My friends at Generation Fabulous are having their monthly Bloghop today with the theme “Summer Songs We Love.”  I didn’t think I’d have time to write my own entry, but after reading the first post, I knew I had to jump in.  

Ah, summer, how I'll hate to see you go.  I eagerly anticipate your arrival each year.  And though summers are not the same as they were during childhood, they still conjure up memories of lazy days, laughing with friends and enjoying nature’s beauty and longer days.

The senses of smell and sight have the power to bring back memories. But sound, well, sound can quickly transport you with the first note of a song.  It’s magical.  It’s memorable.  It’s remarkable.

In our town we had a Community Pool where, when all of the neighborhood kids were younger, our parents would bring us for swimming lessons.  As we got older, our parents would drop us off in the morning, and pick us up before dinnertime.  In between those hours we met new kids, and together we swam, lay in the sun, had new crushes every week, and were always cool when we sang the lyrics of the songs playing on the loudspeaker.

"Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations (1968)
(with clip from "There's Something About Mary")

Songs have always been a big part of my life.  There's aren't many genres I don't care for, so it's hard to narrow down my favorite summer songs.  Here are a few that stand out the most for me.

James Taylor's "Smiling Face" (1977) reminds me of saying good-bye to my boyfriend before leaving for college.

Any song from "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) reminds me of freshman year at college. I saw the movie in Boston, before summer vacation began, with a friend from Brooklyn.  He screamed every time they showed his beloved city on the big screen.

Planning my wedding and accompanying songs for the ceremony in the summer of 1988 was fun. My father made me a cassette tape of suggestions, including Antonio Vivaldi's masterpiece, "The Four Seasons" (including this concerto for summer.)

I grew up in a house where music was always playing.  My father loved classical and mom loved swing.  My two brothers exposed me  (they are older and I got to listen to their albums) to jazz, rock, show tunes and blues.  Our parents brought us to summer concerts in places such as Saratoga Springs, the Berkshires and Manhattan.  Two performances stand out in my mind. One was with my favorite female singer, the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald. The other was Gene Krupa's last performance in 1973, with a reunion of the original Benny Goodman Orchestra.

You thought that was my last song, right?  Ha!  I can't talk about my favorite songs without mentioning the one and only - Frank Sinatra.

Snap your fingers, sing along and enjoy the rest of your summer!

What is your favorite summer song?