Every single day this week has been essentially the same: tumble out of bed, stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition and yawn and stretch and try to come to life. Or at least that would have been the case if my name happened to be Doralee and I was struggling with how to handle my manipulative, chauvinistic boss.
Nonetheless, the week has definitely been a little on the repetitive side, as evidenced by the fact that yesterday I ended my post with “Happy Wednesday” WHEN IT WAS IN FACT THURSDAY, OH SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME I’VE LOST ALL TRACK OF TIME. And while this week really has been an absolutely delightful time for our little family and we’ve enjoyed all manner of summer fun (the second week of Wimbledon always makes for some happy hearts around here), I’m pretty much worn slap out as I sit here and stare Friday in the face.
At least I think it’s Friday.
Of course, my weariness may have something to do with the fact that I haven’t fallen asleep before 2 any night this week. I’ve tried to sleep, but at some point I’ve given up and gotten out of bed and turned on the computer and watched old Michael Jackson videos on YouTube.
(Now that I think about it, aside from the fact that I now watch YouTube instead of MTV, my late nights have basically been like the summer of ’88 all over again.)
(Except that I no longer have bangs that have been teased into the shape of a large carnation, and I’m no longer hoping beyond all hope that Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd will realize that they’re deeply in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together.)
(I may have mentioned before that as a teenager I was mildly obsessed with “Moonlighting.” I continue to stand by that choice.)
Anyway, Big Mama and I were emailing back and forth last night, THE NIGHT THAT WAS THURSDAY, and I mentioned to her that we should have recorded a podcast since I’m struggling with quite the case of bloggy block and I don’t have anything to write about and besides that, all the words in all the languages are conspiring against me so that I can’t make sentences. And because Melanie is a selfless friend, she said, Hey, you know you could always post a 4th of July playlist like I’m doing tomorrow.
And I was all, OKAY.
And she was all, PERFECT.
And I was all, DO THE SONGS HAVE TO BE PATRIOTIC? BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW THAT MANY PATRIOTIC SONGS.
And she was all, WHATEVS.
Except that Melanie has never in her whole life said “Whatevs.” I mean, Mel and I like to stay up to date on the pop culture and all, but we try to respect age-appropriate slang-usage limits. And “whatevs” is way beyond our limits. In fact, for women in second half of their 30s, “whatevs” is currently out in the middle of the Atlantic. WHERE WE CAN’T REACH IT.
By the way, it makes me laugh that I asked Melanie so many questions about posting the playlist. AS IF SHE HAD MADE UP SOME RULES.
So. My list. At this point, you must be absolutely beside yourself with ambivalence.
Nonetheless, here are some songs – old and new – that just scream summer to me, even if they have nothing at all to do with summer, but I’m sure at some point I’ve listened to them in the summertime, so hey, THEY TOTALLY QUALIFY.
1) “Hard To Handle” – Black Crowes – This song stops me in my tracks every single time I hear it. It reminds me of being in college and hanging out with my friend Daphne and riding around Starkville, Mississippi with absolutely no destination in mind. Perfection.
2) “Sweet Southern Comfort” – Buddy Jewell – This song will forever make me think of the summer after Alex was born, a glorious time when I was still hormonal enough to bawl my eyes out when Buddy Jewell sang “Sleepy sweet home Alabama / Roll Tide, Roll.” And I’m not even a Crimson Tide fan. But Tuscaloosa’s just about 45 minutes down the road, and that was enough.
3) “A Lot Like Me” – Dave Barnes – Don’t even listen to it if you’re not willing to sing along. And loudly.
4) “Waterfalls” – TLC – “Don’t go chasin’ waterfalls. Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.” Summer of 1998, anyone?
5) “The Wanderer” – Marc Broussard – A glorious summer love song. And sort of mysterious. And oh-so-delicious.
6) “Life Light Up” – Christy Nockels – Apparently my plans for summer ’09 include listening to this song at least three times a day. The chorus makes me want to stand up and jump. But since I normally listen to this song while I’m driving, I resist the urge. You’re welcome.
7) “Your Smiling Face” – James Taylor – Pure sunshine in musical form.
8) “Till You’re Gone” – Gabe Dixon Band – David’s best friend Todd and I have nearly identical taste in music, and when I heard the version of this song that’s on GDB’s “Disappear” EP, I sent Todd an email that basically looked like this: “OH MY WORD AT THE BANGY PIANO AND CLAPPING YOU MUST DOWNLOAD IMMEDIATELY.” And he did. This is but one reason why I love him.
