The start of summer is heralded by the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, June 21st. But more importantly is signals the sense of relaxation that comes with warmer weather and time off from school and work, with time spent outdoors at parks, pools, picnics, the beach, water sports, outdoor concerts, outdoor seating at restaurants, summer cocktails and frozen drinks – the overall summer vibe.
This “Summer” playlist is a compilation of songs featuring the word Summer in their title or prominently in their lyrics. Next week’s playlist will feature summer vibe songs, not necessarily including summer in the lyrics themselves, but in the feel they engender. Today’s playlist starts with The Cars singing “Summer, it turns me upside down…” and Meat Loaf’s iconic “On a hot summer night would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses…”. Trivia about the song and album – Todd Rundgren and Edgar Winter were contributing musicians. Other musicians on the list include The Beach Boys, Bryan Adams, Don Henley, Van Morrison, Billy Joel, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Mungo Jerry, Eddie Cochran, U2, The Who, The Doors, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Foo Fighters, Some Country artists on the list include Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, Florida Georgia Line, Martina McBride, Faith Hill. Several memorable summer songs with a great summer vibe include:
“Summer Nights” – Olivia Newton John and John Travola from the Grease Soundtrack. A classic end of summer remembrance of summer love.
“The Boys of Summer” – Don Henley with a romp on the beach.
“Cruel Summer” – Bananarama taking us back to the 80s, with some great views of the NY Skyline, including the then relatively new Twin Towers.
“All Summer Long” – Kid Rock, gaining inspiration Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” and borrowing heavily from Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves Of London,” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” How could it not help but be a smash hit?
“All Summer Long” – The Beach Boys – from the American Graffiti Soundtrack. Such an iconic movie about Rock & Roll in the early 60s, and a springboard for Ron Howard and Cindy Williams for Happy Days, and eventually propelled George Lucas to create Star Wars with Harrison Ford again in his cast.
“Summer Breeze” – Seals & Croft, a band comprised of James Seals and Dash Crofts, both hailing from Texas. The duo was one of the most successful soft rock acts of the 70s, best known for this hit, as well as “Diamond Girl.” James Seals’ younger brother Dan was half of another successful 70’s soft rock duo England Dan & John Ford Coley, with hits “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight,” “It’s Sad To Belong,” “We’ll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again,” “Nights Are Forever Without You,” and “Love Is The Answer”. Quite a talented family. Sad to lose Jim Seals:
“Our Last Summer” – from the Mamma Mia! Soundtrack. Who wouldn’t want a summer in Greece? Such beautiful beaches and countryside.
And check out Celeste, oft compared to Billie Holiday, Amy Winehouse, and Adele, and promoted in the media by the likes of Elton John and James Cordon. Some golden oldies on the list include Natalie and Nat King Cole’s “That Sunday, That Summer,” Andy Williams’ “A Summer Place,” Frank Sinatra’s “Summer Wind,” Nat King Cole’s Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer”.
Let this playlist run at your picnic or at the beach. Slip on those shades. Slide into those flip flops. Lather on that sunscreen. Have fun. Kick your feet up. Relax. It’s summertime!
I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew. Rediscover the passion of music in your life.
Father’s Day is a holiday in honor of fatherhood and paternal bonds. When attending church on Mother’s Day in 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd, who was raised with her 5 brothers by her father alone, conceived of the idea of establishing a day in celebration of fathers. In the US the day is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June. Predating the US day in honor of fathers, the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages established St. Joseph’s Day to honor the first father of the Church as well as all fathers.
Some great literary quotes about fathers:
Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later… that the man before him was not an ageing father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life
Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities
A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for them. In doing so, he really stands in their place. He is not an isolated individual, but incorporates the selves of several people in his own self.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
A father is the one friend upon whom we can always rely. In the hour of need, when all else fails, we remember him upon whose knees we sat when children, and who soothed our sorrows; and even though he may be unable to assist us, his mere presence serves to comfort and strengthen us.
Emile Gaboriau, File No. 113
I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.
Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum
When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in 7 years.
Mark Twain
Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to define them – a mother’s approval, a father’s nod – are covered by moments of their own accomplishments. It is not until much later, as the skin sags and the heart weakens, that children understand; their stories, and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives.
Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet In Heaven
It is a wise father who knows his own child.
William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
And some of the best dad’s in literature, according to readers polled by BookBub include Atticus Finch from “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Matthew Cuthbert from “Anne of Green Gables,” and Arthur Weasley from the “Harry Potter” book series. And great TV dads include Danny Tanner from “Full House,” Philip Banks from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” James Evans from “Good Times,” Gomez Addams from “The Addams Family,” Jason Seaver from “Growing Pains,” Carl Winslow from “Family Matters,” Mike Brady from “The Brady Bunch,” and Ward Cleaver from “Leave it to Beaver” among many others.
I’m your father. It is my job to protect you. It’s a job I refuse to quit, and at which I can’t afford to fail.
Philip Banks, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Well, just remember when children seem the least lovable, it means they need love the most.
Danny Tanner, Full House
Who are some of your favorite literary, movie, and TV fathers?
So what would a Father’s Day blog be without some dumb dad jokes? Thankfully from my kids perspective, I didn’t riddle them with dumb dad jokes too often over the years, but I would occasionally tell one or two, usually to the rolling of eyes and lack of the full enthusiasm and laughs that they deserved to engender. I remember while waiting in the car with my daughter when stumbling upon this gem on Facebook. I thought it was so funny that I was almost laughing too hard to even tell it to my daughter. She was less than humored – it still baffles me why:
Did you hear about the cow that jumped over the barbed wire fence? It was udder destruction.
I since tracked down more dad cow jokes, including some of my favorites:
What happens when you try talking to a cow? Everything just goes in one ear and out the udder.
What does the farmer talk about while milking a cow? Udder nonsense.
What do you call a sad cow? Moo-dy.
What do you call a cow that can’t make milk? A milk dud.
How do you make a cow be quiet? Press the moo-te button.
Why did the cow cross the road? To get to the udder side.
Where do cows get all the medicine? The farmacy!
What do you call it when one cow spies on another? A steak-out.
Knock knock. Who’s there? Cows go. Cows go who? No, silly, cows go MOO!
And if we’re going to talk dad jokes, Men’s Health dedicated an entire article to them. Here are some of my favorites:
What does a baby computer call his father? Data.
I only seem to get sick on weekends. I must have a weekend immune system.
Which days are the strongest? Saturday and Sunday. The rest are weekdays.
My friend was showing me his tool shed and pointed to a ladder. “That’s my stepladder,” he said. “I never knew my real ladder.”
Did you know that the first French fries weren’t cooked in France? They were cooked in Greece.
People in Athens rarely get up before sunrise. Dawn is tough on Greece.
I asked by date to meet me at the gym but she never showed up. I guess the two of us aren’t going to work out.
Never date a tennis player. Love means nothing to them.
What’s Forrest Gump’s password? 1forrest1
What do you call a bundle of hay in a church? Christian Bale
Have you heard about the restaurant on the moon? Great food, no atmosphere.
I don’t get why bakers aren’t wealthier. They make so much dough.
I hate it when people say age is only a number. Age is clearly a word.
And while it took me a few seconds to “get” these two, they are pretty funny:
I just found out I’m colorblind. It came out of the purple.
I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon. I’ll let you know.
The beginning of the playlist contains songs with the word Father in their title. Subsequent songs contain Son or Daughter in their titles, as they seemed fitting, given children are what make a man a father. Several songs relate the bittersweet nature of the relationship between a father and a daughter through the years as it transitions to her leaving the home to spread her wings and fly in a life of her own.
