♫ Summer In The City ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

I know, I know … I seem to be playing a lot of summer-themed songs of late, but then … it IS summer, and only for about another month, so I figured I should get them in now.  I mean, it wouldn’t make much sense for me to be playing In The Good Old Summertime when there’s snow on the ground in January, would it?  So, chill out with a nice cold glass of tea or whatever your beverage of choice is and listen to some summer music!

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

16 thoughts on “♫ Summer In The City ♫ (Redux)”

  2. You may be surprised that I normally dislike summer songs, however this one was so atmospheric of a big city in that season it got me then and has not let go over all the years. Loved those sound effects, thanks for the back story on that Jill.
    So can someone answer me a question which has puzzled me for years:
    ‘How does a bus stop wheeze?’…some folk say it’s not ‘wheezing like a bus stop’ but ‘wheezing at the bus stop’….. still sounds ‘like’ to me🤔

    Liked by 1 person

    • Well, since you’re not a big fan of summer, I suppose not liking summer songs shouldn’t be any big surprise. Would you prefer, “Walking In A Winter Wonderland”? Anyway, I am glad you didn’t absolutely hate this one, as I believe our friend Clive did!

      Um … science and I are incompatible, so you’ll need to ask somebody who understands such things as air, compression, etc. Sowwy!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Memories of summers gone lone ago. We sang this song walking down sidewalks and sitting on rooftops, but mostly in Memorial Park where we gathered every night to smoke our dope and drop funny little pills. Everything was peace and love, and flowers in our hair. And throwing each other into the rainbow fountain. Obviously I am remembering many summers as one summer, but that’s okay. Life was easy back then. Nowadays, not so much…
    After the first summer the city turned the fountain lights off, trying to discourage us from congregating there. Then they tried cops walking around in pairs. Then they gave up…

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yep, I remember singing this one, snapping fingers … ahhhhh youth. I didn’t smoke the dope or drop the funny little pills, but I loved the camaraderie, the themes of peace and love. Life wasn’t actually easy back then, but … perhaps it was easier than it is now, and we just didn’t realize it.

      Like

  4. Pingback: ♫ Summer In The City ♫ (Redux) | jilldennison.com | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal

  5. Of course we in the UK know what summer is! For us it used to be the one hot day in July that it didn’t rain, but since climate change took root we’ve had to adjust that a bit 😉

    Great song, by the way. It seems like it was only last Thursday that I played it too!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Indeed, you guys have had a taste of our summer this year, and I am sorry, for while most homes are equipped with air-conditioning here, I realize that they are not there, and I know it must have been miserable. Sadly, this seems to be the wave of the future if we don’t get a handle on climate change and the damage we’ve done to this planet’s environment. It is even worse in places like the African continent and the Middle East where food and water are becoming increasingly scarce. Sigh.

      OH SHOOT! I’m behind on yours … I have Thursday’s and Sundays saved to check out, but haven’t done so yet. I bet the one I’ve got on the schedule for today isn’t one you’ve posted lately 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      • Things have been warming up here for some time. New record temperatures were set this year but the previous highs were in the past ten years. And still there are some in positions of power who don’t see the urgency to do something. And you’re right – it is a global problem.

        No worries on mine, you’re not under any obligation! I’m guessing today’s may be Motown, perhaps a Lamont Dozier tribute?

        Liked by 1 person

        • It’s the same here … far too many people have convinced themselves that the scientists are wrong, that they’re alarmists, and that they can keep right on wearing their rose-coloured glasses and singing, “La la la la la … I can’t HEAR you!” Thing is, though … today you can see the evidence of what the scientists have been warning for a half-century! Step outside, watch the news, look at the trees, read a newspaper … it’s so obvious that even a blind person could see it! But … it would cut into the profits of many major corporations if we actually took aggressive action to try to save the future, and we wouldn’t want to cut into the profits of the billionaires, now would we? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

          Oh, I know that, but I do love your posts! I just set them aside until I have 20 minutes or so, and some days that never happens. What ever happened to my retirement? I stay busier now than when I worked 14-hour days!!! Hoo boy … you’re gonna be so disappointed with today’s (actually, I’ve already seen your comment on “Puff”, so I am laughing as I write this!)

          Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.