Part 2: Summer Cruisin' 2010

There is no universal definition of a summer song. Sure, it's easy to latch onto the ones that name-check the season, say the Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer In The City" or Don Henley's "The Boys Of Summer" or Seals and Croft's "Summer Breeze." There are those that focus on things that could only happen in the summer, or at least in warm weather, like anything by the Beach Boys.

But if you are nostalgic, as I seem to be becoming increasingly, the songs that are tied to summer experiences can have just as much a summer feel. While a creepy song like the Doors' "Riders On The Storm" or an epic like "Stairway To Heaven" might not seem like obvious choices, the fact is that both of those rose to prominence and excessive airplay during the summer, and so they are forever linked in my mind with these season.

For years, I have nicknamed my summer mixes "Summer Cruisin' __year___," in mock homage to a long-discontinued album series that somebody like Time/Life used to put out. If, as Springsteen has said, "Born To Run" was recorded to sound best when heard on a transistor radio at the beach, then my vision, as my title suggests, focuses on what would sound best while driving in a car on a hot, sunny day. For me, the quintessential ones are probably those that reference that very circumstance: Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down A Dream," the aforementioned "Born To Run" or "Thunder Road," etc.

Making a mix these days is no easy task. Or is it too easy? While I used to pride myself on making exceptional cassette mixes, the fact is that technology makes it easy for anyone to make a mix these days. You don't have to put in the time the way you used to. Mixes even come pre-made and available for easy download. Or, gasp, sometimes putting my Ipod on shuffle creates better mixes for that particular moment than anything I could have thought of. It can probably beat me at chess, too. Clearly, the days of sitting glued to a transistor radio hoping to hear a favorite song are long, long gone.

I didn't realize it until yesterday's comments, but creating a summer mix adds a lot of additional pressure. There sure are preconceptions and prerequisites out there, along the lines of "you'd better not put this on" or "my favorite was always..." or "I know it seems cheesy, but this one always worked for me" or "burn it for me when it's done, will you?"

Well, I went for a little of all of it, but by the time I was finished, it got pretty retro. I'm okay with that. I've been listening to a lot of older stuff lately anyway, so it kind of reflects where I am heading into this summer.

Even yesterday, I never expected that Nancy Sinatra would be the star of the mix. And, I broke a few of my own rules. First, I never put two songs by the same artist on a mix. I've done that twice here. Second, well, who cares. What the hell are rules anyway?

Here's to a wonderful season of cranking what I hope are some rockin' tunes in whatever car I am driving at the time. It may be leaking oil or overheating, but at least the tunes should be pretty good. If you want to come along for the ride, well, then take a listen:

The Bottle Rockets--"The Long Way" (mp3) The first song of their latest CD that came out last year. These guys have still got it and will be playing Nightfall here in Chattanooga on July 16!

The Kinks--"Celluloid Heroes (live)" (mp3) I was diggin' the synthesizer on this one, and the nice leads from Dave Davies.

Spirit--"I Got A Line On You" (mp3) Randy California's finest moment. Got this one in my head the other day.

Gary U.S. Bonds--"This Little Girl Is Mine" (mp3) For the Trout, with a little uncredited Bruce singing along (he also wrote it). A favorite of my then-girlfriend's in the summer of 1981.

The Bottle Rockets--"Nancy Sinatra" (mp3) From a little-heard Bottle Rocket's CD called Brand New Year. I've always been looking for a chance to pair this up with Nancy herself. I couldn't go Quentin Tarantino with "Bang, Bang," so I went with the classic. They pay her the ultimate compliment: "Wish I had a time machine/She's stone cold outtasite."

Nancy Sinatra--"These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" (mp3) And that's just what they'll do.

Pavement--"Gold Soundz" (mp3) "So drunk in the August sun/And you're the kind of girl I like/Because you're empty and I'm empty too/And you can never quarantine the past."

Hindu Love Gods--"Rasberry Beret" (mp3) Always on the shortlist of any mix I make. Blows the original away and is just about the only good song on the CD, which otherwise consists of blues covers played by Zevon and R.E.M..

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood--"Summer Wine" (mp3) Long before there was She and Him, there was Nancy and Lee. She was the better looking of the two.

The Marshall Tucker Band--"This Old Cowboy" (mp3) I've been playing the crap out of this CD for the past year.

Jenny Lewis--"See Fernando" (mp3) The rockingest cut from Acid Tongue, one of my favorite releases last year.

The Animals--"It's My Life" (mp3) Someone was talking about the Animals on Memorial Day. "It's a hard world to get a break in/All the good things have been taken." True dat.

Rosie Thomas--"I Play Music" (mp3) Her manifesto from 4-5 years ago.

Van Morrison--"Sweet Thing" (mp3) A celebration of my having just bought Astral Weeks off of eMusic. Never had it on anything but vinyl.

P.S. In response to Billy's gratuitous photo of Twilight hotties yesterday, designed to curry favor with our librarian, I offer a shot of the legendary Nancy S. in boots made for....