By: Ben Fraser
The summertime is about more than just swimming in the pool, going to a baseball game, and hanging out with friends, because now more than ever, we have to find other ways for entertainment. The summer of 2020 will be like no other summer, there’s no doubt about it, but there are many other things to do besides gathering with large groups of people. We can spend our time listening to music! There’s of course the top 40 of today’s hits that would be great to listen to in the summer, but I want to challenge you to expand your horizon and listen to some “throwback” classics. In the 1960s, surf rock was born and came from the rock of the 1950s (Elvis Presley) and became popular music to listen to especially in the summer. The Beach Boys are probably the most popular group who played surf rock. Some of their best songs that remind me of summer are, “Good Vibrations,” “Surfin’ USA,” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” The 70s have some really good summer tunes too! The song, “Summer Breeze,” by Seals, and “Summer Nights” by Olivia Newton-John, or “In the Sun” by Blondie are some examples of good summer songs from the 70s. The 80s has some really fun summer music too! Popular music, or the genre “pop” music was born in the 1980s and tons of songs fell into this category and became a part of the pop culture in this decade. “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Boys of Summer,” “Summer of ’69,” and “Blister in the Sun” are some really good jams. There are many other songs that don’t have the word “summer” in the title, but are really fun and energetic songs to listen to at home or sitting outside soaking up some sun. It can be fun to get out of your comfort zone and listen to some “new,” but totally old tunes. So, fill your summer with sounds and “good vibrations” from carefree times!