Welcome to My Weekly Mixtape, a podcast that
takes the classic mixtape approach to building
a modern playlist. I'm your host, Brian Colburn.
Joining me once again as guest curator is Patreon
mixtaper Philip Bergman, who you might remember
joined me on the Ultimate Weird Al playlist.
Philip, welcome back to the show, man. Thank
you. I'm glad to be back. Hopefully we can keep
the mood just as light, even if we're not doing
comedy this time. Yeah, we're not doing comedy,
but we're doing something that is a very much
needed start to summer because last year I did
summer vibes with DT Corral from Space Castle.
But this year I wanted to take a different spin
on the summer theme and go with golden oldies
and doo -wop and golden by the golden sun. If
you want to even use that as a example there,
we are not going to limit it to just oldies.
We're going to go oldies, doo -wop, Motown. When
you think of summer songs, what were you thinking
of with the songs you chose to bring to the table
tonight? Well, it's funny you mentioned that
because kind of what spurred this whole episode
into motion was last year I commented on the
Patreon about how there were so many great oldies
about the summer. And as I was going through
a lot of those. I realize a lot of those are
slower songs, believe it or not. You think some
of the classics like A Summer Song by Chad and
Jeremy or Theme from a Summer Place by Percy
Faye, very soft, lilting kind of songs, which
is kind of not what we think of when we think
of summer. So I did want to go more towards the
literal side of summer, things that are about
summer or actually have summer in the title.
But at the same time, it's like, well, you got
to have some of the vibes, too, because some
of the things that we do in the summer aren't
necessarily going to have the mention of the
season in its lyrics. So it was kind of a blending
hybrid of those two kind of themes that I was
looking for in my songs. And for me, I think
there will be some literal Brian tonight as some
of the songs I chose definitely are on the nose.
They scream summer. They are summer. But then
there's other songs that I have in my bank for
tonight that just make me feel like it's summer.
The song might not have anything to do with the
time of the year or the season, but there's something
about the vibe of the song that for me personally.
makes it a summer song. So I'll be interested
to see how much of a balance we strike between
the on -the -nose hits and kind of some of those
off -the -beaten path cuts for tonight. But tonight,
Philip and I will be curating the ultimate summer
oldies and doo -wop mixtape, and we'll use the
old cassette deck approach. Philip, as my special
guest, will begin side A with his first song
choice, and then I'll add a song that I feel
best follows up that choice. We'll then flip
-flop choosing songs until we've mapped out 10
songs for side A. We'll then give our mixtape
a proverbial flip, and we'll map out side B.
Only this time, I'll kick things off with Philip
choosing second. Our overall goal for this episode
is to craft the best summer oldies and doo -wop
mixtape possible through only 20 songs. At the
end of the show, you can take our conversation
to the next level. by visiting the episode page
at myweeklymixtape .com to give our final mixtape
a listen via the embedded playlist. And if you
like what you're hearing on the show, you can
help me out by either telling a friend, leaving
the show a five -star review wherever you're
tuning in, or, like Philip here, becoming a part
of the Patreon mixtaper community at patreon
.com forward slash myweeklymixtape. There you'll
find ad -free episodes of the show, gain early
access to future My Weekly Mixtape episodes,
hear exclusive bonus banter clips, become a future
guest, and chime in on upcoming show topics like
several of the mixtapers did this evening with
the songs they would use to kick off their respective
summer oldies playlists. Brandon from Virginia
chimed in saying there's only one correct answer
to this, that being surf and bird, papa, ma,
ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, case closed. Chad LaMassa
chimed in with under the boardwalk by the drifters.
Sherry Thomas chimed in with a place in the sun
by the rascals. Sean Goff chimed in with shaboom
by the cords saying that counts as summer, right?
And Seeker chimed in from Australia saying that
I have typical, Northern Hemisphere Bias, which
you're 100 % correct, man. Sorry about that.
But sadly, Seeker just finished his summer down
under. But to fit the theme, he had considered
Joplin's cover of Summertime, but landed on My
Girl by The Temptations, which was a little more
doo -woppy for this week's theme. Once again,
if you'd like to chime in for future My Weekly
Mixtape episodes, come join the mixtaper community
at patreon .com forward slash myweeklymixtape.
And now, Philip, with those Patreon pics out
in the atmosphere, I'm officially pressing the
record button on our mixtape and turning things
over to you. The sun is shining, the top's down,
and you and I are cruising down the highway listening
to some summertime jams. How are you kicking
things off tonight? Well, first of all, apologies
to Seeker. I should have thought to include the
Seekers on this list. I love Judith Durham's
voice. Seriously, I mean, even their 1997 album
Future Road is a banger. I should have thought
to include them. To kick things off, I actually
kind of painted myself into a corner on this
one last year because... When you were looking
for recommendations for the summer vibes list,
I said, well, it's not really the start of summer
until school is out. It's not Memorial Day because
you've still got class after that. And it's not
the actual summer solstice because you're already
out having fun at that point. No, the real start
of summer, at least when we were younger, was
when that final bell rang. So I kind of feel
like I have to go in that vein. So I'm kicking
things off with Gary U .S. Bond's 1961 hit, School
Is Out, a top five hit. A lot of people only
remember quarter to three, or maybe they know
New Orleans, but School Is Out was a great song
as well. I love this whole feeling like, hey,
school is out. I can root from the... I would
root for the Tigers, not the Yankees, but that's
just me. But it just captures that whole vibe.
You have to start it with that final bell. School
is out, Gary U .S. Bonds. Well, I'm glad you
didn't go with Alice Cooper's School's Out because
as much as I love that song, that might have
kicked off the vibe a little differently than
we were going for tonight. But look, I am rooting
for the Yankees from the bleachers, but I think
we can both agree. At this point, we don't have
to worry about teachers. So at least we're on
the same page there, whether you're rooting for
Detroit or not. This is the kind of song that
gets your hands clapping and puts a smile on
your face. And like you said, it reached number
five on the Billboard US pop chart and number
12 on the US R &B chart. Now, for Gary U .S.
Bonds, for me, I was introduced to him through
his 80s albums, Dedication and On the Line. Oh,
that was a good one. They're incredible. And
they recorded those albums with some group. What
is it? It's the E Street Band and some guy named
Bruce Springsteen. Yeah, yeah. Rings a bell.
