“Surfin’ Bird”, by The Trashmen, was a combined cover of two songs by an R & B singing group named The Rivingtons. The original songs were “The Bird’s The Word”, and “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow”. The Trashmen single was released in November, 1963 on the Garrett Records label. The single reached Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
I will never get over Amber`s uncontrolable laughter, Story, my dad was a studio engineer at the Voice of America in Washington DC for over 40 years, and on an evening in 1965 when I was 14 and still learning to play guitar, he brought home a promo album that they got at VOA to play on the air to the communist countries behind the iron curtain. He was laughing and said to me you have to hear this band. He put the album on and played this song and we all broke up. Well I took it and learned to play the guitar part and then ran around the neighborhood playing it for all my friends. It stuck with me all my life, and I`m now 73 years old. I you can find a version of Let it all hang out. that was another of they`re songs. Love you guys, Peace Out!
Back in the day, Dr. Demento was a DJ who specialized in playing novelty songs. There are way more than you imagine. Novelty songs were recorded pretty much since the beginning of recording. Dr. Demento was the man who gave Weird Al his big break.
I remember staying up late and listening to Dr. Demento's radio program under my blankets wearing headphones so my parents did not know I was up so late on a school night! Dr. Demento was AWESOME!!
You youngsters show some respect! After 60 years, The Trashmen are STILL the greatest surf band to come out of Minnesota! And the important thing is that EVERYBODY knows The Bird is the Word. That was the 60s baby! Great reaction guys! Amber laughing through the whole thing. Priceless.
At 37 Rockabilly, Doo-wop, Surf etc... was all in its prime before I came along but it was my first obsession with music and is still a huge part of my music collection. Surfin Bird will always be one of my favorite songs. I remember the first time I heard it on some crappy compilation CD at 8 years old. I immediately raced to find my parents because my mind was blown and they had to share in my excitement haha. Still cranking it to this day!
If you're in your car driving and this song comes on, you WILL smile and you WILL sing along. Over 50 years later....this song has stood the test of time, and it's a classic.
Back in the late 70's my older brother played this for my maternal grandpa and he loved it. He laughed so hard and said, "That's the craziest thing I ever heard." Every time he came over he'd have my brother play this song for him. Great memories.
The guy you see from 2:53 is not a member of The Trashmen but a Dutch comedian called André van Duin. I don't know how he ended up in this clip but I know that he won a talent contest in 1964 by miming part of Surfin' Bird. André van Duin has had a very succesful career as a comedian, film actor, singer and lately he's more into presenting more serious television programs, among them the Dutch version of BBC's Bake Off. He's still active and very very popular. It was nice to see his little Dutch snippet in Surfin' Bird. Greetings from The Netherlands.
This is probably the silliest song ever written and I absolutely can't get enough of it!!! It's priceless how Amber is into it. Great video guys. Much love 🤗
This was hysterical - both the song and your reaction to it! My first encounter with the song was just a little over ten years ago. While deployed to Guantanamo, I got involved with the chapel music program and would select the music for the Sunday morning service every week. I would send the lyrics to one of the religious program specialists who would then type them up in a Power Point presentation so those who didn't know the lyrics could sing along. One week - I guess I was bored or something - as a joke I sent him lyrics to several songs and choruses IN SPANISH. I expected a phone call shortly afterwards, but nothing. Less than an hour later (which was a lot faster than usual), I get an email saying "Chief, here is the Power Point for Sunday morning". He had gone to his boss, the chaplain, and gotten permission to prank me back. The power point slides were the lyrics to Surfin' Bird, which I had never heard! Once I stopped laughing, I picked up the phone and called him to say "Touché Specialist!" TH-cam was fairly new at the time, but once I became more familiar with it, I made a point of looking this song up. Thanks for the memories and the laughs today!
Guys, you won't believe this! Surfin' Bird was the result of an unintentional collaboration between two music groups. In 1963, the black Doo Wop / R&B group, the Rivingtons, released a novelty recording, "Papa Oom Mow Mow". A little later, the Rivingtons released another novelty recording, "The Bird's The Word". A Minneapolis white Rock group, the Trashmen, had heard the Rivington's "Papa Oom Mow Mow" along with hearing another group's cover of "The Bird's The Word". The Trashmen decided to combine the two songs, not realizing that both songs were originally written and recorded by the Rivingtons. The Trashmen called their combination of the two songs "Surfin' Bird". A radio DJ who had heard and liked the Trashmen's version, arranged for "Surfin' Bird" to be recorded and released as a record. After "Surfin' Bird" became a hit, reaching #4 on the Top Forty list, the Rivingtons sued the Trashmen. The end result was that the Rivingtons were awarded with having written "Surfin' Bird", and were to receive sole writers royalties. But the Trashmen's catchy arrangement of "Surfin' Bird" is what also made it a hit!
Hilarious 😂 I haven’t heard this in years. It just made us laugh and smile when it first came out. If Jay sings The Bird, Amber…you gotta come back with Rock Lobster
First time I heard this song, I was in love because it was FUN. Learning the cadence is fun, and singing along will tire you out for sure. Pure joyous energy.
