A Summer Song
Encyclopedia
"A Summer Song" is the title of a 1964 Top Ten hit by Chad & Jeremy; the song was written by group member Chad Stuart with Clive Metcalfe
and Keith Noble.
Like the groups' breakthrough hit "Yesterday's Gone
", "A Summer Song" is a reminiscence of a summer romance; "A Summer Song" eschews the "Merseybeat
" sound of "Yesterday's Gone" in favor of a gentle folk
-influenced arrangement with the lyrics also being wistful in tone.
The track was one of a number of tracks for the Yesterday's Gone album recorded at CTS Studios Bayswater
in June 1964 under the production auspices of Shel Talmy
with Johnnie Spence conducting the orchestra.
"A Summer Song" was issued in both the UK and the US in July 1964; the UK single version opens with Chad and Jeremy trading vocals while the US single features unisonant singing throughout.
"A Summer Song" was played on Juke Box Jury
drawing from guest Ringo Starr
the assessment of the track as a "miss" (ie.flop) with US hit potential. Indeed in the UK - where Chad & Jeremy's "Yesterday's Gone" had been a rather mild hit since followed by the unsuccessful "Like I Love You Today" - "A Summer Song" did not reach the charts while in the US following the near Top 20 success of "Yesterday's Gone" the track would afford the duo their career record reaching #7 in October 1964. "A Summer Song" also went to number two for six weeks on the Adult Contemporary
chart . Chad Stuart would suggest: "You'd never hear something that sweet in the British charts...For some reason in America it worked. I don't honestly know why" -"[perhaps] because the American market is bigger."
"A Summer Song" also reached #7 in Canada and #49 in Australia. The track is featured on the soundtrack of the film Rushmore
, and was used in the "ESPN's Sports Heaven
" commercial that aired during Super Bowl XL
.
The song has also been recorded by Skeeter Davis
and the Lettermen
.
Clive Metcalfe
Clive Metcalfe is a British musician and artist. A student at Southampton Art College and Chelsea School of Art in the early 1960s, Metcalfe played rhythm, and occasionally bass guitar as a member of the 1965 band The Abdabs with Roger Waters , Richard Wright , Nick Mason , , and...
and Keith Noble.
Like the groups' breakthrough hit "Yesterday's Gone
Yesterday's Gone
"Yesterday's Gone" is the title of a hit single by Chad & Jeremy which was released in 1963.The song was written in 1962 by Chad Stuart who comprised Chad & Jeremy with Jeremy Clyde...
", "A Summer Song" is a reminiscence of a summer romance; "A Summer Song" eschews the "Merseybeat
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
" sound of "Yesterday's Gone" in favor of a gentle folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-influenced arrangement with the lyrics also being wistful in tone.
The track was one of a number of tracks for the Yesterday's Gone album recorded at CTS Studios Bayswater
Bayswater
Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the west . It is a built-up district located 3 miles west-north-west of Charing Cross, bordering the north of Hyde Park over Kensington Gardens and having a population density of...
in June 1964 under the production auspices of Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy is an American record producer, songwriter, arranger best known for his work in London with The Who and The Kinks in the 1960s, with a role in many other English bands including Cat Stevens and Pentangle...
with Johnnie Spence conducting the orchestra.
"A Summer Song" was issued in both the UK and the US in July 1964; the UK single version opens with Chad and Jeremy trading vocals while the US single features unisonant singing throughout.
"A Summer Song" was played on Juke Box Jury
Juke Box Jury
Juke Box Jury was a musical panel show which originally ran on BBC Television from 1 June 1959 until December 1967. The programme was based on the American show Jukebox Jury, itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series....
drawing from guest Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
the assessment of the track as a "miss" (ie.flop) with US hit potential. Indeed in the UK - where Chad & Jeremy's "Yesterday's Gone" had been a rather mild hit since followed by the unsuccessful "Like I Love You Today" - "A Summer Song" did not reach the charts while in the US following the near Top 20 success of "Yesterday's Gone" the track would afford the duo their career record reaching #7 in October 1964. "A Summer Song" also went to number two for six weeks on the Adult Contemporary
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
chart . Chad Stuart would suggest: "You'd never hear something that sweet in the British charts...For some reason in America it worked. I don't honestly know why" -"[perhaps] because the American market is bigger."
"A Summer Song" also reached #7 in Canada and #49 in Australia. The track is featured on the soundtrack of the film Rushmore
Rushmore (film)
Rushmore is a 1998 comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson about an eccentric teenager named Max Fischer , his friendship with rich industrialist Herman Blume , and their mutual love for elementary school teacher Rosemary Cross . The film was co-written by Anderson and Owen Wilson...
, and was used in the "ESPN's Sports Heaven
ESPN's Sports Heaven
Sports Heaven is a lavish commercial produced by ESPN to hype the release of its short-lived sports-oriented cell phone service, Mobile ESPN. Launched during Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, the 60-second ad was one of the most discussed after the game. It featured an ESPN fan walking through a...
" commercial that aired during Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
.
The song has also been recorded by Skeeter Davis
Skeeter Davis
Mary Frances Penick , better known as Skeeter Davis, was an American country music singer best known for crossover pop music songs of the early 1960s. She started out as part of The Davis Sisters as a teenager in the late 1940s, eventually landing on RCA Records. In the late '50s, she became a solo...
and the Lettermen
The Lettermen
The Lettermen are an American male pop music vocal trio. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959...
.