Maybe it's because of what I do for a living, or maybe it's because I'm some sort of song savant, but when I hear the word 'summer' my mind wanders and I suddenly begin humming songs that have the word 'summer' in the title. Songs like “Summer in the City”, “Hot Fun in the Summertime”, “Cruel Summer”, “Summer of '69″, “Boys of Summer” …

Man, I could go on and on as summer seems to be a rich topic for songwriters. There are literally hundreds of songs with the word summer in them. And I like a lot of them. But I only love a handful. Here, in no particular order, are my five favorite songs with “summer” in the title:

Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (1991)

Their use of the 1975 Kool & the Gang B-side, “Summer Madness” fits perfectly with the mellow vibe of the rap. And I love how the lyrics work in all things associated with summer; the BBQ's, the cruisin', the hangin' at the park. Or as the Fresh Prince puts it, “the way that people respond to summer madness.” To borrow a 90's phrase, this song is dope!

All Summer Long - Kid Rock (2008)

The way Kid mixes the samples of “Sweet Home Alabama” with “Werewolves of London” is genius. And although the song chronicles the summer of 1989, lyrics like “And we were trying different things, and we were smoking funny things” reminds me of a summer a decade earlier than that: the summer between my junior and senior year. Hey, don't judge. I was going through an expermental phase.

Summer Breeze - The Isley Brothers (1973)

I just love how The Isley's souled out the Seals & Croft pop classic. The way they mix their brand of R&B with what would become their signature rock guitar sound throughout the rest of the 70's is, in a word, sweet.

Sausalito Summernight-Diesel (1980)

The catchy guitar line, the plentiful sing-a-long hooks … what's not to like about this early 80's Steve Miller-ish sounding driving song?

Summer Nights- Lil Rob (2005)

I love the kick back vibe of this song and the imagery it evokes. I've never owned a rag top, but when I listen to this song I can picture myself cruisin' in one with my lady. Aahhh yyeeaaahhhh.

Those are mine. What are yours?

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