I've had a fine time reading the other Summer Music List articles by my fellow PJ Media writers, but I wasn't about to let those guys take all the summer glory.
So I figured I'd round up the top ten songs with summer in the title — without regard to artist, genre, or era. These are in no particular order, and since a list like this one is purely subjective and a matter of deeply personal taste, all decisions by the author are 100% inarguably correct and shall be treated as holy writ.
Shall we begin?
'Summer Wind,' Frank Sinatra, 1966
Summer is all-too-fleeting and so is a summer romance — as Sinatra reminded listeners as only he could.
'The Boys of Summer,' Don Henley, 1984
Outside of the Eagles, I'm not a Henley fan. Inside the Eagles... yeah, still not so much. But he nailed it on this one, a staple of MTV, my high school days, and my music library for 40 years.
'Summer, Highland Falls [Live],' Billy Joel, 1981
If anyone ever had any doubts about Joel as a lyricist, as a classical-infused melodist, or as a live performer, this one ought to remove any and all doubts.
'Summer in the City,' The Lovin' Spoonful, 1967
If there's a better song than this one about being young and on the prowl in the city when the weather is hot, I've never heard it.
'Samba de Verão (Summer Samba),' Diana Krall, 2009
There have been countless records made of Marcos Valle and Paulo Sérgio Valle's 1964 bossa nova standard. But it's Krall's 2009 version (English-language lyric by Norman Gimbel) with her bright and summery vocal that I come back to more often than any other.
'Summer Breeze,' Seals & Crofts, 1972
"Yacht Rock" has become a term for the simpleminded to slam some intricately produced soft rock — like "Summer Breeze" — that their tiny brains can't comprehend. But I've loved it since before it was called Yacht Rock and always will.
'Summer Nights,' Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta, 1978
Is it cheese? You bet it is. But "Summer Nights" is also infectious fun — a story told by not one but two unreliable narrators and their cast of backup vocalists hanging on every salacious detail. You know all the words, don't lie, so go ahead and sing along.'Summer Soft,' Stevie Wonder, 1976
Quite possibly the prettiest tune in a long career spent writing and performing pretty tunes. This is one of those few songs that when it comes on while I'm writing, I stop writing until it's over.'Suddenly Last Summer,' The Motels, 1983
I once read a critic complain that The Motels lead singer Martha Davis's performance was overwrought. That's like saying Rodney Dangerfield's jokes made him look too put upon, or that Tom Hanks' acting is too everyman. This is what they do and, when it clicks like it does on this song, it's heart-wrenching glory.'Summertime,' Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, 1956
Not just a great song with summer in the title, Ella and Louis knocked this recording out of the park in every possible way.
BONUS 11th Track: 'Hot Fun In The Summertime,' Sly & The Family Stone, 1969
To my ears, if there had to be just one song that defined summer, this is the one.Enjoy your summer— with the appreciation that it never lasts quite long enough.
