"Pipeline" is a surf rock instrumental by The Chantays (credited as "Chantay's"), which was recorded in July 1962. History The tune, originally called "Liberty's Whip" after The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, was renamed after the band members saw a surfing movie showing scenes of the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii. The record, fitting in with the popular surfing craze of the time, swiftly rose up the Billboard Pop charts, reaching #4 and becoming a classic 1960s hit. The tune featured Alberti bass arpeggios. Although they had myriad surf tunes, "Pipeline" was The Chantays' only hit single, and is considered one of the landmarks of the surf genre. The track's distinctive sound was largely due to the mix being "upside down" compared to typical rock and roll of the era; the bass guitar, electric piano and rhythm guitar were at the forefront, while the lead guitar and drums were less prominent. Although the 45-rpm was released only in monaural, the track was recorded in wide stereo, with the rhythm guitar hard left, the bass and drums hard right, and the electric piano and lead guitar centered. Modern reissues, beginning with the 1980 MCA Records 7" single, are stereophonic. The hit single was released in December 1962 on the label Downey, and was picked up for nationwide distribution by Dot Records as Dot 15-16440 in January 1963. Both releases spelled the band name as Chantay's. In November 1997, The Chantays recorded a new acoustic version of the tune, entitled "Pipeline Unplugged", which was released on their album Waiting for the Tide. The song was used as background music for the BBC's Match of the Day Goal of the Month competition. It was also used for many years during the 1980s and 1990s as the entrance music for the Edmonton Oilers ice hockey team at home games in Northlands Coliseum; "pipeline" is a pun on the oil industry. Chart performance Covers "Pipeline" was covered and recorded by a large number of other musicians including Johnny Thunders (whose live version plays over the closing credits of television series The Sopranos''' Season 6 (Part 1) episode entitled "The Ride"), Dick Dale (with Stevie Ray Vaughan and with Jimmie Vaughan), The Eagles, The Ventures, Nokie Edwards with the Light Crust Doughboys, Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans, Art Greenhaw, Incredible Bongo Band, Bad Manners, Roger Powell (an electronic version titled "Pipeline '76", on his 1980 album Air