Critical Reception
Writing for The Guardian in October 1971, Geoffrey Cannon praised the song's music and the group's vocal harmonies, highlighting it as a standout track from Surf's Up, despite his criticism of its co-writer, Van Dyke Parks:
Van Dyke Parks, who writes pretentious words, messed Brian up in 1967, particularly on the album Smiley Smile. The title track of "Surf's Up" was written by Van Dyke Parks around that period, and Brian sat on it until now... Its delicacy is close to Pet Sounds, released in 1966, especially to "You Still Believe in Me" and "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" on that album. Its subtle shifts of pace and timing, and delicate harmony singing, put it in the top flight of Beach Boys' numbers.
Read more about this topic: Surf's Up (song)
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