Monday, June 23, 2008

Summa Summa Summa Tiiiiime!

Summer officially arrived over the weekend; time for barbecues, beach parties and easy livin’. (And not falling asleep until 2:30 a.m. because you’re studio apartment traps heat like a female prison). Good times!

Summer isn’t complete without a good song, of course. Every year now it seems the media types are trying to find “The Song of the Summer [fill in year].” I don’t know what the song of the summer is this year (or any year) but here are a few songs I personally love listening to while I’m sipping lemonade and contracting skin cancer.

Girl by Beck: Maybe it’s because he’s from sunny Los Angeles, but Beck’s written a surprising number of good summer songs. This one’s got a bouncy little beat and light melody that make a great ring tone, in addition to poolside accompaniment.

Crazy in Love by Beyonce: Even if you’re not a closet Destiny’s Child fan like me, you cannot f*ck with this song. Bursting with energy, great to drive and dance to, big horns, bigger beat, exactly what you want for the soundtrack to the “fun season.”

Badfish by Sublime: In high school, Sublime was great because everyone liked them – the rocker kids, the rap kids … I guess that’s about all we had in my high school. Diversity wasn't really our thing. As I’ve grown older, I’ve grown to dislike most of their music (in large part because I moved SoCal where they’re still floggin’ this horse long after it died) but I heard Badfish at a party recently, and the big acoustic guitar, bouncy ska rhythm and lyrics about getting literally and figuratively stuck still hold up. Very good for drinking to.

Ain’t nothin’ but G Thang by Dr. Dre and Snoop: I’m the first one to admit I know very little about the rap, and I actually didn’t like this song when it came out. But now when it comes on at a party, everything feels a’ight. It’s also great for driving. Especially if you have hydraulics, which I’m looking into for my Corolla.

Take me Out by Franz Ferdinand: They play this song a lot at Red Sox games, which might be why I associate it with summer. But it’s also great to drive and dance to. It might be a little oddball for this list, but then again, so am I.


OK, your turn!

8 comments:

Red said...

Crazy in Love is the bomb. Also, anything by The Beach Boys and Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams are sweet for summer. Obviously, I am incredibly old and white.

BeckEye said...

Ah ha. Funny you should write this because I just started writing for another entertainment website and assignment number #1 is to do a list of summer songs. I guess it's better than compiling a list of wintertime funeral dirges to kick off the beginning of summer.

Red said...

What is the website, Becks? Tell me all about it!

BeckEye said...

I will tell all when the first article is published. It's not Best Week Ever, sadly. But it's still a big ol' website that will probably rocket me to Internet superstardom. I mean, it has to. I'm halfway there, really.

Falwless said...

Whoaaaa, Beckeye! Big news, lady! C'mon, c'mon, give us the inside scoop. We're your dawgs, girl!


And just to beat Dan to the punch on this comment, I'll say Wishing Well by Terrence Trent D'Arby.

Garney said...

5 More Summer Songs:

1. Daylight by Coldplay (Viva La Vida works too, and the album is great)

2. Mexican Wine by Fountains of Wayne (or anything by FoW for that matter)

3. It's Summertime by The Flaming Lips (cause every season needs at least one melancholy tune)

4. Dance to the Music by Sly and the Family Stone (because Hot Fun in the Summertime is a no-brainer)

5. Nine in the Afternoon by Panic at the Disco (I don't want to like it, but I can't help myself)

Honorable Mention: Middle of Nowhere by Hot Hot Heat (two years ago it was stuck in my head for the entire summer)

Gifted Typist said...

What about
Michael by BeckEye

danielle970 said...

I just downloaded every song on that list. (Except for Beyonce... sorry Lizard, just not my thing.) But I can't believe I didn't already have those songs! Good work, I can always count on your for excellent music picks.