Summer songs are the soundtrack to fun in the sun. These are 10 of the best summer pop songs that instantly bring to mind surf, sand, and driving with the top down. Include any or all of these classics at the core of your summer songs playlist.
1. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John - "Summer Nights" (1978)
Courtesy RSO
What means summer more than a summer romance and gossiping about it with friends? This classic from the Grease soundtrack is one of the songs that survived from the original Broadway musical. When released as a single in the summer of 1978 it hit the top 5 in the US and spent seven weeks at #1 in the UK.
2. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - "Summertime" (1991)
Courtesy Jive
Lay back with friends in the summertime and "sit back and unwind." DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince went all the way to #4 with this ode to the mellow speed of summer fun. It is their biggest pop hit. The pair also took home a Rap Grammy Award for the song.
3. Lovin' Spoonful - "Summer In the City" (1966)
Courtesy Kama Sutra
The folk pop band Lovin' Spoonful went all the way to the top of the pop singles chart with this classic celebration of the difference between the world of summer nights and the heat of the day. Among the city summer sounds included in the song are the horn of a Volkswagen Beetle and a jackhammer. The lyrics originated as a poem written by Mark Sebastian, younger brother of group member John Sebastian.
4. Kid Rock - "All Summer Long" (2008)
Courtesy Atlantic Records
Kid Rock caught the attention of pop fans with this song that musically amounts to a mash-up of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama." Lyrically it is all summer nostalgia. Even though it went to #3 in pop radio airplay in the US, the song only went to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100, because it was not made available to purchase via digital download.
5. Beach Boys - "Surfin' USA" (1963)
Courtesy Capitol
The Beach Boys are summer music to many pop fans. "Surfin' USA" is only one of their many songs that celebrate summer as a lifestyle. The song is set to the melody of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen," and he was eventually given sole songwriting credit.
6. Bananarama - "Cruel Summer" (1984)
Courtesy London
So...for some summer isn't all fun and games. That's particularly true when the heat is so high it's oppressive, and you are desperately longing for a romantic partner. The song was not an immediate success, but its inclusion in the movie The Karate Kid generated interest and "Cruel Summer" became Bananarama's top 10 pop breakthrough in the US.
7. Cars - "Magic" (1984)
Courtesy Elektra
The Cars have a slightly different twist on summer romance in this classic pop hit they took to #12 on the pop singles chart. The video depicts its own kind of magic when lead vocalist Ric Ocasek literally walks on water at a summer pool party.
8. Eddie Cochran - "Summertime Blues" (1958)
Courtesy Liberty
Rock 'n' roll singer-songwriter and guitar innovator Eddie Cochran taught us all that working a summer job can be a drag. However, it is difficult to do much without some money in hand. Eventually, the lyrics depict taking the problem of "Summertime Blues" to higher authorities, again with no luck.
9. Go-Go's - "Vacation" (1982)
Courtesy I.R.S.
Another song to illustrate some of the drawbacks of summertime. Summer vacation can mean separation from that special someone. However, in the hands of the Go-Go's it all sounds like perky pop fun anyway. "Vacation" was the group's second top 10 pop hit and the first commercial cassette single in the US.
10. Seals and Crofts - "Summer Breeze" (1972)
Courtesy Warner Bros.
This ode to the simple pleasures of summer evenings was the breakthrough pop hit for the soft rock duo of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts. One distinctive sound in the instrumental background of the original studio recording is the tinkling of a toy piano.