Cinderella
She spins and she sways to whatever song plays Without a care in the world And I’m sitting here wearing the weight of the world on my shoulders It’s been a long day and there’s still work to do She’s pulling at me saying dad I need you There’s a ball at the castle and I’ve been invited And I need to practice my dancin’ Oh, please, daddy, please
So I will dance with Cinderella While she is here in my arms ‘Cause I know something the prince never knew Oh, I will dance with Cinderella I don’t want to miss even one song ‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight And she’ll be gone
She says he’s a nice guy and I’d be impressed She wants to know if I approve of the dress She says, Dad, the prom is just one week away And I need to practice my dancin’ Oh, please, daddy, please
So I will dance with Cinderella While she is here in my arms ‘Cause I know something the prince never knew Oh-oh-oh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella I don’t want to miss even one song ‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight And she’ll be gone She will be gone
But she came home today with a ring on her hand Just glowing and telling us all they had planned She says, dad, the wedding’s still six months away but I need to practice my dancin’ Oh, please, daddy, please
So I will dance with Cinderella While she is here in my arms ‘Cause I know something the prince never knew Oh-oh-oh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella I don’t want to miss even one song ‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight And she’ll be gone
STEven curtis chapman
I shot this video 2 months ago when Steven Curtis Chapman was right here in little old Bluffton, SC. He’s such an amazing, singer, songwriter, and guitarist – a truly gifted, humble, down-to-earth, faith-filled man. What a talent:
Butterfly Kisses
There’s two things I know for sure: She was sent here from heaven and she’s daddy’s little girl. As I drop to my knees by her bed at night
She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes And I thank god for all of the joy in my life Oh, but most of all
For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair “Walk beside the pony, Daddy, it’s my first ride.” “I know the cake looks funny, Daddy, but I sure tried.” Oh, with all that I’ve done wrong, I must have done something right..
She asked me what I’m thinking and I said “I’m not sure-I just feel like I’m losing my baby girl.” She leaned over Gave me butterfly kisses with her mama there Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair “Walk me down the aisle, Daddy-it’s just about time.” “Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy? Daddy, don’t cry” Oh, with all that I’ve done wrong I must have done something right. To deserve her love every morning and butterfly kisses I couldn’t ask God for more, man this is what love is. I know I gotta let her go, but I’ll always remember Every hug in the morning and butterfly kisses…
Bob carlisle
A father’s love often goes unnoticed, with much attention rightly being afforded to the love of a mother. But the importance of fathers is often found in the significant void created by their absence. Many songs center on the loss of a father, through death or abandonment, or the pains of a bad father – think Genesis’ “No Son Of Mine,” Journey’s “Mother, Father,” or Crystal Bowersox’ “Farmer’s Daughter,” or Kane Brown’s “For My Daughter”:
For My Daughter
Someone to play catch with, out in the backyard To pick up the pieces of your first broken heart Someone to say slow down when you turn sixteen Yeah, I grew up without a dad I’m gonna be the best one I can be
Someone to scare the monsters when it’s dark in your room Someone to put their foot down when you want a tattoo And not just say I love you, but show you what it means Yeah, I grew up without a dad I’m gonna be the best one I can be
They say dads are supposed to shape you, in a way I guess mine did I knew what I wouldn’t do if I ever had a kid They say history repeats itself Well, I guess that’s up to me Yeah, I grew up without a dad I’m gonna be the best one I can be
kane brown
In thinking of movies with scenes of fathers with their children, these two are my favorites of a father with his son, and a father with his daughter. This scene from “Father of the Bride” just melts my heart every time I watch it:
And for any son who’s ever thrown a ball around with his father, especially if you lost your father at a younger age, this one just kills me – I cried at the theater watching this scene, I found it so moving, having lost my own father when I was 19:
I’d like to honor and express my love and thanks to inspirational father figures and role models in my own life: those already passed – my father, John, my step-father, Fred, my Uncle Bill (like a father to my mom, and a grandfather to me), my Uncle Sal, and those still alive – my step-father-in-law Bob, my friend Jim Rispoli (though more the age of an older brother to me, still an inspiring father figure in my life, especially after my father died), my brother John, who has been such a great father to his 3 boys and 2 adoptive girls, my lifelong friend Jim with his 3 great kids, and my friend Scott, one of the most amazing fathers I know, both a father and mother to his son Asher. And of course I have to express my love forever for my children, Josh, Ryan, and Kate, who have been the center of my life for the past 3 decades, filling my days with joy, laughter, excitement, adventure, and wonder. And last but certainly not least, my wife Regina, the woman who made me a father – to her I express my gratitude for carrying, bearing, and nurturing our 3 wonderful children. I couldn’t be the father I am today without her by my side.
