On August 30, 1971, "Surf's Up" was released as the closing track on the LP of the same name. It was also issued as the album's third single in the US, in November, and failed to chart. A major part of the album's success came from the inclusion of the title track, although most listeners at the time were unaware that the song derived from a lost Beach Boys album. The band incorporated "Surf's Up" into their live set at the time. "Circus" reported that, at one concert, the group performed the song as a closer "after numerous requests" from the audience. In another concert review from the "NME", Tony Stewart reported that the band said "Surf's Up" was "a most apt title, implying they had deserted the surfing days".