In The Summertime 1970

[Doria Vilcan]

"In the Summertime" is the debut single by British rock band Mungo Jerry, released in 1970.[3] It reached number one in charts around the world, including seven weeks on the UK Singles Chart, two weeks on one of the Canadian charts, and number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US. It became one of the best-selling singles of all-time, eventually selling 30 million copies.[4][5][6] Written and composed by the band's lead singer, Ray Dorset, while working in a lab for Timex, the lyrics of the song celebrate the carefree days of summer. The track was included on the second album by the band, Electronically Tested, issued in March 1971.

The song was recorded in Pye Studio 1 with Barry Murray producing.[8] Initially it was only two minutes long; to make it longer, Murray played the recording twice, slightly remixing the second half, and put the sound of a motorcycle in the middle.[8] In an interview with Gary James, Dorset explained that they couldn't find a recording of a motorcycle, but that "Howard Barrow, the engineer had an old, well, it wasn't old then, a Triumph sports car, which he drove past the studio while Barry Marrit [sic] was holding the microphone. So, he got the stereo effects from left to right or right to left, whatever. And that was it."[9]

In 2012, Dorset sued his former management company Associated Music International, run by his former friend and business manager Eliot Cohen, claiming over 2 million in royalties from the song that he believed had been withheld from him.[10]

In 1970, Australian rock band the Mixtures covered and released the song. The song replaced Mungo Jerry's version at number one on the Australian chart, where it remained at number one for six weeks. It was the biggest-selling single by an Australian artist in Australia in 1970 and number three overall.

In 1995, Jamaican-American reggae musician Shaggy covered the song, and released it as the lead single from his third studio album, Boombastic (1995).[54] Aside from the addition of rap lyrics, Shaggy's version also substitutes other lyrics for the song's original line "have a drink, have a drive." Shaggy also performed the song on an episode of Baywatch.[55] A year after its release, the song was re-recorded and released specifically for the film Flipper under the title "In the Summertime" ('96 version).

Roger Morton from NME felt that Shaggy here has covered "In the Summertime" "in fine jagga-jug band/who gives a shit style."[56] Al Weisel from Rolling Stone described it as "a bouncy, infectious remake of the 1970 Mungo Jerry hit, [that] alternates a soulful chorus with a rapid-fire rap a la Chaka Demus and Pliers' "Murder She Wrote"."[57]

Houston's average temperatures for June, July and August increased by 4.2 degrees Fahrenheit from 1970-2022, with the city experiencing 53 additional days per year when the temperature is above its summertime normal. Houston ranked third nationally in the latter category.

Ahead of the official start of summer next week, on June 21, daily high temperatures so far this week have been in the mid-to-upper 90s. Temps near or above 100 are forecasted for Wednesday through next Monday, according to the National Weather Service's Houston-Galveston office.

"We're going to see one of these classic summertime heat waves where high pressure parks itself over Texas for a while and temperatures heat up," Eric Berger, the editor of Space City Weather, said Monday. "It's more typical to see these in July and August."

Climate Central says the near-nationwide warming trend since 1970 is an indicator of human-caused climate change and presents significant health hazards, particularly to children, the elderly and people living with illnesses. Exposure to extreme heat can result in illness and death, while summer heat can worsen air quality and exacerbate respiratory conditions such as asthma.

Ninety-five percent of the 247 locations studied by Climate Central have seen higher summer temperatures in recent years than they did in 1970, with the average increase being 2.4 degrees. More than half of the locations are now experiencing at least two more weeks of above-normal summer days, with "normal" representing the average summer temperature as established between 1991-2020.

The most pronounced summer warming has occurred in the western half of the U.S. and the western part of Texas, according to Climate Central. El Paso ranked first in Texas and fifth nationally with an average summer temperature increase of 5.3 degrees.

"As carbon pollution traps more heat in Earth's atmosphere, the summer season is warming, summer temperatures are arriving earlier in the year, and risky heat extremes are becoming more frequent," Climate Central wrote in its report.

Reno, Nevada, has experienced the most significant summertime warming, with average temperatures there having increased by 11.1 degrees. Las Vegas and Boise, Idaho, are next on the list with increases of 5.8 degrees.

