dean! Thanks for posting this vid, sloanbarri!
They also recorded together as the Legendary Masked Surfers.
This song was written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry, and Roger Christian.
u.s. #8 for 6/30/58. cheers!
best beach boys clone
@Minacious That's because Brian Wilson wrote and produced this song for Jan and Dean; notice Brian's unique vocal background.
@pjsman5252 according to history-of-rock com, Brian gave the music to this song to Jan & Dean, who in turn added lyrics. Also The subtle falsetto in the line, "Surf City, here we come," was sung by Brian Wilson.
@ekocentric Jan and Brian met in 1962. I think Lou Adler introduced them. Brian showed Jan an unfinished song and Jan and Brian wrote Surf City together. Brian had some great ideas and Jan was a great producer. Jan taught Brian how to make cleaner tracks and Brian shared some song ideas with Jan. They wrote 12 songs together. 6 of them were major hits. Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys also played concerts together. I think Jan and Brian meeting each other was a major event in rock n roll history.
To ANY critics : this track should be taken in its good & proper context. FACTS : it reached # 3 in the USA in Summer 1964, & was J & D's 5th biggest-ever hit, out of over 30 they had. It was a FUN SONG .. & it introduced the outrageously-lovable motif of Drop-Out Surf / Drag Senior-Citizens (I'm one). To all hard-core way-back fans who adore this novelty theme of Little Old Ladys & Grannies, be sure to check out Carson Robison's 1956 RockaBilly Hit "Rockin & Rollin With Grandmaw" .. awesome !!
I remember a video of this in the 60's, with a lil' ol' lady getting her 63 red 426 Dodge out of a 1 car garage and taking it for a spin. She looked like granny, from the Beverly Hillbillies. It was one of the first videos of a record that I can remember.
I neverunderstood why Jan and Dean sounded so much like the Beach Boys. The similarities are uncanny.
@jim5608 The backing singers are Phil Sloan and Steve Barri( the fantastic baggies).
Actually the "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" was Kathryn Minner, hired by Dodge to do TV and radio advertising. Her famous line was "PUT A DODGE IN YOUR GARAGE....HONEY!" Think she also did advertising for Cragar Mags in the 60's too.
@yourmoment Yeah, Jan & Dean did that a lot! I have a video of them doing Sidewalk Surfin' on Dick Clark's show in 1964. Dean deliberately stopped lip-synching during a video close-up of his face; Jan laughed and pointed at him, saying "That's you!" Meanwhile, the song track continued to roll!
It was called Sidewalk Surfin': "Get your board and go sidewalk surfin' with me."
("Bust your buns, bust your buns")
@1960sbabe At the time, Jan was in med school and Dean was working on a degree in graphic design (after switching from architecture). You're right--neither of them thought they'd ever be in the music business for decades. Yet Jan was a terrific producer/arranger and was planning to set up his own label at the time he had the accident. Probably a big reason they aren't in the Hall of Fame is because they didn't write serious music!
@ekocentric Jan and Dean were first. Actually, Jan and Arnie did Jennie Lee in 1958. Then Jan & Dean did Baby Talk in 1959.Both top 10 hits and both influenced the Beach Boys sound. The Beach Boys came out in 1961.
i hang out with dean torrance on the REGS!!
Cool! I have a piece of that show on audio--you saw it on TV? Did you see Jan & Dean break Lloyd's set? LOL! Unfortunately, all of the video for the Lloyd Thaxton Show got erased :-( I wish Lloyd had had the foresight to save all that stuff!
Great song - I loved their songs - but were they glued to the floor?
While they were the clown prince's of surf and rock and roll, history shows that Jan Berry was a very talented composer and producer. Brian Wilson has even stated that Jan taught him a thing or two. It's sad to think what might have been if not for the accident.
Ah the days when ten miles to the gallon and no seat belts was nothing to be ashamed of.
Actually Jan and Arnie released Jennie Lee in 58 or 59 and then Jan and Dean released Baby Talk in 59 so I would say Jan and Dean were recording before The Beach Boys.
This ong was a comment on widows of dust bowl farmers who moved to Californis and did well, buying new cars regularly. Man would die, leaving widow with a 7 litre monster she had trouble steering.
Yes,A little over a year before Jan's accident.
still a great car fir gramdpaw
I didn't realize some singers lipsynched on Hollywood Palace.
Sadly, Old Town is cluttered with upscale chain stores, but I love many other aspects of the city.