Something like that. And look, being from New
Jersey, this. kind of made Gary U .S. Bond's,
for at least those 80s albums, kind of fall into
that Springsteen, Southside Johnny, John Cafferty
kind of sound. And growing up listening to that,
it wasn't until I started going to car shows
with my father and my mother during the summertime
where I started hearing these other songs. And
my dad's like, hey, you know that song, Jolie
Blonde, that you like so much? Here's... his
songs from 30 years earlier. And that's when
I discovered quarter to three in new Orleans,
like you mentioned, but along with school is
out and quarter of three in new Orleans. He also
had two other top 10 hits of twist, twist in
your and dear lady twist. So I could have went
with any of those songs. And back in the early
two thousands, I finally got the chance with
my folks and my now wife to go see Gary U S bonds.
with Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels doing
a double bill. And we sat directly in front of
the stage. This was in Atlantic City at the Sands
at the time, way before it closed, and at the
table directly in front. My dad did the whole
handshake tip, and we got to sit and see Mitch
Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and Gary U .S. Bonds.
And my God, the talent on that stage, just phenomenal.
So great way to start things. I wish I could
have been there to see that show, man. It was
great. And I would hope they do more because
they're still both out there doing their thing.
I still see them on bills. So gentlemen, if you're
listening, make it happen. But following that
up. All right. The bell rings. You get out of
class. You run down the stairs. You hop in the
car. Where's the first place you want to go?
At least for me, it's under the boardwalk. The
Drifters, written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick.
and recorded by the Drifters in 1964. This track
reached number four on the Billboard US Hot 100,
number five on Canada's top singles chart, number
45 in the UK, number seven in Australia, and
number six in New Zealand. Rolling Stone ranked
at number 489 on their list of the 500 greatest
songs of all time. Personally, for me, I think
it should be a little higher, but... There's
been other versions of this track that have charted.
You've got the Rolling Stones, Billy Joe Royal,
Tom Tom Club, John Mellencamp, Lynn Anderson,
Bette Midler, and Bruce Willis. Yes, that Bruce
Willis. His version hit number 59 on the U .S.
Billboard Hot 100 and was a number two hit in
the U .K. Albu will never know, but he made it
happen. And I think it's the strength of the
song more than the artist at that point, because
if all of those artists could have hits from
this song, it just speaks volumes to what Kenny
and Arthur did. They wrote a perfect song. And
yes, it's very on the nose and obvious, but it's
one of my favorite songs in terms of vocal harmonies.
And there's such a lush, smooth melody that paints.
This lyrical picture, if you close your eyes
and listen to Under the Boardwalk, you see the
movie playing out through the song, through the
lyrics. And damn it, I smell the hot dogs and
french fries when he sings that line. So for
me, it's on the nose, but you can't have a summer
playlist without it. Shout out once again to
Patreon mixtaper Chad LaMassa, who also chimed
in with this one. Well, you know. Whether it's
the Jersey Shore or the shore of Lake Michigan
for me. Yeah, you got to have the boardwalk.
I will say, though, the drifters, I would probably
put them in my top 10 favorite acts of all time.
Like all their eras from Clyde McFadder all the
way past Johnny Moore's second stint with the
group. I mean, at this point, I think we should.
playing a drifters episode of my weekly mixtape,
just so people know they had other songs than
under the boardwalk. I did have, I've got sand
in my shoes and my bank of songs too. And also
Saturday night at the movies. Cause you don't
have to worry about it being a school night.
So those were two songs I had in reserve, but
I, I had a feeling you were going to go for under
the boardwalk. I just didn't realize it'd be
quite this early, but Hey, it's a great song.
You got to have it. Oh, yeah. Rip that bandaid
off. Let's get the elephant in the room. Everybody
knew that listens to the show and has heard me
talk oldies before. I usually end up at the drifters
at some point. So let's just get that cat out
of the bag right now and I'll throw it back to
you for track three. All right. Well, speaking
of letting cats out of the bag, just a little
behind the scenes thing. Back when you were doing
Playlist Wars. And we were planning to do an
episode together. One of my first suggestions,
I think, was the artist I want to bring in next.
Ended up not going that route. We did the Motown
episode, of course, and that was a ton of great
fun. But I want to bring this act into official
My Weekly Mixtape canon at this point. And I'm
going to do it with a song that on my fantasy
playlist wars list would have been track nine.
But here it's going to be track three. When it
comes to parents and dealing with their kids
in the summer, you got to find something to do
so they're not staring at some screen all day.
You got to plan events, things for them to do.
In my case, it was a lot of gardening, a lot
of mowing, a lot of work around the house. But
there were fun stuff, too, including trips to
the zoo. So I'm going to bring in Simon and Garfunkel
at the zoo. I believe it was 1966, 67, around
that time. It was later included on their Bookends
album. It was the closing track of the Bookends
album on Side B. In terms of Simon and Garfunkel's
discography, this to me is just such an underrated
gem. I mean, everybody, of course, loves Bridge
Over Troubled Water and The Boxer and Mrs. Robinson's
Sounds of Science, all for obvious reasons. Those
are great songs. At the Zoo, I think, is just
kind of a very underrated song in terms of its
delivery. And in terms of Paul Simon's songwriting,
the symbolisms and anthropomorphisms he brings
in with all the characteristics that the animals
represent. And I do believe the song was originally
written and recorded as a kind of promotional
for one of the New York City area. I think Bronx
Zoo it might have been. I think it's Central
Park Zoo. Okay, there you go. It's just such
a beautiful song and their harmonies are great
as always. So yeah, for summertime is a great
time to head to the zoo. So at the zoo. Underrated
for sure, but it's not like it wasn't noticed
because it did hit number 16 on the Billboard
US Hot 100. So it was a top 20 hit for them,
but I feel like it does get overshadowed by the
songs like you mentioned, The Boxer, Mrs. Robinson,
Bridge Over Troubled Water. Those are kind of
like the home run grand slams. And this was a
triple, let's say, if we're talking baseball
here, Yankees, Tigers, kind of putting this all
together. Now, being from New Jersey, for me,
the Central Park Zoo is kind of a rite of passage
for kids in this area. And I think the magic
of Paul Simon on this track is that he captures
that joy and that youthful energy of doing that
as a child through this song. And it's very underrated
in his. Kind of storytelling ability. And I think
this is a perfect example of that. I love that
you went with it. Now, following that up, it
might be a little bit of a record scratch moment,
but you said that we pivoted from Simon and Garfunkel
back on Playlist Wars to do a Motown episode.
So I'm just going to run with that and follow
up your Simon and Garfunkel with some Motown,
because I said at the beginning, all bets are
off 60s and 70s. So we are going to the 60s,
and I'm going to go with one of my, I'll say
it, favorite songs of all time. Released in 1964,
written by Marvin Gaye, William Mickey Stevenson,
and Ivy Jo Hunter. We are going with Martha and
the Vandellas, Dancing in the Street. Reached
number two on the Billboard US Hot 100, which
is a frigging crime because that song should
have been number one. It is so iconic. It is
so memorable. It sounds just as modern in 2025
as it did in 1964. It hit number three in New
Zealand, as well as Canada's top singles charts.