I grew up in Minneapolis and the Trashmen were big on the local scene. I was 8 when this song came out and my friends and I drove our parents crazy running around singing it. Great memories! I had never seen the video until a year or so ago. CRAZY! Someone else said listen to Morris Day and the Time's song, The Bird - another Minneapolis Band. You gotta love 'em both!
One of the great one-hit wonders of the 60s! Surf music at its best! I remember Pee-Wee Herman singing and dancing to this song in "Back to the Baach", starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello! (ETA: "Bird Dance Beat" was their only other Top 40 hit. It's basically the same song but with slightly different lyrics.) Steve Wahrer is the vocalist.
From Wiki: The song is prominently featured in the Family Guy episode "I Dream of Jesus", in which Peter Griffin overhears the song at a diner and it turns out to be his favorite childhood song. He proceeds to annoy his family by taking the record from the diner and playing the song virtually nonstop for the rest of the episode. "Surfin' Bird" has since become a recurring gag on the show.
I'm repeating myself here, but Alan Sherman is an absolute must. Camp Granada, One Hippopotamus, You went the wrong way Old King Louie, and so many others.
This is such a classic garage rock tune! I used to work with the son of the Trashmen's bassist, and I gave him a 7" sleeve which he had the whole band sign it for me, minus one member who had sadly, already passed away. I treasure the heck outta that thing!
Thank goodness you guys did the performance video where the dude actually "acts out" the bird while he's singing it. Song's great but must be seen to be fully appreciated!
You can't keep a straight face when this song is on. 😃The flip side of this single was "King of the Surf," a '60s Surf Music song that has almost the same exact melody as Johnny B. Goode. It's dated but it rocks. It's a good listen even if only for curiosity's sake. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This song is actually a combination of two songs by The Rivingtons "The Bird is the Word and "Papa Oom Mow Mow". They threatened to sue over their copyrights, because the Trashmen took credit for for writing the song.Later releases credited the Rivingtons.
@@johnsilva9139 Yes, especially "Papa Oom Mow Mow". And both the singles by the Rivingtons were light years better than this mish-mash abomination. At least these thieves had some honesty by naming themselves The Trashmen, because that's what this is; absolute trash compared to the originals. Thank God, it was their only "hit"(and I use that term loosely).
@@rs-ye7kw, I just listened to the original songs that this song was made from. They're nothing, as far as energetic or funny, compared to this song. I'm not knocking the songs or the band, but they're just regular.
@@RayfordRaySiegel The Rivingtons I thought were the better group, it's a matter of opinion of course, but I do remember that most of the people I knew thought the original was quite funny when it first came out. The Birds the Word didn't get a lot of radio play when they released it, so a lot of weren't even aware of the Rivingtons version of that song. When Surfin' Bird came out most people (including me) did find it funnier than Papa Oom Mow Mow, which was funny as doo wop song full of gobbledygook, but Surfin' Bird did away with the doo wop, sped it up and gave a lot more energy.
The Rivingtons were a much better group than people realize. They worked with a lot of great rock/R&B acts of the time; for example, they did the backing vocals on Duane Eddy’s “Rebel Rouser”
Oh goodness! Well here we go! Oh! For April Fools , OK. Yes, we April babies. We sang along, you guys! Amber's caught the spirit.Jay too! Cool!! I'm laughing here. Thanks. Have not heard it for a long while.
One of my dearest friends would have celebrated her 53rd birthday yesterday. When we were in high school, I would crank this in my car as we rolled the windows down and flapped our arms out them. It was a corny thing to do, but most of my memories of her are corny and what a great memory to have of her today. I miss you Shawna.
When I saw this in my inbox I said to myself: "Oh no, Jay and Amber don't know what they've unleashed". There were a ton of these novelty songs back in the 60's and each one funnier and more crazy than the next. I loved your reactions and it was more than likely very similar to mine when I was a budding teenager back then. That was lot of fun, thanks guys and cheers from Ontario, Canada!
When my kids were babies and toddlers I would sit them on my lap & play this song while I bounced them up & down on my knee! They would laugh hysterically and sing along with the song. Brings back great memories!
that episode was based on a married with children episode were al was obsessing over a song he could not remember the name of and he finally gets the 45 of it and it then gets broken at the end
@@MichellejosphYep! I just digitized my original Dot 45 of that song Al Bundy was looking for, "Anna (Go With Him)" by Arthur Alexander. Some little British band covered it early in their career...I think they were called The Beatles 😉💜💙🐶
This reaction had me laughing so hard! Thank you for that! This song and others like "Purple People Eater", "Ally Oop", "Ahab the Arab" are some of the funny songs that came out when I was a kid.
One of the first records I bought as a kid back in the 60's. It was inspired by 2 songs by The Rivingtons "Papa Oom Mow Mow" and "The Bird's The Word" which came out a year earlier. Check out "They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha Ha" by Napoleon XIV. The B-side is the same song backwards.
OMG! Absolutely loved your reactions. Especially Amber's. I have two sisters who (may have indulged in a couple of cocktails one night) and both tried doing this 'dance' together while the video was playing. I recorded them with my phone and I was laughing so hard, the phone video wasn't worth saving. Darn! So glad you reacted to this.
