The Forgotten Hits List of
All-Time Summer Favorites
(as voted on by The Forgotten Hits Readers)
We've polled our readers three times now in order to determine your All-Time Summer Favorites.
And the results prove that these songs really could pertain to just about anything ... we found songs ABOUT Summer ... songs that were big hits DURING the Summer ... songs with Summer in the title ... and feel-good songs that simply evoke the feeling of a carefree, fun-loving summer day.
My original inspiration for this feature came after reading a similar poll held in "Entertainment Weekly" ... in 1999, their writers determined THEIR list of Summer Favorites.
The only problem with a list like that is they tend to be a little "artsy" just for artsy's sake ... it seems that these writers often go out of their way to name something SO far off the beaten path that most people reading the article won't ever have even heard the song!!!
The other problem was the best summers these young writers could remember in 1999 most likely happened in the '80's and beyond ... which meant we got all kinds of "classic" summer titles by the likes of Madonna, Bananarama, Arrested Development, Grand Master Flash ... while SO many great summer classics were left off the list. (In all fairness, they DID come up with the same #1 All-Time Favorite that YOU guys did!!!)
So I got to thinking ... what if you asked the REAL oldies fans out there ... the ones who have seen their share of summers over the years ... who have seen the various trends come and go ... what songs best evoke the Spirit of Summer in the eyes and ears of The Oldies Fans?
So, in 2001, we polled our readers ... and received about 400 responses ... hardly overwhelming but we did have a much smaller circulation then ... and we also had a pretty selective audience.
In 2006, we asked our readers again to vote for their favorites. This time about 2100 people responded ... yet the majority of The Top Ten remained the same. Hmmm ... maybe a trend was beginning to develop here ... maybe these really ARE the All-Time Summer Favorites.
Just to be sure, we asked our readers AGAIN in 2010 ... and this time we received about 9200 votes!!! And guess what ... the SAME song that came in at #1 in 2001 also came in at #1 in 2006 ... and did it AGAIN in 2010!!! And by an increasingly larger margin each time.
That's good enough for me!!! I believe that we can unequivocally state FOR THE RECORD that the list you are about to review is, WITHOUT QUESTION, representative of The All-Time Favorite Songs Of Summer as determined by The Oldies Nation. (See if you agree!)
YOUR ALL-TIME
SUMMER FAVORITES
1. SUMMER IN THE CITY - The Lovin' Spoonful
(#1 each and every time we ran the poll ... and by a LANDSLIDE, too!)
2. A SUMMER SONG - Chad and Jeremy
3. HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME - Sly and the Family Stone
(These two tracks have ALWAYS finished near the top of the list ... but this is
the first time they've flip-flopped their ranking!)
4. ALL SUMMER LONG - The Beach Boys
(The Beach Boys have placed at least one record in The Top Ten every time we've
done the poll ... yet it's been a different song each time that earned this honor.
In 2010, TWO of The Beach Boys' Hits made The Top Ten ... and this is the highest
"All Summer Long" has ever placed on our countdown!)
5. IN THE SUMMERTIME - Mungo Jerry
(Just try not to sing along with THIS one ... I dare ya!)
6. THEME FROM "A SUMMER PLACE" - Percy Faith
(A Summer Favorite ... and an Instrumental Favorite ... the vocal version by
The Lettermen also earned quite a few of your votes ... but not enough to make
the list.)
7. SUMMERTIME - Billy Stewart
(A popular song, "Summertime" was nominated by everybody from Billy Stewart
to Janis Joplin to Billie Holiday to American Idol Winner Fantasia Barrino!)
8. SUMMERTIME BLUES - Eddie Cochran
(Likewise, this one ... Eddie Cochran, The Who and Blue Cheer all earned votes for
this summertime classic!)
