SUMMER FAVORITES:
It’s hard to believe that an entire week has already passed by since we were fully entrenched in our LAST BLAST OF SUMMER Labor Day Weekend Special on The True Oldies Channel. Hopefully, some of you were able to stop by and listen here and there. (I’m guessing that more than a few of you did … our weekend traffic was up by about 14,000 visitors … so thanks again to Scott Shannon and Robby Bridges for getting the word out and steering some new oldies fans our way.)
Speaking of which, imagine my surprise when I found out that Robby was filling in for Scott Shannon last weekend!!! I had absolutely NO idea … you’d think that they might have mentioned it … especially since I promoted Scott hosting the weekend at least thirty times the week before!!! And he and I talked several times along the way of putting this whole thing together ... but not even so much as a hint!
That being said, I have to say that they really did do an exceptional job of putting this whole thing together … there were times when I heard as many as FOUR Summer Favorites played back-to-back throughout the weekend. (Saving the list as a Monday reveal also helped build anticipation, I think … especially with The Top Ten Summer Favorites Countdown just prior to both of us posting the complete list on our respective websites. Special thanks to FH Reader Don Effenberger for pointing out a little glitch along the way in this regard, too … but it was fixed in literally MINUTES once we knew about it.) And man, could we have asked for any more publicity for this?!?! THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of new readers discovered Forgotten Hits for the very first time … and hopefully at least half a dozen or so will come back and check us out again.
Thanks again to everyone for voting and making this our most successful Summer Countdown yet. (kk)
If somehow, someway, you missed The Top 200 Final List, you can see the whole thing (plus 80 Runner Up / Honorable Mention titles) here:
And watch the whole thing unveil here:
kk …
YOU WAS RIGHT!
"SUMMER IN THE CITY" Is The Number One Song!
Ha ! HA !
FB
Also from Frank …
kk:
You pointed out that John Phillips wrote "SAN FRANCISCO" for Scott McKenzie.
Later on, Scott McKenzie became a member of The Mamas & Papas.
Two ways to keep cool in the summer –
On Larry's Pub Jukebox, I always played these songs back to back: "UNDER THE BOARDWALK" and "UP ON THE ROOF."
One extreme to another.
FB
Scott McKenzie actually took John Phillips’ place in the band. (The two went way back to The Journeymen folk music days, before the success of The Mamas and the Papas.) I saw them in the early ‘80’s with Scott McKenzie, Denny Doherty, Spanky McFarland and MacKenzie Phillips at an outdoor fest held in Berwyn, IL, right behind my old high school. At best, I’d have to say they sounded “jusk okay.” Still, it was a shame, as there was virtually NOBODY there. Years later, I saw them (with Phillips back onboard and in FINE voice) at The Drury Lane Theater here in Oak Brook … and they were outstanding. It was a very entertaining show with lots of humorous storytelling by John, who also performed a song that has NEVER been released that just blew me away. (I remember searching for it for YEARS … and thought maybe after his passing someone might finally release it … but it never happened. The REAL shame is I could still hear the song in my head for years … but it’s long gone now … and I can’t even remember the title … but it was a “looking back” kind of song with very powerful lyrics and arrangement. ) kk
Hey Kent:
Speaking of one of your faves, Robin Ward, with “Wonderful Summer,” if memory serves, she is the female voice on your 2nd 45, Speedy Gonzales!!!
Ken
Robin (whose real name was Jacqueline McDonnell) was Pat Boone’s labelmate on Dot Records … so that wouldn’t at all surprise me … and, according to Joel Whitburn, you are correct. (kk)
>>>Brian Hyland has TWO songs in The Top 200 Summer Songs Countdown (kk)
kk:
One of the writers, Vance and Pockress, of "ITSY BITSY TEENIE WEENIE YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI" said he got the inspiration from his daughter and it took him 25 minutes to write the song.
Elvis and Priscilla used to exchange 45's when they were dating. When Brian met Elvis, he told him that one of the songs he sent to Priscilla was "SEALED WITH A KISS."
Also … I don't remember this one …
Stay And Love Me All Summer
Frank B.
This was a new discovery for me this time around, too … but it actually charted (at #69) in 1969, just three months before Brian’s big comeback record “Gypsy Woman.” It ultimately finished at #489 in our Summer Favorites Poll (with just four votes ... I think it deserved better ... but then again how many people out there were even familiar with it?!?!)
I heard it for the first time on Sam Tallerico’s Lost And Found Oldies Show a couple of months ago … but liked it and immediately downloaded it for my own collection.
