A Half-Fuller’s Musical Odes to Summer

I love summer (I know it’s not 6/21 yet, but for me it starts after Memorial day) - yesterday it was absolutely perfect; 75 degrees, sunny, a nice breeze. I walked outside after work and stood motionless in the parking lot for about 10 minutes before I got in my car, just soaking it all in. It’s a Half-Fuller’s paradise!

In honor of the new season, I present my “Odes to Summer“, otherwise known as my 5 favorite songs with the word “Summer” in the title (in no particular order):

1. “Summer Breeze” - Seals and Crofts : This one came out in 1972. It was our 8th grade graduation “class song”, and I remember all of us (23 in all) singing it to our parents as part of our class variety show. Every time I hear it I think of that time and all the promise of summer.
2. “Summer Wind” - Frank Sinatra: This is one of my favorite Sinatra tracks- breezy and swingin’. I sang it when I did a series of gigs at a coffee house many years ago. Ah yes, “my fickle friend, the summer wind“
3. “Summer in the City” - The Lovin’ Spoonful: Every time I go into Manhattan in the summer, especially on hot and humid days, I think of this song, and the lyric “walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head“. “Hot town“, indeed!
4. “Summer Nights” -John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John: Back when the movie version of Grease came out I used to hang out at a nightclub that would play this track incessantly, because it was a great big boy/girl “sing along” that would get the whole place going. I guess everyone could relate to those “summer flings” that would always end in September (happened to me a couple of times). Plus, it’s a just plain fun song.
5. “In the Summertime” - Mungo Jerry: This came out when I was 10 years old and had discovered Top 40 radio. I listened to my little radio that summer morning, noon, and night, and this song, a #1 hit, got tattooed in my brain (check out the link - it claims that the record sold 23 Million copies - wow). It’s quite irresistible, and I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised that my favorite line is “we’re always happy, life’s for living, yeah, that’s our philosophy”.

That Mungo Jerry line just about sums up the joy that summer can bring, don’t you think?

Happy summer everyone!

What are your favorite summer songs? Let’s share.