Rant #1,508: Summer Songs

We are truly in the dog days of summer, and the countdown is on for the coming of fall, or autumn, or whatever you want to call it.

But summer is still here, and if it is still here, we have what are called "summer songs" that help us remember and help us to evoke a feeling of what the summer means--fun.

As you know, there is nothing better than the music that was created by outstanding artists, writers and producers during my main period of musical focus, 1964-1971, and there is literally a boatload of songs that evoke that summer feeling from that era.

The songs can basically be broken down into two categories: songs that evoke the summer through their titles or their lyrics, and songs that actually were summer hits.

In the former category, we have the classic tune "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys. Although associated with the summer, the song actually became a hit in the fall, during October of 1966.

In the latter category, we have Sly and the Family Stone's "Hot Fun in the Summertime," which people believe is the quintessential summer song of the period.

It, in fact, became a hit in August of 1969, so it fits right into the summer scene as a summer song that actually became a hit during the summer.

There is actually another category, and that is of songs that simply meant more to you during the summer than anytime else, for whatever reason, and that is what I want to focus on right now.

When I think of summer, we all have to think of our childhoods.

School was out of session, many of us went to camp--both day camp and sleepaway camp--and fun was the name of the game.

After a long school year, camp kind of cooled us down during the summer.

Well, as a young kid living in Rochdale Village, South Jamaica, Queens, I went to camp, namely Rochdale Village Day Camp. Just about all my friends went to this camp, and yes, it was fun, fun, fun, whether we were swimming, playing ball, or cooped up on rainy days inside, playing nok hockey.

And when we were on the camp buses going from one place to another, we sang various songs to bide our time while we were getting into trouble in the back of the bus (don't ask).

We sang songs like the commercial jingle to the old "Puffa Puffa Rice" cereal, and we sung "The Billboard Song," or whatever it was called, about torn signs on billboards that kind of morphed into funny, combined sayings ("Drink Wrigley Spearmint Beer," "Ken-L Ration Dog Food makes your wife's complexion clear.").

And certainly, let's not forget "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall," which I cannot believe to this day that we actually got through 100 to 1 on numerous occasions.

Anyway, we sang another song that comes to my memory, and we sung it because it was a hit song at the time, easy to sing, and memorable all in one fell swoop.

On the old school bus during camp, we sang Herman's Hermits "I'm Henry VIII, I Am," which had hit #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in July 1965.

Not only did it qualify as a summer song, but it was just so easy to sing.

"I'm Henry the VII, I Am
Henry the VIII, I Am, I Am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry
Henry!
Not a Willie or a Sam
Or a Sam!
I'm her eighth old man
I'm Henry
Henry the VIII, I am."

And as you know, the "second verse, same as the first" so this could go on forever.

It was such a fun song to sing, because it was so simple.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the summer, other than becoming a hit during the early summer of 1965, but to me, it is my quintessential summer song.

I wonder if kids have their own favorite summer song today, or more importantly, if kids have as much fun in camp as we did.

I doubt it. Times were different back then, there was no Internet, and you actually had to interact with people face to face.

And when the counselors decided to sing a song, we sang--not because they threatened us if we didn't do it, but because it was ... FUN.

And isn't that what the summer is supposed to be all about?