Another new one for me was Cliff Richard’s “Summer Holiday” which, if I remember correctly, was the theme song to one of his big movies in England at the time. I’m guessing I was just a little bit late to the party on this one, as it earned 54 votes and made our Honorable Mentions list ... and I really do like the song. (kk)
(You’ve got to remember that Cliff Richard was like Elvis over there … maintained (and STILL maintains!) a 50+ year career with success on both the pop charts and the silver screen. How he was limited to just a few late ‘70’s / early ‘80’s hits here in The States is almost unthinkable.) kk
kk:
Is it too late to vote for this song?
Maybe Scott will play it.
FB
Wow, what a GREAT record … and another one that I was COMPLETELY unaware of! Thanks for sharing.
(It never would have made our list … but what a great new discovery!)
The Gatlin Brothers have always had that family harmonizing ability … and, as a rule, don’t need ANY help in this area …
So it is REALLY special to see them allow a couple of “guest vocalists” share the microphone with them.
And check out the Traveling Wilburys video that follow it! I’ve never seen this one before either … but it’s a keeper! (kk)
Great response to your Summer Top 200 … and a huge effort on your part.
Many thanks!
Phil Miglioratti
Congratulations on the Summer Favorites Weekend. You handled it beautifully and kept up my interest in it with each installment.
Rick O’Dell
Me-TV-FM
Rick also told me that NEXT WEEKEND (kicking off at 7 pm Chicago time on Friday, September 18th), Me-TV-FM will be running another Forgotten Hits inspired specialty weekend.
This time we’re calling it the "Eye Tunes Weekend" … with ALL kinds of songs about the eyes and everything else that goes along with this topic. (We came up with SO many great titles for this one that Rick tells me Me-TV-FM will be playing several songs the station has NEVER played before … so be sure to tune in and listen, beginning THIS COMING FRIDAY NIGHT (9/18) and running throughout the weekend.
Your best Listen Live streaming option comes out of Milwaukee … so set a bookmark for this page now … because you’ll find an INCREDIBLE mix of music 24/7 here. (kk)
“An Eye Tunes Weekend” will begin next Friday, September 18, at 7:00 pm, and run throughout the weekend. There are several dozen songs we’ll be sprinkling in throughout the weekend, including a bunch we’ve never played before on MeTVFM. It’s amazing, the number of songs about eyes and what we do with our eyes!
Enjoy your weekend.
Rick
Well, I can’t wait to see (hear? Not sure since it’s all about Eyes ... so I guess technically it's BOTH!!!) what you’ve done with the concept! The Eyes DEFINITELY have it … next weekend on Me-TV-FM, where they’ll be rolling out The Eye Tunes Weekend! (Get it??? Rolling your eyes at that one, aren't you???) kk
Well, it may have taken all weekend to do so, but I think we finally won over a few skeptical listeners with out Summer Countdown selections. (Much as I did with our Top 3333 Most Essential Classic Rock Tracks list, I have always maintained that the results are YOUR choices … all I do is tabulate them. So the songs that appeared on the Summer Favorites list are the songs that YOU GUYS determined to be the most representative songs of summer in YOUR minds.)
This is why I have always pooh-poohed some of these other lists put together by a handful of “hip” writers or a small assortment of critics that typically determine some of the other lists you see circulated all of the time. OUR lists represent the choices of the people … the real oldies music fans and connoisseurs out there that live and breathe this stuff.
So, to prove a point … and, ultimately, MAKE a point … here are some of the “less than positive” comments we received … along with some amended commentary after the whole list (and the True Oldies playlist) ran its course …
BEFORE:
Hi there, Kent,
While I'll agree that California Dreaming by the Mamas and Papas is an awesome song, with lush harmonies and a nice flute solo in the middle,
how the hell is it a summer song? California Dreaming, on such a WINTER'S DAY!
On the other hand, the FH reader that said that Sunny Afternoon by the Kinks was not a summer song is simply wrong.
In the song, Ray Davies sings the lyrics, "Lazing on a sunny afternoon, in the summertime, in the summertime, in the summertime."
If that's not a summer song, I don't know what is.
Admittedly the topic of separation is a bit on the heavy side, but it is still a fun song.
I was twelve years old when that song was out in 1966, and I always thought the line "Now I'm sitting here, sipping at my ice cool beer" was pretty cool. Nat King Cole just hints at the presence of beer in Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer, but Ray Davies is actually drinking one. In fact, one day my Dad was with me and we were both listening to that song together, and I asked Dad if I could have a beer, and he gave me one. That was the first time I actually drank an entire beer, and it was because of that song, Sunny Afternoon by the Kinks.
