– By Ana Achata, Staff Writer
I am a firm believer that just because a song has been out for fifty years, doesn’t mean we should stop talking about it. Summer has always been a season of discovery for me, wherever I happen to be at the time. If I’m home, I tend to spend my days wandering through a local used music store, picking through scratched CDs and taking home one or two (sometimes a few more than two…) treasures to add to my ever-growing collection. My stereo sits proudly on the floor of my bedroom and has served me many hours of listening – Here are some favorites of mine from different decades, some with Boston roots and some without.
60s: That’s Not Me – The Beach Boys
Pet Sounds was an incredible discovery for me. I had heard some of The Beach Boys from my parents, and sometime in 2021 I saw “That’s Not Me” on somebody’s playlist on the internet. I fell in love with the song, and it became a sort of anthem for me as a seventeen year old trying to figure herself out. The first line of the song is, “I had to prove that I could make it alone, but that’s not me,” and even though the song itself is melancholy, it serves as a reminder for me that I am someone who needs connections – Especially to my family and friends. The Beach Boys don’t have any kind of Boston roots except for playing in Boston in the 70s, but with the recent passing of Brian Wilson, I wanted to give them the first spot on this list.
70s: When the Morning Comes – Daryl Hall & John Oates
I had never listened to Abandoned Luncheonette all the way through until I found a used copy at my local music store. “When the Morning Comes” came blaring through my car speakers when I hit play on the CD. My windows were down, it was sometime in mid May, and I felt some reassurance from the music for another long hot summer I was about to spend in Tennessee. Daryl Hall & John Oates, like The Beach Boys mentioned previously, toured in Boston. The duo played at the Bank of America Pavillion in June of 2014.
80s: Magic – The Cars
Now this pick matches all of the requirements for this list: The Cars are from the one and only Boston, and “Magic” is a fun, synthesizer-filled summertime song. Songs like this always make me think of the cheesy 80s rom coms that my mom loves to watch. Let The Cars be your soundtrack for a midnight drive this summer – I’m talking windows down, volume up as high as you can stand it, and some company if you have it. Heartbeat City is exactly the kind of album I would put on when my friends decide to let me control the music on a car ride.
90s: Havalina – Pixies
Another pick from Boston’s very own! Bossanova gets overlooked too often when Pixies are talked about. Originally I picked up a CD of this album because of the song “Ana” that shares a name with me, but “Havalina” quickly became my favorite. This one might be more your speed if you’re into the more alternative side of things – “Havalina” has played in the background of basement hangouts and conversations had in gas station parking lots when there was nothing else to do in the town I live in. Pixies have been a summer companion to me for many many years, and I don’t intend to let them go any time soon.
2000s: In Passing – The Lemonheads
I never hear The Lemonheads talked about when it comes to Boston bands, and I’m partly writing this one out for my dad. A favorite activity of his is accompanying me to music stores and pulling out every other album he sees, just to say, “This one is great!” My introduction to The Lemonheads came from him, specifically the album, Come on Feel The Lemonheads. The band is still active, with an upcoming album to be released in October this year, and they have continuously put out good music since they formed in the 80s. “In Passing” is off of the album titled simply, Lemonheads, and is yet another melancholic, halfway fun song to add to your summer playlist. I always think of hot days spent browsing records and tapes with my dad when I hear songs like this.
Hopefully at least one of these songs struck you and makes it onto your summer mixtape. This list could go on forever, but that would take up time that you could be listening instead! I encourage you to stop by a used music store sometime this summer and pick up something you’ve never heard of. You might love it.