Perfect song for an April Fools' Day! Loved your reaction. 😁 Did you notice that the guy at the beginning of the video is not the same guy at the end of the video? Someone put two videos together. The first half of the video features original "singer" Steve Wahrer. The second half is from a performance at a talent show. This man is from the Netherlands. His name is Andre van Duin. It was at the beginning of his career as a comedian. Link for the original video + interview on American Bandstand th-cam.com/video/6GizTr6QLfc/w-d-xo.html
Such a wonderful reminder of why my youth was so great. No worries just music and your friends. You really had to live it. The BEST. Great reaction. Buckets of Maple Syrup love from Canada ❤️ ❤🇨🇦🇨🇦
I'm not sure if you or anybody else will ever see this...... But I already *_thought_* I recognised the man in the second half of the video! Turns out, after doing some research, the man doing the bird dance in the second half of the video (the one in the tweed jacket) it's actually _not_ Trashmen singer Steve Wahrer, but instead legendary Dutch comedian Andre van Duin! In fact, it was his first-ever TV performance, a talent show which he won and which basically launched his career.
Oh, my! Ya'll made me laugh so hard. I don't recall ever hearing that song, and pretty sure I can go the rest of my life without ever hearing it again, but I'm glad I heard it with you two. Thank you! Enjoy the rest of your weekend...
I saw these guys live in a beachfront dance hall back in the summer of '65 right after this song became a hit. Hell of a dance band. Good fun for us High Students spending the summer at the beach!
Back in the late 70's, early 80's there was a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers named Mark Fidrych. Some how the name Mark "the bird" Fidrych stuck and they always played this song when he would come out to pitch.
😂 I have heard about this for many years, and I've heard bits and pieces of this over the years, but this is the first time I've heard this much of it. And I've heard my dad walking around the house going "oopa mow mow oo-pa mow mow" and wondered what in the world he was going on about. 😂 BTW I'm 57.
This is definitely a novelty song :) Dad plays a lot of those, including "Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd" by Roger Miller, "They're Coming to Take Me Away" by Napoleon XIV, "The Little Blue Man" by Betty Johnson, "Close the Door (They're Coming in the Window)" by Jim Lowe, and Grandma's least favorite "The Cattle Call" by Eddy Arnold. LOL That said, this and "Miserlou" are the only ones I know by The Trashmen, though I'm sure they have lots of others. :)
When I saw you were going to react to SURFIN' BIRD, I couldn't WAIT to see HOW you would react to THIS!! I LOVED your reaction, especially AMBER'S, she was having a BALL...just like WE ALL DID who were around when it was released!! WE LOVED IT, it was FUN and we DANCED OUR BRAINS OUT TO IT!! It was a ONE HIT WONDER, so I don't know IF there are ANY other songs by them! IT is what was called a "NOVELTY SONG" There were SO MANY "NOVELTY SONGS" back in the late '50s and early '60s. I MISS them! NOVELTY SONGS haven't EXISTED now since then....it's sad. Here are SOME more NOVELTY SONGS: ( ** denotes MY favorites) this list is only SOME of the better known NOVELTY SONGS: 1) PURPLE PEOPLE EATER by Sheb Wooley ('58) was the NO. 1 of all time ** 2) BEEP BEEP by The Playmates ('58) ** 3) WITCH DOCTOR by David Seville ('58) 4) ALLEY-OOP by the Hollywood Argyles (it's a song about a newspaper Sunday Comic strip character that was a CAVE MAN named Alley Oop when I was a kid in the '50s) 5) MR. CUSTER by Larry Verne ('60) ** 6) SNOOPY vs.THE RED BARON by The Royal Guardsmen ('67) 7) HELLO MUDDAH, HELLO FADDUH! By Allan Sherman ('63) (it's a letter from a kid at camp, it's hilarious) ** 8) I HATE THE BEATLES by Allan Sherman ('64) A father expressing his hate for the Beatles, to the tune of "POP GOES THE WEASEL) Allan Sherman took a lot of songs and put funny lyrics to them, and wrote his own funny songs, he had several albums full of them) ** 9) CHARLIE BROWN by The Coasters ('59) 10) THE FLYING SAUCER by Buchanan and Goodman ('56) 11) AHAB THE ARAB - by Ray Stevens ('62) very cute song about an Arab rich guy back in the "Alladin's Lamp" period. It shouldn't offend any one ) ** 12) THEY"RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY, HA---HAAAA! By Napoleon XIV ('66) THIS was a HUGE HIT in 1966! It went to No. 1 one a lot of cities. It's HILARIOUS. ** 13) DOES YOUR CHEWING GUM LOOSE IT'S FLAVOR ON THE BEDPOST OVERNIGHT? BY Lonnie Donegan ('61) ** 14) SPEEDY GONZALES by Pat Boone ('62) NO One ever expected PAT BOONE to come out with a novelty song! 15) SEVEN LITTLE GIRLS SITTING IN THE BACK SEAT by Paul Evans ('59) ***** LOVE THIS ONE, one of my FAVS since I was 12 in '59 ** 16) GITARZAN by Ray Stevens ('69) ** 17) ALONG CAME JONES by The Coasters ('59) ** 18) LITTLE EGYPT by The Coasters ('61) ** 19) LEADER OF THE LAUNDROMAT by The Detergents ('64) this is a parody of the SHANGRI-LAS' song "LEADER OF THE PACK" ** 20) TIE ME KANGAROO DOWN, SPORT by Rolf Harris ('63) **
I've seen this 1000 times and it still cracks me up. My little daughters (4 & 7) and I used to dance around the house and go crazy to this! So much fun
Jay & Amber, sorry you had hear this one-hit wonder from 1963. ☹ edit- Amber said he flipped out, a nice way of saying he looks like he's having a seizure.
WOW... I'm a Calif. guy & growing up in those "Surf" Music days at 12,13 yrs old were fantastic 🙂 You could hear The Trashmen & Surfin' Bird everywhere at the Beach.🤣😂Pure comedy 🤣Most "Surf Sound" music were great instrumentals like Pipeline, Wipeout, Miserlou. Apache. It really made young guys like me want to be in a band. I'm 73 now & just stopped playing live a couple years ago.Thanks for the flashback 😊
Omg this reaction was priceless! Jay rolling his eyes, while Amber is having the time of her life. 🤣🐦
I'm in tears!
Amber has a new weapon if J ever misbehaves. She can play this full blast and dance around the house until he cries.
I love watching these guy 😂so funny
This and Rock Lobster lmao
OMG, I'm cracking up! I'm having so much fun watching this.
“Surfin’ Bird”, by The Trashmen, was a combined cover of two songs by an R & B singing group named The Rivingtons. The original songs were “The Bird’s The Word”, and “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow”. The Trashmen single was released in November, 1963 on the Garrett Records label. The single reached Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
The Rivingtons were a surf band, as long as I know
@@JulioLeonFandinho The Rivingtons were a doo-wop band. Both of those songs can be found on YT.
Steve Wahrer (onscreen) was sued for taking credit for both songs on Surfin Bird. I love all three.
November 1963…..I wonder if JFK got to hear this before those cowards murdered him.
OP… thanks, but we’ve got Wikipedia just like you do.
Amber's laughter made my day👍 Never change you lovely people!!!
The bird connects!
she's a beauty inside and out
Yes I agree 👍💯
What a lady!
Amber’s reaction is priceless! True laughter. Love it. 😊
The song takes on a whole new meaning when viewed in the movie "Full Metal Jacket".
Facts! I always get upset when people point to Family Guy regarding this song, not realizing that it was first used in Full Metal Jacket.
@@BrooklynBeTheBoro the family guy episode is built around the song, in full metal jacket, it's only in one scene
Is that you, John Wayne?
A JELLY DONUT!!!
@@JamesJohnson-tr1gu nothing in family guy is built around something. Unfunny comedy for people with ADHD
I will never get over Amber`s uncontrolable laughter, Story, my dad was a studio engineer at the Voice of America in Washington DC for over 40 years, and on an evening in 1965 when I was 14 and still learning to play guitar, he brought home a promo album that they got at VOA to play on the air to the communist countries behind the iron curtain. He was laughing and said to me you have to hear this band. He put the album on and played this song and we all broke up. Well I took it and learned to play the guitar part and then ran around the neighborhood playing it for all my friends. It stuck with me all my life, and I`m now 73 years old. I you can find a version of Let it all hang out. that was another of they`re songs. Love you guys, Peace Out!
Back in the day, Dr. Demento was a DJ who specialized in playing novelty songs. There are way more than you imagine. Novelty songs were recorded pretty much since the beginning of recording. Dr. Demento was the man who gave Weird Al his big break.
I remember listening to Dr. Demento...I feel so old now.
I remember staying up late and listening to Dr. Demento's radio program under my blankets wearing headphones so my parents did not know I was up so late on a school night! Dr. Demento was AWESOME!!
Ahhh...tune in the radio to the Doctor, and listen to stuff like this, and oh, I don't know, Damaskas singing 'Making Love In A Subaru'!
I remember Dr. Demento what fun.
Sunday nites! "There're Coming to Take Me Away, he he ha ha"
You youngsters show some respect! After 60 years, The Trashmen are STILL the greatest surf band to come out of Minnesota! And the important thing is that EVERYBODY knows The Bird is the Word. That was the 60s baby!
Great reaction guys! Amber laughing through the whole thing. Priceless.
The surf scene is such a large part of our midwestern culture
But i have a question: do you or do you not know...
At 37 Rockabilly, Doo-wop, Surf etc... was all in its prime before I came along but it was my first obsession with music and is still a huge part of my music collection. Surfin Bird will always be one of my favorite songs. I remember the first time I heard it on some crappy compilation CD at 8 years old. I immediately raced to find my parents because my mind was blown and they had to share in my excitement haha. Still cranking it to this day!
One of the best Family Guy episodes is when Peter won't stop playing the song and Brian and Stewie set out to destroy the record.
YUP, I REMEMBER THAT ONE!!
Have you heard???
It was my understanding that everyone had heard
@@GingerMafiaa heard what? 😉
@@MrDarkwing78 No Brian don't!!!!!!
If you're in your car driving and this song comes on, you WILL smile and you WILL sing along. Over 50 years later....this song has stood the test of time, and it's a classic.
You can say that "Rock Lobster" wouldn't exist without "Surfin' Bird"!! There's a definite relation!!
Exactly!
I love them both lol.
Oh shit, I never noticed that... Nice catch
Rock Lobster actually sounds a lot like this one Panic At the Disco song that i absolutely hate
Two amazing tracks ..if you don't love both these tracks I don't want to know you ..thats a great rule to live by
Amber's reaction is priceless, love it
She brings a happiness to this channel
Your kids would probably love it because it's so weird--and danceable.😂
Back in the late 70's my older brother played this for my maternal grandpa and he loved it. He laughed so hard and said, "That's the craziest thing I ever heard." Every time he came over he'd have my brother play this song for him. Great memories.
The funniest thing is seeing Amber laughing so hard until Jay says, "I'll be singing this one." And she says "Oh, no!"
😂😂😂😂
She is sooooo stinking cute!!! Love them❤❤❤
The guy you see from 2:53 is not a member of The Trashmen but a Dutch comedian called André van Duin. I don't know how he ended up in this clip but I know that he won a talent contest in 1964 by miming part of Surfin' Bird. André van Duin has had a very succesful career as a comedian, film actor, singer and lately he's more into presenting more serious television programs, among them the Dutch version of BBC's Bake Off. He's still active and very very popular. It was nice to see his little Dutch snippet in Surfin' Bird. Greetings from The Netherlands.
Oh now you have to hear Wipeout by the Surfaris! Especially since you love drums!
This is probably the silliest song ever written and I absolutely can't get enough of it!!! It's priceless how Amber is into it. Great video guys. Much love 🤗
This was hysterical - both the song and your reaction to it! My first encounter with the song was just a little over ten years ago. While deployed to Guantanamo, I got involved with the chapel music program and would select the music for the Sunday morning service every week. I would send the lyrics to one of the religious program specialists who would then type them up in a Power Point presentation so those who didn't know the lyrics could sing along. One week - I guess I was bored or something - as a joke I sent him lyrics to several songs and choruses IN SPANISH. I expected a phone call shortly afterwards, but nothing. Less than an hour later (which was a lot faster than usual), I get an email saying "Chief, here is the Power Point for Sunday morning". He had gone to his boss, the chaplain, and gotten permission to prank me back. The power point slides were the lyrics to Surfin' Bird, which I had never heard! Once I stopped laughing, I picked up the phone and called him to say "Touché Specialist!" TH-cam was fairly new at the time, but once I became more familiar with it, I made a point of looking this song up. Thanks for the memories and the laughs today!
Great story...
Yup. One of the most *FUN* songs ever written! 😂
Peter Griffin’s favorite hehehehe
Haha
Took the words out of my mouth 😂
Yes, Peter spends the whole episode torturing his family with this song. It's comedy gold.
@@UrbanSwagger that’s what I thought it was like the whole episode
I was just thinking that same thing
y’all had me in tears!!!!!! probably one of my fave reactions yet!!!!!!
We need a lot more "novelty" songs these days...and thanks to Weird Al keeping levity in music going strong to relieve everyone's everyday stresses :D
I AGREE, and Weird Al is as close as we can get to those many "novelty songs" back in the '50s and '60s.
Weird Al is a national treasure. Jay and Amber need to react to some of his songs.
Guys, you won't believe this! Surfin' Bird was the result of an unintentional collaboration between two music groups.
In 1963, the black Doo Wop / R&B group, the Rivingtons, released a novelty recording, "Papa Oom Mow Mow". A little later, the Rivingtons released another novelty recording, "The Bird's The Word".
A Minneapolis white Rock group, the Trashmen, had heard the Rivington's "Papa Oom Mow Mow" along with hearing another group's cover of "The Bird's The Word". The Trashmen decided to combine the two songs, not realizing that both songs were originally written and recorded by the Rivingtons.
The Trashmen called their combination of the two songs "Surfin' Bird". A radio DJ who had heard and liked the Trashmen's version, arranged for "Surfin' Bird" to be recorded and released as a record.
After "Surfin' Bird" became a hit, reaching #4 on the Top Forty list, the Rivingtons sued the Trashmen. The end result was that the Rivingtons were awarded with having written "Surfin' Bird", and were to receive sole writers royalties. But the Trashmen's catchy arrangement of "Surfin' Bird" is what also made it a hit!
Hilarious 😂 I haven’t heard this in years.
It just made us laugh and smile when it first came out.
If Jay sings The Bird, Amber…you gotta come back with Rock Lobster
I loved " The Trashmen - Malaguena " so very different.
Omg, Amber’s reaction is PRICELESS M. Watch Luca love this one 😂❤ he’ll be driving poor J crazy 🤣
Especially on the drums
First time I heard this song, I was in love because it was FUN. Learning the cadence is fun, and singing along will tire you out for sure. Pure joyous energy.
I love when Amber starts grooving to the music! You go girl! This is a fun song!
I grew up in Minneapolis and the Trashmen were big on the local scene. I was 8 when this song came out and my friends and I drove our parents crazy running around singing it. Great memories! I had never seen the video until a year or so ago. CRAZY! Someone else said listen to Morris Day and the Time's song, The Bird - another Minneapolis Band. You gotta love 'em both!
One of the great one-hit wonders of the 60s! Surf music at its best! I remember Pee-Wee Herman singing and dancing to this song in "Back to the Baach", starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello! (ETA: "Bird Dance Beat" was their only other Top 40 hit. It's basically the same song but with slightly different lyrics.) Steve Wahrer is the vocalist.
From Wiki: The song is prominently featured in the Family Guy episode "I Dream of Jesus", in which Peter Griffin overhears the song at a diner and it turns out to be his favorite childhood song. He proceeds to annoy his family by taking the record from the diner and playing the song virtually nonstop for the rest of the episode. "Surfin' Bird" has since become a recurring gag on the show.
Also on the Addams Family Wednesday and Lurch dance to Surfin' Bird.
Nooo not one hit. Black Eyed Peas sampled their song Misrrlou
@@bengilbert7655 Also on Full Metal Jacket in city fight scene.
Oh Yes I Remember That
I'm repeating myself here, but Alan Sherman is an absolute must. Camp Granada, One Hippopotamus, You went the wrong way Old King Louie, and so many others.
To whoever asked them to listen to this: Thank you! What a reaction. Made my day! 😂😂😂
This song is so deep, you can hear the pain in his voice.
The Ramones did an amazing cover of this
This is such a classic garage rock tune! I used to work with the son of the Trashmen's bassist, and I gave him a 7" sleeve which he had the whole band sign it for me, minus one member who had sadly, already passed away. I treasure the heck outta that thing!
Thank goodness you guys did the performance video where the dude actually "acts out" the bird while he's singing it. Song's great but must be seen to be fully appreciated!
Drummer Steve Wahrer is also the singer of this brilliant tune!
Yeah Jay.....This is Peter Griffin's Favorite Song....LOL Thanmks for the smiles
Have you, or have you not, heard? 😂😂😂😂😂
@@grecofit Everybody's heard that the Bird is the word,,,,,,,
You can't keep a straight face when this song is on. 😃The flip side of this single was "King of the Surf," a '60s Surf Music song that has almost the same exact melody as Johnny B. Goode. It's dated but it rocks. It's a good listen even if only for curiosity's sake. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Fun song!! I hope you'll consider a recurring segment reviewing some fun songs. Getting the kids involved, too would be a lot of fun!!
You two gave me a much needed smile with this one. Much love guys, good job
This song is actually a combination of two songs by The Rivingtons "The Bird is the Word and "Papa Oom Mow Mow". They threatened to sue over their copyrights, because the Trashmen took credit for for writing the song.Later releases credited the Rivingtons.
Yes, I keep forgetting about The Rivingtons. Were their versions radio hits as well?
@@johnsilva9139 Yes, especially "Papa Oom Mow Mow". And both the singles by the Rivingtons were light years better than this mish-mash abomination. At least these thieves had some honesty by naming themselves The Trashmen, because that's what this is; absolute trash compared to the originals. Thank God, it was their only "hit"(and I use that term loosely).
@@rs-ye7kw,
I just listened to the original songs that this song was made from. They're nothing, as far as energetic or funny, compared to this song. I'm not knocking the songs or the band, but they're just regular.
@@RayfordRaySiegel The Rivingtons I thought were the better group, it's a matter of opinion of course, but I do remember that most of the people I knew thought the original was quite funny when it first came out. The Birds the Word didn't get a lot of radio play when they released it, so a lot of weren't even aware of the Rivingtons version of that song. When Surfin' Bird came out most people (including me) did find it funnier than Papa Oom Mow Mow, which was funny as doo wop song full of gobbledygook, but Surfin' Bird did away with the doo wop, sped it up and gave a lot more energy.
The Rivingtons were a much better group than people realize. They worked with a lot of great rock/R&B acts of the time; for example, they did the backing vocals on Duane Eddy’s “Rebel Rouser”
I was in tears laughing so hard watching you guys! And what a ridiculous video. I knew Amber would love this! It's totally nuts!
This was one of those songs that just made you want to jump up and dance the bird and have fun.
*I'm glad to see y'all enjoying that, so much. Now y'all should hear the cover, by The Ramones.*
The Cramps also did a pretty awesomely unhinged version.
Love the Ramones cover
That was the perfect song for April fool. They actually had a dance to this one.😂😂😂 Your reactions lifted my day thank you❤
Oh her laugh was priceless 😂😂😂
I can't hear this song without thinking of the film Full Metal Jacket! Anyway, both of your reactions were great!😆
Is that you John Wayne?... 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
From Minneapolis, my town! Love this song. Great beat. Love the droning guitar.
Oh goodness! Well here we go! Oh! For April Fools , OK. Yes, we April babies. We sang along, you guys! Amber's caught the spirit.Jay too! Cool!! I'm laughing here. Thanks. Have not heard it for a long while.
One of my dearest friends would have celebrated her 53rd birthday yesterday. When we were in high school, I would crank this in my car as we rolled the windows down and flapped our arms out them. It was a corny thing to do, but most of my memories of her are corny and what a great memory to have of her today. I miss you Shawna.
The Surfaris "Wipeout" would be a good reaction.
When I saw this in my inbox I said to myself: "Oh no, Jay and Amber don't know what they've unleashed". There were a ton of these novelty songs back in the 60's and each one funnier and more crazy than the next. I loved your reactions and it was more than likely very similar to mine when I was a budding teenager back then. That was lot of fun, thanks guys and cheers from Ontario, Canada!
