Officially, summer is winding down, but the reality is that it’s as hot and humid today as it was a month, two months ago. Still, eventually it will go away, to be replaced by cooler temperatures, falling leaves, and ultimately s-n-o-w. At any rate, I thought it appropriate to play a nice summery song while it still fit.
The song was a collaboration between John Sebastian, The Lovin Spoonful’s bassist Steve Boone, and the frontman’s brother (and non-group member) Mark Sebastian. Mark was 15 years old when he wrote a poem that John used as the basis for the song – John especially liked the part that went, “But at night there’s a different world.”
Says John …
“That song that came from an idea my brother Mike had. He had this great chorus, and the release was so big. I had to create some kind of tension at the front end to make it even bigger. That’s where that jagged piano part comes from.”
Boone came up with the middle eight, which John thought sounded like the Gershwin composition “An American in Paris,” where the orchestra implies the sound of traffic and city noises. This gave him the idea of incorporating car horns and other city ambiance into the track.
The band was rather particular about the traffic sounds. Instead of just using what was available on the sound effects records in the studio, they found an old-school radio engineer – a guy who used to create the soundscapes for shows, so if a guy was riding a horse, you’d hear the hooves hitting the ground and the wind whistling by. This guy, whom John Sebastian referred to as a “hilarious old Jewish sound man,” came in with a huge library of street sounds, which the band went through for hours. They wanted the scene to build, so it starts softly (the horn at the beginning comes from a Volkswagen Beetle), and grows to a gridlock nightmare. To close the scene, they used a pneumatic hammer pounding away at the pavement.
This song hit #1 in the U.S. and Canada, and #8 in the UK which is really rather odd, when you consider that in the UK they don’t even know what summer is!
Summer in the City
The Lovin’ Spoonful
Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn’t it a pity
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city
All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head
But at night it’s a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it’ll be alright
And babe, don’t you know it’s a pity
That the days can’t be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city
Cool town, evening in the city
Dressing so fine and looking so pretty
Cool cat, looking for a kitty
Gonna look in every corner of the city
Till I’m wheezing like a bus stop
Running up the stairs, gonna meet you on the rooftop
But at night it’s a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it’ll be alright
And babe, don’t you know it’s a pity
That the days can’t be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city
Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn’t it a pity
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city
All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head
But at night it’s a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it’ll be alright
And babe, don’t you know it’s a pity
That the days can’t be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: John Sebastian / Mark Sebastian / Steve Boone
Summer in the City lyrics © Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, BMG Rights Management, Carlin America Inc
Great song!!!
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😊
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One of my fav hot summer songs, along with ‘Hot Child the City’ and “Summertime” by Gershwin, as sung by Loulie Jean Norman. Cheers
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I was going to play “Hot Child in the City” for this morning’s post, but I found the video disturbing. Perhaps I’ll play it sans video one day. I love “Summertime”, but my favourite is the Ella Fitzgerald version.
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I understand what you mean about that video. Oh, the Ella version is also wonderful, but I’m partial to any song that she sings.
I must mention that I later remembered “Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly and the Family Stone, another favorite.
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OH! Another I had forgotten about! Thanks!
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This is my third try to publish a comment. Hope I don’t have to try a fourth,
I luved The Luvin’ Spoonful. They were one of my favourite North American 60s bands, helped on by Zal Yanovsky, lead guitarist and sometimes singer, being Canadian. Their string of 14 or so hits from 65 to 67 was incredible. Jug Band Music was by far my favourite, but the others were close behind.
Then tragedy struck.
After 54 years only the people involved know the truth, and the key player (not as in keyboard player, they didn’t have one) Zal Yanovsky is now dead. The cops aren’t talking, even after all these years. The story went that Zal was arrested for marijuana possession in 1967, was threatened with deportation after a max 14 years prison sentence (suddenly being a Canadian was not a good thing, deportation was a lifetime ban from the USA in those days)–American pot-smoking hippie musicians had it bad enough in front of rock n roll-hating judges, for a Canadian pot-smoking long-haired hippie musician in L.A., he might as well have been a child-molesting rapist murdering member of the post-Sharon-Tate Charles Manson family who were still two years away from their rampage. Yanovsky was looking at a possible long-future in earthly hell. He panicked and gave up his supplier, according to the said supplier who sold his story to anyone who would pay him and listen. What happened was worthy of a 2017 Facebook shaming scandal. The band was villifed, and disappeared from the face of the world. I do not condome what Zal did, but knowing police tactics back then, not dissimilar ro today, he was screwed from the outset. They held the the power, and he caved in.
