The Soundtrack to My Life

Dreaming of Summer

It’s only the middle of February, and I am already wishing for summer to be here. I decided to share a few songs that never fail to take me back to those warm, lazy, summer days that I dream about in the dead of winter.

            Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer” instantly takes me back to vacations spent on the beach. When Henley’s smooth voice sings, “I can see you, your brown skin shinin’ in the sun, you’ve got that top pulled down and that radio on,” I am reminded of driving in the sweltering heat with the windows down, blasting the radio. His guitar copies the sound of seagulls flying freely over the ocean’s blue-green water, as I dream of sitting on the beach.

            Every summer since I was eighteen, I have gone to see as many bands as I could afford. Lock Haven and the immediate area rarely attract big rock and roll stars, so I end up getting in the car and driving a few hours to see my favorite band. Jackson Browne’s song “Running On Empty” will forever remind me of my road trips. The excitement of the music, the freedom of the highway, and the warm summer air are all comforts I long for during the bitter cold winter months. As soon as Browne sings, “Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels,” I remember wishing the road trips were never-ending and that I could see “how crazy this life feels.”

            I certainly cannot make a list of my favorite summer songs without including The Beach Boys. “Kokomo” not only reminds me of being a kid on the Susquehanna River, but to me, it’s an exotic story. I can feel the heat of the tropics and smell the coconut as the boys sing perfect harmony over “the rhythm of a steel drum band.” Kokomo is a place I have always wanted to visit because “that’s where you want to go to get away from it all.”

            These are just a few of my favorite songs that remind me of summer in the middle of winter. What songs bring back summer memories for you?