Sam Ward
AFTER:
Hi there folks,
This is Sam Ward here in Ontario Canada, and I would just like to congratulate Kent for all the hard work that he has put into compiling this top 200 summer songs list for 2020, while at the same time, maintaining this blog as well.
There were a few surprises for me on the list. It's nice to see that so many of you still love some of those classic fifties summer songs enough to vote for them, and that even now, they have still found their rightful place on the list.
I was quite pleased to see that Summertime Summertime by the Jamies got as high as number 38. That's obviously down from its position of
number 10 a decade ago, but that still puts it in the top forty.
There's a bit of a funny story about this song. I thought that one of the lines in the song was, "It's time to head straight for the mills" and I remember thinking, "What would kids be doing heading for the mills during the summer? Were they going to a summer job or something?"
Well, come to find out, the lyrics were, "It's time to head straight for them hills." <grin>
Likewise, I was glad to see that Here Comes Summer by Jerry Keller earned the number 27 spot on this year's list. (That's down from number
10 on Kent's last poll in 2010.) That's always been one of my favorite summer songs. I have a disc jockey friend that absolutely loves that
song, so I gave him an mp3 file of the song in stereo, and he was put off by that version, because he was so used to hearing the song in mono.
Because it is definitely a doo-wop song, I was really afraid that One Summer Night by the Danleers might not make the list at all this year, and I'm so glad that it did. Although it didn't make the top forty, at least it made the top one hundred at number 67. I've always loved that song, and the ending of that song is a carbon copy of the ending of The Great Pretender by the Platters.
I was also very happy to see that Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues was number 10 on this year's list. This one is another classic summer song, and although many other groups have covered this song including the Flying Lizzards, to me, Eddie Cochran has the definitive version of this summer classic.
But perhaps most surprising to me, was Percy Faith's Theme From A Summer Place, which came in at number 13.
Don't get me wrong ...
It's a beautiful song … and sometimes when I'm in a rather melancholy mood, this song can actually bring tears to my eyes.
I certainly remember hearing this song a whole lot as a six year old, that's for sure.
This song is in the beautiful music category although, more often than not, people refer to this music now as elevator music, and yet no elevators or grocery stores or dentist's office play this type of music any more.
The sound of Percy Faith and Andre Kostelanetz and Mantavani and the Hollywood Strings have totally disappeared from not only the radio airwaves, but from public places as well. Nobody likes this music much anymore, although my Mom loved it, and kept our beautiful music station in Columbus Ohio, WBNS FM, playing from morning till night on our stereo. I mean, you just don't hear this type of music at all! Even big band
music can be heard on some audio streams and a few radio stations in communities where there is a large population of senior citizens. And
yet, despite the passage of 60 years, and the fact that I'm sure a whole lot of younger people cast their votes on this list, this beautiful summer classic still held its own at number 13, and that really surprised me. It was a very pleasant surprise, actually.
Believe it or not, Percy Faith recorded a disco version of that song toward the end of 1975, and it was called Summer Place '76.
Anyway, overall, I found the list very interesting as I'm sure most of the rest of you did as well.
Once again, I would like to thank Kent Kotal for his hard work in making this happen.
You sir, are to be congratulated for your hard work and true dedication.
Sam Ward
Ontario, Canada
BEFORE:
I think any song to be listed as a "Summer Favorite" should at least have some lyrical (or, if instrumental, emotional) connection to the season. That means classics like "Beach Baby," ""Surfer Girl," "Remember Walkin' in The Sand," "So In Love," "Summer Sand," "Surf City," "Palisades Park," "Summer In The City," "Green Grass," ""Summer (The First Time)," "Wipe Out," "California Sun," "All Summer Long," etc. would all qualify. A single that just happened to be released during the summer but does not at all evoke the season ("It's Too Late," "Sukiyaki," "Lonely Boy," "Morning Train," etc.) would not.
Gary Theroux
The History of Rock 'n' Roll
AFTER:
I LOVED your summer song countdown. Perhaps my favorite of the 30 new two-hour History Of Rock And Roll episodes I've written is entitled "The Super Summer Song Collection," which, oddly enough, was the title of a 3 CD box set I developed for Reader's Digest Music which was never released, to my huge dismay. I still think it would be a big seller today.
Gary Theroux
Congratulations on the great work, Kent, on the Summer Song countdown.
At the risk of prolonging a never-resolved debate, I wanted to suggest another project for you to tackle in your "leisure time," hah, when things calm down, hah.
