JULY 2010 MUSIC CHALLENGE
June 30, 2010 4:51 PM
Write a Summer Song: Be it bubblegum or anthem, strive to capture the elusive vibe of the Summer Tune that you actually don't mind hearing over and over, and which works its way into your mind to be endlessly inseparable from a certain time and place. Or something. Can be more literal (hot weather, vacation, etc.) or more about getting the feel of a summer hit, whatever.
In addition to the usual mefimusicchallenge tag, please tag your submission: summersong. And thanks for the suggestion, chococat!
posted by flapjax at midnite (32 comments total)
In addition to the usual mefimusicchallenge tag, please tag your submission: summersong. And thanks for the suggestion, chococat!
This should be good!
Can we talk about some of our favorite Summer Songs, to serve as inspiration for this theme?
I've always thought of CVB's Good Guys and Bad Guys as really summery, a perfect top-down lazy-cruising road-trip-to-nowhere song.
Um. And I realy like Len's Steal My Sunshine.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 6:33 PM on June 30, 2010
Can we talk about some of our favorite Summer Songs, to serve as inspiration for this theme?
I've always thought of CVB's Good Guys and Bad Guys as really summery, a perfect top-down lazy-cruising road-trip-to-nowhere song.
Um. And I realy like Len's Steal My Sunshine.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 6:33 PM on June 30, 2010
I posted in another thread about The Lotus Eaters The First Picture of You, which is a quintessential summer song for me. Also:
Undertones -- Here comes the summer
Velvet Undergound -- Who loves the sun?
Hurrah! - The Sun Shines Here
Beach Boys -- California Girls / The Warmth of the Sun
Isley Brothers -- Summer Breeze (original by Seals & Crofts)
I'm not a huge fan of summer, so I always associate with burned patches of grass, hay fever and sunburn. I've written a few summer songs and they're always a little... skewed.
posted by unSane at 6:47 PM on June 30, 2010
Undertones -- Here comes the summer
Velvet Undergound -- Who loves the sun?
Hurrah! - The Sun Shines Here
Beach Boys -- California Girls / The Warmth of the Sun
Isley Brothers -- Summer Breeze (original by Seals & Crofts)
I'm not a huge fan of summer, so I always associate with burned patches of grass, hay fever and sunburn. I've written a few summer songs and they're always a little... skewed.
posted by unSane at 6:47 PM on June 30, 2010
strive to capture the elusive vibe of the Summer Tune that you actually don't mind hearing over and over, and which works its way into your mind to be endlessly inseparable from a certain time and place
Heh heh. August's challenge: create a genius earworm song that will change the listener's life forever.
posted by fleacircus at 9:44 PM on June 30, 2010 [4 favorites]
Heh heh. August's challenge: create a genius earworm song that will change the listener's life forever.
posted by fleacircus at 9:44 PM on June 30, 2010 [4 favorites]
Can we talk about some of our favorite Summer Songs, to serve as inspiration for this theme?
Hot Fun in the Summertime.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:22 AM on July 1, 2010
Hot Fun in the Summertime.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:22 AM on July 1, 2010
Man, I hope I have time to take this on.
And I'm really, really embarrassed to admit this, but the song I associate with summer most is Semi-Charmed Life. I have this crystal-clear memory from the summer we graduated high school of driving to a shitty rehearsal studio to play, and pulling into 7-11 for drinks while that song blasted on K-Rock. I don't even particularly care for Third-Eye Blind, and I frankly couldn't even begin to sing along, but there's something about that song that puts me right back there.
And also Summer in the City. It's just perfect pop, it kills me every time.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:49 AM on July 1, 2010
And I'm really, really embarrassed to admit this, but the song I associate with summer most is Semi-Charmed Life. I have this crystal-clear memory from the summer we graduated high school of driving to a shitty rehearsal studio to play, and pulling into 7-11 for drinks while that song blasted on K-Rock. I don't even particularly care for Third-Eye Blind, and I frankly couldn't even begin to sing along, but there's something about that song that puts me right back there.
And also Summer in the City. It's just perfect pop, it kills me every time.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:49 AM on July 1, 2010
Yeah, I hear you, uncleozzy, about Summer in the City. The way the sections of that song flow into each other, it's really compelling. The forward motion is unstoppable. It was cool how they stuck the car horns and jackhammer sound effects in there, too.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:21 AM on July 1, 2010
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:21 AM on July 1, 2010
Man, I think this challenge might be just what I need. I've been having trouble getting my ass in gear on non-covers lately.