Seventy-five of the locations studied have seen summertime temps increase by 3 degrees or more. Along with Houston and El Paso, that group includes fellow Texas cities Amarillo, Austin, Bryan, Dallas, Laredo, Lubbock, McAllen, Odessa, San Angelo and San Antonio.

Arguably one of the most prominent and appropriate summer songs of the 1970s (and possibly all time), "In the Summertime" was the debut single of British rock group Mungo Jerry. Released in 1970, it reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and the Canadian charts.

Lead singer and writer of the hit, Ray Dorset, claims that the song took him 10 minutes to write using an old Fender Stratocaster while on break from his day job. Needless to say, this track has been getting people into the summer vibe for decades.

Three Dog Night's "Mama Told Me Not To Come" was originally written by singer-songwriter Randy Newman for Eric Burdon's solo album in 1966. But once the cover group got their hands on the record and put their own flair into it in March 1970, the song quickly became No. 1 on the US Pop Singles chart.

It was also the first No. 1 song played on American Top 40 with Casey Kasem on July 4, 1970. The introduction of Jimmy Greenspoon's electric piano and the band's use of 3/4 by 2/4 really gave it that groovy summertime feel.

"School's Out" doesn't only apply to angsty teenage students. The hit has been the summer anthem for countless youth (and adults) ever since. Released in 1972, Alice Cooper's inspiration for the song came from wanting to capture the most exciting three minutes of people's lives in one song.

He figured that two of these moments were the three minutes before opening presents on Christmas morning or the final three minutes of the last day of school. Obviously, Alice Cooper wasn't one to write about Christmas morning, so he went with the latter. The track ended up resonating with the masses reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Thanks to Jimmy Buffett, most of us have spent a relaxing summer day on the patio of some tacky bar as "Margaritaville" plays gently in the background. Released in February 1977, the song is an ode to a drink buffet at Lung's Cocina del Sur restaurant in Austin, Texas although it now applies to just about anywhere with a tropical vibe.

The song was released in February but became increasingly popular as summer approached. By summer, it provided people with the perfect track to shamelessly kick back and have one too many in the summer sun.

Originally, "Love Will Keep Us Together" was written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield which was recorded in 1973 and released as a single in France. Mac and Katie Kissoon tried their hand at the song after without any luck. It wasn't until Captain & Tennille used the song as the lead single for their debut album in April 1975 that the song became a worldwide sensation.

The track reached the No. 1 spot on both the Billboard Easy Listening chart and the Billboard pop chart. It later became the best-selling single of 1975 and was the perfect song for any summer flings at the time.

Appearing on her incredibly successful album Tapestry released in April 1971, "I Feel the Earth Move" became one of the biggest pop songs of 1971. The song was described by various music critics as being "probably the most sexually aggressive song on the Tapestry album" and "the ultimate in hippie-chick eroticism."

Unless the sexual innuendos behind Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight" went right over your head, it's clear why it was a hit during the summer of 1976 and beyond. Written as a close harmony by Bill Danoff, it became a No. 1 US Hot Single on July 10, 1976, smack-dab in the middle of summer.

It's easy to imagine how many friends at the time mastered the harmony as a group, or couples who took the song the song to heart and used it for some pleasant background music. Unsurprisingly, in 2010, Billboard named it the 20th sexiest song of all time.

There's no denying that Andy Gibb was complete heartthrob during his time in the limelight. Unfortunately, his success was short-lived as he died just five days after his 30th birthday. At the height of his career, he had six singles which reached the Top 10 in the US with one of the tracks including "Shadow Dancing."

Released at the height of summer on June 23, 1979, "Bad Girls" is was inspired after Donna Summer's assistant was harassed by a police officer who mistook her for a woman of the night. It greatly empowered women and became a worldwide phenomenon as it was named the second-biggest single of 1979.

Although a rough version of the song was written years earlier, it wasn't fleshed out and released until 1979. At the American Awards in 1980, the song won Favorite Pop/Rock Single and Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist

The opening track for the group's third album, Pretzel Logic, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is known for being misinterpreted in numerous ways. Because of one line in the song, people believe that the "number" in the song is a reference to a marijuana cigarette.

c80f0f1006