UNDER THE BOARDWALK
THE DRIFTERS
SONGWRITER: ARTHUR RESNICK & KENNY YOUNG
COUNTRY: U.S.A.
ALBUM: UNDER THE BOARDWALK
LABEL: ATLANTIC RECORDS
GENRE: SOUL
YEAR: 1964
"Under
the Boardwalk" is a hit pop song written by Kenny
Young and Arthur Resnick and recorded by The
Drifters in 1964. It charted at number four
on the Billboard Hot 100 charts on August 22, 1964. The song has since been covered by many
other artists, with versions by the Tom Tom
Club, The
Rolling Stones, Billy Joe Royal,
Bruce Willis,
and Lynn Anderson all charting in the United States or overseas. The song ranked #489
on Rolling Stone's
list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The lyric
describes a tryst between a man and his beloved in a seaside town, who plan to
privately meet "out of the sun" and out of sight from everyone else
under a boardwalk.
The instrumentation includes güiro,
triangle and violins. The
song's chorus is unusual in that it switches from a major to minor key. The
opening line of the song references the Drifters' prior hit "Up
on the Roof", showing the occasional
thermal weakness of the rooftop getaway and setting the stage for an alternate
meeting location, under the boardwalk.
Oh
when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof
And your shoes get so hot you wish your tired feet
were fire proof
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be1
(Under
the boardwalk) out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) we'll be havin' some fun
(Under the boardwalk) people walking above
(Under the boardwalk) we'll be falling in love
Under the boardwalk, boardwalk
In
the park you hear the happy sound of a carousel
Mm-mm, you can almost taste the hot dogs and french
fries they sell
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea
On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be
(Under
the boardwalk) out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) we'll be havin' some fun
(Under the boardwalk) people walking above
(Under the boardwalk) we'll be falling in love
Under the boardwalk, boardwalk
Ooh,
under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be
(Under the boardwalk) out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) we'll be havin' some fun
(Under the boardwalk) people walking above
(Under the boardwalk) we'll be falling in love
Under the boardwalk, boardwalk.