Up on the Challenge page, btw.
posted by cortex at 9:37 AM on July 1, 2010
Up on the Challenge page, btw.
posted by cortex at 9:37 AM on July 1, 2010
More English summertime dystopian earworms:
Small Faces -- Lazy Sunday Afternoon
Kinks -- Sunny Afternoon (always assumed this was a massive dig at the Stones)
posted by unSane at 9:51 AM on July 1, 2010
Small Faces -- Lazy Sunday Afternoon
Kinks -- Sunny Afternoon (always assumed this was a massive dig at the Stones)
posted by unSane at 9:51 AM on July 1, 2010
Having grown up in the northern hemisphere, this time of the year also means summer to me, even if I am freezing these days in the south. Perhaps I should write something about that. The "dichotomy" of the mental "calendar summer" during the actual "it's freezing outside" winter. I promise not to use the word dichotomy in the song, though. Major chords. Cheerful beats. Summer, here we go.
posted by micayetoca at 10:44 AM on July 1, 2010
posted by micayetoca at 10:44 AM on July 1, 2010
The big summer songs that do that for me are
The Day we Caught the Train
and more recently
July (ly ly ly ly ly oooh July)
posted by TwoWordReview at 1:35 PM on July 1, 2010
The Day we Caught the Train
and more recently
July (ly ly ly ly ly oooh July)
posted by TwoWordReview at 1:35 PM on July 1, 2010
"Knocks Me Off My Feet" - Stevie Wonder. Takes me back to my first girlfriend and a long hot summer.......and still has the power to bring it all rushing back after all these years.
posted by MajorDundee at 1:53 PM on July 1, 2010
posted by MajorDundee at 1:53 PM on July 1, 2010
Saints for the start of summer.
All Her Favorite Fruit for the end of it.
posted by fleacircus at 2:12 PM on July 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
All Her Favorite Fruit for the end of it.
posted by fleacircus at 2:12 PM on July 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
And also...:
Summer Wind - Sinatra - cool swagger personified
In The Summertime - Mungo Jerry (singer Ray Dorset is still going strong)
Summertime Blues - The Who (from the seminal Live At Leeds)
posted by MajorDundee at 2:53 PM on July 1, 2010
Summer Wind - Sinatra - cool swagger personified
In The Summertime - Mungo Jerry (singer Ray Dorset is still going strong)
Summertime Blues - The Who (from the seminal Live At Leeds)
posted by MajorDundee at 2:53 PM on July 1, 2010
Oh, geez:
Jonathan Richman, That Summer Feeling
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 3:16 PM on July 1, 2010
Jonathan Richman, That Summer Feeling
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 3:16 PM on July 1, 2010
That Summer Feeling! Yeah, I love that one. Man, summer for me tends to be about King Tubby and a lot of Delta Blues.
posted by sleepy pete at 3:19 PM on July 1, 2010
posted by sleepy pete at 3:19 PM on July 1, 2010
wings - listen to what the man said. suddenly i'm 12 again. in a good way. and i love tom scott's soprano sax de fromage. a guilty pleasure, but one that keeps giving...
posted by peterkins at 4:06 PM on July 1, 2010
posted by peterkins at 4:06 PM on July 1, 2010
That sax solo reminds me of another guilty summer pleasure.
Haircut 100 - Fantastic Day
Video is pure 80s awesomeness, especially the lawn tractor, the open top Triumph and the trumpeter spouting like a whale.
posted by unSane at 5:32 PM on July 1, 2010
Haircut 100 - Fantastic Day
Video is pure 80s awesomeness, especially the lawn tractor, the open top Triumph and the trumpeter spouting like a whale.
posted by unSane at 5:32 PM on July 1, 2010
Couple of girl group selections
Remember Walking in the Sand - Shangri-Las
Heatwave - Martha & the Vandellas
posted by unSane at 5:30 AM on July 2, 2010
Remember Walking in the Sand - Shangri-Las
Heatwave - Martha & the Vandellas
posted by unSane at 5:30 AM on July 2, 2010
Something for those warm humid nights: Kool & The Gang
Something more upbeat: Bananarama
Something a LOT more upbeat: JW & Blaze
Something Jamaican, so it feels like summer by default: Chaka Demus & Pliers
And of course, something completely different: Antonio
posted by Throw away your common sense and get an afro! at 6:49 AM on July 2, 2010
Something more upbeat: Bananarama
Something a LOT more upbeat: JW & Blaze
Something Jamaican, so it feels like summer by default: Chaka Demus & Pliers
And of course, something completely different: Antonio
posted by Throw away your common sense and get an afro! at 6:49 AM on July 2, 2010
In the interest of completeness there's always
Jimmy Buffet - Margaritaville
Probably *the* summer song for a large number of people.
