Favorite Summer Songs

SUMMER SOUNDS MASTER LISTS*

Pop & Rock Summer Sounds

Seasons in the Sun.....Terry Jacks
This Ain't the Summer of Love.....Blue Öyster Cult
Dance the Night Away.....Van Halen
Night Moves.....Bob Seager and the Silver Bullet Band
Dancin in the Moonlight.....by Thin Lizzy
Schools Out for the Summer.....Alice Cooper
Sealed With A Kiss.....Brian Hyland
A Summer Song.....Chad & Jeremy
Summer In The City.....The Lovin' Spoonful
Spill the Wine.....Eric Burdon and War
All Summer Long.....Kid Rock
Afternoon Delight......Starland Vocal Band
Midnight at the Oasis.....Maria Muldaur

Summer Soul, Funk, Blues, Jazz, etc.
Breezin'.....George Benson
Grazing in the Grass.....Hugh Masekela
Grazing in the Grass.....Friends of Distinction
Stoned Soul Picnic.....The 5th Dimension
Summertime.....War.
Biloxi.....Ted Hawkins.
Hot Fun in the Summertime.....Sly & the Family Stone

The Summer Lounge

Theme From A Summer Place...Percy Faith
Summer Wind.....Frank Sinatra
Lazy Days Of Summer.....Nat "King" Cole
In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening.....Rosemary Clooney
Calcutta.....Lawrence Welk And His Sparkling Strings
Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White.....Pérez Prado Orchestra
Fifi.....101 Strings Orchestra
Barbarella.....Ferrante & Teicher
Theme From "The Apartment".....Tito Rodríguez
Moon River Cha Cha......Henry Mancini
Wonderland By Night......Burt Bert Kaempfert
Maria Elena......Los Indios Tabajaras
Wave.....Frank Sinatra.

*****The songs were categorized as close as seemed to make sense. If you feel a song is miscategorized and you actually give a damn you can make an argument in a post below.

[ Edited by: woofmutt 2010-07-18 00:16 ]

What are the songs (and albums) that sound like summer to you?

The masses have the Beach Boys, Bob Marley Legend, J**** B******, and a few dozen tunes by Kenny Chesney. But considering Tiki Centralites wide tastes and higher than average musical awareness (knowledge of music and awareness of the importance of having the right music for a particular situation) there's got to be dozens of swell summer sounds to include on a list.

There's nothing wrong with the obvious ones (It's a Beautiful Morning by the Rascals, In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry, Summer by War) and ideally the suggestions will be tunes anyone should be able to find fairly easily. (Feel free to wax poetic about a rare B side, but there's no need to reach for the obscure. We know we're all cool.)

And since summer nights are another season themselves think about great summer night songs.

Also suggest full albums that nail the summer feeling for you.

And songs for the summer lounge would be also be good.

Anyone can use Google to just come up with a list of songs with "summer" in the title, and there are lots of songs about summer which probably leave you cold. These lists will hopefully be made of music you actually want to hear in the summertime.

Add your songs and master lists will be kept in the post below this one.

woofmutt

[ Edited by: woofmutt 2010-07-15 00:01 ]

[ Edited by: woofmutt 2010-07-15 07:21 ]

Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks

This Ain't the Summer of Love - Blue Öyster Cult

Starting my suggestions off with some soulful sounds...

Breezin' (the track/single) by George Benson. I've liked this tune since I first heard it in the late 70s. Feels like cool breezes along the ocean shore on a sunny day, which I'm pretty sure was the intent. The guitar is swell and keeps the track from becoming a bit of elevator fluff (though I probably would have liked that, too.)

Grazing in the Grass by Hugh Masekela. Probably overly familiar but still damn good. I love the slight restraint to the tune, it feels like a late summer day when you just can't be bothered to get out of your lawn chair or even sit up straight.

Grazing in the Grass by Friends of Distinction. Normally I hate words added to perfectly fine instrumentals but this song is a fantastic blast of grooviness with some of the best hippie soul lyrics that make we want to share a couple jugs of wine with friends and have a stoned soul picnic. Speaking of which...

Stoned Soul Picnic by the 5th Dimension. The lyrics confused me as a kid and still do. But it has that heavy, sunny afternoon sound. And Working on a Groovy Thing is groovy, too.

Summertime by War. A great summer in the city song. The lyrics are so-so, but they don't harsh my buzz. All Day Music has a similar sound (and lyrics), but slightly more summer night.

Biloxi by Ted Hawkins. Written by Jesse Winchester this song has rare lyrics which actually sound like poetry. Ted Hawkins take is another song that captures that suspended time of an aimless summer day, this one at the very edge of the ocean. It feels like being at the beach at twilight, beyond the heat of the day. The music sounds like a humid day with hints of cool breezes and water.

