Wipe Out (instrumental)

Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson wrote the song almost on the spot while at Pal Recording Studio in Cucamonga, California in late 1962, needing a suitable B-side for the intended "Surfer Joe" single. One of the band members suggested introducing the song with a cracking sound, imitating a breaking surfboard, followed by a manic voice babbling, "ha ha ha ha ha, wipe out". The voice was that of band's manager, Dale Smallin. "Wipe Out" is based on the 1959 song "Bongo Rock" by Preston Epps.

The afterthought track spent four months on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1963, reaching #2 but kept out of the top slot only by Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips". The song returned to the Hot 100 in 1966, reaching #16 (and #63 for the year), and peaked at #9 on the Cash Box chart. The 1966 reissue sold approximately 700,000 copies in the U.S..Meanwhile, the original A-side "Surfer Joe", sung by Ron Wilson, only attracted airplay in the wake of "Wipe Out"'s success, and peaked at #62 during its six-week run. Wilson's energetic drum solo for "Wipe Out" (a sped-up version of his Charter Oak High School marching band's drum cadence) helped the song become one of the best-remembered instrumental songs of the period. Drummer Sandy Nelson issued different versions on multiple LPs. In 1970, "Wipe Out" peaked at #110 in the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The single spent a grand total of 30 weeks on the Hot 100.

• Bob Berryhill – rhythm guitar
• Jim Fuller – lead guitar
• Pat Connolly – bass
• Ron Wilson – drums

Following the 2001 death of television personality Morton Downey Jr., news reports, obituaries and Downey's official website incorrectly credited him as the composer of "Wipe Out".[7][8][9]

In science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax series, the DNA sequence for a deadly virus is saved in a computer folder entitled "Surfaris". A character immediately recognizes this as a reference to "Wipe Out" and determines that the virus will wipe out all of the Neanderthals on a parallel universe's Earth. She then rewrites the DNA code to a non-lethal version and calls the file "Surfer Joe" in reference to the A-side of "Wipe Out".

In the late 2000s, the track was used on Harry Hill's TV Burp, usually played when Harry or the Knitted Character ride a jelly.

"Wipe Out" has been included in a number of film soundtracks, including those of Dark Star (1974), Dirty Dancing (1987), The Sandlot (1993), Toy Story 2 (1999), Recess: School's Out (2001), The Cat in the Hat (2003), Surf's Up (2007), and Far Cry New Dawn (2018).

In 2014, the track was played in the 29th episode of season 5 of Regular Show as the "ancient call of the surfers".

In the summer of 1987, the Fat Boys collaborated with the Beach Boys on a version of "Wipe Out" that made #12 in the U.S. and #2 in the U.K.

• The Ventures covered "Wipe Out" on their albums Let's Go (1963) and The Ventures On Stage (1965).
• English punk band the Toy Dolls recorded a very fast version of "Wipe Out" on their second studio album A Far Out Disc in 1985.
• In 1993, Animal from The Muppets covered the song for the album Muppet Beach Party. Released as a single in 1994, it reached number 38 on the UK Singles Chart.[12] A music video was created to promote the single and the album.
• Jan & Dean's live cover of "Wipe Out" from an earlier television appearance was featured on their 2001 album Live In Concert: Surf City.
• Finnish comedy rock band Sleepy Sleepers covered the song in 1975 as Jytinää Eestissä ("Rumble in Estonia").

• List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States