Heat Songs: The Heat Is On!

In choosing 5 great summer heat songs, my only regret is that no one (yet) has penned a song titled, “It’s So Hot That My Corns Are Poppin” (thank you Sandy Bishop).  I’ll get right on that.  But in the meantime, enjoy these hot weather hits:

 “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry:

Here’s my favorite memory of this 1970 summer smash.  Sometime in the 1980s, I found an “oldies” station in Atlanta, which was rare back then.  I’m sure I didn’t understand half the lyrics as a kid, and I don’t do much better today.  I do understand this, however: “When the weather’s fine, we go fishin’ or go swimmin’ in the sea…We’re always happy, life’s for livin’, yeah that’s our philosophy…sing along with us, dee-dee-dee-dee-dee…”  Now admit it.  Didn’t that cool you off a bit? (Fun fact: the band does not use a drum in this song. Lead singer Ray Dorset simply taps his feet).

4.  “Summer in the City” by the Lovin Spoonful:

This 1966 hit was an oldie by the time I became a radio fan, but deejays played it every summer, and they still do, almost fifty years later.  With the city sounds of car horns, traffic, and construction, and lyrics like, “Hot town, summer in the city, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty,” this song sounds hot in February too.  A good pop song paints a picture, and doesn’t need a music video to help us visualize what’s going on. “Come-on come-on and dance all night, despite the heat it’ll be all right…”  By the way, Mark Sebastian, lead singer John Sebastian’s brother wrote his in a poem. He turned it in as a high school project. The teachers gave him an “F.”  Guess he showed them.

“Heat Wave” by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas:

This came out in the summer of 1963, a year best remembered in the music world for being the calm before the storm. The British Invasion was just months away.  Most of the hits on the radio were lame teen-idol songs that are largely forgotten today.  Then came “Heat Wave.” Martha Reeves could sing, and by that I mean, good old full-throated belting.  There was no AutoTune, no computer enhancements, just pure Martha.  She’d be “Dancing In The Streets” the following summer, proving she was no one-hit wonder.  Linda Ronstadt recorded this song in the mid-70s, and her version is more familiar today.  I’m sticking with Martha, though.  I think her version really brings the heat.

2.  “Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly and the Family Stone:

“County fair in the country sun, and everything is cool…” This band was so incredibly ahead of it’s time.  This scorcher was released in the summer of 1969.  Sly Stone and his multi-racial band didn’t look like anyone else, and certainly didn’t sound like most of the music of that era.  Many later hits would not exist without Sly’s influence.  He’s off the grid these days, and many are surprised he’s still alive.  But little gems like this will never go away, at least if I have anything to do with it.  “Them summer days….those summer days.”

 “The Heat Is On” by Glenn Frey:

An earworm is described as “a catchy song that runs continually through a person’s mind.” Well, here’s a giant one.  If the saxophone doesn’t get you, the “oh, wo ho…oh, wo ho..” chorus will.  Glenn Frey didn’t write the song, but his vocals are spot-on, and he contributes a great guitar solo too.  “The pressure’s high, just to stay alive, ’cause the heat is on.” You may remember the song from the 1984 Eddie Murphy movie “Beverly Hills Cop.”  Murphy was super-hot at the time, so this song couldn’t miss.    Enjoy, and stay cool!