A Summer Song

Album: Yesterday's Gone (1964)
Charted: 7
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Songfacts®:

  • This was the biggest hit by the British duo Chad & Jeremy, who were sometimes confused with another British duo: Peter & Gordon.
  • The melody bears some resemblance to Buddy Holly's "Words of Love," which was covered by The Beatles the same year. The lyrics and the melody are both upbeat and lushly melancholic. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Charles - Charlotte, NC, for above 2

Comments: 16

  • Don from NcJust started humming this song for unknown reasons while ago. I was thinking "Petar and Gordon", now I find out who it was ! Seems like a lot of duos back in those days. I seem to always have a summer fling that ended when school started. This is an anthem for me, I guess.
  • Susan from Springfield, IllinoisI have loved this song since it was on the radio in 1964. I recently used it in a slideshow to remember my husband who died in 2021. It reminds me of the sweet times we had together. I am so sad to read that Chad Stuart has died. My condolences to his family and friends.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyChad Stuart, of the English singing duo of Chad & Jeremy, died on December 20th, 2020 at his home in Hailey, Idaho of pneumonia. He was 79 years old...
    Between 1963 and 1966 the duo had eleven records on Billboard's Top 100 chart, one made the Top 10, "A Summer Song", it peaked at #7 {for 2 weeks} in October of 1964...
    They had two Top 20 records, "Willow Weep For Me" {#15 in 1964} and "Before and After" {#17 in 1965}...
    Surprisingly, they had only one charted record in their native England, "Yesterday's Gone", it reached #37 in 1963...
    May Mr. Stuart R.I.P.
  • Dusk Blackman from Albany, Georgia (u.s.a.)When I was a teenager I would hear this lovely love song over the radio. It made me swoon to its melody.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn November 28th 1964, Chad & Jeremy performed "Willow Weep for Me" and "A Summer Song" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
    At the time "Willow Weep for Me" was at #55 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and on January 17th, 1965 it peaked at #15 {for 1 week} and spent 13 weeks on the Top 100...
    Info on "A Summer Song" is below.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn June 30th 1965, Chad and Jeremy performed "A Summer Song" on the ABC-TV program 'Shindig!'...
    And on the same 'Shindig!' show they also performed "Before and After"; at the time was in its 2nd week at #17, which was also its peak position on the Top 100...
    (See chart info for "A Summer Song" on the 2nd post below).
  • Camille from Toronto, OhAre beautiful songs like this written and sung anymore? The lyrics, sung so soft and sweetly. are laced with melancholy. You really get the feeling that this brief summer interlude truly touched something deep within the singer's heart that will stay with him; a beautiful portrait of this story is painted by its words.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 17th 1965, Chad and Jeremy appeared on the ABC-TV program 'The Patty Duke Show'...
    They performed three songs on the show; "A Summer Song", "The Truth Often Hurts the Heart", and "Yesterday's Gone"...
    "A Summer Song" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart on August 9th, 1964 at position #97; and on October 11th, 1964 it peaked at #7 (for 2 weeks) and spent 14 weeks on the Top 100...
    It reached #6 on the Canadian RPM 100 chart...
    And three days earlier on February 14th, 1965 they performed "A Summer Song" on NBC-TV's 'Hullabaloo!'...
    Chad, born David Stuart Chadwick, celebrated his 72nd birthday two months ago on December 10th and Jeremy, born Michael Thomas Jeremy Clyde, will turn 73 years old next month on March 22nd.
  • Steve Dotstar from Los Angeles, Caplaintive and wistful......produced, I believe by Shel Talmy
  • Brian from Boston, MaChad & Jeremy also appeared in an episode of the Batman tv show in the 1960s.
  • Rick from Tuscola, United StatesSee You In September was done by The Tempos in 1959 and The Happenings in 1966.
  • Fred from Laurel, MdThis song also reminds me of its alter-ego: "See You in September" (sung by ??), in which the couple is together *during* the school year and parted in the summer ("Will I see you in September, or lose you to a summer love?"). Perhaps Summer Song is about the summer love he/she lost her/him to. However, of the two, I like Summer Song much better. Also it occurs to me that both songs appear to be 'unisex' -- they can be sung by eiher sex, without any gender-reversals in their lyrics. Has this song ever been covered by a female artist?
  • Patrick from Chicago, IlThis came out at just about the time my father died. He was 50, I was 10, and he dropped dead of a heart attack as he was packing to come home from, ironically, the hospital. I never had the chance to say goodbye. This is a song about a broken-up couple, yes, but that whole portion that begins "They say that all good things must end someday..." gets me every time I hear it and reminds me of him. Now that I'm past 50 myself, it's a great way to go back.
  • George from Ottawa, CanadaI too recall that Chad and Jeremy were on the DVD Show and that instead of calling them by their C&J stage name, they were referred to as "The Redcoats" (and their stage jackets were long red coats). Very surprising that they had been chosen as one of the first British Invasion bands to make such an early appearance on American and Canadian TV. Beautifully smooth song! As was their "Yesterday's Gone" song.
  • Craig from Madison, Wi"Summer Song" was used in the movie "Rushmore." Chad and Jeremy played themselves (and were very funny) in an episode of the Dick Van Dyke show.
  • Kathy from Jasper, AlA beautiful song! I often think of this song at the end of summer and the beginning of fall!
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