In the Summertime
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"In the Summertime" is the title of three popular recordings.
Contents |
[edit] Mungo Jerry
| "In the Summertime" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Single by Mungo Jerry | ||
| from the album Electronically Tested | ||
| B-side(s) | Mighty Man | |
| Released | 1970 | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 3:40 | |
| Label | Pye Records | |
| Writer(s) | Ray Dorset | |
| Producer(s) | Barry Murray | |
| Mungo Jerry singles chronology | ||
| "In the Summertime" (1970) |
Baby Jump (1971) |
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A 1970 recording by the British pop-blues band, Mungo Jerry. Written by the group's leader Ray Dorset, this song, which celebrated the carefree days of summer, reached the No. 1 position on charts around the world (including seven weeks in the UK) and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US. It is considered one of the highest selling recordings of all time with an estimated 23 million copies sold.
It was unusual because the initial UK release, on Dawn Records (a new label launched by Pye), was a maxi-single, playing at 33 rpm (whereas singles generally played at 45 rpm), including an additional song, Mighty Man on the A-side, and a much longer track, Dust Pneumonia Blues, on the B-side. As it was housed in a picture sleeve (something which only became commonplace about eight years later), and only sold at a few pence more than the normal 45 rpm two-track single, it was considered excellent value for money. Small quantities of 45 rpm discs, on the light blue Pye record label, were pressed for use in jukeboxes, and these are now rare collectors' items.
[edit] Covers
A near identical version of the song was released in Australia in 1970 by The Mixtures which had a clever beach related promo music video. They followed it up with "The Pushbike song" - which sounded nearly identical to "In the Summertime". Another cover version was recorded by the Idle Race and enjoyed some success in South America, though unreleased in the UK until its appearance on a retrospective CD in 1996.
The film The Substitute used a new version of the tune in its soundtrack.
In 1995, the reggae artist Shaggy covered the song, and scored a hit with it. Shaggy changed one line of the song to reflect modern-day values. In Mungo Jerry's version, the lyrics encouraged people to "have a drink, have a drive..." while Shaggy's more politically correct version says "I'm going to ride and drive ..." Ironically, the relevant part of the original recording was used for a time on TV public service advertisements warning viewers not to drink and drive. However, Shaggy retained the lines "If her Daddy's rich take her out for a meal, If her Daddy's poor just do what you feel," which are disturbing to many modern listeners.
In 2006, famed progressive keyboardist Derek Sherinian covered the song on his album Blood of the Snake, featuring singer Billy Idol, guitarist Slash, and bassist Tony Franklin. The music video of the cover can be seen on his official website [1].
[edit] Thirsty Merc
Another, unrelated song titled "In the Summertime", was a major release in summer 2004 for Thirsty Merc. The track is a tribute to the Australian summer and is a reflection of the laidback Aussie style. The song reached #43 in the ARIA charts, and is the themesong for the Australian television program, Bondi Rescue, which airs on Network Ten.
[edit] Bob Dylan
Yet another song of the same title was written and recorded by Bob Dylan on his 1981 album Shot of Love. Written during Dylan's explicitly Christian period, its lyrics derive in part from Romans 8: 18 ("For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us").
[edit] External links
| Preceded by "Yellow River" by Christie |
UK number one single (Mungo Jerry version) June 9, 1970 |
Succeeded by "The Wonder of You (Live)" by Elvis Presley |
