EDITOR’S NOTE: Test Your Knowledge of Summery Songs
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Hey, it’s summer and the living is easy. Right?
At least, that’s what I’ve heard.
Despite being a very lazy journalist, according to several of our readers, I’m always busy here at Door County Living/Peninsula Pulse central in beautiful downtown Baileys Harbor. Because of a constant calendar jam, the seasons are something whose virtues we may extol in these pages, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we are experiencing this amazing peninsula as people in the real world might. Sure, we can try, but those experiences are tainted by the fact that tomorrow, it’s business as usual. Back to the old inky grindstone.
But, I guess going back to the grindstone is true for all of us in our own ways.
Work. Work. Work. Vacate a bit. And then work some more. Ugh. I’m starting to bum myself out.
So, without further ado, let’s brighten things up with a test of your knowledge of summery songs. See if you can name either the composer or the group that made the following 18 songs about summer famous (18, of course, for this 18th summer of this fabulous 21st century). Although every song references summer in some way, the lyrics I’ve chosen don’t always reflect that, just to make it a little tougher. So, no cheating!
Jim Lundstrom
Editor
- “Oh, your daddy’s rich and your ma is good-lookin’
So hush, little baby, don’t you cry.”
- “Callin’ out around the world,
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer’s here and the time is right…”
- “In the summertime when the weather is hot,
You can stretch right up and touch the sky.”
- “Well I’m a gonna raise a fuss, I’m gonna raise a holler
About workin’ all summer just to try an’ earn a dollar.”
- “Well we can’t salute ya
Can’t find a flag
If that don’t suit ya
That’s a drag.”
- “All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head
But at night it’s a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it’ll be alright.”
- “End of the spring and here she comes back
Hi Hi Hi Hi there
Them summer days, those summer days.”
- “I’m walking on sunshine (Wow!)
And don’t it feel good.”
- “Trees swayin’ in the summer breeze
Showin’ off their silver leaves.”
- “Sweet days of summer, the jasmine’s in bloom
July is dressed up and playing her tune.”
- “Chewing out a rhythm on my bubblegum
The sun is out and I want some.”
- “One summer never ends, one summer never began
It keeps me standing still, it takes all my will.”
- “This summer I swam in a public place
And a reservoir, to boot,
At the latter I was informal
At the former I wore my suit, I wore my swimming suit.”
- “Dancing days are here again
As the summer evenings grow.”
- “Hot summer day,
Carry me along
To its end where I begin.”
- “We’re gonna lean this ladder up against the water tower
Climb up to the top, and drink and talk (this summer!)”
- “Sunshine almost always makes me high.”
- “Yeah, it’s almost gone
Where will we be
When the summer’s gone?”
Answers
- “Summertime” by George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward (lyrics), from the musical Porgy and Bess.
- “Dancin’ In the Streets,” Martha and the Vandellas. Extra point if you noted that Marvin Gaye was the co-composer.
- “In the Summertime,” Mungo Jerry.
- “Summertime Blues,” Eddie Cochran
- “School’s Out,” Alice Cooper.
- “Summer In the City,” The Lovin’ Spoonful
- “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” Sly and the Family Stone
- “Walking on Sunshine,” Katrina and the Waves
- “A Summer Song,” Chad and Jeremy
- “Summer Breeze,” Seals and Crofts
- “Rockaway Beach,” The Ramones
- “Suddenly Last Summer,” The Motels
- “The Swimming Song,” Loudon Wainwright III
- “Dancing Days,” Led Zeppelin
- “Hot Summer Day,” It’s A Beautiful Day
- “Constructive Summer,” The Hold Steady
- “Sunshine On My Shoulders,” John Denver
- “Summer’s Almost Gone,” The Doors