Summer's here, and the time is right for listening to hot summer jams. In my ongoing quest to create the Ultimate GuySpeak Mega Mix, I've decided to compile a list of my favorite warm weather hits. Summer is defined by music for me-- be it the pop songs that were the soundtrack to bbqs and pool parties of my youth, or the romantic tunes that I fell in love to and/or used to mend a broken heart.
Here are ten hot summer jams to listen to while everyone else is blasting "California Gurls" for the fiftieth time. Some are party favorites, some laid back make out tunes. All are essential for the perfect summer mix.
"Summer Madness," Kool & The Gang - Will Smith sampled this one for his classic hit "Summertime." Play it after "Summertime" on your summer party mix, and blow your friends' minds.
"All Summer Long," Beach Boys - There are tons of covers of this one, but stick to the original (and don't confuse it with the crummy Kid Rock song that steals from both Lynyrd Skynyrd and Warren Zevon).
"Ce Matin La," Air - The entire Moon Safari album is the perfect soundtrack for hazy summer nights.
"Cruel Summer," Bananarama - A great summer jam, and one of the catchiest break-up songs of all time. Hope summer love treats you better than it did the lead singer of Bananarama, whose name escapes me at the moment.
"Hot in the City," Billy Idol - So hot, you can almost hear the steam coming out of the subway grates. The city is hot in the summer, is what I'm saying.
"Hissing of Summer Lawns," Joni Mitchell - Perfectly captures the feeling of dozing in the grass on a lazy summer day. Great for lounging (and kissing) in the backyard or on the beach.
"Time To Pretend," MGMT - This is going to be the stupid fun summer party song of choice for a long time to come.
"Sleepwalk," Santo & Johnny - Quite possibly my favorite piece of music ever. All it takes is the opening chords to transport me to a tropical isle, where I could sip on Mai Tais instead of lukewarm coffee.
"Waterfalls," TLC/ "Black Hole Sun," Soundgarden- Two hits that will always be summer songs to me due to MTV playing their respective videos on a non-stop loop throughout the warm months of 1994 and 1995.
"California Love," 2Pac - If you're at a party this summer, and this song doesn't play at least once, it's officially a bad party.
Runners-up: "Summer Love," Justin Timberlake; "Izzo," Jay-Z; "Summer Girls," LFO; "Fourth of July," Galaxie 500; "Suddenly Last Summer," The Motels; "Steal My Sunshine," Len; "Gin and Juice," Snoop Dogg; "Summer of '69," Bryan Adams; "Juicy," Notorious B.I.G.; "Summer Loving Song," Katell Keineg; "Summer Breeze," Seals & Croft; "Summer Lovin'," Grease Soundtrack; "Hot Child in the City," Nick Glider; "Key Largo," Bertie Higgins; "Hey Ya," OutKast; "Ventura Highway," America
Got any favorite summertime jams?
More in the GuySpeak Ultimate Mega Awesome Mix series:
Best Break-Up Songs
Sexiest Songs of All Time (some great reader picks!)
Best Seductive Dance Songs/Best Striptease Jams
Here are ten hot summer jams to listen to while everyone else is blasting "California Gurls" for the fiftieth time. Some are party favorites, some laid back make out tunes. All are essential for the perfect summer mix.
"Summer Madness," Kool & The Gang - Will Smith sampled this one for his classic hit "Summertime." Play it after "Summertime" on your summer party mix, and blow your friends' minds.
"All Summer Long," Beach Boys - There are tons of covers of this one, but stick to the original (and don't confuse it with the crummy Kid Rock song that steals from both Lynyrd Skynyrd and Warren Zevon).
"Ce Matin La," Air - The entire Moon Safari album is the perfect soundtrack for hazy summer nights.
"Cruel Summer," Bananarama - A great summer jam, and one of the catchiest break-up songs of all time. Hope summer love treats you better than it did the lead singer of Bananarama, whose name escapes me at the moment.
"Hot in the City," Billy Idol - So hot, you can almost hear the steam coming out of the subway grates. The city is hot in the summer, is what I'm saying.
"Hissing of Summer Lawns," Joni Mitchell - Perfectly captures the feeling of dozing in the grass on a lazy summer day. Great for lounging (and kissing) in the backyard or on the beach.
"Time To Pretend," MGMT - This is going to be the stupid fun summer party song of choice for a long time to come.
"Sleepwalk," Santo & Johnny - Quite possibly my favorite piece of music ever. All it takes is the opening chords to transport me to a tropical isle, where I could sip on Mai Tais instead of lukewarm coffee.
"Waterfalls," TLC/ "Black Hole Sun," Soundgarden- Two hits that will always be summer songs to me due to MTV playing their respective videos on a non-stop loop throughout the warm months of 1994 and 1995.
"California Love," 2Pac - If you're at a party this summer, and this song doesn't play at least once, it's officially a bad party.
Runners-up: "Summer Love," Justin Timberlake; "Izzo," Jay-Z; "Summer Girls," LFO; "Fourth of July," Galaxie 500; "Suddenly Last Summer," The Motels; "Steal My Sunshine," Len; "Gin and Juice," Snoop Dogg; "Summer of '69," Bryan Adams; "Juicy," Notorious B.I.G.; "Summer Loving Song," Katell Keineg; "Summer Breeze," Seals & Croft; "Summer Lovin'," Grease Soundtrack; "Hot Child in the City," Nick Glider; "Key Largo," Bertie Higgins; "Hey Ya," OutKast; "Ventura Highway," America
Got any favorite summertime jams?
More in the GuySpeak Ultimate Mega Awesome Mix series:
Best Break-Up Songs
Sexiest Songs of All Time (some great reader picks!)
Best Seductive Dance Songs/Best Striptease Jams
LOVE "Ventura Highway," America (also "Sister Golden Hair" and "Tinman")
Personally, "Summertime" by Mae and more currently, "Sun Hands" by Local Natives.
Yes, Sister Goldenhair! I used to play that constantly one summer in LA.
I thought "cruel summer" was by Ace of Bass...
They covered it. Originally by Bananarama.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n6chxpEINs
Er, audio is out on that link. Try this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGYNvx9lqDQ
Nick, for once I have nothing to add. Great list.
Oh and "summertime" by Billie holiday and of course "mr blue sky" by ELO
Holiday from Real, or The Mixed Tape by Jack's Mannequin
California (acoustic) by Phantom Planet
Life in Technicolor II by Coldplay
and YES to Mr Blue Sky by ELO
Absolutely Mr. Blue Sky. Life in Technicolor is also a great choice.
Lasso by Phoenix and Love and Memories by OAR. Perfect for when you're driving around aimlessly with friends in the summer heat, with the windows rolled all the way down. Good stuff.
FISHIN' IN THE DARK -
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
(Yeah I'm a country girl, so sue me!)
"This Afternoon" - Nickelback
"In the Summertime" - Mungo Jerry
"All Summer Long" - Kid Rock (Gotta disagree with Nick on this one, it's fun!)
"Summertime" - Ella Fitzgerald
Shout out to OlySky - Fishin' in the Dark is a summer classic
"This Afternoon" - Nickelback
"In the Summertime" - Mungo Jerry
Shout out to OlySky - Fishin' in the Dark is a summer classic