Summer Adventures - Summer Songs Edition
What's the soundtrack of your summer?
Every season has its own adventures. Summer is bullshit, but it’s also a time to be outside, to explore and relax.
In the next few weeks, our quests will take us on some summer adventures you can try.
Summer songs have a certain vibe, don’t they? They feel like summer, summer fun, summer adventures.
And it’s something that may be very personal - like everything else, what feels like summer to you is going to be informed by you experiences, your culture and your personality.
Besides songs that talk about summer and summer hits, there are those unforgettable hits you danced to when you were growing up. Movie soundtracks. Maybe even TV show theme songs.
For me THE summer song is this one. Give it a listen and tell me if it doesn’t feel like summer, vacations, feeling the sun and the breeze. Being relaxed and carefree.
You’ve probably never heard it before. If you search for it, you’ll find the video above, and very little else. It appears in some obscure CD compilations and that’s it. The band, if it ever existed, only released two songs, including this one.
It was the year of 94 in Uruguay, and there was no Youtube, no Spotify, no social media. Not even cable TV. Since the 80s, two of our TV channels battled every year over who would release “the song of the summer”. In 94, it was Living Life The Sunshine Way.
I never forgot it. 20 years later and it was the first song I thought of when I started thinking about this newsletter.
💿Side Track
I’m having so much fun doing this. It’s one of the best jobs I’ve had - to look for joy, connect with my own joy, and bring it to you in the hopes it will spark something for you. An echo, reflection, surprise or familiarity. Little crumbs to help you find your way to the little things that make you smile and sometimes laugh or even cry.
Thank you for being here with me.💗
Some Favorite Summer Songs
The Heat Is On - Glenn Frey (1984)
Samba Reggae - Jimmy Cliff (1993) - my favorite version, with the Brazilian drums.
All Night Long - Lionel Ritchie (1983) - The sheer joy of this video is as great as the song.
Being a Mixed Bag…
Like I said, some of my favorites are related to my personal experiences. Being half-Uruguayan and half-Brazilian, I have the joy of knowing Latin American (and especially South American) music.
🎶Lambada - Kaoma (1989)
You may have heard this one. Maybe. The lambada dance was a world wide phenomenon back in the 80s, and it’s still very popular in South America. Yes, I know how to dance it and I love it. 😁
🎶Cara Caramba - Chiclete com Banana (1991)
Chiclete com Banana is an Axé music band from Salvador, Bahia, in Brazil, and this is my favorite song from them. The video is from 2018. Look at how everybody knows the lyrics, still, 27 years later. The joy and energy shared between the singer and the public.
🎶Caribe Sur - Man Ray (1988)
Man Ray was an Argentinian duo from the 80s (the name is inspired by the visual artist). The vibe and lyrics of “Caribe Sur” are pure summer:
It's late and I’m blinded by the sun on the side of the road
There are palm trees, there is a bar, there are shadows,
There is something more.
In the South Caribbean, dreaming in the South Caribbean
🎶Vamos a la playa - Rigueira (1983)
Iconic song - despite the fun melody and apparent simplicity of it, it talks about a post-atomic beach. And I love the retro-futuristic-vintage vibe of their performance.
Summer Soundtracks
Not all summer movie soundtracks feel like summer, but some definitely do, like Dirty Dancing and Barbie.
For me, the 50 First Dates (2004) soundtrack is the most summer soundtrack to have ever soundtracked. Not only is Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole one of my favorite songs ever, the whole soundtrack is full of excellent covers and original songs.
And the final scene always makes me cry. (Don’t watch the video below if you don’t want spoilers!)
It’s a shame many songs are unavailable online - at least as far as I can see.
This Week’s Quest - The Joy Of Summer Music
Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.
1 - What are your summer songs?
Think about your favorite summer music.
What’s the first song that comes to mind?
What’s the one you never forgot?
The one that makes you long for beach vacations, sunset walks and tropical drinks?
You favorite when you were growing up?
What about summer songs from your culture or region?
Favorite soundtracks?
2 - Make a playlist!
It’s about finding ways to time travel through your creative life, whether that’s remembering your past or building a future. It’s about seeing what matters and what makes your heart beat faster. It reminds you of all the rooms you contain within yourself and that you are free to explore them or find ways to make more of them. It’s about losing yourself in a banging tune and finding yourself in another. It reminds us that the world can be experienced in a multiplicity of ways, all of which are valid and more creative than we sometimes allow ourselves to think.
I love this post so much. I long for the days of the mixtape and the CD compilations, but creating playlists is still a lot of fun - if a different process.
So, gather your summer favorites and pin your Summer Playlist so you can enjoy your bangers every day!
3 - Take a quiz
This is a super fun quiz. I was laughing aloud by the third song. 😂
📚Reads
➡️ How the ‘song of the summer’ became a cultural phenomenon
When we casually throw out that ‘everyone’s listening to this,’ we are no longer talking about that massive mass audience in the pre-internet and even pre-cable era, where the word ‘everyone’ could be almost used literally,” Thompson says. Social media and the algorithms that drive streaming platforms have also drastically shortened the shelf life of entertainment, making it harder for a particular song to achieve a level of success that endures over the whole summer, Hajdu says. Some songs seem to go viral almost instantaneously, but it might only be a matter of weeks before the public moves on to the next big thing.
➡️ Unity and Celebration in Jimmy Cliff's 'Samba Reggae'
“Samba reggae, a genre that blends the Brazilian samba with Jamaican reggae. This fusion not only highlights the musical versatility of both styles but also underscores the shared cultural heritage and the spirit of togetherness that music can foster.”
➡️ A Brief History of Lambada
A glimpse at the (somewhat unbelievable) history of one of the few Brazilian dances to reach international fame.
🔥How to cope and stay safe in extreme heat
Summer’s bullshit is getting worse - heatwaves are happening earlier, lasting longer and getting hotter. The above guide has many helpful suggestions to cope with them, including some I hadn’t seen before; like wrapping ice cubes in a damp towel and draping around your neck.
🎙️Listen
This is my summer playlist - I’ve added all the songs mentioned above and I will keep working on it.
That’s It For Today!
If you make a playlist, share it with me if you’d like! And I’d love to know what are your favorite summer songs. Let me know in the comments so I can check them out. 😊
Until next time. —Nospheratt
I saved your playlist and will be listening to it on the way home! So fun. I made a summer playlist too.. but geared towards my disdain of the sunshine haha. Looking forward to checking out your list!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/35A6awVUk5GNrcX6TbLLnl