Friday, July 2, 2010

Five Things on Friday - Summer Songs Jukebox Edition

Five Things on Friday is a weekly list of five things. Subject to be determined by me, but feel free to make suggestions in the comments. I will list my five things and then open the comments up to you, my loyal followers, readers, fans, groupies, what have you. Please respond. Or else, I'll feel all alone in the Earth. It'll be bad. Really.

Today's post is an odd amalgam of my Five Things on Friday tradition and my mother's tradition of Jukebox Friday. Last week I was talking about Summer Music and I thought, wow, I really ought to go into more detail about this. Because summer music isn't something I can necessarily define. I know it when I hear it. I usually don't love the "big" song of the summer. "Macarena," anyone?

What I love is a song that makes me feel like free with the wind in my hair.

So, with no further ado... Five of my Favorite Summer Songs, Mama's Jukebox Style

"Santa Monica" by Everclear
I don't know if it's the SoCal thing or the beachy references, but this is forever in my heart as an all-time favorite. I love the bittersweet tone.

Free Fallin' by Tom Petty



I love a good driving song in the summer and there are no better driving songs than Tom Petty's driving songs. "Running Down a Dream" has got to be responsible for some speeding tickets. This one is a laid back driving song, though, a cruising song. A top down song if I had a top down kind of car.

"Wastin' Time" by Kid Rock


I can't explain my attachment to Kid Rock. It's certainly not normal. But every June, like clockwork, I can be found cruising somewhere with all the windows opened and either this or "Cowboy" rockin'. The kids have put a slight crimp in this, but, every once in a while, I will be without the girls, hair streamin' rollin the Fleetwood.

"Boys of Summer" by The Ataris


I am not easily won over by a cover. I ask a lot of a cover. It has to be in keeping with the spirit of the original. But it also has to add something to the mix. Something new that makes you look at the song in a different light. This particular cover of the Don Henley classic is a wee bit darker and a wee bit harder. What I love best is that Black Flag reference, though.

"Down on the Corner" by Creedence Clearwater Revival


I have no idea why, but I think of the entire catalog of CCR to be summer music. I picked this one because I like the happy ones and this is one of the few happy ones.

So...

What are your summer songs? Are there any of mine that you care to disagree with? Love? Hate? Etc? Please, do share.

1 comment:

Amy said...

I love this list idea. Ok so here is my iTunes summer playlist in no particular order.
Green River--CCR, Wheel in the Sky--Journey, Sitting on my Sofa--the Kinks, Happy Jack --The Who Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway--Wilco, Refugee--Tom Petty, Superstition--Stevie Wonder, Highway to Hell--ACDC, Fire Lake--Bob Seger, Going to California--Led Zeppelin, All songs by the Ramones, Edge of Seventeen--Fleetwood Mac, Barracuda--Heart, Idiots Rule--Janes Addiction, Voodoo Child-Jimi Hendrix, Automobile--John Prine, Any Beach Boys song, Wooden Ships--CSNY, Suffragette City--David Bowie, Tombstone Blues--Bob Dyan, Everybody Wants You, Billy Squier, Trailer Trash--Modest Mouse, Last Train to Clarksville--the Monkees, Let's Go Crazy--Prince, Left of the Dial--The Replacements, They're Red Hot--Robert Johnson, Bad Reputation--Reverend Horton Heat, Story of My Life--Social Distortion, Take the Money and Run--Steve Miller Band.
These are the songs I like to roll down my windows, and crank up and sing at the top of my lungs.