Reclaiming the “Song of The Summer” with These 12 Songs
A few years ago I started hearing people say "_______ is the song of the summer." or “This is a great new track that's sure to be the song of the summer.”
I've listened to music my whole life and never heard that the "song of the summer" was a real thing. Looking back, however, there are lists to be found on the internet showing songs of the summer stretching back to the dawn of rock and roll and before.
Most of the time they're pop songs. Most of the time they're highly recognizable, number one hits that everybody either listens to or has heard playing on the radio at parties, the beach, sporting events, and, of course, top 40 radio.
In case those aren't your cup of tea, here are a few alternates that I have in my list of great summertime songs. I haven't hit one for every year, but I've tried to work through the decades by providing a list of some of my favorites, with a little context around why they're my favorites.
At the end, I've got everything in a Spotify and Apple Music playlist.
Mark's 1971 Song of Summer
Carole King's "It's Too Late" is among the tracks listed by NPR as 1971's Song of Summer. Move over Carole, and make room for Alice.
Alice Cooper probably has more songs that would fit in at Halloween than summer. Here's an exception. Under My Wheels has a great uptempo bluesy groove and it's about driving and, apparently running over a woman. We'll overlook that part, but it's another great, uptempo song that you can play loud in your car.
The original Alice Cooper Band was something special and you hear that it in this track, from the highly underrated Killers album.
Mark's 1973 Song of Summer
NPR's list had the 1973 Song of Summer as Bad Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce. I'm ok with that. It's a good song. Croce was one of my dad's favorite artists. I've got all the records. Just fine. I'll just throw another one in that made no lists that I could find.
I don't know if they do it anymore, but for years, the theme song of the Kansas City Royals radio broadcasts was the opening of Aerosmith's Mama Kin. It's one of my favorites from Aerosmith, and now when I hear that song, I think of baseball. When I think of baseball on the radio I think of summer. There you go.
Mark's 1974 Song of Summer
"Billy, Don't Be A Hero" by Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods. We can do better than that.
So I'll make this the 1974 song of summer, but also be sure to play the version from KISS Alive in 1975 because that one includes one of Paul Stanley's greatest monologues, which includes:
"How many people here like to take the taste of alcohol?" and "I was talking to somebody backstage and they were telling me there's a lot of you people there that like to drink vodka and orange juice"
Incidentally, I just noticed that if you stream Alive! this classic rap has been removed from the album. So go get yourself the record or CD. You see, friends, it's gettin' so hot outside and you always need something to cool you off. Forget the tequila and have some Cold Gin.
This brings me to my drink of choice for the day:
Today's Perfect Pairing
I'm a whiskey drinker and I've had the same bottle of Beefeater Gin in my bar for about 15 years, but I've decided to remove the seven layers of dust from the bottle and have it on the rocks with some lime seltzer. It's alright. You know it's the only thing that keeps us together! If gin’s not your thing, perhaps you could try an ice cold wheat beer while watching a baseball game. That’s what I did last week on a trip down to Kansas City to see the Royals play the Tigers - specifically a Boulevard Wheat, which you can get around this area. Back to whiskey next time.
Beefeater gin and lime seltzer on the rocks
Boulevard Wheat and Kansas City Royals Baseball
Mark's 1977 Song of Summer
Dreams by Fleetwood Mac is listed as one of 1977's Songs of the Summer. You can't argue with that. I'll just add one more:
Dancing in the Moonlight by Thin Lizzy is a track that should go in your summertime playlist, not just because the lyrics include "on this long hot summer night," but because it's a great song with a cool groove, fun lyrics and vocals from Phil Lynott, and some great guitar-work from Scott Gorham.
Mark's 1980 Song of Summer
1980's "official?" Song of Summer was Funkytown by Lipps. You all know it. You might love it. Here's what I have to offer instead:
Van Halen may have the most songs for driving with the windows down and the stereo cranked up on a hot summer Saturday night. You might consider Unchained. Mean Street. Panama. Atomic Punk. I could list a dozen more. For my money, Romeo Delight from 1980's Women and Children First is at the top of the list.
Mark's 1985 Song of Summer
It's 1985. The Kansas City Royals, my baseball team, are on their way to a season that would end in their first World Series Championship. Candidates for 1985's Song of Summer include Prince's Raspberry Beret, The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News, and Shout by Tears for Fears. Those are all great. No arguments, but I have to include this one.
Classic California hard rock band Y&T put out a classic summertime song, that you know is a summertime song because it has the word summertime in the title. I'm talking about Summertime Girls. It doesn't just get in because of its name though. It's a good song. It's got all the mid-80s rock tropes, a little keyboard in the background, some nice harmonies, and great vocals and guitar from the great Dave Meniketti.