Not Necessarily a summer song,
but it reminds me of being a teenager in the summer.
"Dance the Night Away" Van Halen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEvpreZcAfI

and of course.
"Night Moves" by Bob Seager and the Silver Bullet Band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mRFWQoXq4c

I don't really like the song.
But "Dancin in the Streets"
by Martha and the Vandellas/Van Halen/ or David Bowie and Mick Jagger.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdvITn5cAVc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtZvpwJvRr4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaZCZnmdmbA

and "Dancin in the Moonlight" by Thin Lizzy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unnh0T2Ftro

I don't know why all these dancing songs make me think of summer,
I am not the dancing type at all.
But I guess the image if dancing at night, outside, at night makes me think of summer.

Jeff(btd)

Alice Cooper's "Schools Out for the Summer." Yeah - and any tunes from the damn popsicle man!

Brian Hyland's "Sealed with a kiss"
"The theme from a summer place"---great for grabbing ass at sports night.
"Summer Song" by Chad & Jeremy or those other two pasty British guys.

Summer In The City - the Lovin' Spoonful

Me and my buddies were taking the bus from Long Beach to Seal or Huntington Beach about everyday of summer vacation to frolic in the sand and surf while this song was on the top 40 and blasting from every AM radio.

Hot Fun in the Summertime ~ Sly & the Family Stone.

It's weird but I don't really think of Frank Sinatra's The Summer Wind as a summer song but it is.

"Night Moves" definitely takes me back to Summer 1977

How about "Spill the Wine" by Eric Burdon for a lazy summer day feel?

A newer song that is probably off the radar for most of you is "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock, sweet rememberances of a summer long past with undertones of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama".

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2010-07-17 17:58 ]

On 2010-07-17 17:47, MadDogMike wrote:
"Night Moves" definitely takes me back to Summer 1977

How about "Spill the Wine" by Eric Burdon for a lazy summer day feel?

A newer song that is probably off the radar for most of you is "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock, sweet rememberances of a summer long past with undertones of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama".

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2010-07-17 17:58 ]

That summer sound sounds like a nightmare to me! Werewolves is one of those songs I can't turn the channel fast enough! I like Warren Zevon but I can't stand THAT song! Likewise, I like the song Sweet Home Alabama but seriously dislike Lynyrd Skynyrd - simply because of that TERRIBLE song Freebird that was played at EVERY high school dance I went to and it starts off all nice and slow and you're slow dancing and then WHAM! they switch over to rock 'n' roll that NO ONE can dance to! And yet we were COMPELLED to go out and dance to it knowing the consequences! Awkward teenage moments I can never forget. I'll get Alzheimers (runs in the family) and THAT will be the one thing I'll never forget! Argggg!

Oh, Carl thought of "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band or "Midnight at the Oasis" by Maria Muldaur! LOL

Some summer lounge tracks I dig...

Lazy Days Of Summer.....Nat "King" Cole. Obvious, yes. It doesn't remind me of summers I've known, it makes me think of summers in another era.

In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening.....Rosemary Clooney. (Many others have done it as well.) Another obvious summer tune but like Lazy Days... it makes me think of summer in some other time. I like the song's promise of a cool summer evening gathering of friends.

Calcutta.....Lawrence Welk And His Sparkling Strings. Maybe this was supposed to be an attempt at Exotica but it doesn't make me think of India in any way. The cut feels like the soundtrack for an insanely Technicolor hued summer day (or night) in the city.

Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White.....Pérez Prado Orchestra. The songs title implies spring, but it's so brash and in your face it sounds more like the big hot days of summer.

Fifi.....101 Strings Orchestra. This piece is like an almost ridiculous soundtrack to a perfect summer day in the city. An upbeat jaunt down the street that leads to an intimate moment in a cool, dark cafe and then explodes back out on the sidewalk.

Barbarella.....Ferrante & Teicher. A warm city night full of lights and reflections.

Theme From "The Apartment".....Tito Rodríguez. This piece sounds the way I would want an evening rooftop summer party to feel. You can almost hear the tinkling of ice in cocktails, murmur of gossip and small talk, and bursts of laughter.

Moon River Cha Cha......Henry Mancini. A little later in the evening at that roof top party. It's quieter, the talk is less boisterous, the guests have paired up and are talking softly or are just staring out over the city.

Wonderland By Night......Burt Bert Kaempfert. The walk home at the end of a long night and the city still feels magical and its possibilities seem endless.

