There are few sounds that always remind me of summer; ice cream truck music, cicadas chirping in the evening, and questionable salmon sizzling on the grill at the pool.
This summer I’ve added a new sound to my list, it’s the sound of P sawing holes in our attic in an attempt to let out the hot air. At the rate he’s going I’m afraid we won’t have a roof by September, just a tarp with a large fan while he stands under it with his Radio Shack thermometer and says, “Does it feel any cooler yet?”
“Nope, not yet. Check back with me in December.”
Anyway, one last sound of summer is a good fourth of July playlist. Granted, we’re not doing anything for the fourth due to my hectic week of keeping my pool commitments, but we’ll still need some good music to listen to as we think about all our friends at the beach and the lake.
Actually, we’ll probably be at the pool because rumor has it there will be both a seed-spitting contest and a belly flop contest. I don’t mean to brag (Yes I do; I totally mean to brag) but Caroline won the belly flop contest last year and we’re hoping for a repeat championship. It brings a new meaning to the old saying “No guts, no glory”.
My list is slightly unconventional because, well, it’s my list and you should all know by now that I have the musical sensibilities of a disc jockey at a junior high dance party. Plus, as much as I enjoy listening to Neil Diamond’s “America” and yelling out “TODAY!” during the chorus, I chose songs that weren’t overtly patriotic because I tried to avoid the obvious choices.
So, without further rambling (sure), here is my list of twelve summertime songs because I couldn’t narrow it down to ten because it felt like I was reenacting a scene from “Sophie’s Choice”.
1. America the Beautiful – Ray Charles
Okay, sure, this is an obvious choice, but I have to include it because it doesn’t feel like the fourth of July to me until I hear Ray sing. It’s guaranteed to make me cry every year.
2. Pink Houses – John Cougar Mellencamp
John Cougar, with or without the Mellencamp, is a fan of the patriotic song. For some reason this one is my favorite. Maybe because I once lived in a pink house.
3. Soak up the Sun – Sheryl Crow
Obviously. One summer before P and I had Caroline we headed to Port Aransas for a little vacation. I remember sitting on the ferry listening to this song and thinking this is what pure contentment feels like.
4. Vacation – The Go-Go’s
If this video didn’t make you want to be a part of some sort of all-girl water ski performance team then I don’t know if we can be friends.
5. Senorita – Justin Timberlake
Truthfully, I could make a list of only Justin Timberlake songs because they all make me so happy. I chose this one because it just feels summery to me. It’s like a cold drink in song form.
6. Summertime – DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
Because even if it’s 105 degrees outside, it’s not summer until I hear it.
7. Sing a Song – Earth, Wind & Fire
Happy. Happy. Happy.
8. Going Back to Cali – LL Cool J
Truth be told I’ve never been to Cali and you can’t go back to somewhere you’ve never been, but none of that matters. What matters is that I have always loved this song and it reminds me of summers at the beach when I was in high school, even though Crystal Beach is the polar opposite of anything in California, and by that I mean it’s not even remotely pretty.
9. Your Love – The Outfield
It reminds me of being on vacation. I think it’s because the opening lyrics say, “Josie’s on a vacation far away…”
10. Breathe – Michelle Branch
There are certain songs I just love the minute I hear them and this was one of them. It makes me want to get in a convertible and drive around with the top down singing at the top of my lungs while my hair whips in the wind. Except I can’t stand to have my hair whipping in the wind. It’s a minor detail.
11. Bizarre Love Triangle – New Order
I realize this may seem like an odd choice, given that I’ve never expressed a penchant for any sort of techno-pop, but it brings back vivid memories of the summer after I graduated from high school. To this day, I experience an odd craving for a berry wine cooler whenever I hear it. Not that I drank any wine coolers, I just knew people who did.
12. Boys of Summer – Don Henley
I used to think it said, “I can see you, your brow’s getting shiny in the sun” and I’d always think that he’d be better off to not talk about his girlfriend’s sweat issues. Only later did I realize he was singing, “I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun” and I thought that made a lot more sense.
Let’s not even pretend that there aren’t countless great songs missing from this list. What’s on your fourth of July playlist? What song feels like summer?
And, remember as we celebrate the fourth:
Everywhere around the world
They’re coming to America (TODAY!)
Every time that flag’s unfurled
They’re coming to America (TODAY!)
God bless America. Y’all have a happy 4th!