They got it wrong, too. Number 28 in the UK.
You got it even worse. And sorry, Australia,
number 71. Get with the program. This is one
of the greatest songs ever. The movie One Crazy
Summer when the boat debuts and they're all standing
on the boat rocking out to this song. It kicked
every bit of ass you possibly could. They won
the regatta. Sorry, I spoiled One Crazy Summer
for everybody. But this song is amazing. It still
holds up to this day. It's been covered by so
many people. Van Halen in 1982 on Diver Down.
Their version reached number 38. on the Billboard
US Hot 100. And then a couple of years later,
David Bowie and Mick Jagger brought their version
to number seven. None of these number one hits.
It's frigging criminal. But this song has also
been covered by over 150 other artists with recorded
versions, including Grateful Dead, The Kinks,
The Mamas and the Papas, Little Richard, Black
Oak, Arkansas, Neil Diamond, The Who, Phil, I
can go on. But I'm not gonna because the summer's
here and the time is right. Dancing in the street.
As you heard me say on the Motown episode of
Playlist Wars, of all the powerhouse acts of
Motown, Martha and the Vandellas is far and away
my favorite. Because even though they had the
same writers and they had the same musicians
playing on their songs, they did not sound like
any of the other Motown acts. Sometimes some
of these... Lower charting. I say lower charting,
ironically, because we're talking like still
in the top 40. But some of these songs from the
instrumentation, you're not sure if it's Temptations
or if it's Four Tops or if it's The Miracle.
With Martha and the Vandellas, you know it's
Martha and the Vandellas because they almost
sound like Stax Bolt. And I think a lot of that
has to do with the way the bands had to play
behind Martha Reeves' voice. And she was just
so... just so soulful and so rockin' at the same
time. Obviously, if you wanted to be even more
on the nose, I had Heat Wave in my bank as well.
Fair, fair. But Dancing in the Street is an absolute
gem, an absolute banger. And it's just so difficult
to follow that up. But I guess I gotta try, huh?
If not, we could just end the show. No, no, no,
no. I'm not tapping out that early. But I think
I am gonna kind of... Pick up this theme of getting
the kids out of the house. We've been to the
zoo. We've been dancing in the street. Let's
extend that a little bit because, again, part
of the summer experience, especially if you're
a kid, is when your parents send you to camp
for a week or so just to get you out of the house
for a little bit. You don't even have to say
the song. I think I know where you're going with
this. Well, we're going to do it anyway. For
anyone who's not 100 % certain, of course, sometimes
camp experiences are great. Sometimes they're
not. And of course, I said we weren't doing comedy,
and I guess I lied about that, because I am going
to go with, from 1963, Alan Sherman, Hello Mudda,
Hello Fodda, A Letter from Camp. I mean, first
of all, I love... The use of the tune Dance of
the Hours. I mean, being the kid in the time
that I was born, I encountered that song, that
composition from cleaning products commercials.
For some reason, cleaning products in the late
80s, early 90s, loved to use Dance of the Hours
to advertise their products. It's what they used
before they used heart songs for cleaning products,
I guess. I mean, this is such a hilarious song.
And kind of going back to the Weird Al episode,
one of the things I really love about Alan Sherman's
song here from his number one album, My Son the
Nut, is the way it gets even more outlandish.
It starts off very believable. They say we'll
have some fun if it stops raining. Okay, yeah,
the weather could be bad. You can't always expect
to have great weather when you're at camp. You
go hiking with a guy and they get poison ivy.
OK, that's actually pretty believable. That could
happen. Someone got food points. I mean, the
fact they specified its domain necessarily. I
mean, it leads where you're going, but it's believable
because, hey, sometimes a step is missed and
it just keeps getting worse. Like the lake has
alligators. One of the kids are about to organize
a searching party. He got lost. And then you
find out I've been here one whole day. And this
clearly older sibling is like, well, how's my
precious little brother? Which obviously that
in my family, if my older sibling said, how's
my precious little brother? I'd say, oh, they
are definitely having a bad time. This is just
such a funny song. I love it. Hello, mother.
Hello, father. I'll tell you right now, if there's
anybody out there listening that doesn't know
Dance of the Hours, it's definitely one of those
classical pieces that as soon as you hear it,
you go, oh, that song. That song. So it's definitely
in everybody's bank of musical memories, but
it needs to get unlocked every now and then.
And hello, mudda, hello, fada. Definitely unlocks
that. It reached number two on the Billboard
US Hot 100, as high as Dancing in the Street.
So you kept up there, a little synergy there.
Hit number four in Canada, number 14 in the UK,
and number one in both Hong Kong and New Zealand.
So it was a number one hit, something that Dancing
in the Street never was. Criminal. Again, I say
it. But if you like what you're hearing on my
weekly mixtape, coming up in a few weeks. My
good friend, Jay suite of tune styles is joining
me and we are putting together the ultimate comedy
and novelty songs episode. And I'd be lying if
I said that Alan Sherman's hello, mudda. Hello,
father. A letter from camp isn't in my bank of
songs waiting to get pulled, but we'll see where
that episode goes. Well, you went funny out of
my dance and I think I'm going to see your funny
and raise the dance because we had dancing in
the street. But after we had that little break,
hello, mother, hello, father, maybe have a cool
glass of lemonade, you know, lemonade, that cool,
refreshing drink. Anyway, Wilson Pickett, Land
of a Thousand Dances. Originally recorded by
Chris Kenner in 1962, it became a bigger hit
in versions by Cannibal and the Headhunters and
obviously Wilson Pickett's, whose version hit
number six on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and
Canada Top Singles Chart. It also hit number
22 on the UK Singles Chart. I mean, Wilson Pickett,
powerhouse vocalist. You take that one -of -a
-kind delivery and you pair it up. With both
the Muscle Shoals rhythm section and the Memphis
horns, this is a recipe for perfection. This
is one of the most fun songs I've ever heard
in my life. And if we ever do an episode of fun
songs, you can bet your bottom dollar I'm going
to include Land of a Thousand Dances on that
playlist. You know what? I'm going to put a pin
in that like I used to in the TuneStyles days
and say, note to self, Brian, when you're editing
this episode, start scheduling a fun songs episode
for the fall. So with that, Wilson Pickett, Land
of a Thousand Dances. Yeah, Wilson Pickett is
another one of those artists like Simon and Garfunkel
where the big hits overshadow a lot of other
really, really great songs, even if they charted
higher. By the time the 90s and the oldies stations
came about, it was just, well, we can only have
a couple songs from these artists. And unfortunately,
Wilson Pickett, like he's got In the Midnight
Hour and Land of a Thousand Dances and a couple
other songs that maybe even got played on the
oldies stations. So many other great ones that
didn't. I mean, Funky Broadway, Don't Let the
Greengrass Fool You, Fire and Water. How many
great songs did Wilson Pickett have? It is just...
