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Kimberly Dalferes | Author

Crazy, Southern, Irish Gal, Author

I’m Walking On Sunshine

June 26, 2014 by Kim Dalferes

Summertime! Having come of age in Florida, I didn’t truly appreciate the importance and beauty of a cloudless bright sunny day until I moved north to Virginia. In Florida, except in January, every day is cheery and sunshiny. Now I know that for the rest of the country, these summer months are provided by the Universe to help us forget about shoveling snow and heating bills.

I’ve been a bit lax when it comes to my personal summer prepping. Just this week I finally got around to a cute short summer haircut, assessing the bathing suit situation, and the whole shaving above the knee procedure.

One of the summer traditions that I love is the emergence of the quintessential summer song. You know the one, it comes on the radio – yes I still listen to the radio, I’m middle-aged, sue me – and your immediate reaction is OMG, I LOVE this song! I road trip a lot over the summer to and from the lake house – yep, we have a lake house, THAT is a whole other story – and the perfect summer song on the radio makes the four hour trip go by a helluva lot easier.

woman-160342_640 small print

http://pixabay.com/en/woman-blonde-automobile-car-160342/#_=_

It’s hard to define, exactly, what makes a song a great summer song. It just has that certain something. It has to be irresistible, a catchy tune that you can’t get out of your head. It’s a melody that immediately lifts your spirits and makes you feel happy and carefree. The song doesn’t have to be about summer, but it doesn’t suck if ‘summer’ or ‘sunshine’ or ‘hot’ are in the lyrics.

Every summer seems to produce one or two great songs – remember Call Me Maybe in the summer of 2012 – it was everywhere. Yeah, it kind of got a bit overdone, but that’s what happens to memorable summer tunes, they get played until you’re sick of them – but you don’t forget them.

words to a song

Being firmly grounded in Club Fifty, I’ve experienced and accumulated a broad range of fun, summer songs. They’re not necessarily songs that were released in the summer months, but they’re my go-to tunes that make me wanna sing along and sometimes even dance in the sunshine. What follows are ten of my favorite picks. I can already hear my son groaning…

1.      Everyday People (Sly and the Family Stone, 1968). The movie Definitely Maybe opens with Ryan Reynolds walking along a busy city street, earbuds tucked into place, strolling to the rhythms of this great song. I’m going back aways for this one, but it has that instant “love this song” quality. Of course watching Ryan Reynolds stroll along makes me happy too – #embracethecougar, it’s a thing.

2.     Walking On Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves, 1983). This tune pulls double duty for having ‘sun’ in the title and also being a peppy little ditty.

3.     Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffet, 1978). Come on, who doesn’t know ALL the lyrics to this song? No karaoke machine is complete unless this tune is on the play list.

 

margarita 2

4.     Schools Out for Summer (Alice Cooper, 1972). A nod and a throw-back to my 1970’s rock roots, this one makes me want to toss my head back and forth and bang on the car dashboard.

5.     I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Whitney Houston, 1987). Whitney had bigger hits, but, this is the one that makes me get out of my chair at a party and head to the dance floor.

6.     Wipeout (Surfaris, 1963). You can’t have a summer playlist and not include this song. It may not be the best song to dance to, but it should come with this warning: caution, listening to this song while driving can lead to speeding. Trust me, I speak from experience.

7.     Heart And Soul (Huey Lewis and the News, 1983). This one probably isn’t on many people’s summer playlist. However, I have a little bit of a personal bias here: Huey is hubs’ cousin. So, when this comes on the radio I gotta turn it up!

8.     Spirit in the Sky (Norman Greenbaum, 1969). I’ll admit, I had to look up Norman on Wikipedia. Fun little fact, Norman is Jewish, and the song sure sounds like it’s about Jesus. Makes me love this one a little more now.

9.      Feels Like the First Time (Foreigner, 1978). Love, love, love this song. Freshman year of high school, nuf said.

10.  Mony Mony (Tommy James and the Shondells, 1968). I do like Billy Idol’s 1987 remake. Either way, it’s a catchy tune.

What are some of your favorite summer songs? What would you add to this list?

Wishing everyone a radiant summer filled with lots of great music.

cheers at the lake - with text

Kimba

Filed Under: The Middle-Aged Cheap Seats Tagged With: amazon best sellers, baby boomers, beach songs, best summer songs, blog, Club Fifty, I was in love with a short man once, Kim Dalferes, Kim Dalferes Author, Kimba, Kimberly Dalferes, middle-aged, middle-aged cheap seats, summer music, summer playlist, summer songs, The Middle-Aged Cheap Seats, women

Comments

  1. Tammy says

    June 29, 2014 at 9:58 pm

    Fabulous list!

