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Hi Everyone,
Remember summer? Hitting the beach, the boardwalk, summer camp, lazing around, cruising with no particular place to go? That is so last year. Maybe we'll have summer again next year. Meanwhile, here are 23 songs to get you in a "summertime" mood. Listen up! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PoaIcJTt0hw4FcB6DNyGb?si=STiF4pQUSbW9vKK__7th2g 1. "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer" Nat King Cole. The great jazz singer and pianist recorded this in 1963. Originally a German song, "Du Spielst 'ne Tolle Rolle." Can't get those lyrics out of my head. 2. "Summer In The City" The Lovin' Spoonful. Huge hit in 1966. Friends always asked me, "What did you do this summer?" I said, "Sweat." |
3. "Hot Fun In The Summertime" Sly & the Family Stone. San Fran funk-soul masters released this in fall 1969 after their knockout set at Woodstock.
4. "Surfin' U.S.A." The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson put surfing lyrics to Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" and, voila, a Beach Boys' hit. Highlight: mentions Pacific Palisades.
5. "Summer Breeze" Seals and Crofts. Met in Texas, members of Baha'i Faith, had beards, wore funny little hats.
6. "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" Martha Reeves & the Vandellas. Not a summer song, but I remember East Coast heat waves, so it applies. I ask again, what's a vandella?
7. "Hello, Muddah, Hello, Faddah" Allan Sherman. Created, wrote and produced the TV show, "I've Got A Secret," then wrote song parodies, this his biggest hit by far.
8. "Let's Twist Again" Chubby Checker. "Let's twist again, like we did last summer." Depressing lyrics.
9. "Under The Boardwalk" The Drifters. Big hit from 1964. Me and my baby under the boardwalk? Blech. Love the song, but get a room.
10. "Palisades Park" Freddy Cannon. Boston's Frederick "Boom Boom" Picariello sings of the famous amusement park in New Jersey, written by Chuck "The Gong Show," "Let's Make A Deal," "Newlywed Game" Barris.
11. "Sunny Afternoon" The Kinks. Ray Davies sings about high taxes in Britain. "Sunny" in the title. "Save me, save me, save me from the squeeze..."
12. "Wipe Out" The Surfaris. Great instrumental with the drum solo of all drum solos, played by Ron Wilson. The song is every aspiring drummer's audition piece.
13. "Stoned Soul Picnic" The Fifth Dimension. Written by Laura Nyro, first of many songs she wrote for them. Not clear what "surry" means. Since the group's sound was called "champagne soul," maybe they were drunk?
14. "Good Day Sunshine" The Beatles. From "Revolver." We need a feel good song during a pandemic.
15. "Was A Sunny Day" Paul Simon. Another happy summer song. Paul goes a little bit reggae.
16. "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay. Otis Redding. Great song, big hit, Otis wrote and recorded this song right before he died in a plane crash.
17. "At The Beach" The Avett Brothers. Harmonic brothers Seth and Scott from North Carolina sing about going to the beach. Gleeful song. P.S. I hate the beach.
18. "No Particular Place To Go" Chuck Berry. Chuck sings about cruising with his date, parking, then going home because he can't undo her seatbelt. "The Father of Rock 'n' Roll" can't figure out a seatbelt?
19. "The Boys Of Summer" Don Henley. Love this song. The Eagles performed this on their recent ESPN live concert. I kept pointing out Glenn Frey to my wife and how great he looks until she informed me that he died in 2016.
20. "Summersong" The Decemberists. Portland indie band, one of my favorites. Excellent song written by Colin Meloy, singer/songwriter/author, brother of terrific writer, Maile Meloy.
21. "Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)" The Shangri-Las. Tough girl group of the sixties. "Waking in the saaaaand..." Hate the beach.
22. "Summer Side Of Life" Gordon Lightfoot. Canadian folk legend. Considered by many to be a national treasure. By request.
23. "All Summer Long" The Beach Boys. Ending our memories of all our previous July-Augusts with a quintessential summer song.
Ah, summer. Maybe next year. For now, don't forget to disinfect and...PLAY IT LOUD!
4. "Surfin' U.S.A." The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson put surfing lyrics to Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" and, voila, a Beach Boys' hit. Highlight: mentions Pacific Palisades.
5. "Summer Breeze" Seals and Crofts. Met in Texas, members of Baha'i Faith, had beards, wore funny little hats.
6. "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" Martha Reeves & the Vandellas. Not a summer song, but I remember East Coast heat waves, so it applies. I ask again, what's a vandella?
7. "Hello, Muddah, Hello, Faddah" Allan Sherman. Created, wrote and produced the TV show, "I've Got A Secret," then wrote song parodies, this his biggest hit by far.
8. "Let's Twist Again" Chubby Checker. "Let's twist again, like we did last summer." Depressing lyrics.
9. "Under The Boardwalk" The Drifters. Big hit from 1964. Me and my baby under the boardwalk? Blech. Love the song, but get a room.
10. "Palisades Park" Freddy Cannon. Boston's Frederick "Boom Boom" Picariello sings of the famous amusement park in New Jersey, written by Chuck "The Gong Show," "Let's Make A Deal," "Newlywed Game" Barris.
11. "Sunny Afternoon" The Kinks. Ray Davies sings about high taxes in Britain. "Sunny" in the title. "Save me, save me, save me from the squeeze..."
12. "Wipe Out" The Surfaris. Great instrumental with the drum solo of all drum solos, played by Ron Wilson. The song is every aspiring drummer's audition piece.
13. "Stoned Soul Picnic" The Fifth Dimension. Written by Laura Nyro, first of many songs she wrote for them. Not clear what "surry" means. Since the group's sound was called "champagne soul," maybe they were drunk?
14. "Good Day Sunshine" The Beatles. From "Revolver." We need a feel good song during a pandemic.
15. "Was A Sunny Day" Paul Simon. Another happy summer song. Paul goes a little bit reggae.
16. "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay. Otis Redding. Great song, big hit, Otis wrote and recorded this song right before he died in a plane crash.
17. "At The Beach" The Avett Brothers. Harmonic brothers Seth and Scott from North Carolina sing about going to the beach. Gleeful song. P.S. I hate the beach.
18. "No Particular Place To Go" Chuck Berry. Chuck sings about cruising with his date, parking, then going home because he can't undo her seatbelt. "The Father of Rock 'n' Roll" can't figure out a seatbelt?
19. "The Boys Of Summer" Don Henley. Love this song. The Eagles performed this on their recent ESPN live concert. I kept pointing out Glenn Frey to my wife and how great he looks until she informed me that he died in 2016.
20. "Summersong" The Decemberists. Portland indie band, one of my favorites. Excellent song written by Colin Meloy, singer/songwriter/author, brother of terrific writer, Maile Meloy.
21. "Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)" The Shangri-Las. Tough girl group of the sixties. "Waking in the saaaaand..." Hate the beach.
22. "Summer Side Of Life" Gordon Lightfoot. Canadian folk legend. Considered by many to be a national treasure. By request.
23. "All Summer Long" The Beach Boys. Ending our memories of all our previous July-Augusts with a quintessential summer song.
Ah, summer. Maybe next year. For now, don't forget to disinfect and...PLAY IT LOUD!