This was one of the first signs that the hippie generation was doomed. It ended at Altamont Freeway Free Concert December 6, 1969. Please pardon me this statement, the execution took place at the Kent State Massacre on May 4th,1970.
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Thanks for the additional info on Zal Yanovsky … I looked him up on Wikipedia, but they failed to mention any of what you just told me. Not surprising, is it? ‘Twas a sad ending for a fine band. Wiki did say he opened several restaurants, which his daughter, Zoe, took over after his death, plus his music is still being played today, so his legacy lives on, yes? More than most of us will likely be able to say.
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In my mind. Spoonful music does not get the airplay it deserves, but how many 60s bands do. They are just 1 decade in the main history of rock. An amazing Decade, mind you, just still, just one decade out of many.
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I wish music were like fashion, and eras or trends made periodic comebacks. I much preferred the music of the 60s to anything I’ve heard produced in the past decade.
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The 60s had quality, but it also had quantity–so much experimentation, some bad, some m
diocre, some good–but a lot great. When Jimi appeared on the scene after 4 years of British Invasion, the West Coast sound, the East Coast sound, folk rock, blues rock, even pop rock, even some jazz rock, Jimi blew them all away with Jimi Rock.
In today’s music industry, he would have been at best a minor anomaly. In 1967 we was what we needed, a real musician showman!
When one the last time we had a new Jimi Hendrix? Probanby 1967, the man himself, Jimi!
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Motown was always my absolute favourite and still is, but I did like much of the other music of the 60s as well. Never was a fan of Jimi Hendrix, though he did a couple I liked.
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No, I cannot see you being a Jimi fan, you weren’t experienced. I was.
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I was experienced … just in different ways than you! In many ways, I was naive, and perhaps in some ways still am.
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I too am naive about a lot of things, despite my vast experience in life. Nevdr lose that quality.
In Jimiese, experienced meant having done acid, nothing more.
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Ah, then in Jimiese, I am definitely NOT experienced! The strongest drug I ever tried was pot … tried it a few times and hated that it made me feel I wasn’t in control of my mind, so I gave that up almost as soon as I started!
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Lol. For some people, like me, it gave me a better sense of control of my mind…
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Pingback: ♫ Summer In The City ♫ | The Inglorius Padre Steve's World
I used to like this one when I was living in Berkeley in the 1960s. But my favorite song of theirs was “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?”
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Oooohhhh … that’s a good one, too! I’ve added it to my list! Thanks, Don!
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Jill, I wrote last year that we got a chance to see John Sebastian in a terrific venue, an old church converted into a theater. The church had two floors of seating and some to the side of the stage. He was very effusive about his and Lovin’ Spoonful’s history and how songs came about. It was truly a joy. He was by himself, so some songs he apologized for, but there was no need. It was a very entertaining evening. Keith
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What a wonderful experience! You have so many of them … I never even went to a concert. I’m jealous!!!
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A really great song to cap off the summer ❤
It also reminds me of this 80s classic:
Cheers 🙂
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Oooohhh … another good one! Haven’t heard or thought of that one in years! Thanks! Cheers!
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Enjoy, keep rockin’ out the tunes ❤
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Super song, Jill.
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Glad you liked it!!!
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Love this song.
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I’m so glad you liked it! Do you remember the one that OneEarthUnited posted?
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I can’t remember what I had for breakfast somedays. But yes I liked that as well.
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Heck, I cannot remember my name when I first wake some mornings. Breakfast? What’s that? 😉
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Great song!!!!! 👍. Hard to believe that FALL is coming so soon!!!! Hope you have a great day! 💙
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I know!!! Where the heck has this year gone? You have a great day too, my friend! ❤
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Great video.
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