The Beach Boys

Released: October 7, 1963

Songwriter: Roger Christian Brian Wilson

Producer: Brian Wilson

[Chorus]
Spirit of America
Spirit of America
Spirit of America

[Verse 1]
The Bonneville salt flats had seen some strange things
But the strangest thing yet was a jet without wings
Once as a jet, it played in the stars
But now on the ground it's the king of our cars

[Chorus]
Spirit of America
Spirit of America
Spirit of America
Spirit of America

[Verse 2]
An airplane, an auto, now famous worldwide
The Spirit of America, the name on the side
The man who would drive her, Craig Breed love by name
A daring young man played a dangerous game

[Chorus]
Spirit of America
Spirit of America
Spirit of America
Spirit of America

[Verse 3]
With a J-47, a jet for his power
Craig Breed love had averaged four-o-seven per hour
Both man and machine had given fair warn
They'd set a new record on that warm August morn

[Chorus]
Spirit of America
Spirit of America
Spirit of America
Spirit of America

The Beach Boys are one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time and the first American pop band to reach the 50-year milestone. Their vocal harmonies are among the most unmistakable and enduring of the rock and roll era.

Formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California, by Brian Wilson, his two brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and classmate Al Jardine, the group’s first single “Surfin'” got them signed to Capitol Records and they quickly became one of the most popular and successful artists of the surf music craze of the 1960s. From 1962 to 1966, The Beach Boys scored over twenty top 40 hits in the US including the chart-toppers “I Get Around”, “Help Me Rhonda” & “Good Vibrations” along with the top 5’s “Surfin USA”, “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “California Girls”, “Barbara Ann” & “Sloop John B”. Several of the band’s singles also found top 40 success in Canada, Australia, Sweden and the UK. In 1965, de facto leader Brian Wilson suffered a mental breakdown due to the stress of writing, producing & touring combined with substance abuse issues, causing him to step down and stop traveling with the band on tour.

Inspired by producer Phil Spector and The Beatles' Rubber Soul, Brian focused on studio work, determined to keep the group relevant as the surf music scene was fading with their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Despite tension between members in the studio about this new direction, lack of faith from the record label, mixed reviews, and comparatively lukewarm reception initially in the US, the album still found massive success in the UK and earned accolades from fellow artists including The Beatles, who acknowledged that the album was their inspiration to further push the boundaries of pop music with their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Eventually Pet Sounds would be acknowledged as one of the greatest albums ever recorded by several media outlets like The Times, Mojo Magazine, The Guardian, VH1, BBC and Rolling Stone.

more tracks from the album

Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys

From the albums

Little Deuce Coupe (1963)
Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys (1993)

The Beach Boys popular songs

Spirit of AmericaThe Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys