"Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful

Many of you know that summer is my least favourite season of them all. It is hot. It is muggy. It is uncomfortable. I would really be happy if we simply skipped summer and went straight from spring to autumn. It is for that reason that I have always been mystified as to why so many songs about summer portray the season as some kind of joyous time full of fun. I have to disagree with George Gershwin. In summertime, the livin' isn't easy.

That having been said, there is one song I believe does capture something of the reality of the season, at least as it is here in Missouri. In "Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful the singer describes the back of his neck as getting "dirty and gritty". He refers to the sidewalk as "hotter than a match head". The first stanza, at least, sums up summer perfectly for me. Now it is true the song's portrayal of summer nights are a bit more pleasant than I've experienced, but then The Lovin' Spoonful were from New York City, where I assume it is cooler than it is here in Missouri. At the very least "Summer in the City" is more accurate than 99% of the other songs about the summer.

Anyhow, without further ado, here is "Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful.