“Surf’s Up”

In today’s Atlantic crossword, by Peter Gordon, a nice tip of the hat: 10-D, nine letters, “Surf’s Up singers, with the.” Nice not to have to think of them as the in-name-only group sharing a stage with Vanilla Ice at Mar-a-Logo. The horror.

Surf’s Up is a 1971 album. “Surf’s Up” is a song, music by Brian Wilson, words by Van Dyke Parks, written for the ill-fated SMiLE project. It’s one of my favorite songs. Listen to the Brian-only version (1967). Then try the finished version. If you think you know what a song titled “Surf’s Up” is going to sound like — well, listen.