Mark's 1991 Song of Summer
Unbelievable by EMF is listed by NPR as 1991's Song of Summer. Here's mine. First, a story.
In the early 1990s, there was a short-lived radio station in Omaha Nebraska that broadcast out of the Ranch Bowl Entertainment Center. The Ranch Bowl was a bowling alley, a bar (several bars actually), and a rock club that hosted artists including Pearl Jam, Anthrax, Chick Corea, Cheap Trick, and many more. 93 K-ROCK didn't last long but it played a big part in my high school musical life. I listened to it in my '82 Monte Carlo as I was driving around with friends. I listened to it on the tractor as I was cultivating the fields. One song that was in the regular rotation was the song Same Jane by Kix. I hadn't been a Kix fan until the Hot Wire album, but there were a lot of really good songs on that album. Same Jane has great vocals from Steve Whiteman and is full of great riffs and hooks.
It may not make your list of summer songs, but because it was played to death that summer, it makes my list.
Mark's 1993 Song of Summer
I'm all out of charm. I'm all out of money. I'm hangin' down incognito waiting for the sun to shine. Those summertime lyrics are from what I consider to be among the best albums from the band Winger - certainly the best of the first three albums. Pull came out on May 18th of 1993 - just in time for summer. I remember listening to it on repeat that summer and even going to see the band at the aforementioned Ranch Bowl later that year. I miss that place. I caught Rod Morgenstein's drumstick and a pick from their new guitarist John Roth. John's still in the band to this day and compliments Reb Beach's shredding leads.
With Down Incognito you've got summertime lyrics, you've got a harmonica, and you've got a great, catchy chorus. That's all you need.
Mark's 1994 Song of Summer
1994 was the year I graduated from high school and, this may be an unpopular opinion among those my age, but the popular music of that era was not my favorite. Perhaps that's why I've got two back-to-back alternatives for this era. One of 1994's official songs of summer according to NPR was Regulate by Warren G and Nate Dogg.
I'd like to offer an alternative, not from Warren G. but Warren H. - Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers Band.
The Allman Brothers Band is without question a summertime band. It's great music to put on at a barbecue or when hanging out at the lake or the beach. There are so many I could have picked from this band, but I'm going with a later classic from the band's 1994 album Where It All Begins. The song was written by guitarist Warren Haynes and you'll often hear it performed in Haynes' current band, Gov't Mule.
Incidentally, I saw the Allman Brothers Band for the first of two times I would get to see them, on this tour. It's my song of the summer for 1994. Listen to it.
Mark's 2003 Song of Summer
Beyonce and JAY-Z's Crazy In Love is widely considered 2003's Song of Summer. Much more narrowly considered, is the song I've chosen:
When you think of The Donnas, you probably think of their most famous song, Take It Off. However, the opening track from the album Spend the Night, It's on the Rocks, is the one I've chosen. The Donnas were always a lot of fun. Their guitarist Allison Robertson knew every Ace Frehley lick in the book and she used them all to great effect throughout the album, but It's On the Rocks is my favorite.
Most importantly, it makes the list for the lyrics "You'd rather have a Mai Tai than a tall glass of Bud Dry".
It's not something Dylan would have written, but Dylan's not in my summertime playlist, is he?
Mark's 2018 Song of Summer
The song generally accepted to be 2018's Song of Summer was I Like It from Cardi B. But what if you don't like it? I actually like it. It's fine. I've got something I like better.
Halestorm is one of my favorite bands of the last decade. Their album Vicious came out in the summer of 2018 and is my favorite of their four studio albums. I've seen the band 10 or 11 times, mostly during the summer, so they feel like a summertime band for me. There are a few songs I could have picked, but the title track from Vicious, Vicious, is a pretty good song for having fun and listening to loudly. Check it out if you don't know it. Perhaps you'll say, "I like it."
Mark's 2021 Song of Summer
Has there been a Song of Summer yet for 2021? I don't know. Whatever it is, you should stop listening to it, because Cheap Trick is back with a great album, and the opening track has summer in the title!
From 2021's In Another World, which pretty great from start to finish, comes The Summer Looks Good On You. Like many of Cheap Trick's power-pop classics, this song has a very Beatles sort of feel. It's a mid-tempo tune with great harmonies and cool guitar work by Rick Nielsen. Robin Zander still sounds amazing. This is a song that I think you should have in your summer playlists this year, and into the future.
Any songs of summer that you'd like to add to the list? Let me know in the comments.