When my kids were babies and toddlers I would sit them on my lap & play this song while I bounced them up & down on my knee! They would laugh hysterically and sing along with the song. Brings back great memories!
I remember hearing this on the radio!! Can you believe it? It was so bizarre. I loved it. Everybody knows the bird is the word!
This is actually Peter's favorite song on Family Guy! There's a whole joke about how obsessed he is with this song. I love it, too. It's so much fun!
that episode was based on a married with children episode were al was obsessing over a song he could not remember the name of and he finally gets the 45 of it and it then gets broken at the end
@@MichellejosphYep! I just digitized my original Dot 45 of that song Al Bundy was looking for, "Anna (Go With Him)" by Arthur Alexander.
Some little British band covered it early in their career...I think they were called The Beatles 😉💜💙🐶
Amber !!!
You had me LOL'ing!!!
Ha ha haaaaaaaaa!
That was ruff!
At my age...
My bladder!
PLEASE!!!
LOLOLo!!!
Pure punk. I always loved this song. Amber describes it perfectly "He's flipping out!"
I was thinking I’d this the first punk song!
@@JoeYello Proto punk!
This reaction had me laughing so hard! Thank you for that! This song and others like "Purple People Eater", "Ally Oop", "Ahab the Arab" are some of the funny songs that came out when I was a kid.
...then they came out again on compilation 8-tracks when I was born 💙💜🐶
Wow, never heard this for years….what a fun song, of its time 🤣
That was the most joyful reaction I've ever seen! Amber is a national treasure! Thanks!!!
One of the first records I bought as a kid back in the 60's. It was inspired by 2 songs by The Rivingtons "Papa Oom Mow Mow" and "The Bird's The Word" which came out a year earlier. Check out "They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha Ha" by Napoleon XIV. The B-side is the same song backwards.
Thanks Ghoulardi! I still remember this overlaid over a horror movie on Friday night!
Possibly the greatest musical performance since the dawn of civilization.
LMAO!
😂
You should check out Arthur Brown's "Fire". But only if it's his performance on Top of the Pops.
This would be a perfect song to have your kids react to, and dance to…. Just cut loose and enjoy life.😂😂🎉🎉❤❤
OMG! Absolutely loved your reactions. Especially Amber's. I have two sisters who (may have indulged in a couple of cocktails one night) and both tried doing this 'dance' together while the video was playing. I recorded them with my phone and I was laughing so hard, the phone video wasn't worth saving. Darn! So glad you reacted to this.
Perfect song for an April Fools' Day! Loved your reaction. 😁 Did you notice that the guy at the beginning of the video is not the same guy at the end of the video? Someone put two videos together. The first half of the video features original "singer" Steve Wahrer. The second half is from a performance at a talent show. This man is from the Netherlands. His name is Andre van Duin. It was at the beginning of his career as a comedian. Link for the original video + interview on American Bandstand th-cam.com/video/6GizTr6QLfc/w-d-xo.html
Such a wonderful reminder of why my youth was so great. No worries just music and your friends. You really had to live it. The BEST. Great reaction. Buckets of Maple Syrup love from Canada ❤️ ❤🇨🇦🇨🇦
I'm not sure if you or anybody else will ever see this...... But I already *_thought_* I recognised the man in the second half of the video! Turns out, after doing some research, the man doing the bird dance in the second half of the video (the one in the tweed jacket) it's actually _not_ Trashmen singer Steve Wahrer, but instead legendary Dutch comedian Andre van Duin! In fact, it was his first-ever TV performance, a talent show which he won and which basically launched his career.
Y'all's reaction on this was epic! Yeah, silly song. We didn't grow up with videos, but this played on the radio a LOT. LOL
Imagine this being played on the radio all the time, day after day - it was in all of our heads!
Oh, my! Ya'll made me laugh so hard. I don't recall ever hearing that song, and pretty sure I can go the rest of my life without ever hearing it again, but I'm glad I heard it with you two. Thank you! Enjoy the rest of your weekend...
I saw these guys live in a beachfront dance hall back in the summer of '65 right after this song became a hit. Hell of a dance band. Good fun for us High Students spending the summer at the beach!
Back in the late 70's, early 80's there was a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers named Mark Fidrych. Some how the name Mark "the bird" Fidrych stuck and they always played this song when he would come out to pitch.
Funny, I always associate the song with Larry Bird. The singer even sounded like Celtics announcer Johnnie Most.
Yep, The Bird is The Word......song was also in Full Metal Jacket.....
😂 I have heard about this for many years, and I've heard bits and pieces of this over the years, but this is the first time I've heard this much of it. And I've heard my dad walking around the house going "oopa mow mow oo-pa mow mow" and wondered what in the world he was going on about. 😂 BTW I'm 57.
I dont care what anyone says...I LOVE this song!
It has everything rock and roll needs.
This is definitely a novelty song :) Dad plays a lot of those, including "Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd" by Roger Miller, "They're Coming to Take Me Away" by Napoleon XIV, "The Little Blue Man" by Betty Johnson, "Close the Door (They're Coming in the Window)" by Jim Lowe, and Grandma's least favorite "The Cattle Call" by Eddy Arnold. LOL
That said, this and "Miserlou" are the only ones I know by The Trashmen, though I'm sure they have lots of others. :)
Her defense of the dancing is so solid. Both are so witty and hilarious, thank you , friends.
