DAILY DIRT: ‘A Summer Song’ is always the best music to the ears at this time of year

Daily Dirt for Wednesday, June 5, 2024

But thanks to Kid Rock, we have a close second with “All Summer Long” … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 970 of The Daily Dirt.

1. It’s the first week of June, and the official start of summer is still a couple of weeks away (June 20) — but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about the best of summer music.

Here’s our top 10 summer songs we always hope to hear on the radio at this time of the year:

1. “Summer Song” (1964), by Chad and Jeremy: Chad Stuart passed away a few years ago, but Jeremy Clyde remains with us, and is still performing at age 83. Their wistful song, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, told us of a summer love of long ago, and I’m pretty sure every living, breathing American teenager (past and present) will (or did) experience such a relationship at one time or another. That’s why it’s the perfect summer song, and always will be.

2. “All Summer Long” (2008), by Kid Rock: The video was as spot on as the lyrics, and in case you never thought about it, Kid Rock’s anthem samples “Bob Seger’s “Night Moves,” Lynyrd Skynrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London”. If not “Summer Song,” THIS would be the finest-ever contribution to warm-weather music.

3. “Walkin’ On Sunshine” (1985) by Katrina and the Waves: The best feel-good summer tune of them all.

4. “Vacation” (1982), by the Go-Gos: The No. 2 feel-good summer tune of them all.

5. “Summer Rain” (1967), by Johnny Rivers: The perfect song for looking out the window on a wet, summer afternoon — or if you simply want to feel sad.

6. “Cruel Summer” (1983), by Bananarama: This always seemed like the perfect song on a perfect summer evening.

7. “Summer Nights” (1978), by Olivia Newton-John: Arguably her best from the height of Oliviamania and the movie-going frenzy surrounding “Grease”.

8. “Let’s Twist Again” (1961), by Chubby Checker: More than 60 years later, this remains a timeless summer classic.

9. “Summer In The City” (1966), by the Lovin’ Spoonful: This song always makes me smile, taking me back to the first afternoon I walked over to see a girl named Debbie in the summer of ’66. This song was playing on her radio.

10. “Hot Fun In The Summertime” (1969), by Sly & The Family Stone: Admit it, this is an automatic sing-along song when it comes on the radio and you’re tooling down the highway toward Springfield.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE — “Summer Wind” (1966), by The Chairman of The Board, Francis Albert Sinatra: Steve missed one. JRG

2. Did you know (Part 30)

• That Chuck Norris cannot turn left because he is always right.
• That Rolling Stone magazine named “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry as its No. 1 all-time guitar song. (No. 2 was “Purple Haze” by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.”
• That Illinois is No. 4 in terms of most McDonald’s restaurants with 641. California is No. 1 with 1,224. Nationwide, there are more than 13,500 sets of the Golden Arches.
• That the most streamed song from the 1980s is “Every Breath You Take” by The Police (1.99 billion).
• That Leonardo da Vinci could simultaneously write with one hand and draw with the other. (I can drink a Mountain Dew with one hand and eat a bag of chips with the other.)

3. Hulk Hogan was asked for his “Mount Rushmore” of professional wrestlers. His choices were:

• Andre the Giant
• Ric “The Nature Boy” Flair
• Stone Cold Steve Austin
• The Rock

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Andre the Giant’s a little questionable for me. I might substitute Dusty Rhodes. The American Dream was a tremendous showman, a great bleeder and a great man with the mic.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Whenever Brittany Boll complains about things at MRN Headquarters, the boss plays Dusty Rhodes for her.