5 Rock Songs Perfect for the Dog Days of Summer

The last half of August typically ushers in the hottest, sultriest part of the year, and we’ve rounded up five rock songs that are perfect for listening to during these dog days of summer. This particular period of time carries a different feel than the earliest months of the season—a time when heat waves vibrate off the pavement, the sun turns the sky a pale, almost white shade of blue, and life seems to slow down, saving its energy under the oppressive heat.

These rock classics personify this distinct time of year with lazy shuffle grooves, nostalgic themes, and fuzz tones that seem to mirror the thick heat and humidity in the air.

“New Speedway Boogie” by Grateful Dead

West Coast legends Grateful Dead knew what they were doing when they released Workingman’s Dead in June 1970. The early summer release offered ample time for the tracks to marinate in the heat, including the iconic “New Speedway Boogie.”

Featuring a lumbering groove and droning chord progression, the song is the perfect musical representation of how it feels wading through the especially toasty dog days of summer.

“Goodbye Summer” by Shannon Shaw

Summer technically lasts until the autumn equinox in September, but late July and August can often feel like the official end of the season. Shannon Shaw’s “Goodbye Summer” is an appropriate farewell to the mid-year season.

Shaw tucks the track in the middle of her 2018 release, Shannon in Nashville, showcasing her distinct retro flair with airtight background harmonies, surf rock flair, and husky voice.

“Rumble” by Link Wray

Link Wray’s 1958 instrumental “Rumble” was one of the first rock and roll tracks to lean into distortion and tremolo. Wray’s warbling guitar tone seems to imitate the heat waves rising off the pavement, buildings, and cars in the thick of summer heat.

Philip Everly (of Everly Brothers fame) helped name the track, saying it sounded like a street fight. But let’s be honest—in the dog days of summer, no one is energetic enough to fight.

“Boys of Summer” by Don Henley

While it might seem cliché, there’s a reason Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer” captures the essence of the late summer season so well. Nostalgia permeates each verse, painting a picture of a town left empty and quiet after the bustle of summer dies down.

Nostalgia is a recurring theme in Henley’s music. When Tom Petty’s guitarist, Mike Campbell, first presented the song to Henley after Petty turned it down, he said it reminded him of summer, nostalgia, and a little bit of baseball.

“Summertime (Light My Fire Continued)” by The Doors

Jim Morrison’s slurry, sultry stage persona is the perfect vehicle for late summer vibes, and no track exemplifies this quite like a live version of “Light My Fire” from Boston in 1970 when Morrison combines the band’s hit track with a Gershwin classic.

The unexpected mash-up of the Doors’ hit single and the jazz standard “Summertime” makes an ideal backdrop for the dog days of summer when fish are jumping and the cotton is high.

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