Unbelievable. And I think I'm going to follow
up a cover song with another cover song. Oh,
you have my attention. Yeah, well, here's another
thing to have attention. So far, we have yet
to have any songs that have summer in the title
for a summer oldies playlist. I mean, you know
what? So let's hit the bullseye, swear on the
nose, and match Wilson Pickett's R &B. With some
R &B from Billy Stewart, Summertime. I believe
that's a cover from Porgy and Bess, is it? The
musical? That sounds about right. That is right.
And it is just such a very different cover. I
mean, you talk about innovative and just completely
reimagining that song. The tongue trills he kicks
it off with and the scatting around. That hot
jazz instead of that cool jazz feeling. you know,
the original musical version had. Just bringing
out the lyrics and bringing it to life, like
bringing summertime to life. The living may be
easy, and that's why we're so festive about it.
It was his only top 10 hit. Again, another one
of those artists who, you know, the one or, you
know, even if he had another top 10 hit, it might
get overshadowed because this is just such a
jam. There are certain labels. for me personally,
that just scream excellence. And they're labels
like Blue Note. We talked about Motown before.
Stax and Chess, just for starters, because you
can go into Metal Blade and so many other iconic
punk and rock labels, but we're talking 50s and
60s here. I'm sure that there may be some albums
from those labels. that I might not resonate
with, but I haven't found them yet. So I have
gone to the Princeton Record Exchange and literally
grabbed CDs that the only thing I know about
the artist is that they're from a Blue Note,
a Motown, a Stax, a Chess. Because if they were
there, you knew what you were getting. And Chess
is at play for Billy Stewart, and it's a friggin'
checkmate with this song. From that opening,
that's kind of this smooth thing. And then he
hits that vocal rip that leads you into this
kind of soulful christening of side A. I mean,
Jesus, this song is just all the soul you could
use on this side. And it reached number 10, like
you said, on the Billboard Hot 100. Number 13
in Canada, number 39 in the UK. I absolutely
love that you went with this one. Because it's
not one of those songs I think that would easily
roll off the tongue for most people. But when
they hear it, it's like, yeah, this has to be
here. But to follow that up, that's tough. Because
you had the Muscle Shoals sound on Land of a
Thousand Dances. Now you've got this chest soul
for summertime. So I'm going to keep the soul
of the song. But we're not necessarily going
to stay with the soul genre. I'm going to remove
the horns. But I'm going to keep that groove
and that vibe going. And instead of going with
a soul song, it's going to be folk rock meets
psychedelia. And it's that pairing that makes
the Lovin' Spoonfuls Summer in the City so unique.
And like you with Summertime, I'm going on the
nose. We're finally hitting those summer songs
as the title suggests. But to me, Hot Times,
Summer in the City, it's got this, it's a little
bit more rocky. It's got a little bit more of
a jam to it. It's a little psychedelic. It's
got the storytelling lyrics, and it's just a
unique song in their catalog. Reached number
one on both the Billboard US Hot 100 and Canada
Top Singles chart. It also hit number six in
the UK, number seven in Australia, and number
two in both Finland and the Netherlands. this
worldwide smash hit there's something about listening
to this song at night if you're in a convertible
with the top down it just ah it just gives you
that feeling i don't know yeah no i hear exactly
what you're saying because again this is and
maybe it's partially because of the songwriting
but also the sound effects in it like there is
some haptic poetry in that you can feel the summer
heat just bouncing off the pavement when you
listen to this song. I can feel my skin turning
to bacon just hearing these lyrics. And then
when you get to the cooler side by the night,
it's a different world. Go out and find a girl.
It's a very evocative song. You can just immerse
yourself in it. And what I especially like about
that is that gives a different perspective about
summer. Because when you think of summer, you
think of the beaches or a pool or you think of
the field where the kids are playing ball or
whatever. And it's maybe a more mature grown
up kind of explanation of what summer means in
a way. When the kids are at camp, the parents
are hitting the city. There you go. I will also
say I had rain on the roof in my bank of songs,
too, because there's the lyric of caught up in
the summer showers while it soaks the flowers
kind of thing. But I'm actually going to take
both those ideas with my next choice because
you're talking about getting out away from the
typical understandings of what summer means,
the typical mental imagery we have of it, to
the gritty hot city where it's just blistering
or can be and there's just a glare and there's
very little escape unless you go inside a building.
But I'm going to take it to the country because
I'm a farm boy myself. I'm not a big city guy.
I grew up on a small farm. A small farm in a
small town, if you will, where it's the kind
of small town where all the churches have Sunday
evening services as well as Sunday morning services.
You know, that kind of small town vibe. And one
distinct memory I have from my summers in this
small town is at the evening church services
where the preacher would take prayer requests.
And at some point during the summer, without
fail, one of the older men who was a farmer or
worked in the agricultural industry would offer
up a prayer request for rain so that the farmers
didn't have to irrigate so much and use up their
reserves and their energy. So there was always
a prayer for rain at some point during the summer.
So I'm going to bring in that side of summer
in my childhood. with Johnny River's Summer Rain.
Again, right on the nose. I could have gone Blessed
is the Rain by the Brooklyn Bridge, but I think,
well, first of all, Johnny River's song is obviously
much more well -known. But when you think of
the relief that the rain brings, sure, there's
a little bit of melancholy because you don't
have the song to play in, but there's still a
sense of refreshment. to the way Johnny sings
this song, even if they are just listening to
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band the whole
time. It doesn't matter. There's still a sense
of rejuvenation amidst the gray and gloomy skies
as you see that rain coming down. So you took
us to the city. I'm taking us out to the country
and enjoying some rain. Well, you totally scooped
me on the artist, but I had a song that had absolutely
nothing to do. with summer on my list. I had
rock and pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu.
It's just one of those songs that makes me feel
good. And I loved listening to it at car shows
in the summertime with my parents. This is my
second favorite Johnny River song, so I'll certainly
allow it. It's a great tune. Reached number 14
on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 10 in Canada
and New Zealand, and number 13 in Australia off
of his 1968 album, Realization. And now I've
come to the realization that I get to close out
this side of amazing summer songs. And we went
from the city to the farm. to the dock of the
bay to close outside a Otis Redding 1968 became
the first posthumous song to reach number one
on billboards, us hot 100 chart also hit number
seven on the Canada RPM singles chart. Number
three on the UK singles chart among many others.
Obviously the big news about this song was the
fact that it was recorded three days before Otis
Redding passed away in that tragic plane crash.