While the debate probably will never end on whether the focus should be on summer-season or summer-related songs, I'd love to see an "isolated" list of the top 200 songs that are really about summer or summer activities like beaches, surfing, cruising, parks and other summer fun. Just the barebones list culled from your master list of vote-getters.
I get the argument about the memories and impact of summer monster hits, but it seems a unique one.
In all the lists I've seen over the years on top Christmas season songs, for example, I've never seen one that included "Turn! Turn! Turn!" or "Good Vibrations" or "Daydream Believer" or other major chart hits as seasonal faves! So sometime if possible, I'd love to see a more "summer activities"-specific list pulled from your rankings for us few (?) "purists." Just a thought.
One other thing: I bow to no one in my admiration for the power and influence of Forgotten Hits!
So I may be wrong, but I do wonder if there isn't the slight possibility that in addition to FH exposure, the relative powerhouse showing of "Lake Shore Drive" also might have a little bit to do with its inclusion on the soundtrack of "Guardians of the Galaxy 2," which grossed more than $389 million in the U.S. I never saw the sequel, and I only made it through about 30 minutes of the first one, but I hear some folks actually liked the films and may have been introduced to it there.
Keep up the great work!
Don Effenberger
To address our nay-sayers regarding the content of The Summer Songs Countdown List inclusions, stating that the list should only contain songs specifically songs ABOUT summer, I can only offer up the explanation that this is the way we’ve always done it.
In our final posting listing the complete list of Top 200 Summer Favorites, I wrote:
The criteria was simple: What songs best evoke the feeling of summer in your mind?That means they can be songs about summer, songs with summer in the title, songs about hot fun in the summertime or lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer ... Happy Summer Days ... or Summertime Blues ... Summer activities like surfin' and cruisin' ...dancin' in the street … California Girls, Surfer Girls, Girl Watchin' ... Summer places ... Whether it be under the boardwalk or up on the roof drinkin' summer wine ... Summer lovin' ... saying goodbye for the summer ... And then seeing you again in September ... The sun and sunshine ... a walk along the beach ... twistin' the night away ... Singin' in the sunshine ... or walkin' in the summer rain ... Or simply the biggest songs of summers past ... Songs that take you back to a particular place in time with indelible memories.
There is something about Summer Memories that seem to stand head and shoulders above many others … and the music we were hearing during those fun in the sun summer months had a lot to do with that.
I made a comment previously about “How can you hear ‘Satisfaction’ and NOT think of summer? It was the biggest song of The Summer of ’65 … and, eventually, the #1 Song of the entire year.
I’ve given some more thought to that statement …
Sure, if you were THERE, growing up during The Summer of ’65, this would be the case …
But what about all the new readers who weren’t even born yet in 1965?
How could THEY possibly relate to this being a summer song?
So for a moment, I started to question my own justification.
And then THIS year, “Satisfaction” moves UP our Summer Favorites Chart from #19 to #5 …
So how does THAT happen?!?!
Sure, it’s a great rock song … a classic to be sure … but what ties it to summer for SO many people?
As for the Christmas comparison, I get what you're saying ... but I think Christmas Music has always revolved a specific list of songs, often covered (and featured) by DOZENS of artists. A countdown of Top 100 "Christmas Favorites" that features eight versions of some of these tunes would really limit its appeal. (Gary Theroux syndicates a Top 100 Christmas Songs list every year … but it’s a stretch to include everything to fill out a list that long ... so he expands the criteria as necessary so as t be able to feature the widest variety of holiday music possible.)
But this seems to be the exception to the rule ...
Typically, we’re subjected to a dozen different versions of “O Holy Night,” “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song” and “Jingle Bells” instead … hardly the stuff that makes for an interesting countdown. (And don't even get me started as to how "Baby, It's Cold Outside" always made the holiday playlist until about a year ago when our new-found political correctness seemed to banish it from the airwaves forever more!)
Summer encompasses an entire feel of the season (and all that goes along with it.)
How is “California Dreaming” NOT a summer song? Sure, they’re singing it “on a winter’s day” … but what is it they’re singing and dreaming
about??? The warmth of the sun in sunny California … ANYTHING to take them away from the cruel, rough reality of a winter’s day! (And, by the way, you'll see that we DID acknowledge Lake Shore Drive's inclusion in the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack as well … although WE were promoting the song for twenty years to a national audience before that film was ever even made.)
A more theme-specific list could probably be compiled out of the 600+ nominations we received (some of which, quite honestly, I've never even HEARD before!!!) ... so maybe a Top 50 or Top 100 would be in order to pacify like-minded readers and music fans who felt that we missed our mark with this one. Let me see if I still feel inspired enough to do so, now that this series has run its course.
