8 songs that will get you excited for summer
Something about summer is different to the rest of the year – it looks, feels, tastes, and sounds different. We’ve gone through our music libraries and chosen 8 outstanding tunes to get you ready for those warm summer months.
1. “Summer Nights” – John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, 1978
The ultimate song about a summer love, this Grease anthem perfectly describes the pace, feel, and memory of a summer love affair. With friends in the chorus begging for more information, much like your own friends after a season apart, this song is sublime.
2. “Summer in the City”– The Lovin’ Spoonful, 1966
This song swirls together the evocative sounds of a cityscape with language that evokes sweltering summer days and exhilarating summer nights.
3. “Boys of Summer” – Don Henley, 1984
An anthem for lost summer loves, beachside romances, and wondering where it all went so wrong, this tune’s a frantic grasp to hold on to what has already slipped away. “I thought I knew what love was; what did I know?; Those days are gone forever; I should just let ‘em go but…”
4. “Dancing in the Street” – Martha and the Vandellas, 1964
Wherever you may be – “across the nation” and “around the world”, this song will have you up on your feet, cheering for the return of perfect summer days.
5. “Cruel Summer” – Bananarama, 1983
With a classic 80s sound, Bananarama’s tribute to the oppressive heat of those summers that drag on, exacerbated by the fact that their love has left them to suffer in the city alone.
6. “Summer of ’69” – Bryan Adams, 1985
Take the title literally, or as the innuendo it hints at – this massive hit endures for a reason. Adams’ voice trips along the frenzied melody, reminiscing about a perfect summer from his childhood.
7. Lovely Day – Bill Withers, 1977
Bill Withers has one of those smooth voices that washes over you and makes you want to recline in a chair by the pool and do very little for the whole day. This song wraps up the excitement of a day spent in perfect company, which can be either a person, or, if you’re feeling imaginative, the perfect weather summer often cooks up.
8. “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)” – Meat Loaf, 1977
As Meat Loaf’s first single, this song just sounds like summer from its first moments. Setting the scene with the evocative phrase “hot summer night”, the song goes on to immortalise a first love unfolding during summertime.
What’s your favourite summer song? Tell us in the comments below!