And that always adds this kind of eerie vibe
over the top of the song because it's such a
beautiful, relaxed, mellow song. And I've been
jamming this song with Colbert and company for
more than a decade. It's an instant way to get
a vibe going no matter what kind of space you're
in. If you're at a town fair, if you're at a
winery, if you're at a bar, this song just. everybody
knows what's happening when you start that opening
riff and it kind of calms the room down. If things
are getting rowdy and you need to bring things
down a little bit, but still keep people engaged
and having fun. This song gets people's arms
around each other, singing along and his vocal
performance on it is just an absolute masterpiece.
And just a constant reminder of what could have
been had that. Plane crash not happened. So Otis
Redding sitting on a dock of the Bay to close
outside a, you know, one of the things I love
about the lore of this song too, is that when
Otis Redding wrote it, he presented it to his
wife, kind of ran it by her. And when she yielded
the song, if you will, her reaction was, oh my
goodness, you're changing. And he's like, yeah,
baby, I guess I am. I guess it's just that. So.
I mean, in a way, yeah, it is eerie, but I mean,
there's also kind of a beauty to it that it was
his closing statement in a way. So, like, obviously,
you wouldn't have wanted him to go out in a plane
crash. Him and four of the six members of the
bar case were also on that flight. Well, actually,
five were on that, like one of them survived.
But, you know, if he had retired. After that
song hit number one, it would have been just
been a beautiful closing statement altogether.
It really is just a marvelous song. And like
you said, it calms the room, but it still has
that vibe. And just the bass line itself is very,
again, evocative in a concrete poetry kind of
way of waves kind of lapping up on the shore.
It's kind of the feel of waves hitting the shore
the way that bass is played. So it's a very beautiful
song. I will not argue against its inclusion
here. Love it. Well, there you have it, mixtapers.
Side A of the ultimate summer oldies and doo
-wop mixtape, which consists of Gary U .S. Bonds,
School Is Out, The Drifters, Under the Boardwalk,
Simon and Garfunkel, At the Zoo, Martha and the
Vandellas, Dancing in the Street. Alan Sherman,
Hello Mudda, Hello Fada, A Letter from Camp,
Wilson Pickett, Land of a Thousand Dances, Billy
Stewart's Summertime, The Lovin' Spoonfuls, Summer
in the City, Johnny Rivers, Summer Rain, and
Otis Reddings, Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay.
Head over to myweeklymixtape .com to hear all
the songs we've discussed in this mix through
the playlist embedded on the episode page. And
now to kick things off for Side B, Phillip, I
am going to piss people off. Maybe. I don't know.
It's not going to piss me off because I love
the song and it screams summer to me, but I know
exactly where they're going to go. And we'll
get to that after I talk about the song I chose.
In 1961, this song was originally written by
Phil Medley and Burt Burns, a .k .a. Burt Russell.
and was originally recorded by the Top Notes
and then re -recorded by the Isley Brothers.
However, it's oldies. We got to talk about the
Fab Four. So I'm going with the Beatles and Twist
and Shout. Now, here's where everybody gets pissed.
But first, the song did reach number two on the
Billboard US Hot 100, number five in Canada and
Australia, with New Zealand being the only one
getting it right as it went to number one there.
what does this song have to do with summer? I
mean, it makes you want to get up and dance,
but beyond that, not so much unlike dancing in
the street. However, these feel good moments
are a part of what summer is all about. So I
wanted to include the Beatles with that, but
I know people are out there screaming. You could
have went with here comes the sun. It's like
right there. It's obvious. It's in your face.
It's a summer song. Sure. But as a side starting
track, to me, Here Comes the Sun is more of a
side closer. But I closed side A with Otis Redding.
And I feel like if the side flipped and you kind
of kept that mellowness of Here Comes the Sun,
it might have been too much of a dip. And I wanted
to hit the ground running or dancing with side
B. And I am doing that with the Beatles Twist
and Shout Plus. Yes, it happened during the school
year, but Ferris Bueller's Day Off, great scene,
iconic movie moment in the 80s that I loved growing
up. Saw that movie in the summertime, so it kind
of connects there a little bit. I mean, I'm grasping
at straws, but still, the Beatles twist and shout
to kick off Side B. You know, Brian, for a self
-proclaimed bad dancer, as I've heard you describe
yourself, you've got a lot of dance songs on
this mixtape here. Dancing in the Street, Land
of a Thousand Dancers, Twist and Shout. I like
the idea of dancing. I just suck at it. That's
all. Is there an inner Terpsichorean that you're
hiding from the world there? All right. Well,
I'm going to keep that vibe of Twist and Shout
going. The upbeat. I'm going to take it all the
way up to 1974, which in my defense, this song
was played on all these stations because most
all these stations in my youth kind of went from
55 to like 73, 74, a little bit around that area.
So this song was played on all these stations.
And I'm going to hat trick here because I mentioned
comedy from our previous My Weekly Mixtape episode.
I brought up Simon and Garfunkel, which I fielded
as a potential Playlist Wars. I'm going to go
back to TuneStyles now for this one because the
first listener chime in on TuneStyles that I
chimed in on, you and Jay asked, what song is
your summer not complete without? And my answer
to that one was 1974's From First Class Beach
Baby. Yes, it was. That is such a happy, peppy
summer song. I love this. It's kind of tragic
in the lyrics, kind of, where it's a guy who's
still carrying a torch for a girl who, I don't
know, is maybe kind of embarrassed to have gone
out with him at some point, I guess. But she
is apparently a Venus, a purely gorgeous woman
that he still has feelings for. The first class
were a studio group from England. Tony Burroughs,
the lead singer. Tony Burroughs, by the way,
was kind of utilitarian because he was also the
voice of studio groups Edison Lighthouse, which
had Love Rose Where My Rosemary Goes. He was
the voice of White Plains, My Baby Loves Lovin'.
He was in the Brotherhood of Man. He was also
on the Pipkins Gimme Dat Ding. And I have to
admit, I do not know if he was the high... pitched
falsetto singer or if he was the one who sounded
like diggum the honey smacks frog on that record
tell me i'm wrong tell me that does not sound
like diggum i couldn't tell you the answer to
that but now that you pointed that out i'm never
gonna hear that song the same i can't do that
boogaloo with some cereal in my bowl but it's
not summer without this song for me it's just
so bright and You know, we've gone from the boardwalk.
