Whether they remind you of trips to the beach, dominating the dance floor John Travolta style at the Summer Disco or a long saved for road trip abroad, we want to know what your Summer Classic is. We’ve been scratching our heads in the office and settled on these scorchers!
Tweet your favourite summer song to @vocalzonehq using the hashtag #VZSummerSongs At the end of the week we’ll chose a winner at random to receive a selection of Vocalzone goodies!
1. Bill Withers – Lovely Day
Including one of the longest notes in recorded song (18 seconds!), Bill Withers’ 1977 single pleased fans of R&B, disco, funk and blues rock. Given that he manages to blend so many genres in one era and career defining hit, it’s no surprise that ‘Lovely Day’ has stood the test of time and is still one of the best summer songs.
2. Sublime – What I Got
‘What I Got’ is a single by Ska punk Californians Sublime, which would become their biggest radio hit. This song perfectly soundtracks a cold beer in the garden whilst you wait for the BBQ to warm up.
3. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Summertime
Sampling Kool & The Gang’s ‘Summer Madness’, ‘Summertime’ is a must for any self-respecting summer playlist curator. You might be interested to learn that the song was actually released in May of 1991 – not even Summertime!
Jeff Townes and Will Smith met at a house party in 1985 releasing their first album Rock The House in 1987. By the time ‘Summertime’ was released the duo were at the height of their fame having starred in The Fresh Prince of Bell Air since the previous year.
4. Martin Solveig – Places
‘Places’ sees veteran House DJ Martin Solveig returning to his roots as he blends piano with banging bass. Sampling Boy Meets Girl’ s 1988 single ‘Waiting For A Star To Fall’, the track features the vocals of Norwegian Electropop Songstress Ina Wroldsen.
5. Curtis Mayfield – Move On Up
Starting as he meant to go on, unknown funk and soul singer Curtis Mayfield burst into the charts in 1970 with this summer classic. In 2005 the song was given the ultimate nod of approval when it was sampled by hip-hop superstar Kanye West on his single ‘Touch The Sky’.
6. Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime
The band’s debut single, ‘In The Summertime’ was everywhere in 1970 reaching number 1 in numerous countries worldwide. It has sold over 30 million copies to date. ‘In The Summertime’ is so heavily associated with carefree summer days that it’s used by advertisers and soundtrack teams as a shorthand musical cue to foster warm feelings and happy nostalgia for the listener.
7. Guns N Roses – Paradise City
Released as a single in 1988 ‘Paradise City’ is taken from Guns N Roses’ legendary debut album Appetite For Destruction. It was written by the band in the back of a van on the way back from a gig. This stadium sized classic is an essential weapon in any air guitarist’s arsenal.
8. Big Mountain – Baby I Love Your Way
Californian Reggae Pop group Big Mountain had been releasing music since 1988 but this cover of a Peter Frampton song launched them into the mainstream. Given how summery the song feels it was somewhat ironic that Wet Wet Wet kept it off the UK top spot.
9. Apache Indian – Boom Shack-A-Lak
Reggae Pop standard Boom Shack-A-Lak was released by Birmingham’s Steven Kapur AKA Apache Indian in 1993. The distinctively rich mixture of sounds and styles in his music reflect his background; Steven was born into a family of Indian origin growing up in a Black and Asian community. He started his musical career as a dancehall DJ working with local sound systems.
10. Bryan Adams – Summer of 69
Featuring on Bryan Adams’ fourth studio album Reckless (1984), despite its success in North America ‘Summer of 69’ didn’t find success in Europe for another decade. One of his best known hits, its now firmly cemented as a karaoke classic.
