Living in the north country is a mixed blessing with our long dark winters. But then comes summer. And it's a brief big wet sloppy kiss of a summer, radiating heat, humidity, sun and long hours of daylight that extend well into the evening. I come alive in the summer in a way that simply would not happen if I lived in warmer climes. Most of us who live here are like that. It's a fleeting, catch-it-while-it's-here kind of party.
Today is the summer solstice. The longest day of the year. I will not think about the fact that this means the days are now going to start getting shorter, that the long slide into cold-dark-nights-that-begin-in-the -afternoon has begun. I will not mention that. Rather, here's some music to honor the heat, the sun, the light:
Two amazing (and completely different) covers of Summertime:
Summertime -- Jill Scott and George Benson
Summertime -- Janis Joplin live in Stockholm, 1969
Summertime -- DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (not the same song - an easy, breezy hip-hop tune)
And two more classics from back in the day:
Dancing in the Streets -- Martha and the Vandellas
Hot Fun in the Summertime -- Sly and the Family Stone
And if you want to see Sly and the fam live, here's the song as part of a great medley of their hits:
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