Member-only story
Mr. Sun, Make It Fine
My Favorite Summer Album
No rest for the weary, says Paul Combs, who has issued this latest writing challenge:
Is Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ the Perfect Summer Album? I’m Glad You Asked
Of course it is
medium.com
Maybe I don’t live in the world of Springsteen certainty that Paul does. For I’ve changed my mind so many times thinking about this story, this record selection, that I feel like a politician running for office, speaking to all the assorted and sordid constituencies he/she will have to face.
At first, I thought of specific songs, from War’s “Summer” to Orville Peck’s “Summertime” to my favorite, Sly and the Family Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” understanding all that I’m omitting in the endless summer of my music life.
Next, I turned to LPs that meant all the freedom of change and lament that usually define “summer” for me. I thought of Joni Mitchell’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns, maybe my favorite all-time image of summer nights. And then on the trail of female singer/songwriters, I landed on Carly Simon’s eponymous first album, featuring “That’s the Way I Always Heard It Should Be,” a song that takes me back to being fifteen and in…