(That video is oddly compelling, for a whole host of reasons)
posted by unSane at 8:12 AM on July 2, 2010
Jimmy Buffet - Margaritaville
Probably *the* summer song for a large number of people.
(That video is oddly compelling, for a whole host of reasons)
posted by unSane at 8:12 AM on July 2, 2010
Of the millions of versions of the Porgy & Bess aria, this one is instant summer for me:
Summertime - Miles Davis
posted by unSane at 8:19 AM on July 2, 2010
Summertime - Miles Davis
posted by unSane at 8:19 AM on July 2, 2010
Awesome challenge, I'll have to think carefully about this one. As far as summery songs go, can't do much better than Belle and Sebastian - A Summer Wasting.
posted by ZsigE at 3:15 PM on July 2, 2010
posted by ZsigE at 3:15 PM on July 2, 2010
There's a lot of harmonic similarity between a bunch of these songs. Still trying to figure it out. Moving chords over a static bass note (D/A or G/A -> A ). Major sevenths and minor sevenths.
posted by unSane at 8:15 PM on July 4, 2010
posted by unSane at 8:15 PM on July 4, 2010
Man, flapjax, I was hoping you'd put some of your witty spin on the challenge description. If I knew you were gonna use my awkwardly-written proposal verbatim I'd have been a little more eloquent, sorry.
Cool that we're going with it, though! Thanks!
Now I have to actually come up with something. I think it's a really tricky one. For me the challenge goes beyond just mentioning summery things in the lyrics; it's the sound too. For example, the aforementioned "Summer in the City" is sort of the zenith of this song category. That song sounds like summer. And it manages to be it's own soundtrack somehow...it's like you can actually hear it coming out of car radios on a hot night, within the song. Does that make any sense? I can't explain it any better, it's like a metasong.
posted by chococat at 4:00 PM on July 8, 2010 [2 favorites]
Cool that we're going with it, though! Thanks!
Now I have to actually come up with something. I think it's a really tricky one. For me the challenge goes beyond just mentioning summery things in the lyrics; it's the sound too. For example, the aforementioned "Summer in the City" is sort of the zenith of this song category. That song sounds like summer. And it manages to be it's own soundtrack somehow...it's like you can actually hear it coming out of car radios on a hot night, within the song. Does that make any sense? I can't explain it any better, it's like a metasong.
posted by chococat at 4:00 PM on July 8, 2010 [2 favorites]
If I knew you were gonna use my awkwardly-written proposal verbatim I'd have been a little more eloquent, sorry.
Choco, honestly, I thought what you wrote was quite wonderful, which is why I quoted your letter verbatim. I couldn't have improved on it!
Likewise, what you've just written above is also perfect: song as soundtrack to itself. Brilliant!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:59 PM on July 8, 2010
Choco, honestly, I thought what you wrote was quite wonderful, which is why I quoted your letter verbatim. I couldn't have improved on it!
Likewise, what you've just written above is also perfect: song as soundtrack to itself. Brilliant!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:59 PM on July 8, 2010
I agree about Summer in the City. There are a couple songs that in the past I've considered along those lines that somehow make you miss the song before it's even over. Like you know you're going to want to play it again as soon as it's over.
posted by umbú at 6:19 PM on July 8, 2010
posted by umbú at 6:19 PM on July 8, 2010
Heh. So I'm going back through and listening to the resulting playlist, and I'm amused to find that for a lot of us, summer means "the '80s."
posted by limeonaire at 6:29 PM on October 19, 2010
posted by limeonaire at 6:29 PM on October 19, 2010
I'm amused to find that for a lot of us, summer means "the '80s."
Has a little something to do with median age, perhaps?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:02 PM on October 19, 2010
Has a little something to do with median age, perhaps?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:02 PM on October 19, 2010
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posted by unSane at 5:36 PM on June 30, 2010