The waning days of summer inspired me to get this selection out before fall!
In the Summer Time, Mungo Jerry
If you’re old enough to remember this one when it came out…you’re old! Like me, who recalls it well as a kid. A big hit in 1970 for one-hit wonders Mungo Jerry, and a summer radio fixture for years later. According to lead singer Ray Dorset, the song came to him when was taking time off from his regular job, working in a lab for Timex. He says he invented the song in ten minutes, and I can believe it.
Summer in the City, Lovin’ Spoonful
It’s a bit before my time, but this 1966 single has also withstood the test of time. The Lovin' Spoonful hit pay dirt on their fifth attempt break into the top ten in the United States, succeeding with their only song to reach number one. A different sort of tune about summer, contrasting the the oppressive urban heat of daytime with the liberating coolness of night time.
Summer Fires, Wilderness of Manitoba
An atmospheric ballad from this undeservedly obscure Canadian band.
Hot Summer Nights, Walter Egan
One more boomer-era oldie, from 1978. Another piece of wax spun endlessly at the time by radio DJs.
The Summer Wind, Frank Sinatra
Even older! If you remember when this came out…congratulations! ‘Cause it was originally released in Germany in 1965 as "Der Sommerwind.” After it was reworked into English by American artists, Frank took a crack at it on his 1966 album, Strangers in the Night. The legendary crooner showed more restraint on this song than on the album’s bloated, histrionic title track.
The Boys of Summer, Don Henley
A big hit for the former Eagle in 1984. Three years later he told Rolling Stone the song concerned aging and interrogating the past —a recurring theme for the dour artist. In an earlier interview with NME, he explained the “Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac” lyric as a reference to his generation selling out.
I was driving down the San Diego Freeway and got passed by a $21,000 Cadillac Seville, the status symbol of the right-wing upper-middle-class American bourgeoisie – all the guys with the blue blazers with the crests and the grey pants – and there was this Grateful Dead "Deadhead" bumper sticker on it!
Summertime, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
A ballad from George Gershwin’s 1934 opera Porgy and Bess that’s been performed by countless artists in various tempos and styles, among them Billy Holiday, Janis Joplin, and Peter Gabriel. Here’s a standout version from Ella and Louis in 1959.
Summerfling, k.d. lang
A euphoric, string-laden song to lesbian love by the great Canadian chanteuse. A reviewer on AllMusic gave the 2000 single 4 out of 5 stars. "This is the type of seminal recording that, since it was never a hit upon initial release, deserves to be rediscovered by a music supervisor and used in a film -- it's that good, and it's a true shame that something as timeless and lovely as this ditty can't muster enough muscle to dent the U.S. pop charts,” he wrote.
Hot Fun in the Summertime, Sly and the Family Stone
People who love making and performing great music for people who love to hear it. A hit single from 1969 that Rolling Stone magazine ranked as #247 on their list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
Autumn’s in the Air, Mercury Rev
A 2015 paean to the final days of summer from a great psychedelic rock band. The studio version is even better.
BONUS TUNE: The Four Seasons - Presto from Summer, Vivaldi
An impressive 2022 live performance by 15 year-old Singaporean violinist, Chloe Chua.
I guess I am old as I remember Mungo Jerry's tune and also Summer in the City both fondly. Two of my favorites at tender age of 19 then!
Barb Bawlf
What, waning days of summer already???
Thanks for this timeless lineup, most of which I recall with nostalgia for a time that was the best we'll ever see in this lifetime. And the Vivaldi! Music gets us through everything...