The 50 greatest summer songs
Many great songs have been written about summer. Being in the Okanagan Valley, we are better qualified than anyone to comprise a list of the greatest summer songs of all-time.
The list is not based on songs that were a hit during the summer months (which excludes “Macarena” and “Call Me Maybe”), but instead songs that have something to do with joys of summer.
Drive-ins, boy-meets-girl, shorts, fast cars, amusement parks, beaches, fishing, water skiing, and just being lazy ... they’re all here.
1. All Summer Long (The Beach Boys). They had better songs, but for a song about what we enjoy about the summer — miniature golf, cut-offs, and spilling Coke on your blouse — this remains the best. Featuring their gorgeous five-part harmony, nothing says summer better than this. It went unnoticed when released in 1964, but thanks to “American Graffiti,” it found new life in 1973 when it was used over the end credits.
2. Summertime (George Gershwin). A jazz standard from “Porgy and Bess,” it has been recorded by everyone from Oscar Peterson to Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys. It was composed in 1934 which proves a truly great song will be remembered for decades.
3. (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding). From Otis’s sweet, sincere vocals to Sam Taylor’s whistling, the lyrics are unapologetic for being lazy and just living in the moment. Sadly, Otis completed the track just days before his death and he never lived to see it rise to No. 1.
4. In the Summertime (Mungo Jerry). The pop band fronted by Ray Dorset enjoyed much success in their native UK, but surprisingly this was their only hit in North America. The lyrics are now politically incorrect (“have a drink, have a drive”), but don’t worry — they’re not bad people, dirty or mean... they just do as they please.
5. Chattahoochee (Alan Jackson). A coming-of-age story about learning to water ski and discovering girls in a small town. This No. 1 country smash won the Country Music Award for single and song of the year in 1993.
6. Sea of Love (Paul Phillips). A masterpiece, Phillips wrote what was his only hit while working as a bellboy. For his efforts, he received only $6,800 (in 1959 dollars) with no further royalties. It was covered in 1984 by The Honeydrippers (fronted by Robert Plant) and it was a surprise No. 3 hit. Planet, apparently, hated it, saying he sounded like a “crooner.”
7. Wipe Out (The Surfaris). This instrumental was thrown together at the last second as a ‘B’ side to a 45 record called “Surfer Joe.” Radio DJs preferred the flipside and it raced to No. 2 on the Billboard charts proving great rock-and-roll can be spontaneous and improvised.
8. The Boys of Summer (Don Henley). OK, we cheated, technically this song is about the fall, when all of your friends have left town and you’re still there with only bittersweet memories. Henley wrote and performed a lot of great songs during his tenure with The Eagles. Boys of Summer was his finest hour.
9. Summer of ‘69 (Bryan Adams). It was everywhere in the summer of ‘85, including Live Aid, — never mind Bryan was only 10 in 1969. From the unforgettable opening chords to his lyrics about the drive-in, mama’s porch, and a band breaking up, it’s the track everyone remembers from “Reckless.”
10. Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran). The frustrations that go with teenage living in the 1950s. We’ve all hummed it whenever we’re unable to get the night off work.
11. Summer in the City (The Lovin’ Spoonful). How can you resist the sound of a horn from a Volkswagen Beetle? This John Sebastian chestnut spent three weeks at No. 1 in 1966, one year prior to the Summer of Love.
12. Groovin’ (The Young Rascals). American soul inspired by Cuban rhythms, it was recorded by many but was a mega-hit for The Young Rascals.
13. Centrefield (John Fogerty). There’s nothing more summery than the game of baseball and it was Fogerty who created this anthem about his love of America’s favourite game while plugging some of his favourite players.
14. Saturday in the Park (Chicago). Inspired by New York City’s Central Park, the title says it all. Buskers, conversation, smiling people, steel drum players, and a man selling ice cream — backed by Chicago’s trademark horn section and featuring Robert Lamm on vocals.
15. Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffet). Pour me another drink and pass the suntan lotion and salt shaker. Following the Deepwater Horizon spill, Jimmy changed the lyrics during his concerts in Florida to: “Some people say that BP is to blame.”
16. Surfin USA (The Beach Boys). From the opening guitar chords to the joyous lyrics, this is what summer’s all about. It hit No. 3 on Billboard and borrowed some of the the music from Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen.”
17. California Gurls (Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg). Not to be confused with The Beach Boys/David Lee Roth classic of the same name, this global No. 1 smash was dirtier than the innocent songs of the 1960s, but still equally irresistible. It also paid homage to the fashion sensation of Daisy Dukes.
18. Summer Nights (John Travolta and Olivia Newton John). Most of the singles from the “Grease” soundtrack were written for the movie, but this one came straight from the Broadway show. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard singles chart and was a nice bookend with “You’re the One That I Want.” A new generation discovered the song in 1991 when it was included in a three-song “Grease MegaMix” single.
19. Hot Fun in the Summertime (Sly and the Family Stone). On the surface it was about the fun and games summer has to offer, but many believe it was a metaphor to the race riots in the late 1960s.
20. School’s Out (Alice Cooper). Continually, since 1972, students have blared this on their car stereo in, or around, June 30. This song of teenage rebellion is just as relevant today as it was in the 1970s.
21. Vacation (The GoGos). A tear-jerker that you could dance to. Girl meets boy on a summer trip, but then has to return home and all that’s left is a memory. Don’t dismiss this band as bubblegum. They could rock, especially drummer Gina Schock.
