What does summer sound like? There is a definite sway and rhythmic beat to this sultry season. A simple arrangement of 8 notes has a magical quality of transporting one back to a time of endless days filled with youthful excitement and adventure. The melodies pouring through the airwaves evoke special memories. Was it a family road trip with everyone singing at the top of their lungs to the Beach Boys? Hanging out with friends at the local amusement park humming Freddy Cannon’s ‘Palisades Park,” hoping for a summer love. Sitting on the porch sipping a cold one listening to Eddie Rabbitt strumming to the the sound of ‘thunder as lightning lights up the sky?’ Or a cool, starry night walking hand in hand with your special person. Wherever summer takes you this year, step back through any of these five decades of tunes. Enjoy a bygone era and the sweet sound of summertime.
“Summertime” by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (1957)
“Summertime Blues” by Eddie Cochran (1958)
“Palisades Park” by Freddy Cannon (1962)
“Heat Wave” by Martha and the Vandellas (1963)
“Wipe Out” by the Surfaris (1963)
“Under the Boardwalk” by the Drifters (1964)
“Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas (1964)
“Summer in the City” by the Lovin’ Spoonful (1966)
“Good Vibrations” by Beach Boys (1966)
“Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly and the Family Stone (1969)
“Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles (1969)
“In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry (1970)
“Summer Breeze” by Seals and Croft (1971)
“Sun is Shining” by Bob Marley and the Wailers (1971)
“Saturday in the Park” by Chicago (1972)
“Rockaway Beach” by the Ramones (1977)
“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac (1977)
“Easy” by the Commodores (1977)
“Summer Nights” by John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and the cast of Grease (1978)
“I Love a Rainy Night” by Eddie Rabbitt (1980)
“Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves (1983)
“The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley (1984)
“Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams (1985)
“Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (1991)
What music filled your summer?
