Song Clearance Sheet
4 sources citedMisirlou
Surf Rock1960s172BPM
E majKey
More around 170 BPM → · More in E major →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
No live dispute — the real complexity is century-old, untraceable folk-authorship ambiguity, not a legal conflict. Real precedent of respectful direct clearance (Tarantino personally asked Dale) and extensive legitimate reuse.
Used by independents?
Unconfirmed — the page doesn't yet document enough sampler detail to tell.
Who you need to ask
The songwriters (of record) — Nicholas Roubanis, Fred Wise, Chaim Tauber & Milton Leeds
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — covered by The Beach Boys ("Surfin' USA," 1963), The Ventures and others; directly sampled in The Black Eyed Peas' "Pump It" (2006); placed in Pulp Fiction and Mad Men
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; the real complexity is century-old authorship ambiguity, not a live legal conflict — with real precedent of respectful direct clearance
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Nicholas Roubanis, Fred Wise, Chaim Tauber & Milton Leeds
A note on Dick Dale's creditPer at least one source, Dale is credited as a composer in some registrations simply because his claim to the arrangement was never legally challenged — not because he authored a song that clearly predates him by decades
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
A respectful example of a proper clearance conversation
Quentin Tarantino reportedly first saw Dick Dale perform live in Amsterdam in the early 1990s and personally approached him for permission to use the song in Pulp Fiction (1994) — direct artist-to-artist clearance, not an anonymous licensing transaction.
Rich Watson's Substack · read it →
The Pulp Fiction revival reintroduced it to a new generation
The film's opening-scene use reignited its fame decades later, leading to a direct sample in The Black Eyed Peas' "Pump It" (2006) and a placement in Mad Men (2008).
Classic Rock Fandom · read it →
A century of layered cultural history
A folk song Arabic, Greek and Jewish musicians were all playing by the 1920s; adapted with English (Wise/Leeds), Yiddish (Kressyn, 1943) and Arabic ("Amal," 1944) lyrics; performed at the Athens 2004 Olympics closing ceremony.
Wikipedia · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
The Beach Boys · The Ventures · The Black Eyed Peas (sample)
Covers
1963
First flip
Who to Contact
DD
Songwriters of record (Roubanis et al.)
The credited writers per the Dick Dale recording
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
Sample something pre-cleared insteadCheck Tracklib →
Find a similar sound that's 100% freeBrowse the catalog →
References
Every source cited on this page — 4 in total
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Deep Batch 2)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending a separate manual keyfinder pass