9. CALIFORNIA GIRLS - The Beach Boys
10. SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME - The Jamies
11. I GET AROUND - The Beach Boys
(3 of the Top 11 spots belong to the eternal "Boys Of Summer" ...
and you'll find the song "The Boys Of Summer" by Don Henley a little bit further
on down the list!!!)
12. HERE COMES SUMMER - Jerry Keller
13. CALIFORNIA SUN - The Rivieras
14. SURFIN' USA - The Beach Boys
15. DANCING IN THE STREET - Martha and the Vandellas
(A Top Ten Favorite every other year)
16. SEALED WITH A KISS - Brian Hyland
17. FUN FUN FUN - The Beach Boys
(Is there a better summer song that this one??? And it was released in
FEBRUARY!!! By the way, for those of you keeping score, that makes FIVE of
The Top 20 Summer Favorites by The Beach Boys ... one reader suggested that
we simply make a list of The Beach Boys Greatest Hits instead and call it a day!
In all, 21 of their titles were nominated ... and SIX made The Top 40!)
18. SCHOOL'S OUT - Alice Cooper
19. SATISFACTION - The Rolling Stones
(The Biggest Song of Summer, 1965)
20. WONDERFUL SUMMER - Robin Ward
21. SURF CITY - Jan and Dean
(Those OTHER Surfin' Dudes!)
22. SUMMER OF '69 - Bryan Adams
(About as close as we come to a "Modern Day Classic!")
23. SUMMER BREEZE - Seals and Crofts
24. SUMMER NIGHTS - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
25. SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER - The Happenings
26. WIPE OUT - The Surfaris
27. BEACH BABY - First Class
(Pseudo-Beach Boys!)
28. WINDY - The Association
29. BORN TO BE WILD - Steppenwolf
(The above two tracks were amongst the biggest songs of their respective
summers, in this case 1967 and 1968)
30. WOULDN'T IT BE NICE - The Beach Boys
31. SAN FRANCISCO - Scott McKenzie
32. CALIFORNIA NIGHTS - Lesley Gore
33. GROOVIN' - The Young Rascals
34. HEAT WAVE - Martha and the Vandellas
35. THE BOYS OF SUMMER - Don Henley
36. SUMMER RAIN - Johnny Rivers
37. LIGHT MY FIRE - The Doors
38. SATURDAY IN THE PARK - Chicago
39. THE SUMMER WIND - Frank Sinatra
40. THOSE LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER - Nat "King" Cole
Due to overwhelming requests to see where some of their OTHER favorites fell on the list, we have now expanded this countdown to include The Top 100 Favorite Songs Of Summer ...
see where YOUR favorites landed!
41. WALKIN' ON SUNSHINE - Katrina and the Waves
42. LITTLE BIT O'SOUL - The Music Explosion
43. PALISADES PARK - Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon
44. I LIVE FOR THE SUN - The Sunrays
45. UNDER THE BOARDWALK - The Drifters
46. SUMMER - War
47. SURFER GIRL - The Beach Boys
48. SO MUCH IN LOVE - The Tymes
49. SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME - Gary Lewis and the Playboys
50. ITSY BITSY TEENIE WEENIE YELLOW POLKA-DOT BIKINI - Brian Hyland
51. ONE SUMMER NIGHT - The Danleers
52. SURFIN' SAFARI - The Beach Boys
53. GTO - Ronny and the Daytonas
54. SUMMERTIME - Janis Joplin
55. I CAN'T HELP MYSELF - The Four Tops
56. VACATION - Connie Francis
57. THE WARMTH OF THE SUN - The Beach Boys
58. ROCK THE BOAT - The Hues Corporation
59. ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK - Bill Haley and the Comets
60. HANKY PANKY - Tommy James and the Shondells
61. HAWAII FIVE-O - The Ventures
62. KOKOMO - The Beach Boys
63. LITTLE DEUCE COUPE - The Beach Boys