22. Blue Bayou (Roy Orbison). It stalled at No. 29 on the charts when Roy released it in 1963, but thanks to Linda Ronstadt, it was a No. 3, Grammy-nominee in 1977.
23. The Tide Is High (Blondie). American trio The Paragons first recorded this obscure track in 1966 and it went nowhere until 1980 when Deborah Harry — backed by strings and a reggae horn section — took it to No. 1.
24. See You in September (The Happenings). The title says it all. First released by The Tempos in 1959, it became a hit record when recorded by The Happenings, several years later. It peaked at No. 3 in the charts in 1966, appropriately enough, in the month of September.
25. Surf City (Jan and Dean). Jan Berry co-wrote this with Brian Wilson and it was a No. 1 hit for the Los Angeles duo, who met in high school when they were playing on the same football team.
26. Red Red Wine (UB40). Neil Diamond originally wrote and recorded it, but it didn’t become a hit until UB40 made it funky. Several years after it was recorded, it became a No. 1 hit in the U.S.
27. Summer Wind (Frank Sinatra). A 1965 gem — translated from German by lyricist Johnny Mercer — about a fleeting romance.
28. Theme From A Summer Place (Percy Faith). Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue starred in the movie and Percy Faith took home a Grammy for Record of the Year for this instrumental.
29. Summer Breeze (Seals and Crofts). An AM radio chestnut from the early 1970s that proves a good summer tune can often be mellow.
30. Summertime Summertime (The Jamies). This one goes all the way back to 1958, surprisingly it only hit No. 26 on the Billboard charts.
31. (Love is Like a) Heat Wave (Martha and the Vandellas). It included gospel overtones. It peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100, one spot better than remake queen Linda Ronstadt, who checked in at No. 5 in 1975.
32. Magic (The Cars). From “Heartbeat City,” it’s about falling in love and enjoying the summer.
33. You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night), (Meat Loaf). The third single released from “Bat Out of Hell,” it’s about a teenager’s first kiss. Who other than Jim Steinman could get away with such melodramatic lyrics as: “My body is shaking like a wave on the water.”
34. Back in the U.S.A. (Chuck Berry). Chuck’s travelogue with a vivid description of the awesome U.S. diners which serve unhealthy helpings of grease. Guess who turned it into a hit record with her remake? Linda Ronstadt. (On the album cover she wore rollerskates.)
35. Surfin Safari (Beach Boys). Recorded in February 1962 in one of the band’s first sessions ever in a studio. The ‘B’ side was “409.”
36 Soak Up the Sun (Sheryl Crow). Far from her biggest hit, but by far her most optimistic song.
37. Fun Fun Fun (The Beach Boys). It was inspired by the antics of a girl named Shirley, whose father owned a radio station in Salt Lake City. Shirley always told her dad she was going to study at the library. The Wilsons’ father denounced the song as immoral and tried to talk the band into not releasing it.
38. Sun Is Shining (Bob Marley). Originally released in 1978, it became a huge dance hit 20 years after Bob’s death thanks to a nifty remixed.
39. All Summer Long (Kid Rock). Another nostalgic number combining samples from both “Werewolves in London” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” This is the only song on the list to make a direct reference to marijuana.
40. Cruel Summer (Bananarama). This was an anti-summer song — not having a summer romance and tolerating excessive heat. This girl group made it a top 10 hit in both their native UK and the U.S. thanks, in part, to its inclusion in “The Karate Kid.”
41. Holiday (Madonna). Madge’s first big hit from her self-titled debut, she was on the cusp of becoming a global superstar. This was the song that started it all. Hiphop artists regularly sample it.
42. Palisades Park (Freddy Cannon). Featuring a distinctive organ solo and whistles, this song about a famous New Jersey amusement park reached No. 3. It was written by Chuck Barris, long before he became host of “The Gong Show.”
43. Love Shack (The B52s). This funky little place, where people wear next to nothin’ because it’s as hot as an oven, is located about 15 miles out of Atlanta and in the middle of a field. It was the party band’s biggest single ever, reaching No. 3.
44. Patio Lanterns (Kim Mitchell). A song about attending your first mixed party at about the age of 13 or 14.
45. Love Letters in the Sand (Pat Boone). It dates back to 1881 as the melody inspired a rewrite by Fred Coots and Nick Kenny in 1931. Boone made it a No. 1 single for five weeks in the summer of 1957.
46. Beach Baby (The First Class). This band from the UK was a one-hit wonder on both sides of the Atlantic. This song reached No. 4 in the summer of 1974 at the same time “Endless Summer,” a greatest hits package by The Beach Boys, reached No. 1 on the album charts.
47. Island Girl (Elton John). When you have as many hits as Elton, it’s easy to forget some of them. This 1975 song about a man’s proposed rendezvous with a hooker went all the way to No. 1 in the U.S.
48. Summertime (DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince). Long before he was Academy Award-nominee Will Smith, the Fresh Prince won a Grammy Award for this funky, laid-back song about driving around the streets of Philadelphia. It sampled “Summer Madness” by Kool and the Gang.
49. Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters). Who doesn’t want to be on a blanket with their baby? Bette Midler and John Mellencamp both did great covers of this song.
50. Take Me Out of the Ball Game (traditional). It’s become the official theme song of baseball and is used continually in almost ever Major League park. It’s unknown if the Cracker Jack company sued for copyright infringement.
James Miller is valley editor for Okanagan Newspaper Group .