I'm not sure that there's anything overarching that makes these songs "summer songs"--a label that can evoke joy, excitement, or nostalgia depending on the context. More just that its a group of songs I've been listening to quite a bit lately. Though: one thing I did notice is that many of these songs fulfill similar roles on the albums that they originally appear on--either the 2nd or 3rd songs on the record, or the 2nd or 3rd to last songs (with a few exceptions, notably the 1st and last tracks). Most are momentum holders.
Which makes sense: to idealize certain times of the year is to focus on their big events or transitional qualities. The new year, snow melting, leaves changing and autumn. Even if, say, the color changes of autumn might take an entire month, we often enjoy the leaves as indicators: things that are tangible and trackable. It's about the milestones. July, however, is a month to be appreciated for its own stubborn stagnation. The best ones just stay put, sunny and hot.
And thats what I like about these songs. However much I might appreciate "Can You Get to That," I like it even more because it bridges the gap on Maggot Brain from the psych-jam of the title track, and the impossibly catchy centerpiece "Hit it and Quit it." And while "Spaceboy" is a touching track in any context, It's placement between the triumphant "Mayonaise" and guitar climax "Silverfuck" on Siamese Dream underscores Billy Corgan's sincerity in a way no one song could on its own.
None of this is too different from what makes the middle of summer so special: a time of blissful suspension, where, under the best of circumstances, you forget the exact contours of the whole that you're operating within. Enjoy, and happy july.
Download here:
Tracklist:
Born in the U.S.A- Bruce Springsteen
Young Boy- Clipse
Stay Don't Go- Spoon
Spacious Skies- Invincible
Polar Opposites- Modest Mouse
Spaceboy- The Smashing Pumpkins
I Am The Resurrection- The Stone Roses
Can You Get to That- Funkadelic
Big Girl- Ghostface Killah
There Is a Light that Never Goes Out- The Smiths
Go With the Flow- MF Doom
Houses in Motion- Talking Heads
I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)- The Temptations
Boys You Won't Remember- The Wrens
NYC-25- The Olivia Tremor Control
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