Awww shit! Summertime's up in this bitch. Get the sunblock, get the notary public! Set the Tivo for Hell's Kitchen! Shit's official. What can i say about the summertime? It's a love/heat affair....sorry. Anyway, Summertime has had quite a tawdry affair with rock and roll and I was just thinking to myself, "self, there are good summertime jammers and bad summertime efforts." I believe it was the fist time that I referred to songs as 'efforts.' There are obvious good ones- Summertime Blues, for example. There are bad ones, Summertime Girls by Y&T, and then there are the inadvertent Summertime jams, like Peaches by the Stranglers. Of course, there are also songs that remind you of certain Summers even if the song is about snowmobiling. I don't have a particular snowmobiling song in mind, but you can smell what the Rock is cooking. So just for shits, I thought I'd compile a list of my favorite, least favorite, and inadvertent Summertime jams- I'm also including non-rock songs for lower bias.
THE GOOD
1. SUMMERTIME BLUES- Eddie Cochran and/or Blue Cheer and/or the Who and/or T.Rex and/or Joan Jett and/or the Flaming Lips and/or your mama. It's safe to say that this is the alpha song of the summer. If you put this song in the ring with King Leonidas and Maximus, it would be way gay. But also this song's cuisine would reign supreme. The only thing I don't like about this song is that Cedar Pointe amusement park used this song in an ad in the 80's and I associated the song with overpriced admission, sun stroke, 2-hour waits in line, diarreah, and vomitting on some poor kid in a Hawiian shirt, wayfarers, and parachute pants on the Gravitron. OK, maybe that kid was actually me. It was quite astouding how the centrifugal force manage to suspend the stranger's vomit against my face and upper chest until the ride slowed down and dumb fucking gravity totally harshed my parachute pants. I guess that's why they call it the blues.
2.SUMMERTIME-Ricky Nelson
Often overlooked in the canon of summertime music, this little dickens is actually a cute little musical buddy that celebrates the season to the utmost.
3. SUMMER SUN BLUES- the Go
The Go have a cornucopia of summer-themed tunes including but not limited to Summer Sun Blues, Summer Gonna Be My Girl, Summer At The Gym, The Pharaoh's Beach, Meet Me At The Movies, and Pool Water.
4. Summer Nights- John Travolta
Tell me more, tell me more.
5. Catalina- The Descendents
Sure, you can take your boat out to Catalina during other seasons when you're in Southern California, but I'm projecting, damn it.
5. Sunny Afternoon- The Kinks
6. Summer Madness- Kool & the Gang
Oh, what's that? You didn't think I was gonna get all fusion on your ass?
7. HEATWAVE- Martha & the Vandellas
This one's not really about summer....or is it?! I was torn between putting this in this catagory or the inadvertent one.
8. SUMMER WINE- Nancy & Lee
9. HOT IN HERRE- Nelly
10. Rock Lobster- B-52's
11. Hot Fun In The Summertime- Sly & The Family Stone
12. Here Comes The Summer- Undertones
Sure, Feargal Sharkey always wore a turtleneck, but put on either Undertones records(yes, I know. Positive Touch was their mulligan) and you'll freak out and want to play badminton.
13. Too Hot- The Specials
14. Rockaway Beach- The Ramones
15. Surfin' Bird- The Trashmen/Ramones/Cramps
THE BAD
1. Summertime- Jamie Foxx
Not to state the obvious, but Jamie Foxx is. The R&B set really are ghastly lyric writers. Exhibit A: Summertime lyrics by Jamie Foxx Early in the mornin', around this time of year
I like to sit around the pool and get my chill on, yes I do
Well sippin' on a glass 'o wine, or my favorite kind of beer
When I'm feelin' oh so right, you know that you can't go wrong
Exhibit B: The Zoo by R. Kelly
It's like a jungle atmosphere
And we're two monkeys baby
It's like we're on a vine
The way we're swinging it baby
See, you're a tiger girl
The way you're scratching me
I'm a lion
In this jungle I'm a king
Girl, I got you so wet
It's like a rain forest
Like Jurassic Park
Except I'm your sex-a-saurus baby
You and me hopping
Like two kangaroos
Rattling and moaning
Out here in these woods
I SHIT YOU NOT.
2. Summer Breeze- Seals & Croft
3. THE HEAT IS ON- Don Henley
4. Margaritaville/Cheeseburger In Paradise- Jimmy Buffet. Both these songs make you feel old and white and bored and poisoned. Includes the sensation of being on the Gravitron.
5. Summer In The City- Lovin' Spoonful
I hate this fucking song.
THE QUEEN
WALK DON'T RUN- The Ventures
PEACHES- The Stranglers
SHOTGUN- Junior walker & the all-stars
DEAD MAN'S CURVE- Jan & Dean
Got any "efforts" to add to these lists? Send me your suggestions, or text my ass and I'll compile the answers and think about them for like a second and then not do anything with them.
2 comments:
In the Summertime _ Mungo fuckin Jerry
Yeah, I know this is posting about two weeks late. Maybe you'll read it, maybe you won't.
GOOD: Bummer in the Summer by Love
GOOD: Bar-B-Q by Wendy Rene
The QUEEN: Cheap Sunglasses, Nationwide, and pretty much anything by ZZ Top up to and including Eliminator. What else are you going to play at midnight on a hot summer night when everyone's been drinking beer for hours? There's no better music to dance shirtless to.
The QUEEN: Mm..Bop by Hansen. This could also be listed in your more recent post. I think I'll wait two weeks and mention it there.
BAD: You chose wisely. Cruel Summer by Bananarama huffs dong, though.
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