Now we're actually getting onto the beach. And
this is just the perfect fun bathing song. As
far as I'm concerned, it keeps you happy, keeps
you enjoying the summer all the time. And as
I say this, I kind of realize we're kind of playing
chicken here with an obvious elephant in the
room here. So I'm kind of swerving a little by
going with the beach baby. so i don't know do
it do with that information what you will brian
i i will say one thing or the other i'm not you
know not telling you what to do oh not dropping
hints or anything all right well beach baby reached
number four on the u .s billboard hot 100 number
one in canada number 13 in the uk and number
11 in australia correct me if i'm wrong here
philip but i think Beach Baby might be our first
one -hit wonder of the evening because even Alan
Sherman had the 12 Gifts of Christmas, which
was a top 10 hit for him as well. So I think
this might be our first one -hit wonder tonight.
Possibly. Alan Sherman even had a sequel, Hello
Mother, Hello Father, that also made the top
40 the following year. It's just that first one
is just so well -known that, you know, who cares
about the sequel, I guess. Was it? I'm getting
the Joel Whitburn pages out right now. They probably
had one other song that was somewhere between
40 and 100. A lot of so -called one -hit wonders
did that. They had a second song that really
didn't have much action. First Class, yeah, they
had two other hits. One called Dreams Are Ten
a Penny that only went to number 83. And a cover
of Funny How Love Can Be that only went to number
74. So there you go. Only a top 40 hit there.
Yeah, and that's usually when people say to me,
well, how do you define a one hit wonder? Just
for sake of argument, I always go with only one
song cracking the top 40 because that's kind
of like the Billboard top 40. I grew up with
Casey Kasem on the radio and the top 40 countdown.
So to me, that is kind of where it all kind of
aligns with what I consider a one hit wonder.
So to follow it up. You said there's an elephant
in the room. I'm just going to steer us right
into that elephant, which that's a graphic image
there. I don't mean that way, but we're just
going to invite the elephant in the room because
when you're a band that has a greatest hits album
called the sounds of summer, you can kind of
go with any song from this group. And when the
band is called the beach boys, you could pretty
much go with any song you want just by saying
the beach boys as your reasoning for choosing
it. But I am going to be a little more obvious
with my pick because when I think of summer,
it's the first notes I hear in my head. And this
song reached number one on the Billboard US Hot
100, as well as nabbing the top spot in Malaysia,
New Zealand, Spain, and the UK. It was also a
top 10 hit in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands,
Ireland, Finland, Austria, South Africa, Norway,
and Singapore. I am going to go with... Good
Vibrations. This is definitely one of those bands
that had we not included them, there would have
been a summertime riot. And rightfully so, because
like I said, the Beach Boys are synonymous with
summer. And I could say that with pretty much
the utmost certainty, the Beach Boys are going
to be the only band we talk about tonight that
also recorded a song with the Fat Boys. And that
was their 1980s take on Wipeout, which if we
were doing an 80s summer playlist, absolute shoo
-in. But for tonight, good vibrations. Yeah,
good vibrations. What else can you say? Honestly,
there are just so many songs from the Beach Boys
you could have gone with. I had some of the obvious
ones, you know, Surfing Safari and Surfing USA
all summer long, right on the nose there. In
fact, I was entertaining that one as a possible
closer because I think going out with the bang
of we've been having fun all summer long. I mean,
what else can you say? The Beach Boys are as
much a part of the summer soundtrack as, I don't
know, the music coming from an ice cream truck,
right? Yeah. So that's why I am going to follow
that up. With the Beach Boys' good friends, Jan
and Dean, I'm going to 1966 with Popsicle. Nice!
So I will admit the lyrics start out with about
the teacher having them working too hard. So
I guess in the song, the school year is still
on. But let's face it, if you live above a certain
line of latitude, the pop ding -a -ling from
a Popsicle truck is only happening in the summertime.
I think to engage our taste buds a little bit
and our noses in this full immersion of celebrating
summer with the oldies, I got to go with one
of the, I wouldn't say goofy, but they're definitely
among the more lighthearted rock and roll acts
from that era that still have managed to have
a ton of hits that still get played a lot. I'm
going with Jan and Dean, Popsicle. Well, you
scooped me on the group because I had Surf City
in my mix for tonight. This song was originally
on 1963's Drag City, but wasn't released as a
single until three years later, which I thought
was interesting that they held it so long because
it did end up reaching number 21 on the Billboard
US Hot 100. To me, this song for Popsicle, and
I'm talking about the brand itself, they must
have thanked their lucky stars for this because
this was a huge hit. And it was essentially,
dare I say it, a... Extremely catchy commercial
at the end of the day. Think about songs like
Mustang Sally, Mercedes Benz, or if I'm going
to continue down that hip hop path, like I said
with the Fat Boys, Run DMC's My Adidas. Every
now and then you're able to take a song that's
based on a brand, which could be another episode
idea down the road. I'm going to have to put
a pin in that as well. Songs about brands, but
perfect pick. I love it. Well, it's funny. You
can even go back to Dan and Dean. For another
example, the Little Old Lady from Pasadena was
originally a car commercial song. And when they
wanted to get the rights for that song, the car
company at that time wanted nothing to do with
rock and roll. So they were kind of trying to
pretend that, oh, that commercial never happened.
Never happened. No, no, no, no, no, no. But we
know better. Well, coming out of Popsicle. Hmm.
All right. You've got the treat. And yes, you
have the popsicle trucks that drive around, but
where else do you get popsicles? You get them
at the boardwalk or at an amusement park. And
being from New Jersey, I have to go with an ode
to one of, at the time, New Jersey's finest,
Palisades Amusement Park and Freddie Cannon's
1962 single, Palisades Park, the tribute. to
a local New Jersey iconic staple. This song was
actually a B -side to June, July, and August,
which could be another summer song. And it became
a hit when a DJ out of Michigan played the song
accidentally instead of the A -side. Michigan,
not New Jersey. I kind of find the irony in that,
that New Jersey didn't... hear this song and
go, hey, this is kind of a local anthem. Let's
get this going. That said, it ended up reaching
number three on the U .S. Billboard Hot 100.
And I can't picture a summer where I don't hear
that opening organ. It just feels like you're
walking up to a roller coaster when you listen
to the opening of this song. And it's kind of
this, I don't want to say punk energy to it,
but there's this manic. It's just. Feels almost
circus like and fun and youthful and energetic.
