Here, we demonstrate a variation of photoacoustic spectroscopy that can be used for obtaining spectroscopic information of surface adsorbed chemicals in a standoff fashion. Pulsed light scattered from a target excites an acoustic resonator and the variation of the resonance amplitude as a function of illumination wavelength yields a representation of the absorption spectrum of the target. We report sensitive and selective detection of surface adsorbed compounds such as tributyl phosphate and residues of explosives such as trinitrotoluene at standoff distances ranging from 0.5–20m, with a detection limit on the order of 100ng∕cm2.