Rock music pairs perfectly with summertime. Anthemic guitars, punchy drums, and ear-worm choruses are just tickets for warm weather. Rock songs have acted as the soundtrack for summers across history. Check out three of them, below.
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3 Classic Rock Songs That Have Soundtracked Summers
1. “Surfin’ U.S.A.” – The Beach Boys (1963)
It’s hard to imagine a song better suited for the summertime than “Surfin’ U.S.A.” This Beach Boys hit was released in March of 1963, arriving just in time to be a familiar face in the summer of that year. The rolling drums and unshakeable melody made this song a hit back then. That appeal hasn’t wavered an inch today.
You’d catch ’em surfin’ at Del Mar
Ventura County line
Santa Cruz and Trestle
Australia’s Narrabeen
All over Manhattan
And down Doheny Way
2. “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” – The Beatles (1967)
“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” was dropped into the world in May of 1967 and the world of rock was never the same. The Beatles had many songs across their tenure that could be considered summertime anthems, but not all of them are as influential as this one. This foray into drug culture (no matter how much John Lennon pushed back at the idea) pushed other bands into injecting that same, warbly instrumentation into their own sound.
Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
That grow so incredibly high
3. “Don’t Stop” – Fleetwood Mac (1977)
Christine McVie knew how to craft a hit. While her other Fleetwood Mac bandmates had their fair share of charting tunes, it was McVie’s songs that felt the most pop-oriented. Take “Don’t Stop” as an example of that. Arriving in June of 1977 (US), it’s easy to factor this song into that summer. We can’t imagine a better song for driving with the windows down in the heat of summer.
If you wake up and don’t wanna smile
If it takes just a little while
Open your eyes and look at the day
You’ll see things in a different way
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