As I suggested in my Mother’s Day blog, if your dad, grandfather, or other father figure has left this world, say a special prayer, while recalling the wonderful memories of times spent together. If you have strained or estranged relationships with the fathers in your life, try to mend them as able. And if they are broken beyond repair, work on forgiveness or at least finding some semblance of peace and acceptance.
Now for the playlist:
I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew. Rediscover the passion of music in your life.
The upper atmosphere or expanse of space that constitutes an apparent great vault or arch over the earth
Heaven sense
The origins of the word are from the Old Norse sky meaning “cloud, abode of God.”
I just returned from a trip out West, where sky definitely seems to take on the latter definition and derivation, truly heaven sense and the abode of God, especially in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. The sky seems to go on forever, making the surrounding landscape and mountains even more breathtaking. Basking in such tranquil, awe-inspiring, picturesque, beautiful vistas is glorious and soothes the soul.
If you have the opportunity, head out West. Visit our National Parks. In a time when so many are retreating to a life indoors, between work responsibilities, COVID restrictions, and electronics permeating virtually every facet of life, the outdoors still beckons.
Some quotations of the significance and importance the outdoors can have in our lives are paired with some photos from my trip:
The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.
ralph waldo emerson
The mountains are calling and I must go.
john muir
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.
aristotle
If you truly love nature you will find beauty everywhere.
laura ingalls wilder
Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.
albert einstein
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endless changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
Alexander Supertramp McCandless
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my sense put in order.
John Burroughs
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.
anne frank
Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
john muir
The Earth has music for those who listen.
William Shakespeare
I’ll let the Bard of Avon be the prologue to my playlist. The Earth, with its varying landscapes, nature, and sky, is magnificent. So I thought I’d share a playlist of songs containing the words sky or skies, along with some select, inspiring videos below:
In The Sky – Mark Knopfler, one of my favorite guitarists, also making an appearance with his more recent post-Dire Straits solo music in my recent folk music playlist:
Ghost Riders In The Sky – Southern Raised, a band I had never heard of, but love this version and video:
Spirit In The Sky – Norman Greenbaum, with his classic 70s song paired with such great images representative of the decade:
The Sky Is Crying – Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, Albert King, & Paul Butterfield, just an amazing collection of blues musicians:
Showdown At Big Sky – Robbie Robertson, of The Band, originally the back-up band for Bob Dylan, with a great solo offering and video:
So Many Skies – Caroline Jones (duet with Matthew Ramsey of Old Dominion and Zac Brown on guitar) – I had never heard of her, but exploring her music after finding this song, which I absolutely love, and am adding to my romance playlist, as it is so fitting, I discovered she has toured as opening act for both Zac Brown and Jimmy Buffett, with whom she has released duets and collaborations:
Two movies (based on books) that demonstrate the power, beauty, and healing potential of communing with nature are The Way, starring Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez, about a hike along El Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James) in Spain:
and Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon, about a hike along the Pacific Crest Trail in California and Oregon:
as well as the book Hiking Through: One man’s journey to peace and freedom on the Appalachian Trail, through hiking from Georgia to Maine:
And now for the playlist. There are some fantastic songs, with the likes of Johnny Cash, Journey, The Animals, ELO, The Beatles, John Denver, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Allman Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, INXS, U2, Jackson Brown, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Joe Jackson, Coldplay, Los Lonely Boys. Some great music. Enjoy!
I hope that this music and my blog truly serve as a “revival: a new presentation of something old,” a springboard to return to the music of your youth, or perhaps to find artists you want to discover anew. Rediscover the passion of music in your life.