64. SUMMER (THE FIRST TIME) - Bobby Goldsboro
65. SUMMERTIME BLUES - The Who
66. DO IT AGAIN - The Beach Boys
67. SUMMER MEANS FUN - Bruce and Terry
68. NIGHT MOVES - Bob Seger
69. SUMMERTIME BLUES - Blue Cheer
70. NO PARTICULAR PLACE TO GO - Chuck Berry
71. ACTION - Freddy Cannon
72. COME ON DOWN TO MY BOAT - Every Mother's Son
73. DON'T WORRY BABY - The Beach Boys
74. GRAZING IN THE GRASS - Hugh Masekela
75. UP ON THE ROOF - The Drifters
76. SUMMER WINE - Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood
77. DON'T BE CRUEL - Elvis Presley
78. GO ALL THE WAY - The Raspberries
79. SUMMER SUN - Jamestown Massacre
80. SUNNY - Bobby Hebb
81. CENTERFIELD - John Fogerty
82. SUMMER SAMBA - Walter Wanderley
83. VACATION - The Go Gos
84. BUS STOP - The Hollies
85. CATCH A WAVE - The Beach Boys
86. SOMEBODY TO LOVE - Jefferson Airplane
87. SUNNY AFTERNOON - The Kinks
88. SUNSHINE SUPERMAN - Donovan
89. WHERE THE BOYS ARE - Connie Francis
90. DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT - King Harvest
91. GOOD VIBRATIONS - The Beach Boys
92. HELP ME RHONDA - The Beach Boys
93. HOUND DOG - Elvis Presley
94. JACK AND DIANE - John Mellencamp
95. WILD THING - The Troggs
96. HONKY TONK WOMEN - The Rolling Stones
97. ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE - The Beatles
98. CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' - The Mamas and the Papas
99. MARGARITAVILLE - Jimmy Buffett
100. CRUEL SUMMER - Bananarama
HONORABLE MENTION:
AFTERNOON DELIGHT - The Starland Vocal Band
BARBARA ANN - The Beach Boys
BRANDY - Looking Glass
BROWN EYED GIRL - Van Morrison
CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OF YOU - Frankie Valli
CLOSE TO YOU - The Carpenters
DIRTY WATER - The Standells
DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC - The Lovin' Spoonful
DRAG CITY - Jan and Dean
THE 59th STREET BRIDGE SONG - Harpers Bizarre
THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA - Stan Getz and Astrid Gilberto
GIRL WATCHER - The O'Kaysions
GOOD DAY SUNSHINE - The Beatles
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT - The Beatles
HERE COMES THE SUN - The Beatles
HEY LITTLE COBRA - The Rip Chords
I'LL FOLLOW THE SUN - The Beatles
INDIAN LAKE - The Cowsills
IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT - The Five Satins
LAKE SHORE DRIVE - Aliotta, Haynes and Jeremiah
LOVE LETTERS IN THE SAND - Pat Boone
MUSIC TO WATCH GIRLS BY - The Bob Crewe Generation
PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY - The Monkees
QUARTER TO THREE - Gary "US" Bonds
THE RAIN, THE PARK AND OTHER THINGS - The Cowsills
SHERRY - The Four Seasons
SHORT SHORTS - The Royal Teens
SIDEWALK SURFIN' - Jan and Dean
SOAK UP THE SUN - Sheryl Crow
SPILL THE WINE - Eric Burdon and War
SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER - The Motels
SUNDAY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME - Spanky and Our Gang
THEME FROM "A SUMMER PLACE" - The Lettermen
THERE'S NO SURF IN CLEVELAND, USA - The Euclid Beach Band
WALK DON'T RUN - The Ventures
WAR - Edwin Starr
WE'LL SING IN THE SUNSHINE - Gale Garnett
YOU BABY - The Turtles
Thanks again to everyone who took the time to vote. Be sure to check out The Forgotten Hits Website for more "Favorites" polls!
Copyright Kent Kotal / Forgotten Hits, 1998 - 2021 ... All rights reserved