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Summertime and the living is – horribly bright, very hot, and high chance of afternoons showers. Why not take some time to chill out and cool off with UCF Libraries’ new Sounds of Summer playlist?

Libraries faculty and staff suggested their favorite summer songs for the Knight community to enjoy. Check out our A side with the top picks, but don’t forget about the B side filled with the songs we just couldn’t skip. Links for Spotify and Apple listening options below.

A Side

• “Drive You Home” by Jackson Wang & Internet Money
  • Jackson Wang was my intro to K-pop and his 2022 song, Drive You Home, throws me back to summers in high school. – Megan
• “That’s the Way I Like It” by KC and the Sunshine Band
  • it’s catchy – Katie
• “Saturday in the Park” by Chicago
  • [This] song has great memories attached to it -Page
  • Memories of summer picnics, food, games, and fun – Terrie
• “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado
• “Under the Boardwalk” by The Drifters
  • Memories of Coney Island Brooklyn – Jacqui
• “Holiday” by Madonna
  • This song always reminds me of how wonderful is any holiday, but specifically the 4th of July. – Luis
• “Summertime Blues” by The Who
• “Suddenly Last Summer “by The Motels
• “Surf Wax America” by Weezer
  • Listened to this album on a summer college trip to visit friends in the mountains. This song always bring back memories of summer baseball games and boating on the lake with friends. – Cindy
• “Summer Song” by Chad and Jeremy
• “Up on the Roof” by The Drifters
  • it just sounds like summer – Jamie
• “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush
  • I’ve been a huge Kate Bush fan since I was a kid! This song has become hugely popular because of Stranger Things season 4 airing this summer — making it the perfect summer song. – Sarah
• “Year of the Cat” by Al Stewart
  • A beautifully written song that manages to work in Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre seamlessly in the lyrics. – Michael
• “Sunny Afternoon” by The Kinks
  • It is catchy, bouncy and by a band that is a classic – MaryLee
• “As It Wa”s by Harry Styles
  • It has a fun Summery beat – Carolyn
• “All Summer Long” by Kid Rock
• “Vacation” by The Go-Gos
• “Soak Up the Sun” by Sheryl Crow
  • One of my all time favorite concerts was Sheryl Crow and this song always makes me think about having fun in the sun on the beach. – Dawn
• “About Damn Time” by Lizzo
• “Celebrated Summer” by Husker Du
• “What’s Mine is Yours” by Sleater-Kinney
  • What’s Mine Is Yours is a thumpin’ jam deserving of rock anthem status, while remaining true to its Riot Grrl roots. Turn it on and turn it up and tell the Florida summer you’re not gonna put up with its crap.
• “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper
• “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts
  • Memories of California in the 1970’s – Jacqui
  • Contentment with simple things in life – Terrie
• “I’m Good” by Wafia
• “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra
• “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley
• “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys
  • it just IS summer – Jamie
• “Miserlou” by Dick Dale
• “Running Up that Hill” (cover) by Loveless
  • Stranger Things reintroduced Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” into the popular songs list. This cover adds a harshness and urgency that better fits modern times. – Athena
• “POPS/STARS” by K/DA

B Side

• “Dela” by Johnny Clegg & Savuka
  • Dela is bright, carefree, and is played in the move we watch every time we evacuate for a hurricane, George of the Jungle. – Megan
• “I Feel It Coming” by Weeknd & Daft Punk
• “Summer Girl” by Haim
• “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
• “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake
  • A good road trip song – Luis
• “Summertime” by Janis Joplin
• “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole
  • Cause everyone loves this song, if you meet someone who doesn’t love this song, run. Cause that person is not a human, they are from outer space. – Cindy
• “Dedicated to the One I Love” by Mamas and the Pappas
• “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink and I Don’t Love Jesus” by Jimmy Buffett
  • it’s a quirky summer song – Jamie
• “Cruel Summer” by Bananarma
  • Because sometimes it’s a cruel, cruel summer – Michael
• “Heat Wave” by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
  • First song I remember listening to on the radio when I was young – MaryLee
• “Pineapple Skies” by Miguel
  • it’s carefree and easy to listen to! – Carolyn
• “The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley
• “Will Smith” by Miami
• “Summer Holiday” by Cliff Richard
  • This is a song from the 60’s that my English mother shared with the family. We would sing it on road trips in the summer. – Dawn
• “Miserlou” by Agent Orange
• “Heroes and Villains” by The Beach Boys
  • Fun fact: Summer didn’t officially exist until The Beach Boys came around. Heroes and Villains is reflective of their early beach pop hits, but saturated with an irresistible groove that should appeal to even the staunchest music snob.
• “Love Shack” by the B-52s
• “Don’t Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Sprit Down” by Eric Bibb
• “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett
  • Buffett, Beach and lost shaker of salts – Jamie
• “Wipe Out” by The Surfaris
• “King and Lionheart” by Of Monsters and Men

Bonus Tracks

• “Beach Party Tonight,” by Yo La Tengo
  • From their album Summer Sun. I listened to this in the summer of 2003 and remember the cool summer breeze in Michigan—it snowed mid-May that year. – Beau
• “Lazy Projector,” by Andrew Bird
  • This album also has the song “Orpheo Looks Back.” The songs remind me of the novel The Last World, featured in another blog post, which I read one summer while visiting the Black Sea. – Beau
• “Sunset,” by Beach House
  • Because the band is Beach House and they have a new album. – Beau
• “Here Comes the Sun,” by The Beatles
  • No one picked a Beatles song! – Beau
• “If I Could,” by Pat Metheny
  • Would be a great song to listen to on a beach at night, the stars above, cool beverage in hand…. – Beau
• “July” by The Innocence Mission
  • The title says it all. – Beau

Spotify direct link: Songs of Summer 2022

Apple Music direct link: Songs of Summer 2022

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