9) “Brandy” – Looking Glass – It’s solid 70s gold, y’all.
10) “Summer Breeze” – Jason Mraz – I’m a sucker for a good cover of classic song, and this totally fits the bill. Plus, I adore Jason Mraz’s kicky quirkiness.
11) “Wild At Heart” – Gloriana – Makes me want to jump on a boat and speed across the water but stop the boat in the middle of the lake when it gets to the part of the song where all the music drops out so that I can lead a small group of people in a unified over-the-head clap-along. Which is all COMPLETELY realistic.
12) “The Star Spangled Banner” – Jennifer Hudson – The older I get, the harder it is for me to sing and / or listen to the National Anthem without my bottom lip getting all quivery. And I think Jennifer Hudson’s version is absolutely gorgeous.
I know. It’s sort of an eclectic list, isn’t it? Feel free to chime in with your own suggestions for the world’s summertime song canon.
Happy 4th, everybody!
How do you remember the exact names to so many songs??? I know and love LOTS of them, but can never remember most of the titles. I can sing the song but couldn’t tell you the name of it if it isn’t the most repeated line in the song.
Having said that, I grew up in the 70’s (graduated in ’77). So, most of my favorites, the ones I know the best, are from that era. Chicago’s “You’re the Inspiration, Along Comes A Woman, Just You and Me” to name a few, are some of my all time favorites. I have the “The Very Best of Chicago” CD that I listen to a lot.
My absolute all-time favorite is “Seals & Croft’s Greatest Hits”. I’ve had it on an 8-track tape, cassette, and now on CD. I know every word of every song. I love it.
I love all kinds of music and have several favorites but it’s like I said before, I don’t know their titles. I love Motown tunes. The Temptation’s “My Girl” is a great summer tune or for any time of the year.
Confession: My husband has a Ultra Classic Harley that has a CD player on it. When we hit the road, we have several 70’s CDs we listen to. At least when we are out away from our house listening to them, we don’t embarrass our kids :)
Ditto on the National Anthem; it makes me so proud and stirs my emotions so much when I hear it played/sung.
I’ll turn 50 in a few weeks and I thought my memory was pretty good until just now. I can’t believe that I can’t list any more songs than this.
God bless and Happy 4th to you, too!!
Well, how sad is it that NONE of us noticed that you wrote “Happy Wednesday” on a Thursday post??!!
I made a summer music cd a few years ago…yes kinda like a mix tape…like back when MY hair was in all it’s glorious hot-roller perfection.
Corey Hart – I Wear My Sunglasses at Night…lots of MTV watching with this one.
Paul Young – Every Time You Go Away…was this his only hit? I didn’t care, I loved this song.
Sheryl Crow – IIIIIIIII wannna soak up the sunnnnnnnn…We were at the Kehma Boardwalk two weeks ago with my sister and her family. This song was blasting over the speakers as we walked by the water together. It was the perfect ‘movie soundtrack’ moment for our idealistic selves : )
Do you promise not to laugh at this last one????
Wham! – Club Tropicana. Back when I was 100% positive George Michael couldn’t possibly be gay, and would fall madly in love with me when we met.
Enjoy the 4th!!
Brandy is one of my all time favorite songs. I wore tape out that I recorded from the radio after I begged the dj to play it…
I married a Navy guy… I think Brandy was part of the reason! :)
Great playlist. . .and you had WAY too many great on liners in here for me to list them all. . .I was particularly fond of your paragraph about bangs the size of carnations and Moonlighting. . .and Doralee. BWAH-HA-HA!!!
I read your post and had no idea you wrote Happy Wednesday! We all have days like that.. No worries!
I love the idea to post a 4th of July playlist. That could be a fun Friday blog post – “Friday: Share Your Summer Music”. I love to see what others are listening to. Some of us share the same musical interests, but I also love coming across a new artist or song because of a suggestion from a friend. Just a thought. You have way more people following you, so you would have more success at a fun post like this than I would!! Ha!
Anyway, hope you and your family have a Happy 4th!
P.S. I can’t listen to “God Bless the U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood without crying. Last summer I had to pull off the road close to my hometown because it came on the radio and I was sitting at an intersection across from a National Guard post that was in the process of deploying their troops that day! It was one of those moments that time stood still and god bless all our Southern hearts, I wasn’t the only car that had to stop and pull over! = )
“Pour myself a cup of ambition.” You could’ve stopped there, and I would’ve been happy.
