“There is danger in the summer moon above” The Happenings

Summer is nearly over. The kids in our neighborhood are back in school and the unofficial end of summer (Labor Day Weekend) is nearly upon us. (I realize that the “official” end of summer is September 21st but I have never felt that September was anything but a fall month). So in honor of the summer before it departs (sigh), I thought I would present my list of 20 favorite summer songs of all time.

But first, here are a few ground rules as to what I define as a “summer song”. I don’t count songs that happened to be recorded or charted during the summer months. Instead, the song must have “summer” or “summertime” or a summer month (i.e. “June” “July” or “August”) in the title OR in the lyrics to qualify. Also, to keep this manageable I have restricted it to songs recorded in the rock ‘n roll era (i.e. 1955 or later). I am sure that there are some great earlier era songs that I will be missing , but so be it. So here they are in order. Though not much separates #1 from #20:

1) Summer in the City – Lovin Spoonful – Mark Sebastian co-wrote this song for his older brother’s group. Since he was in the same class as my sister in high school at Friends Seminary in New York, I can’t help but feel very connected to this song. I love this song for its poignant lyrics which are all New York City and really remind me of my summers growing up … “back of my neck, getting dirt and gritty”….”All around, people looking half dead. Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head”. And the song is an uncharacteristic rocker given the normal folk rock sound of John Sebastian and the Spoonful. Great keyboards and electric guitar. In other words, it has it all.

(2) See You September – The Happenings – ” there is danger in the summer moon above”. Though not the original version, (the Regents did that in 1959), this rendition features the Happenings great voices and is a bit faster than the original. It is irresistibly catchy, both lyrics and music. Though certainly not a rock song, it was one of my early favorites ( and among my first 45 purchases) when I starting listening to WABC constantly in the summer of 1966.

(3) Sunny Afternoon- The Kinks ” lazing on a sunny afternoon in the summertime”–This song oozes summer laziness which all of us have experienced at one time or other. It doesn’t hurt that it is also, in my opinion, one of the Kinks best songs with an infectious guitar, bass line and tune.

(4) Hot Fun in the Summertime- Sly and the Family Stone–This is by far the best soul song about summer. A hard one not to love since it makes you feel really good about the summer (though strangely sad when you here it post-September).

(5) Summertime Blues- Eddie Cochran/ The Who–OK I cheated a bit on this one. I love Eddie Cochran’s original version with its late 50s guitar rhythms. But I also like the Who’s hard rock version (particularly their “Live at Leeds” recording) as well. So I put them both on the list tied at #5.

(6) Summer Rain- Johnny Rivers— I have always been a huge Johnny Rivers fan. I love his voice. This is a particularly good Johnny Rivers ballad, an original hit song with lyrics that had us all remembering the summer of 1967. “All summer long, we were dancing in the sand. Everybody just kept on playing Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”. (At least, I remember experiencing the second part of that line from the summer of “67)

(7) Saturday in the Park- Chicago “I think it was the 4th of July”— This song captures the spirit of Grant Park in Chicago on a summer Saturday. But it just as easily could have been New York or any other major city in the 1970s with ” a man selling ice cream, and singing Italian songs”. It’s a great tune featuring Chicago’s always interesting brass arrangement.

Near Misses/Honorable Mentions:

Master Blaster- Stevie Wonder “Everyone’s feeling pretty. Its hotter than July”

Summer- War

Hot Summer Day- It’s a Beautiful Day

Rain on the Roof – Lovin Spoonful  “caught up in a summer shower”

4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)- Springsteen

Theme from a Summer Place- Percy Faith

Hot August Night – Meatloaf

Cruel Summer- Bananarama

All Summer Long – Beach Boys

Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer – Nat King Cole

98.6 – Keith ” got spring and Summer rolling thru me”

Sorry I was never a big fan of these songs

Indian Lake- Cowsills

In the Summertime- Mungo Jerry

Endless Summer Nights – Richard Marx

Vacation- Connie Francis

Suddenly Last Summer- Motels

Ode to Billie Joe- Bobby Gentry ” was the third of June”

Summer Nights- Olivia Newton John/John Travolta

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So I am sure I missed a few and maybe some of your favorites?