It's Officially Summer

The sun is shining, birds are tweeting (everyone does it these days) and finally it seems that Summer has come in kicking over a chair as it entered. Summer will last only a week and I expect over that week The Sun newspaper to have a headline along the likes of What A Scorcher!

Whilst I was writing The Beatles review I got to thinking about those great songs that let you know its summer, that don't whisper it, but shout from the rooftops ITS SUMMER!!!!!

Clearly for the purposes of the next five tunes there is not going to be any Walking on Sunshine, Sealed with a Kiss or any Macarenas. This is my five songs that tell you Summer is here, add in the comments your suggestions.



The first two are inexplicably linked so I am going to roll them into one. Don't Falter by Mint Royale featuring Lauren Laverne and Hey Fever by Arab Strap. Youtube doesnt seem to have Hey Fever, which is a pity so I put something together, its the music that is important, remember that.



Hey! Fever by Arab Strap

Laverne was at one point the partner of one half of grumpy Scots duo Arab Strap, she may still be, I wouldn't know. What I do know is that she used the It's Officially Summer line from Hey Fever for the chorus of her own tune, Don't Falter. Its hard to dislike either tune, and I have tried, believe me, when it comes to Arab Strap I have tried, but both tunes are as infectious as yawning certainly in the case of Mint Royale it is difficult not to walk with it playing in your headphones without bobbing slightly. Lauren Laverne stopped being a musician some time back for some reason, it's a shame really, I hear she DJ's now, I wouldn't be knowing about that.



Don't Falter by Mint Royale Featuring Lauren Laverne

Next one, and bear with me here, next one, no really it IS, the next track for me that herald summer is Ice Cube's 1993 single It Was A Good Day. As far as hip hop goes one of my favourite tracks. Essentially a remake of Big Rock Candy Mountain. When I hear it I am sat in an drop top and with a flick of a switch I can make its ass drop, I am invariably riding around South Central like a baller. Not really, but that's the feeling the song invokes, its sunny, and that may be down to the Isley Brother sample, it might be down to the feel good nature of the song. For me though it really IS summer and its difficult not to listen to and imagine the sun on your back.



It Was A Good Day by Ice Cube


Less than Jake next and a song that appears on just about every tape/CD/MP3 playlist I make for a roadtrip to a festival, that alone guarantees its sunshiney summery-ness. That song is All My Best Friends Are Metalheads, a ska tune from their 98 album, Hello Rockview, a pretty faultless album as far ska punk albums go but All My Best Friends.. is easily the standout track, it is their career standout track if you ask me but I am just a fair-weather fan. The summeryness I think potentially stems from the inch high private eye that is my wife dancing along to them at Reading Festival one year, they played this song, I may have had a drink, the sun was shining. An excellent song.



All My Best Friends Are Metalheads by Less Than Jake

Finally summer and cheer go hand in hand in hand whenever I hear Summer Here Kids by Granddaddy. A band that it seems have now split up, Jason Lyttle the lead singer has a solo record out, it may be a hiatus but this track was from their 97 album, Under The Western Freeway. I know this isn't Here Comes The Sun, but Grandaddy always, for me at least, exude summer. Be it AM 180 or Sikh in a Baja VW Bug, I think as far as instrumentation, vocals and feel of Grandaddy typify summer, and Summer Here Kids typify it more than anything elese by them.



Summer Here Kids by Granddaddy