Happy Independence Day, Sophie!
LOVED moonlighting with my big old bangs and long tshirt knotted on the side!
Moonlighting was my favorite! And Loved your blog today! You make me laugh out loud! THANKS
Love, Sally
Oh, how I love James Taylor! : )
Great list–have a great 4th!
O.K. I just have to share something about that Paul Young song “Every Time You Go Away.” Instead of “you take a piece of me with you” I thought it was “you take a piece of MEAT with you!”
I swear I sung it like that for years! :)
I’m mostly a reader, not a commenter. But loved your playlist. I graduated H.S. in ’94, so some of the songs I like aren’t really appropriate to listen to now, but bring back the best memories. Case in point – for fun I just downloaded Vanilla Ice. I still know most of the words. It’s just a song that will last forever, you know?! It doesn’t even make sense, but I like it.
That is a great list. I grew up with Dave Barnes. I knew him when he was a chubby teenager with a blond fro. So it is funny to me when I see other people that listen to his music and see how popular he is. I still just think of him as I knew him in High school and college.
Wow Mama, you just gave me musical whiplash!!
Summer = Jimmy Buffett!!!!
i always am forced to comment when you mention moonlighting because i was also obsessed with it. i had every episode recorded and memorized. that and bacon may be the only two things we have in common since i don’t like sports.
great list! posting from my kindle, which i love for reading but just now figuring out i can use it (in a primative kind of way) to read boomama when the kids are home hogging the computer! now i can read you whenever-so happy!
My ideal playlist would be eclectic (yep, that’s probably the best word for it).
“Mississippi Squirrel Revival” – Ray Stevens
“Free to Be Me” – Francesca Battistelli
“I Saw the Light” – David Crowder Band
“The Streak” – Ray Stevens (Don’t Look Ethel!!!!!!)
“Take a Chance on Me” – Abba
“Crazy” – Patsy Cline
I probably should just stop with “Crazy”, I think that sums it up pretty well.
So Google recommended your blog in my feeder, and it’s Friday and work is dead, so off I go to check out Boo Mama. You’re funny, have good taste in music, and are from Alabama to boot (roll tide roll!). Hooray Google!
I think you may be funnier when you have nothing to say — I snorted three times before I got to the playlist! Oh, SO loved Moonlighting. Why did those series’ always go downhill once they finally got together? Man.
And I’m in the back half of the 40s, so they were a little before my time, but summer always meant the Beach Boys to me. My roommates and I would open the windows of our big, rambling, falling down rent house in college the minute the weather turned warm and crank it up!
I am totally with you and Moonlighting. I LOVED it and wish it was on reruns somewhere. I wanted my hair to do that wavy curvy thingy on the side of my head just like Cybil Shepard. Oh, the fun…it just makes me want to answer the phone with a rhyming poem of sorts…
Summer breeze makes me feel fine…
And so does anything JAMES TAYLOR.
And now I’m feeling all nostalgic.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one whose lip gets quivery at the National Anthem. It has ever since my dad, a WW2 vet, passed away in ’95. And oh, for the quivery lip, you should try going to Cub Scout camp and watching your son and several other little boys in uniform salute while the flag is being raised. And then try to say the Pledge of Allegiance around the huge lump in your throat. It’s actually pretty heart-warming. Happy 4th of July… God Bless America!
Oh my gosh Brandy!!! I adore that song. What a great one-hit wonder.
Oh, that Gloriana song just makes me crank up the radio, wave my arms, and embarrass my children in the car. I sure hope their future songs will be half as much fun. And my mama almost named me Brandy, so when I hear that song I say a silent prayer of thanks that my dad stopped her.
Hope you have a great 4th!!!! :O)
I ask you, what summer list would be complete without The Drifters “Under the Boardwalk”? well for me anyway :D
Happy 4th to you and yours Sophie!
I can totally relate to bloggy block. I blogged about my favorite cereal this week, for pete’s sake. A couple of weeks ago I reached into the garbage and grabbed some pancakes that were overcooked in order to take a picture for my blog…..so relax, you aren’t quite as desperate as me yet, lucky you!
Nothing says “summer” to me like the Beach Boys. I always used to wish my name was Rhonda so I could have a song after me. Pathetic I know.
I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before but I love your blog!
What a great list! I’m downloading several of them as we speak, thanks to your recommendation.
