Songfacts®:

• Franti wrote this song after his son, Ade, was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), which brought them closer together. This song is about valuing their precious time together. "Summertime is always on my mind," Franti said. "Even in my lowest points in my life, and in the coldest, darkest, most dreary moments, I have summertime."
  
  He added: "It's not just a song about saying goodbye - it's a joyful song about celebrating the lives of people that we care about the most, and creating memories in summertime that will last forever."
• Franti directed the video, which was filmed in Bali. It opens with a woman holding a jar, and ends with a twist. Franti explained: "At the beginning of the video, she's holding that jar - she's clutching this jar. You don't know what it means but she's holding summer in her hands. This is like her memory of her loved one and that is like her sunshine. And that's what this song is about: the darkest memories of my childhood life. I have great memories of being with my dad in the summertime, fishing or going on a long drive and listening to the radio in the car. I wanted something that really expressed the idea of the lyrics and this idea of saying goodbye.
  
  You see that she's got a dream list and she's going through this incredible soul journey in Bali and checking off all the things on the dream list. And then it's revealed at the end that this list was actually written by her husband as he was passing away and that it was his gift to her to say, 'Live on. Go out into the world and explore and even though I won't always be there with you physically, just like summertime, I'll always be there with you in spirit.'
  
  I hope this video moves people's hearts and makes people appreciate every precious second that we have in this life and also helps people to begin to talk more openly about grieving."
  
  The video ends with the message, "Dedicated to the healing of those who have had to say goodbye too soon," with a link to the Do It For The Love organization, which he set up with his wife, Sara, to bring people with advanced stages of life-threatening illness, wounded veterans, and children and adults with special needs, to see any live concert by any artist in North America.