Next Wednesday is the first day of summer. That by itself is cause for celebration, but even more so in Maine, where the chance to soak up some warm rays is all too brief — and it doesn’t help when the skies are gray and raindrops are running down the windowpane.
To get you back in the mood for summer after Wednesday’s soggy mess, here are 25 tunes to download to your iPod that are guaranteed to make you want to slip into a swimsuit, throw some burgers on the grill and play a game of beach volleyball.
All have a summer theme or were inescapable tunes during summers past, invoking memories of coconut-scented tanning oil and salty sea air.
1. “Surf City,” Jan and Dean
2. “Summer Breeze,” Seals and Crofts
3. “The Boys of Summer,” Don Henley
4. “California Gurls,” Katy Perry
5. “School’s Out,” Alice Cooper
6. “Rockaway Beach,” The Ramones
7. “Under the Boardwalk,” The Drifters
8. “(Love is Like a) Heat Wave,” Martha and The Vandellas
9. “Summertime,” DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
10. “More Than a Feeling,” Boston
11. Anything by the Beach Boys. Well, except maybe “Little Saint Nick.”
12. “Nothin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,” Dr. Dre with Snoop Doggy Dogg (don’t play with kids around)
13. “Summer Nights,” John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
14. “Summer in the City,” The Lovin’ Spoonful
15. “I Gotta Feeling,” The Black Eyed Peas
16. “Wipe-Out,” The Surfaris
17. “Margaritaville,” Jimmy Buffett (But if you’re a guy, leave the coconut bra at home. Seriously; no one wants to see that.)
18. “All I Wanna Do,” Sheryl Crow
19. “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” The Proclaimers
20. “Philadelphia Freedom,” Elton John
21. “Here Comes the Sun,” The Beatles
22. “Sunny Afternoon,” The Kinks
23. “Let’s Dance,” David Bowie
24. “Party Rock Anthem,” LMFAO
25. And the ultimate summer vacation song: “Vacation” by The Go-Go’s
Speaking of which, I will be taking my own summer sojourn beginning next week and continuing into the next, so you won’t be seeing this column for the rest of June. I’ll let you know how it went when I return.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I hear a beach chair and a daiquiri calling my name …
Deputy Managing Editor Rod Harmon may be contacted at 791-6450 or at:
rharmon@pressherald.com
Twitter: RHarmonPPH
Send questions/comments to the editors.
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