Random bit of trivia: I’m named after “Brandy” which I always thought was really cool until I heard the lyrics. Seriously, what parent names their child after a bar maid who’s in love with a sailor who only comes into port for booty calls. Sheesh.
ANYwho… I would add “Meet Virginia” – one of my all-time fav summer songs.
great collection and i just downloaded them all to my ipod.
i am always amazed when people can remember the names to so many songs. i can’t.
i hope you don’t mind my copying your list, as i did melaine’s too :)
mari
Oh how I hate to correct people. Like all I do is sit here and look for mistakes. Thats not the case here, but I just can’t sit by and see that 1998 next to Waterfalls without telling you that that is so not right. 1998 I was about to graduate high school and was off the secular stations for awhile. But….in 1995ish, I was so into the secular stations and this hits the sweet spot when I think about me being 15. Sorry, but I thought you should know.
Love your ‘favorites’ and hope you and yours have a wonderfully blessed 4th of July!
God Bless the USA!!!
Blessings always,
Kaye
Matthew 21:22
I LOOOOVE “Brandy”!!
I’ve been listening to Jason Mraz “I’m Yours” this summer–it’s got a fun island feel. Happy 4th!
Hi Boo Mama..I found your website on Kelly’s Korner.I so love her site and I just knew that if she loved yours,so would I. I find your blogs interesting,funny,inspiring and informative. I loved today’s with the music that I am going to look up right now! I would love to be another of your online friends.My site of blogging is THE SHINING STAR. Have a great Day! Regards,Jackie
Girl, you just got yourself a new reader. I stumbled across your blog today via Big Mama and all I have to say is, “You had me at Gloriana.” That song makes me feel like I am in 17 years old without a care or mortgage payment in the world.
Looking forward to reading more!
Happy 4th. Whatevs.
Heather
If I ever meet Buddy Jewel, I plan on kissing him squarely on the mouth because his Sweet Southern Comfort song was just that for me. That song came out just as my hubs and I closed the failed attempt of a church plant in the Atlanta area and headed home to sleepy Waycross, Georgia to allow our broken hearts to heal. Pastoring is hard. Church planting is really hard. That song was life to me and home was such a healing place. Love Buddy Jewel!
For someone with writer’s block you are simply precious and funny beyond words! Can’t wait to pop on over to itunes and look most of those songs up. Why don’t I know those songs?? Can’t wait!
Oh, honey – Waterfalls was summer of ’95. It was my first summer lifeguarding . . . and it played over . .. and over . . . and over. :)
And love this. LOVE IT.
Hey there! Never commented before :-) I am 45 minutes down the road from you in Tuscaloosa…LOVE the playlist. Very refreshing.
And…I love Moonlighting.
My little ol’ blog is http://www.loveshinesforall.blogspot.com
I guess when I go to family video this week to pick up Honey, I Shrunk the Kids for my children, I will also pick up 9 to 5 b/c it will be stuck in my brain for a while. Also, did you know 9 to 5 has become a broadway musical. Okay, maybe not broadway. Maybe off-broadway. I saw it on some part of Hoda and Kathie Lee when they weren’t having morning cocktails. (you can see how that was easy to remember b/c the time when they aren’t having some sort of morning cocktail is few and far between)
Man, crusing around Starkville, Mississippi with no destination in mind was me in 1980, baby! How about:
Slow Ride – Foghat
Summer of 69 – Bryan Adams
Little Pink Houses – cougar-mellencamp
Back In Black and You Shook Me All Night Long- ACDC ( i know, i didn’t know what all they meant at the time)
More than a Feeling – Boston
Could I Have This Dance – Anne….went blank
Excellent list. Yes, they are certainly summer grooves.
Great blog.
Ever since you and Melanie posted, I’ve been doing some soul-searching by mentally creating my own playlist. I’ve discovered my musical abilities are hopelessly stuck in the 90s. Any summer songs I can come up with either remind me of HS or college. Where have I been the last 10 years? Apparently having children and listening to Disney soundtracks.
Anything by the Drifters, The Tams, The Embers…known as beach music around these parts. It isn’t summer until I’ve played those songs and dance the Shag in my kitchen with my hubby until the finish wears off the floors.
My daughter made a 12 song CD for our Fourth celebration including James Cagney’s Yankee Doodle Dandy, Chicken Fried, Only in America by Brooks and Dunn. You get my drift. Lots of different songs going on in these parts.
Loved your list!
Oh, and did you know Buddy Jewel recorded that song in different versions and it says “Go Cocks Go” when played on our radio stations?