Cool (Songs) for the Summer
DO tell your mother, because these bops are for everyone.
May we interest you in some songs of the summer? Note that we’re just talking about songs we’re enjoying this summer, not necessarily songs that came to be in the summer of 2024. Right this way, please.
Dame Margaret’s Songs of the Summer, 2024
As for so many people, Sabrina Carpenter has been my guiding light this summer— but not necessarily in the way you’d think! While “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please” do, undeniably, have their hooks in me, what’s been even more influential is “Sabrina on Tour”, the playlist that she (or someone within her pop music empire) made to “warm you up for the Short n’ Sweet Tour.” Here are a few of the absolutely perfect songs from that playlist that Sabrina’s encoded into my summer lexicon forever:
“It’s My House” by Diana Ross
“Sexy to Someone” by Clairo
“I Just Want to Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibbs
“You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate
And, because I am not capable of recommending music without recommending them, let me also give a shout out to a couple songs from Bad Bad Hats’s most recent album:
“Happy” by Bad Bad Hats
“Bored in The Summer” by Bad Bad Hats
Dame Sophie’s Summer Tunes Musings
For me, summer at its best is a time outside of time — it’s languorous, dreamy, too hot for deep thought, but just hot enough to let my mind drift and occasionally find some deep-enough thoughts, anyway. Everything is sort of concentrated and more vivid, more memorable in the summer.
Thanks to climate change and *~grown-up responsibilities~* that kind of summer scarcely exists for me anymore, so I like to wring out and relish all of those vibes wherever I find them. This morning, thinking about this issue’s theme of the week, the following floated up from the depths of my brain and found its way to a handy bit of scrap paper:
Summer Music Modes are either reminiscing & nostalgia, breathless novelty & shimmering heat, or pulling the rug out entirely from under one or both.
It felt so true as I wrote it, and a couple of hours later I’m laughing at being so self-indulgent, but I’m invested, so here are some examples!
On the reminiscence & nostalgia side of things, that can be my own feelings about songs I’ve been associating with summer for decades — Cloud Nine track, the coda of Layla, Heartache Tonight —
or something — a mood, flashes of memory, a lyric that they heard in a dream — that the musician is conjuring as in “august”, by Taylor Swift:
or “Dreams Tonite”, by Alvvays
Breathless novelty & shimmering heat is maybe a little too conceptual? A few wild swings at that could be a song that just sounds like a broiling stadium full of sweating fans screaming for their favorite attacking midfielder, as in “Umbabarauma (Ponta de Lança Africano)”, by Jorge Ben Jor:
I’m open to suggestions from the floor!
As for pulling the rug out entirely, there’s nothing better than the bracing lyric “summer, MY ASS” in “Real Summer”, by Future Bible Heroes:
Far more encyclopedic and adventurous minds than mine have crafted some incredible playlists. Once and future guest editor Cassie’s Summer Heat (going strong for seven years!) and Matthew Perpetua’s This Was Summer lists by year, including 1979, 2004, and the decades-spanning Summer Is Ready When You Are.
Dame Karen Continues To Be A Middle Aged Dad and Maybe Even Granddad
I’ve been in a terrible mood lately, as I discussed last week while proclaiming “The Shrink (Why Do You Think You Are Nuts)” to be the song of my summer, but there have been a few other songs that have served well to temporarily pull me out of my funk. Most of them have a stunning visual component, which I also appreciate. If only there were Pop Up Video versions available…
“Rio,” by Duran Duran as performed by the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band
Hey, did you know Ken Marino and David Wain of The State and Wet Hot American Summer and more have a cover band? “The name explains what it is,” although it IS a little confusing if you hear “jam band” and think Phish et al. Nope, it’s just a bunch of pals covering old songs. They often play live and have special guests like Kathryn Hahn and, you know, Sylvester Stallone. BUT, they also put out a bunch of videos filmed in Wain’s garage. It’s hard to pick a favorite; this is the first one I saw, and so I present it to you. Wain’s son is the saxophonist! I’m crying!
After that go watch Weird Al Yankovic sit in on accordion for “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant.” Speaking of Al…
“Polkamania!” by Weird Al Yankovic
He’s back with a new polka medley featuring selections from the last TEN YEARS OF POP HITS IN ONE POLKATASTIC PACKAGE! I wasn’t prepared for the “W.A.P.” section. Al, you scamp! The video is also a touching retrospective of his entire glorious career. Weird Al has always been there for me and I appreciate him so much. If you really want to treat/hurt yourself, enjoy (?) this Spotify playlist featuring all of his previous polka medleys in chronological order.
“Lithonia,” by Childish Gambino
I was hanging out with some friends earlier this week and someone said, “Oh I want to show you the new Childish Gambino video but it might be too scary!” I love scary things, for the most part, so I said bring it on. WELL, IT IS TOO SCARY!!! Just at the end, though. It’s a jump scare, so be aware. It’s worth it. Then we watched the trailer for his upcoming movie, Bando Stone & The New World, which looks fun! The soundtrack is his new record!
“Everybody Loves The Sunshine,” by Roy Ayers
Thank you to the woman who I hope is the next president of the United States for reminding everyone of the greatness of this entire album and, in particular, this song. Here’s a remastered version playing over a gorgeous-looking 1976 Soul Train performance. Just bees and things and flowers INDEED!
Please add your own summer songs in the comments!