During this first performance, drummer and vocalist Steve Wahrer stopped playing and ad-libbed the "Surfin' Bird" middle section.

[1] Despite the Trashmen's not knowing "The Bird's the Word" was a Rivingtons song, the similarity to "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" was obvious, and the band added the chorus to the end of their new track.

Wahrer was originally credited as the song's writer, but that was changed to the Rivingtons (Al Frazier, Carl White, Sonny Harris, and Turner Wilson Jr.) after the group threatened to sue the Trashmen for plagiarism.

"Surfin' Bird" was frequently played on Detroit radio and TV stations over the summer of 1976 during segments featuring the Tigers' 21-year old rookie sensation Mark Fidrych.

He proceeds to annoy his family by taking the record from the diner and playing the song virtually nonstop for the rest of the episode.

It is also featured as an emote in the online video game Fortnite, added in Chapter 5, Season 1, based on its appearances in Family Guy.

In his early career, darts player Stephen Bunting jokingly used "Surfin’ Bird" as someone said he resembled Peter Griffin.