An ancient folk song from the other side of the world morphed into a rock and roll surfer tune.
by Rich Watson
In the book Quentin Tarantino: The Cinema of Cool by Jeff Dawson, the film director has said about “Miserlou,” the surf-rock anthem he used in the opening credits to his 1994 crime movie Pulp Fiction, “To me it just sounds like rock and roll.”
Many would agree, but the 1963 instrumental is based on a much older song, one with origins far from the land of surfboards and sun tan lotion.
