Summer is officially beginning to slip away from our grasp with the return of football and pumpkin spice lattes. However, you can hang on to this season well into the long, winter months with the right songs to take you back to warmer days filled with swimming and sunshine. Every season has its share of musical anthems but summertime has long been a favorite lyrical subject for artists wanting to capture and express the joy and fun of summer through their music. The music related to summer is just as much a part of this season as the sunshine, cold drinks, and the beach. I think it’s safe to say that everyone has at least one song that takes them back to these simpler times.
I’ve compiled a list of seven songs to help you hang on to this season so that anytime you’re missing warmer weather you’ll be able to relive it through music. Summertime has been a subject of many songs throughout many different decades but for me personally the ones written in the sixties and seventies make up the bulk of what bring back great memories for me. These songs are truly classics. Whether you spent your summer days traveling with the windows down blasting your favorite jams, sitting by the pool with your earbuds in, or cookouts and playing music around a campfire with family and friends, I think that any of the songs on this list will help to take you back to feelings that come along with lazy, sun filled days and nights regardless of what decade or genre of music you may prefer.
Seven Songs To Help You Hang On To Summer
1) Summer in the City – The Lovin’ Spoonful (1966)
This song spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard charts in August 1966.
2) Saturday in the Park – Chicago (1972)
This is an all time favorite for me that always takes me back to summertime car rides to the ice cream stand with my mom.
3) Summer – War (1976)
This “easy listening” favorite epitomizes summertime in the seventies.
4) Summertime – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (1991)
Having grown up in the nineties I couldn’t help but include this on my list of summertime favorites. This song takes me back to spending daylight to dark by the water or playing baseball with the neighborhood kids until the streetlights came on.
5) Rockaway Beach – The Ramones (1977)
This song for me really speaks to the freedom that comes along with being young and having fun in the summertime.
6) California Girls – The Beach Boys (1965)
This song is a favorite of mine for many reasons. It hits on every feeling that comes along with summertime. On a personal level it takes me back to a hot summer night years ago when my brother and I went to see the Beach Boys in concert together. It will always be one of my favorite concerts that I’ve attended.
7) In the Summertime – Mungo Jerry (1970)
Ever since I was little this song has managed to bring me up when I was feeling down, no matter what the season. Hopefully it will do the same for you.
Most of us like to hang on to that summer season as long as we can. Some of our best memories are from summers of the past. Hopefully these summer songs help trigger some of your best summer memories of the past and allow you to hang on to summer for as long as you can.
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