Summer Songs by Doshka Harvey

"Summer, summer, summertime. Time to sit back and unwind." This is the first line to what has to be considered the quintessential summertime song. Ask anybody what song reminds them of summer, and "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (a.k.a Will Smith), will likely be in the top spot.

When Starpulse gave me the assignment to write about songs that made me feel like summer, I thought, "Awesome, I can think of tons of songs that give me that summary feeling." Then I thought, "Why limit the list to only what tickles my fancy? Why not go out and ask others what joints they like to bop their head to, especially when summertime rolls around?"

I asked people on the street, friends, and family members. Some of their answers made me think, "Yeah, I can groove to that on hot summer day." While others made me wish, "No way Jose." But, how I am to judge? A writer is supposed to be objective when composing a story, right?

So, here's a list of some tunes to dig into while you are cruising to the beach in your convertible (if you have one); when you are laying on the beach in that hot bikini (board shorts for the gents); when you are laying out tanning (because who needs that spray-on stuff?) or when you are chillin' at home in the A/C because it's too darn hot to go outside in the sun.

Of course, we must start out with:

1. Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
"Put your car on cruise and lay back 'cause this is summertime."

2. Justin Timberlake - Summer Love
"This just can't be summer love. 'Cause I can't wait to fall in love with you. You can't wait to fall in love with me."

3. Cruel Summer - Bananarama
"It's a cruel, cruel summer. Leaving me here on my own."

4. I Just Want To Fly - Sugar Ray
"I just want fly. Put your arms around me baby. Put your arms around me baby."

5. La Isla Bonita - Madonna
"Tropical the island breeze. All of nature wild and free. This is where I long to be. La isla bonita."

6. Whenever, Wherever - Shakira
"Whenever, wherever. We're meant to be together. I'll be there and you'll be near. And that's the deal my dear."

7. Hot in Herre - Nelly
"It's gettin' hot in herre. So take off all your clothes."

8. Paradise City - Guns 'n' Roses
"Take me down to the paradise city. Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty."

9. Pocketful Of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield
"I've got a pocketful, a pocketful of sunshine. I got a love and I know that it's all mine oh, oh, oh, oh."

10. Nothing But A Good Time - Poison (gotta love the days of glam rock and big hair)
"Don't need nothin' but a good time. How can I resist? Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time and it don't get better than this."

11. Dreamlover - Mariah Carey
"Dreamlover come rescue me. Take up take me down. Take me anywhere you want to baby now."

12. Going Back To Cali - LL Cool J
"Going back to Cali, stylin', profilin', growlin', and smilin', while in the sun."

13. Umbrella - Rihanna
"Now that it's raining more than ever. Know that we'll still have each other. You can stand under my umbrella."

14. Love Is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar
"We are strong. No one can tell us we're wrong. Searching our hearts for so long, both of us knowing. Love is a battlefield."

15. I'm Still In Love With You - Sean Paul
"I'm still in love with you, boy."

16. Groove Is In The Heart - Deee-Lite
"My supperdish, my succotash wish. I couldn't ask for another."

17. La Lambada - Kaoma (who can forget when the Brazilian dance craze of Lambada took the US by storm in 1989)
"Lambando estarei ao lembrar que este amor"

18. Boys Of Summer - Don Henley
"Nobody on the road. Nobody on the beach. I feel it in the air, the summers out of reach."

19. Crazy - Seal
"But we're never gonna survive, unless…we get a little crazy."

20. Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald (this is an oldie, but oh what a goodie)
"Summer time and the livin' is easy."

You can bet that I'll be grooving, rocking and mellowing out to a few of these tunes.

Click on the next page for more summer selections!