And I love it. And being from New Jersey had
to be included here. Oh, yeah, that's a great
song. I love Freddie Cannon. And correct me if
I'm wrong, too. I think that is the first artist
you brought up who is not a rock and roll Hall
of Famer, though. I mean, you're the expert on
the rock hall, not I. So if that is the case,
go me. And that, of course, was his biggest hit
as well. I love that song. Another fun fact I
learned about Freddie Cannon, I don't know if
you're a fan at all of the channel MeTV, but
on Saturday nights, they've got the Spangoolie
show that plays the old classic Universal Studios
monster films. And Freddie Cannon is such a huge
fan of that show that he actually recorded the
song for... the Sven Gulli show. Hmm. So it is
really, really kind of cool. Uh, interesting
bit of trivia there to, to find out, Hey, we're
reaching into the inner lives of some of these,
uh, musicians. So, yeah, I had no idea about
that one. Awesome. Yep. All right. So where do
we go from Palisades park? Okay. Now coming out
of that. Well, as I'm looking at this side too,
again, we, don't yet have any songs that mention
summer in the title right on the nose. And looking
at this mixtape so far, we've gotten into the
70s for one song so far, and the rest of it has
been 60s. We don't have any 50s songs yet. I
think we need to remedy that. So I'm going to
go back to 1958, although I'm also keeping it
in 1962 out of Palisades Park, because this song
made the top 40. twice first when it was first
released in 1958 and then again in 1962 i am
going with the iconic yet somehow frequently
forgotten summertime summertime by the genies
i mean this is a song that everybody knows that
hook it's summertime summertime some some summer
how do you not know that and yet even growing
up Listening to the Oli Stations, this song did
not get as much airplay as it deserved. The Janies,
a true one -hit wonder. This was their only Hot
100 hit. And it charted into the top 40 twice.
And it is just such an iconic song. I actually
thought about starting the entire mixtape with
this track because it's about getting out of
school for the summer. No more studying history
and no more dull geography. you know, no more
geometry and sorry, teacher, but zip your lip.
You know, it's, this is a song about getting
out of class and going to be a youngster and
enjoying your summertime. And like I said, that
hook, that acapella hook of it's summertime,
summertime, just so iconic. You cannot have an
oldies summertime mixtape without this song.
Man, that feeling of that last bell of the school
year ringing. I mean, we talked about it at the
top of the show, but oh my God, that's a joy
that you just don't get as an adult. Like even
the last day of work before vacation feels good,
but it doesn't feel like those 12 magical last
days of school that you get from kindergarten
through senior year in high school. So, I mean,
look. Bruce Springsteen, we talked about him
earlier with Gary U .S. Bonds. He was quoted
as saying, and I'm going to read this quote from
him. This song always signaled the beginning
of summer for me and it's Baroque joy. And I
always loved hearing it for the first time each
summer. It meant summer was on. So like, had
you started the show with that, Bruce would have
agreed with you. But I also like where you went
with Bruce's friend, Gary U .S. Bonds. So I love
it. This song is. I think sweet is the best term
to use because saccharine almost sounds like
an insult. So sweet is where I want to go with
that. There's a, a joy and a youthful innocence
to it. That just, it's a snapshot into a different
world, a different time, a different place, a
different era. And it's captured just so perfectly
in this track shock. There are a one hit wonder
second for the night too, but coming out of that.
I'm going to go back into the 1960s and I'm going
to go with a song that it's not really about
summer. Well, it's about summer, but it's about
yearning for summer when it's not summer because
we're recording this a couple of weeks prior
to summer. So we're not in summer yet. And all
the leaves are brown and the sky is gray. Well,
they're green now, but whatever. 1965 single
that was originally recorded in 1962 by Barry
McGuire. I'm going to go with the Mamas and the
Papas, California Dream. And now I mentioned
Barry McGuire. His original version of the song
is actually the same recording as the Mamas and
the Papas version, except Barry is on lead vocals
with the Mamas and the Papas on the background
vocals. And the original also has a harmonica
solo in it, which I actually dig. However, vocally,
the Mamas and the Papas kind of take it all day
long for me. I would have loved to hear the Mamas
and the Papas version with that harmonica solo,
though, because I really dig that from Barry's
version. Mamas and the Papas version reached
number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, number
three in Canada, 23 in the UK, 87 in Australia,
and number 14 in New Zealand. Look. I'm not lost
on the fact that it's 50 degrees right now. And
I am yearning for warmer weather. But that said,
when I hear this song in the summertime, it makes
me more thankful that I'm in the summer that
the song is yearning about. So in an odd, twisted
way, this song is always going to be a summer
anthem for me. Yeah, odd and twisted is a good
way to put it. I was thinking all the leaves
are brown. The sky is gray. I've been for a walk
on a winter's day. Brian, are you okay, man?
But we are living in the summertime. What the
song is dreaming about. So it almost in a weird
twisted way makes the person listening in the
summertime, the focal point of the lyrics. Oh
yeah. That's where I was going for with this
mindset. It's, it's definitely a reach. But stay
with me on this one. Stay with me here. Okay.
You know, I get it. It's that feeling, you know,
if you can't find it, you got to make it. You
got to make it in your heart kind of thing. It's
kind of, in a weird way, it's kind of the opposite
feeling of, or I wouldn't say opposite, but maybe
the counterpoint to when people say they want
to make the Christmas spirit last all year round.
So, you know, in a weird way, I can respect that.
It's a, it's a good twist. I mean, I'll allow
it. Dude. You got to give, you got to give the
listener something to chew on and something to
something to marinate on. Like, wait a minute.
Is this really a summer song? Did Brian make
a point here or is he, is he full of it? Let
me know. My weekly mixtape at gmail .com. You
know, obviously if you agree with me, I'd rather
hear from you a lot more than if you disagree,
but I digress back to you, Philip. Yeah. So I
think to come out of that, I think we're going
to. keep it mamas and papas related i think this
artist i'm gonna bring you next was a friend
of john phillips and let's face it when you're
talking about the oldies and you're talking about
the summer you gotta think of the summer of love
it the summer of 1967 it's yep it's an iconic
snapshot of an era and i think it maybe even
plays a little part or maybe not so little of
shaping What makes a summer oldies? So I think
we're going to take a little trip out to Haight
-Ashbury because as the song says, summertime
will be 11 there. I'm going with Scott McKenzie's
San Francisco. Be sure to wear flowers in your
hair. Written by John Phillips of the Mamas and
the Papas. So we get a double dose of John Phillips
in this episode. Deservingly so, I think. But,
you know, this one a little bit more on the summertime
vibe, like you said, the Summer of Love, 1967,
reached number four on the U .S. Billboard Hot
100, which, believe it or not, surprises me.
To me, that would have been a shoo -in to be
a number one hit. So reading that, I don't think
is right. But hit number two in Canada and Australia
and the U .K., Norway, Austria, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Finland, Ireland and New Zealand.
Got it right. Because it was number one there.
I mean, when you said the word summer of love,
Philip, I immediately knew the song you were
going for. To me, it's synonymous with the summer
of love. It's like if we did a summer of love
playlist, this has to kick it off. I feel like
this is the summer of love. At least for me,
it's the light bulb song. Oh, yeah. It's the
anthem. It's right up there along with other
songs like the animal San Franciscan nights.
