Summer

Album: Motion (2014)
Charted: 1 7
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The first single from Calvin Harris' fourth album finds Harris singing about the euphoria of a summertime romance. The exuberant club-stomper marked the Scottish DJ's first time on the microphone since 18 Months' second single, "Feel So Close." The song was played for the first time on UK's Capital Radio on March 14, 2014.
  • The song's Emil Nava directed music video is set in a desert where a drag race takes place, with action hero actor Jason Statham taking on Harris. The day at the races is followed by a glitzy house party.
  • The song was Calvin Harris' fourth UK #1 single as a lead artist following "I'm Not Alone," "Sweet Nothing" and "Under Control." The Scottish dance producer has also featured on UK chart-toppers by Dizzee Rascal ("Dance Wiv Me") and Rihanna ("We Found Love").
  • This was the second song titled "Summer" to reach the Top 10 of the Hot 100. The previous one by the funk-rock band War peaked at #7 in 1976.
  • Structurally, this song has an interesting quirk: there are no lyrics in the chorus. After Harris sings the first verse, the beat picks up but there are no vocals to go along with it, as the EDM groove provides the necessary lift on its own. This pattern is repeated again, followed by a bridge and a final chorus, giving the song a standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure, just with a chorus that could be deemed an instrumental break.
  • Seems Calvin Harris does not have much regard for his singing voice. He told Zane Lowe on Beats 1: "'Summer' was me coughing for about a day and then recording the vocal. 'Cause there's only so far you can go with a voice like mine, you know there's a limited range."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Charlie Benante of Anthrax

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.