It’s a tune full of subtle Brian Wilsonisms, from the chorus harmonies to the lyrics about not being able to control your brain. Rivers Cuomo wrote one of the greatest summer songs during a dark time in his life when he was seriously smarting over the initially cold response of Pinkerton. But in the US it was their last hit for four years, as landmarks like “Days,” “Waterloo Sunset,” and “Dead End Street” sank without trace. Along with the preceding “Dedicated Follower of Fashion” it began a string of lyrically sharp, musically inventive Kinks singles. One of the most important Kinks singles, this deceptively upbeat tune established Ray Davies as a first-rate social chronicler and satirist – and it’s still summery enough that even Jimmy Buffett could (and did) cover it without irony. There is of course no surf in Athens, Georgia, but perhaps Fred Schneider was flashing back to his Long Branch, New Jersey childhood. So many things about this record were cool, but The B-52’s surreal sense of humor was high on the list – and Ricky Wilson’s twangy guitar wasn’t far behind. It still gets plenty of covers (most recently by Demi Lovato at Joe Biden’s inauguration) despite its being extremely tough to sing: Withers’ sustained notes on the choruses are some of the longest ever held on a (pre-autotune) pop record. By 1977 he was ready to loosen up and even visit the disco, recording this smooth track for his danceable Menagerie album. But the song is haunting enough on its own, with its tearful vocal and synth orchestration.īill Withers was no stranger to darker lyrics in his hits his “Use Me” had one of the messiest relationships ever celebrated in a pop song. The miserable summer song is a genre in itself, and this one did a lot to establish Lana del Rey’s tragic, romantic persona – especially the video, which shows a female couple saying their final goodbyes. Though never a hit single (and originally a B-side) it’s a fan favorite that they still played live well into the reunion era.
Much of Blondie’s first album was a loving homage to different styles of 60s pop, this one covers both surf and garage as Jimmy Destri takes the lead with some vintage-sounding Farfisa organ. “Surf’s up!” Debbie Harry’s shout as the song kicks off lets you know that beach party time is here. This one’s a sure contender though, and it may be the toughest rocker they ever cut – though its lyrics, about how much better things get in the nighttime, are right in line with the band’s good-time philosophy. It’s hard to pick a favorite Lovin’ Spoonful hit, since they managed so many good ones in a few short years. 44: The Lovin’ Spoonful: Summer in the City It was a huge hit all over Europe, but it somehow managed to pass America right by. With its layered harmonies and big beat, ABBA’s “Summer Night City” is not only one of the greatest summer songs, but one of the Swedish foursome’s sexiest records. Cole’s sophistication carried the day this and the similar follow-up “That Sunday, That Summer” were his last Top 20 hits. Cole Won’t Rock & Roll.” This 1963 hit was about as close as he got, with an odd hybrid of early rock and German oompah music (like Sinatra’s “Summer Wind,” it was originally a German pop song). Nat King Cole was not too down with the kids’ style of music – on one of his live albums, he even recorded a sendup number called “Mr. It was his second hit of 1966 after “Strangers in the Night.”Ĥ6: Nat King Cole: Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer
For Sinatra, the song continued a remarkable mid-60s run.
But it was originally German, given a fresh coat of sunscreen by longtime Frank Sinatra collaborators Nelson Riddle (arrangement) and Johnny Mercer (lyrics) – the latter with the final hit of his lifetime. Given the breezy feel of this song, you might expect it was originally French or Brazilian. A chart-topper (in its original version) under two minutes long? A No.1 featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, three decades after “Achy Breaky Heart”? And above all, a song that could top the country music and hip-hop charts simultaneously? Just plain impossible, but Lil Nas X did it. But “Old Town Road’s” success was not predictable. Surely you don’t need to be reminded of this one, which showed its mettle as a summer song by topping the Billboard Hot 100 for the entire summer of 2019. For added hilarity, seek out the version from one of those English hit-soundalike albums, sung by an incognito Elton John. Of course, the record’s very silliness made it a classic, though leader Ray Dorset tried in vain to pursue a tougher image afterward. Even in 1970 hit singles seldom got goofier than this one, with its silly rhymes, its one endlessly repeated melodic lick, and its vocalized sound effects.
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