And I mean, you can even. but with other kind
of hippie love ideas that like friend and lovers
reach out in the darkness kind of thing. It's
on that level, but it's more focused to the actual
summertime and in a particular location. Well,
you've got, it's also a little bit of a mellower
song. So I'm going to lean into that and I'm
going to do something that you did earlier and
dip into the seventies just once because you
did it. So I'm going to do it too. We're taking
all sorts of risks on side B here. And to me,
this is one I've heard many a times, countless
times on all these stations. So there's no way
shape or form. Do I even feel like I'm going
for a reach with this track, but I am going to
go with Dobie Gray's drift away reach number
five on the U S billboard, hot 100 number seven
in Canada, number 44 in the UK. This song is
something I have played. Every summer since I
started playing music live. And there's something
about this song that every time I hear it, it
brings me to summer. When I was dating my wife
in 2002, Uncle Cracker had his cover of it that
was all over the place. And thankfully, I got
a chance to have Uncle Cracker on the show to
talk about. this song as well as a lot of his
other hits. So be sure to check that episode
out. And the cracker version with Dobie gray
also charted and was a top 10 hit hitting number
nine on the U S billboard. Hot 100 came close
to beating the original. And it also hit number
25 in New Zealand. There's something about this
song that just warms my heart. It's one of those
end of the night songs. Colburn and company usually
closes with it because it gets everybody singing
along. It's just a beautiful ode to rock and
roll music, getting lost in music. And to me,
summer is just as much about the waves and the
sun rays and walking on the boardwalk and all
of that's amazing. But the soundtrack that plays
behind it is what elevates it to the next level.
And to me, Drift Away is one of those songs that
can elevate any wonderful summer's night and
it just makes it better. So Dobie Gray, Drift
Away is my last song of the evening. Yeah, that
is a great song too. And yeah, I also heard it
on oldies radio growing up. So I would not have
blinked at that. There was also a really good,
at least I think it was a good version because
it's just a wonderful composition as well. I
mean, the song itself is. If you screw up Drift
Away, you're really doing something wrong. And
there was a version that Ringo recorded, Ringo
Starr. He did a version of it. I think it was
for his Vertical Man album. And he had two guest
vocalists on there. And I think you'll appreciate
this because one of them was Alanis Morissette.
And the other was Petty. Yes. I don't know if
you've heard that version or not. Yes. I was
going to say. Anything Tom Petty, I'm sure you've
heard it, so I'm surprised you didn't mention
it. I went to the Cracker one, I guess selfishly,
because Uncle Cracker came on the podcast and
Tom Petty didn't. Fair enough. That's a good
point. Well, sir, we are back to you now for
the pleasure or pressure of putting the cherry
on top of this. summer musical sunday that we've
crafted tonight take us home with the last track
of the evening all right well it's a little bit
of pressure i will admit because i do know which
artist i want to go to and in fact i even know
which 45 rpm saddle i want to go with it's capital
records 4023 i'm i'm just not sure if i want
to go with the a side or the b side because they're
both about I don't know. How do you feel about
hitting bonus tracks there, Brian? You know,
maybe? Are you looking for a one -two punch to
close out here? I'm not saying I am. I'm not
saying I'm not. I'm just saying both of these
songs would really be a good cherry. You know,
in my heart of hearts, I love the B side more.
But coming out of Dobie Gray, I think I have
to go with the A side. It's a... So we're going
to drift away from 1973 all the way back. I'm
going back to the 50s to 1958, drifting away
into a lazy summer night. I'm going with The
Four Preps. Awesome. So The Four Preps, a lot
of people don't. Oldies Radio basically forgot
about this group because even though they sang
about youthful themes in their lyrics, they...
Kind of did it in a traditional vocal group style
reminiscent of the Four Aces, the Four Lads,
Four Freshmen type of thing. So they don't really
get considered a rock and roll oldies group.
But I really love their music, their songs, their
vocal harmonies. They're just so amazing. The
B -side, by the way, is a song called Summertime
Lies. It's a beautiful song about summer romances
ending in the piano part. is kind of reminiscent
of teardrops falling as you're crying over this
lost relationship but the official closing of
side b i think is going to be lazy summer night
it's such a beautiful slow song and one of the
things i really love about it again we're being
evocative of nature we're being very descriptive
with the lyrics of things that are going on in
nature now granted in the lyrics if you listen
closely there's Kind of an insinuation that something
rather boisterous occurred prior to the song's
mood being set. But you also listen to lyrics
like, Tonight the fireflies will light. Cars
are parked here to count the stars above. Even
in the thicket, Mr. Cricket is slowing down.
There is just such an acknowledgement and appreciation
of nature joining in this song. of summer this
musical celebration that the earth itself is
a part of so as an official closer i think we
gotta bring it in smooth and harmonious and just
a feeling of contentment just absolute peaceful
blissful contentment with this song so lazy summer
night by the four preps i love it and you also
Checked off two decades because there was the
1958 single that reached number 21 on the U .S.
Billboard Hot 100. But the song was also featured
later on their album that came out in 1960 down
by the station. So you do technically check off
two decades there. But what a nice mellow way
to wind down the summer playlist. I feel like
it's the end of the night. Everyone's sitting
out at a campfire. Either it's on the beach or.
on a farm or wherever you want it to be. Probably
not a city street. I think they frown on that,
but what a nice way to wind down this mellow
summer playlist that mixtapers concludes side
B of the ultimate summer oldies and do op mixtape,
which consists of the Beatles twist and shout
first class beach, baby, the beach boys, good
vibrations, Jen and Dean's popsicle, Freddie
cannons, Palisades park. The Jamies, Summertime
Summertime, The Mamas and the Papas, California
Dreamin', Scott McKenzie, San Francisco, Be Sure
to Wear Flowers in Your Hair, Dobie Gray's Drift
Away, and The Four Preps, Lazy Summer Night.
Head over to myweeklymixtape .com to hear all
the songs we've discussed in this mix through
the playlist embedded on the episode page. Well,
Philip, as always, it's a pleasure talking music
with you. Thank you for being such a huge part.
of the My Weekly Mixtape Patreon community and
for joining me on the show once again. Look forward
to our next chat, my friend. Thank you for having
me again. And to those listening, remember you
can find My Weekly Mixtape on almost all the
social media haunts at My Weekly Mixtape. You
can also head to myweeklymixtape .com to check
out the full catalog of My Weekly Mixtape episodes.
And finally, if you like what you're hearing
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Once again, that's patreon .com forward slash
myweeklymixtape. That's all for this week. Thanks
again for listening, and until next time. Enjoy
the summer and the tunes that go along with it.
Take care.