The Drifters, Under the Boardwalk | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 24th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Under the Boardwalk” by The Drifters.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 24^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Under the Boardwalk” performed by The Drifters.

“And your shoes get so hot / You wish your tired feet were fireproof,” Johnny Moore (1934 – 1998), the lead vocalist of The Drifters sings, “Under the boardwalk / Down by the sea / On a blanket with my baby / Is where I’ll be.” “Under the Boardwalk” is the second track from The Drifters’ 1964 album, also titled, Under the Boardwalk.  The classic was penned by Artie Resnick (Arthur Resnick) and Kenny Young.  Mike Leander and Bert Berns produced it. A success on the pop charts, “Under the Boardwalk” peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Under the Boardwalk” is magical.  It thrives off its old-school charm – those classic vibes.  It features a sickening groove and refined production work.  The rhythm section cooks while the brilliant string orchestration ups the ante.  Moore wows with his classy, refined lead.  His falsetto is gorgeous.  Of course, The Drifters provide marvelous background vocals. For those who have never experienced a boardwalk, or don’t live near one, The Drifters capture the magic superbly. “From the park you hear / The happy sound of a carousel,” Moore sings in the second verse, adding, “Mmm, you can almost taste / The hot dogs and French fries they sell.” Dining is associated with boardwalks.  Also, the chorus gives us a bit of a risqué happening that will be ‘going down’ under the boardwalk:  

“(Under the boardwalk) Out of the sun

(Under the boardwalk) We’ll be having fun

(Under the boardwalk) People walking above

(Under the boardwalk) We’ll be making love

Under the boardwalk, boardwalk.”  

“Under the Boardwalk” is one of the best songs from The Drifters.  It is also one of the greatest songs from the 1960s soul catalog.  It’s vintage – old-school to the nth degree – but its charm and magic never fade.   

The Drifters // Under the Boardwalk // Atlantic Recording Corp. // 1964

The Drifters, Under the Boardwalk: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 24 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Atlantic Recording Corp.; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]