Maria Elena......Los Indios Tabajaras. This piece feels painted across a summer night with wine, candlelight, and stars.

Wave.....Frank Sinatra. More wine flows through the summer night, maybe even to the edge of dawn. One of Frank's sexiest songs.

(Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66's version of Wave is a hotter, daylight splash of seduction, Antônio Carlos Jobim's Wave is another warm evening toned version of the song, though it also feels like a drive along a country road, in and out of tree shadows and sun.)

The Gears - Let's Go To The Beach

That summer sound sounds like a nightmare to me! Werewolves is one of those songs I can't turn the channel fast enough! ... Likewise, I ... seriously dislike Lynyrd Skynyrd...

:lol: I expected to catch flak for listening to Kid Rock, not to Warren Zevon & Lynyrd Skynyrd :lol:
And then I notice Woof had already listed "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock, I wouldn't have picked him as someone you would listen to Woffmutt, guess I was wrong (again)

I didn't pick Kid Rock, you did. The Master Lists are made up of all the suggestions in the thread.

All Summer Long got a lot of play on the mainstream country radio around here. I don't know what the heck the Kid Rock -modern country music connection is. I think the fact that he's on the Big Brand country stations says more about the state of contemporary country music than his music. (Or does he have a lot of country on his albums?)

He did a very popular duet with Sheryl Crow on I Put Your Picture Away and Gretchen Wilson mentions him in her song Red Neck Woman ("I've got posters on my wall of Skynyrd, Kid, and Strait"). I personally think Kid Rock is about as country as Bon Jovi. (Who, if you don't know, had a huge #1 country hit duet with Jennifer Nettles, Who Says You Can't Go Home?) On the other hand Keith Urban is a huge country star and that's still a head scratcher to me.

I have to admit All Summer Long is beer party catchy and the Skynard and Zevon nods are used in a hooky way. It fits in with all the Kenny Chesney endless summer party stuff. It wouldn't be on my list of summer country songs but I don't mind it on the radio on a hot sunny day in the country.

On 2010-07-18 09:28, woofmutt wrote:
I didn't pick Kid Rock, you did.

I'm a dork! :D I didn't remember seeing it there before :blush:

here are some things from my summers past. lost of good stuff being posted too. sergio mendez and brasil 66 was flipping great. spill the wine. wow that takes me back too. hope you enjoy.

surfer joe, wipeout the surfari's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD6LKzhQcDc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5D07c0dJuQ&feature=related

walk don't run, the ventures
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIuIIqbyEIU

sexy and 17, stray cats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4TMbxG-VeI

surfer girl and surfing usa, the beach boys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsle8Y-fc4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1FaflUn4Co

california girls. david lee roth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2CyQ7Eslg4

surf city, jan and dean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go9oiOzpQPQ&feature=related

shake and stomp, dick dale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiNFNnsH1Bo&feature=related

surfin bird, the trashmen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZThquH5t0ow

pipeline, the chantays
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j09C8clJaXo

street fightin man, rolling stones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN6XRwnYzL4&feature=related

[ Edited by: talo ka 2010-07-18 10:02 ]

[ Edited by: talo ka 2010-07-18 10:50 ]

[ Edited by: talo ka 2010-07-21 06:33 ]

Remake of "Icecream Man" by David Lee Roth! It's a Pavlovian thing for me! LOL

oh yeah..that rocks it too. and yes i put in song for the masses.

[ Edited by: talo ka 2010-07-18 16:28 ]

hey Talo Ka,
I think you mean Pipeline by the Chantays.
:o

Jeff(btd)

mmmmmm. yes it could be. thankies. will fix.

On 2010-07-20 23:54, bigtikidude wrote:
hey Talo Ka,
I think you mean Pipeline by the Chantays.
:o

Jeff(btd)

or better still...Pipeline by Johnny Thunders, opening cut on his So Alone album. It shreds!

The Riveras- California Sun

The Ramones - California Sun ( I prefer the The Riveras version )

rockaway beach.. the ramones.

See You In September - The Happenings

I will always associate "Genius of Love" by the Tom Tom Club with summer because I remember playing it on a bus trip to a water park on the last week of school during 8th grade.

Amercian Fun-The Stompers

Wow! I love your answer, Big Kahuna - that brought a very unexpected smile to my face!

When I saw originally saw this thread I was gonna say "WUSA" by the Neighborhoods, but I figured nobody else would know it. Maybe I was wrong!

"Pure & Easy"
I love the 'hoods!

"Summertime" from Porgy and Bess, by Morcheeba & Hubert Laws.

Pure sulty ultra-lounge (on Red Hot Rhapsody, a Gershwin Tribute)

That girl can sing!