1960 Renault 4CV??What is that??Original owner of a '68 Dodge Super Bee.THE song of the ages!!
i think i live down the street from her
Someone should tell today's senior lady speeders about Velocitization and the Vestibular Structures effect on speeding. Pasedena should solve it's problem by the song's 50th Anniversary or at least by Mothers Day!
actually The Beach Boys did and Brian Wilson invited Jan and Dean to perform with them in 1963 and Brian Wilson gave them "Surf City" partially written and he helped them with vocals so actually railbuggy and the GarfieldVsSnoopy it was the Beach Boys. Sorry
That was the point which I was making - FFSake enjoy the music!
Back when Detroit built cars so bad ass that people wrote songs about them...
my nameis Jan Dean. How crazy is that?
Didn't they do a skateboard version of Catch a Wave? Looking for that one too. Oh, and the Hondels one too.
Looks like a predessor to Milli Vanilli!
@melbea03 I have the original record and also youtube has a Brian Wilson interview.
Clearly, on the record it says J.Berry/ B.Wilson as the writers. In the interview with Brian, he talks about writing Surf City WITH Jan Berry. But it did start out as Brian's idea.
Jan Berry was badly injured in a motor vehicle accident, it was not a stroke.
For years i never knew the difrference between Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys. Plus, didn't the Beach Boys put this song on a record?
No, not on this one. That's the Fantastic Baggy's on background vocal. Brian sang some on Surf City and Drag City. The Beach Boys are not on any Jan & Dean singles. Just Brian on a couple. Brian and Jan wrote several Jan & Dean hits together, but this one was written by Jan, Don A, and Roger C.
@freqazoidiac I wasn't annoyed. They could have done a lot worse than Jan & Dean as hosts--plus they were one of the top ten singles-selling artists of 1964 as well as being the most popular duo of that year. Not too shabby for a couple of guys who were full-time students! I think the reason they don't get a lot of respect is the fact that they didn't take themselves too seriously. They were studying for other careers anyway and figured if they got a few years out of music, it would be fun.
@freqazoidiac They were just medical students (I think!) having a laugh and it was fun while it lasted - not to be taken too seriously and definitely not to be scrutinized too finely.
How did this generation survive with that little old lady on the road????
@6sen Sears also
Howdy! The 60's band, "The Royal Guardsmen", responsible for the hits "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" and "Snoopy's Christmas" are back and making music again after 40+ years!Come over to facebook and "like" their band page and you'll be elligible for monthly giveaways, the next of which is on Dec. 5th for their new live cd, "Beaglemania!" Stay up to date regarding tour dates,history and links to "Royal Guardsmen" trivia.Thanks,hope to see you there!Come see us at facebook dot com/theroyalguardsmen
@ekocentric Arnie joined the Navy, I believe. Being a rock star was not his cup of tea. Also, it seems he couldn't work with Jan anymore. Jan then recruited Dean and the rest is history.
would never make it on MTV. Two and a half minutes of one camera.
what's with the guitar case ?
Buzzbomb from Pasadena
ummm i belive jan and dean wrote some of the beach boys song.
who does their backing singing, "sounds like the beach boys at times"
uhhhh. i dont know lol, i think jan and dean had such an uplifting spirit in their tunes.
Sure, mgmt borrows a little influence from the surf rock sound, but its not predominant in all their songs. And mgmt only shows that , albeit vaguely , in their Congratulations album. And they have a lot more influences from 60s rock, Siberian Breaks has a part where it reminds me of the choruses in some Mommas and the poppas songs. But mgmt are more electronic psychedelic and experimental.
Jan and Dean are to the 1960's as Andrew and Ben (MGMT) are to the 2000's?
peel rubber granny!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does anyone know where these two are now-a-days?
You're sure ? Don't we hear the Beach Boys in back vocals at least ?
@pjsman5252 brian wrote surf city
I wonder what year this was taped in?
こんな楽しい曲あったﾖﾅ!まさにﾌﾞﾗｲｱﾝ･ｻｳﾝﾄﾞ､ｼﾞｬﾝ&ﾃﾞｨｰﾝ､"ﾊﾟｻﾃﾞｨﾅのおばあちゃん”～ｻｰﾌｨﾝ･ﾎｯﾄﾛｯﾄﾞは白人至上主義ﾎﾟｯﾌﾟ
Brian Wilson actually had nothing to do with this song. The falsetto is by Phil Sloan and Bones Howe.