I think Jay would have a new appreciation for Rock Lobster, if he heard the studio version
This was a surfer song that was used to great effect in “Full Medal Jacket”!
I couldn't stop laughing, this song was a hit back in the day😅😅😅
Your kids would love this one, just dance around the house like maniacs.
Jay's ongoing disdain for Rock Lobster still cracks me up though.
When I saw you were going to react to SURFIN' BIRD, I couldn't WAIT to see HOW you would react to THIS!! I LOVED your reaction, especially AMBER'S, she was having a BALL...just like WE ALL DID who were around when it was released!! WE LOVED IT, it was FUN and we DANCED OUR BRAINS OUT TO IT!! It was a ONE HIT WONDER, so I don't know IF there are ANY other songs by them! IT is what was called a "NOVELTY SONG" There were SO MANY "NOVELTY SONGS" back in the late '50s and early '60s. I MISS them! NOVELTY SONGS haven't EXISTED now since then....it's sad. Here are SOME more NOVELTY SONGS: ( ** denotes MY favorites) this list is only SOME of the better known NOVELTY SONGS:
1) PURPLE PEOPLE EATER by Sheb Wooley ('58) was the NO. 1 of all time **
2) BEEP BEEP by The Playmates ('58) **
3) WITCH DOCTOR by David Seville ('58)
4) ALLEY-OOP by the Hollywood Argyles (it's a song about a newspaper Sunday Comic strip character that was a CAVE MAN named Alley Oop when I was a kid in the '50s)
5) MR. CUSTER by Larry Verne ('60) **
6) SNOOPY vs.THE RED BARON by The Royal Guardsmen ('67)
7) HELLO MUDDAH, HELLO FADDUH! By Allan Sherman ('63) (it's a letter from a kid at camp, it's hilarious) **
8) I HATE THE BEATLES by Allan Sherman ('64) A father expressing his hate for the Beatles, to the tune of "POP GOES THE WEASEL) Allan Sherman took a lot of songs
and put funny lyrics to them, and wrote his own funny songs, he had several albums full of them) **
9) CHARLIE BROWN by The Coasters ('59)
10) THE FLYING SAUCER by Buchanan and Goodman ('56)
11) AHAB THE ARAB - by Ray Stevens ('62) very cute song about an Arab rich guy back in the "Alladin's Lamp" period. It shouldn't offend any one ) **
12) THEY"RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY, HA---HAAAA! By Napoleon XIV ('66) THIS was a HUGE HIT in 1966! It went to No. 1 one a lot of cities. It's HILARIOUS. **
13) DOES YOUR CHEWING GUM LOOSE IT'S FLAVOR ON THE BEDPOST OVERNIGHT? BY Lonnie Donegan ('61) **
14) SPEEDY GONZALES by Pat Boone ('62) NO One ever expected PAT BOONE to come out with a novelty song!
15) SEVEN LITTLE GIRLS SITTING IN THE BACK SEAT by Paul Evans ('59) ***** LOVE THIS ONE, one of my FAVS since I was 12 in '59 **
16) GITARZAN by Ray Stevens ('69) **
17) ALONG CAME JONES by The Coasters ('59) **
18) LITTLE EGYPT by The Coasters ('61) **
19) LEADER OF THE LAUNDROMAT by The Detergents ('64) this is a parody of the SHANGRI-LAS' song "LEADER OF THE PACK" **
20) TIE ME KANGAROO DOWN, SPORT by Rolf Harris ('63) **
Grew up with the novelty songs. LOVED EM!!!
The 60s rocked. Always loved this song.
Hell yeah Brian and Stewie out back smashing the record.😂😂😂
Surf music from Minneapolis, MN. Makes sense to me! I was a high schooler when this was originally released. Fun stuff!
thank GOD you knew Family Guy reference
Ambers reaction is soooo priceless. Best reaction yet.
Honestly, this song goes hard in your soul after a few shots of alcohol 😂
Love this song. The Trashmen had so many great songs. My parents got me hooked on this type of music when I was real young
The Ramones do a great cover of this.
I've seen this 1000 times and it still cracks me up. My little daughters (4 & 7) and I used to dance around the house and go crazy to this! So much fun
the Ramones did a KILLER version of this tune as well
That was Andre van Duin a comedian from Holland. Greetings from Holland
Not a huge fan of the song but LOVED your reactions!
You know the right word, Bird 🤗
Jay & Amber, sorry you had hear this one-hit wonder from 1963. ☹
edit- Amber said he flipped out, a nice way of saying he looks like he's having a seizure.
But they liked it.
Yeah and wtf is *your* problem with this song? Constipation maybe?
WOW... I'm a Calif. guy & growing up in those "Surf" Music days at 12,13 yrs old were fantastic 🙂 You could hear The Trashmen & Surfin' Bird everywhere at the Beach.🤣😂Pure comedy 🤣Most "Surf Sound" music were great instrumentals like Pipeline, Wipeout, Miserlou. Apache. It really made young guys like me want to be in a band. I'm 73 now & just stopped playing live a couple years ago.Thanks for the flashback 😊