June 25-26, 2016: Crowd-sourced SummerStudying

[To kick off the summer of 2016, this week’s series has AmericanStudied some famous summer texts and contexts. Leading up to this crowd-sourced post featuring the responses and nominations of fellow SummerStudiers—add your hot takes in comments, please!]

Following up Monday’s “Summertime” post, Michael D. Dwyer Tweets, “I just watched the video this AM. It's a great celebration of Philly's public spaces.”

Following up Tuesday’s “Boys of Summer” post, Rob Bartolome writes, “I'm probably just reaching ‘that age,’ but I've found myself thinking more and more about the concept of nostalgia, both on a personal and macro-political level. Really fascinated by all of this.” Later in the week, Rob shares his own summer song nominee, “‘Hot in the City’ by Billy Idol. There's something so timeless and American about it, but it also has such an 80s sleaziness to it.” And Jeff Renye adds, “,Sleazy rock? Put Van Halen’s ‘Panama’ on that list.”

Following up Wednesday’s “Summertime Sadness” post, Ariana Garcia writes, “I actually compare Lana Del Rey to Lord Byron all the time in my head. She is amazing, easily my favorite female artist. Especially her latest album Honeymoon is incredibly dark, romantic and she's definitely an example, to me, of a modern Byronic Hero. Songs like ‘Terrence Loves You’ and ‘Art Deco’ always give me that image. I love all of her work. Her lyrics get better with every album! Honeymoon actually includes an interlude ‘Burnt Norton’ in which she reads T.S. Eliot's first stanza of Four Quartets.”

For other summertime songs, L.D. Burnett highlights, “Don Henley, ‘Boys of Summer’; Beach Boys, ‘California Girls’; Joni Mitchell, ‘Carey,’ ‘California.’ Many more—summer is my season!—but that works for now.”

Paige Wallace nominates, “Any music by Good Old War!”

Maranda Fluet shares, “‘Faded’ by Alan Walker and ‘Cake by the Ocean’ by DNCE.”

Rob LeBlanc highlights, “America’s ‘Sister Golden Hair,’ Looking Glass’ ‘Brandy (You're a Fine Girl),’ Lovin' Spoonful’s ‘Summer in the City,’ Patti Scialfa’s ‘23rd Street Lullaby,’ and Animal Collective’s ‘My Girls.’”

Ariana Garcia shares, “Death Cab for Cutie’s ‘Summer Skin,’ Modest Mouse’s ‘Missed the Boat,’ Hot Hot Heat’s ‘Middle of Nowhere,’ Lydia’s ‘The Exit,’ Gregory Alan Isakov’s ‘Amsterdam,’ Bon Iver’s ‘Holocene,’ Empire of the Sun’s ‘I'll Be Around,’ Radical Face’s ‘Welcome Home,’ Rogue Valley’s ‘False Floors,’ This Will Destroy You’s ‘They Move on Tracks of Never Ending Light,’ and Industries of the Blind’s ‘I Just Wanted to Make You Something Beautiful.’ It wasn't supposed to be this long but once I get started on music I can't stop! Oops.”

Jeff Renye shares “The Rain Song” by Led Zeppelin, while Ben Lieberman writes, “This will be different from the others: ‘Someone Somewhere in Summertime’ by Simple Minds.

Rob Gosselin writes, “Alice Cooper yelling ‘School’s Out.’ Steve Miller's ballad about Billie Joe and Bobby Sue, ‘Take the Money and Run.’ Matthew Sweet and his amazing guitar riffs on ‘Girlfriend.’ Rob adds, “When I was younger I spent two weeks every summer at a camp in Maine. ‘Take the Money and Run’ was on the jukebox. Every time I hear that song, I'm sitting by the side of a lake with a group of teenagers trying to figure out what this crazy world is all about … and I'm still trying to figure it out.”

On Twitter, Clarissa Ceglio likewise shares “School’s Out,” writing, “Though it was already 12ish years old by my high school years we'd gleefully crank up the radio for Cooper's song.”

Tara Strauch Tweets her “eclectic” summer list: “Huck Finn, “In the Mood,” and the movie Twister.”

Next series starts Monday,

Ben

PS. What do you think? Other summer texts or contexts you’d highlight?