    • Kim Dalferes says

      June 30, 2014 at 11:42 am

      Thx Tammy! 

  2. Phyllis M Alston says

    June 29, 2014 at 9:17 pm

    Hi Kimba,

    I love this.  Music truly is nutrition for the soul.  And this post is a wonderful way to ring in the summer.  Thanks for sharing your memories and reminding me of a few of my own. -Phyllis

    • Kim Dalferes says

      June 30, 2014 at 11:43 am

      Summer is such a fun time, gotta have fun music too, right? 

  3. Lois Alter Mark says

    June 29, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    These songs bring back so many memories — and I totally remember listening to Spirit in the Sky endlessly! I also hate when the artists get the lyrics wrong. Ha ha! 

    • Kim Dalferes says

      June 30, 2014 at 11:42 am

      Oh, I butcher lyrics all the time.  Have you eer tried to sing Benny and the Jets?! 

  4. Susan Wright-Boucher says

    June 29, 2014 at 11:13 am

    I love your list — know every song on it. Here's my go-to summer song: Lovin' Spoonful's Summer in the City. 

    • Kimba says

      June 29, 2014 at 7:09 pm

      Summer in the City is a GREAT song! 

  5. Jacs Henderson says

    June 29, 2014 at 8:26 am

    I so Love driving and singing to music! Don't know all of your Top 10… but Yay for YouTube, I'm eager to hear them!

    How wonderful to have a beach house and lots of clear blue skies … my dream

    We used to sing Yellow Submarine by The Beatles and We're all going on a Summer Holiday by Cliff Richard when we were children being driven off for our summer hols 🙂

    Looking forward to summer!

    Jacs

    • Kimba says

      June 29, 2014 at 7:13 pm

      Yellow Submarine is a great summer song – know all the words! 

  6. Rena McDaniel-The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver says

    June 28, 2014 at 12:33 am

    Great list! I would add "Jack and Diane" John Cougar , "Sweet Home Alabama" Lynard Skynard 

  7. Marquita Herald says

    June 27, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    Great list Kimba, I like them all and I do remember Huey Lewis and the News. They played here in Lahaina m-a-n-y moons ago – awesome concert. Anyway, while each of the songs already on the list is great, my current fav for summer is Rather Be by Clean Bandit. OMG I cannot play that song just one time!

    • Kimba says

      June 29, 2014 at 7:18 pm

      Thx Marti – ';m going to check out "Rather Be" right now. 

  8. Kathi says

    June 27, 2014 at 1:11 pm

    I may be dating myself here, but "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows…." gets me every time!

    Enjoy the Lake, Kimba!

    Kathi

    • Kim Dalferes says

      June 30, 2014 at 11:41 am

      LOL Kathi, will stock up on lollipops for you at the lake house!  

  9. Carol Cassara says

    June 27, 2014 at 10:33 am

    Walking on sunshine is such a happy song! I love California Sun.

    • Kimba says

      June 29, 2014 at 7:28 pm

      Anything with sun, sunshine, sunny, usually makes me happy…

  10. Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com says

    June 27, 2014 at 10:16 am

    Walking on Sunshine HAS to be one of my long time favorites and the best summer song around.  But I also appreciate all the rest that you listed….GREAT songs.  Thanks!

Hello!

Author photo #2 in colorI hope you enjoy your time here and that you come back often. Wondering what makes me tick? This favorite quote from one of the grand dames of writing, Erma Bombeck, might help: Hook 'em with the lead. Hold 'em with laughter. Exit with a quip they won't forget. This seems to be a good overall life goal, don’t you think?

Hello!

Author photo #2 in colorWelcome to The Middle-Aged Cheap Seats,  the blog of Kimba Dalferes: slayer of king salmon, estate sale junkie, sometimes writes books.
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Beaches, Bathrooms, and Books!

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Kim Dalferes’ Latest Book…

Crazy Southern Irish Gal Two-Book Bundle

Humor writer Kimberly “Kimba” Dalferes dishes on a wide variety of topics–from days of her youth spent blissfully on the shores of Florida’s beaches to menopause and empty nests–in her nonfiction collection Crazy Southern Irish Gal Two-Book Bundle. In both titles: I Was In Love With a Short Man Once and Magic Fishing Panties, Dalferes’ crazy Southern Irish gal perspective inspires her illustrations of life’s quirky twists and turns. Together, these books offer descriptive and colorful essays on subjects such as getting a tattoo in midlife, unique uses for kitty litter, handling a rabid bat, public speaking gone wrong, and naked hot-tubbing in Vegas. Dalferes skillfully weaves what at first glance may appear to be dissimilar themes into a tapestry that invokes her life’s motto: live out loud, laugh often, and ‘occasionally’ drink tequila. Now available through Amazon Kindle.

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