Summer of 2007 officially arrived yesterday at 10 a.m. – which got me thinking about hot summer days, laying on the beach and listening to the latest hits on the radio. Radio has been replaced with iPods and iTunes. If you were to create a playlist of your favorite summer tunes, what songs would have on your iPod?
Here’s my Top 9, in reverse order:
9. “Centerfield” by John Fogerty. “Oh, put me in, Coach – I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach – I’m ready to play today; Look at me, I can be Centerfield.†This plays continuously at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
8. “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince. “Summer, summer, summertime.
Time to sit back and unwind.†Light, bouncy tune back when rap had a pop side.
7. “California Girls” by Beach Boys. “And the Southern girls with the way they talk
They knock me out when I’m down there.†Beach Boys Mike Love and Brian Wilson wrote this song celebrating the women of California. There’s always some gold chain laden player trying to insert the word “Pensacola†when it plays at a local bar.
6. “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams. “It was the summer of ’69. Me and some guys from school had a band and we tried real hard. Jimmy quit and Jody got married – shoulda known we’d never get far.†I’ve got an old frat brother that a swears the “69†has nothing to do with the year….I don’t talk much with him anymore.
5. “Summer in the City” by The Lovin’ Spoonful. “Hot town, summer in the city
Back o’ my neck gettin’ dirt and gritty.†This song was used at the beginning of the movie Die Hard: With A Vengeance.
4. “Summertime Blues” by Eddie Cochran. “Well I’m a- gonna raise a fuss, I’m a- gonna raise a holler. I’ve been a- workin’ all summer just to try to earn a dollar.†Pure Rock & Roll. Many artists wanting rebellious image have recorded this, including Joan Jett, T Rex, The Who, Van Halen and The Stray Cats.
3. “Boys of Summer†by Don Henley. “Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach. I feel it in the air, the summer’s out of reach.†This won Video of The Year at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards.
2. “Summer Nights” on the Grease soundtrack. Just TRY not to sing along with it when you hear it on the radio. Or when you read its name in print.
1. “Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly and the Family Stone. “End of the spring and here she comes back; Hi Hi Hi Hi there; Them summer days, those summer days.†Still one of my favorite groups. Love listening to Sly.