Well, folks: today marks the unofficial end of summer (as someone who doesn’t have to worry about going back to school or sending kids back to school, I get to party for another two weeks). Hopefully everyone’s gotten their fill of beaches and barbecue, because (at least for us back East)-we’ve only got another 6-8 weeks before the temperatures again turn cold and we’ve got to schlep on the winter gear. Out with the shorts and flip-flops, in with the ski jackets and boots and all that jazz. Unless you’re a hippie, in which case shorts and flip-flops are probably your every day uniform.
A few weeks back, my pal Michael Parr and the rest of the Popdose gang (including myself) came up with lists of the songs that reminded us most of summer. In some cases, the songs had a carefree vibe that fit in with fun warm-weather activities, in some cases, the songs could be traced directly back to summer memories. In most cases, both apply. Personally, one of my favorite summers in memory is 1985. I was 9, I had moved from Brooklyn to Michigan the year before, and it was great to be back in NYC for the summer, spending it with my grandparents, sitting on the stoop and being a completely carefree kid. The music was top-notch, too. “Into the Groove”, “I Wonder if I Take You Home”, “The Power of Love”…all songs that defined that summer and as such, hold a very special place in my heart.
Check out the Popdose lists here!