But I can tell you right now the challenge will be WHAT to include … and what to omit. And ultimately, who makes this decision??? (This is why I've always left the choices up to YOU ... what songs constitute summer for you in YOUR world ... and that's what our Top 200 List reflects ... not MY choices ... not MY criteria ... but YOURS.)
Does “California” not constitute the whole “good vibrations” of Summer? If not, then there goes your #2 All-Time Favorite pick! (Which would also mean that about 650 of you out there were WRONG for selecting it … and I don’t buy that for a minute!!!)
Does “California” not constitute the whole “good vibrations” of Summer? If not, then there goes your #2 All-Time Favorite pick! (Which would also mean that about 650 of you out there were WRONG for selecting it … and I don’t buy that for a minute!!!)
What about other “sunny places” like Hawaii and San Francisco and Kokomo and Margaritaville? “Wipe Out” doesn’t mention summer … heck, it doesn’t mention anything at all because it’s an instrumental … does that mean that “Wipe Out” NOT a summer song but “Theme from ‘A Summer Place’” IS simply because it’s got the KEY word in the title?
What about all the other things that go along with summer? Cruisin’ … The Beach … Surfin’ … cars and girls and bikinis. Does this mean that “All Summer Long” counts but “Fun Fun Fun” doesn’t? Summer vacation counts ... but "See You In September" doesn't??? Seriously, who’s going to set the criteria that we can ALL agree on?
I’m being facetious, of course, but you can see how too many filters could make this a pretty boring list. But seriously, to be clear, who out there is prepared to determine what counts and what doesn’t? Is “Dancing In The Street” a summer song? (We know “A Summer Song” is because it tells you so right in the title!) But “Light My Fire,” “Windy,” “Born To Be Wild,” “Saturday In The Park” (which mentions The 4th of July in the lyrics but not in the title), “Miserlou,” “Barbara Ann,” “Rag Doll” and “Brandy” would all have to come off the list ... and I just don't think that's right.
On the other hand, we also heard from several disc jockeys and radio programmers who LOVED the idea that our list includes these songs. (Our 2010 List has probably been counted down on over two dozen radio stations over the past ten years, none of whom questioned the content ... but rather EMBRACED it enough to want to share it with their listeners.)
And then how do you handle a random vote like this one?:
And then how do you handle a random vote like this one?:
Vehicle - Ides of March - Not sure if this qualifies, but I know I first heard it on the beach, and from the sound of the opening horns it blew me away! Still does.
That’s why we’ve always said “It’s What Songs Evoke The Spirit Of Summer For YOU???” “Vehicle” got votes … and so did “Eye Of The Tiger.” Maybe part of a Feel Good Summer Song is one that makes you feel energized. Quite honestly, I’ve always trusted YOUR judgement on this … this is, after all, YOUR list of Summer Favorites … all I do is tally up the votes! (kk)
One other quick clarification …
We also got mail saying that Summer doesn’t really end until September 21st … which is true … but for US … and I think MOST of us who grew up during the same era and marked your summer by Memorial Day thru Labor Day (and this is also the criteria we have always used for our countdowns), ALL of our Summer Countdowns shown on the Forgotten Hits Website feature the Biggest Songs of June, July and August … that’s OUR Summer timeframe … and you’ll find Summer Countdowns for EVERY year, 1955 – 1980, on The Forgotten Hits Website:
http://forgottenhits.com/
And finally ...
If you want a great Fall / Autumn song, try “Autumn” by The Thomas Group from 1966 on Dunhill ... it’s a great “forgotten” PF Sloan-Steve Barri song. It was also a Gary Lewis LP cut. Either one is excellent. Should have been a hit. (Although it makes Top 5 in Louisville!) It’s on YouTube.
And finally ...
If you want a great Fall / Autumn song, try “Autumn” by The Thomas Group from 1966 on Dunhill ... it’s a great “forgotten” PF Sloan-Steve Barri song. It was also a Gary Lewis LP cut. Either one is excellent. Should have been a hit. (Although it makes Top 5 in Louisville!) It’s on YouTube.
Ken
I’m not familiar with that one … but I absolutely LOVE “Autumn” by The Edgar Winter Group … shows just what a wide range of talent these guys actually had. (kk)
(Quite honestly, I don’t know that I'm prepared to go the “Autumn” song route ... but it certainly is the most ignored season! An Autumn Favorites List?!?! Forget about it!!! Lol)
By the way, be sure to watch for a brand new Sunday Comments Page tomorrow, too …
And please join us for the Dick Biondi Birthday Celebration. (Scroll back to Friday’s post for more information)
