"Summer nights" (new)
Since I was 16 I’ve been writing songs. At first just for fun, then for the band I played in, and later — when the internet came along — through various collaborations. About 10 years ago it started to slow down. The quality of the songs improved, but I was only writing 4–5 per year until eventually, due to lack of time, I stopped altogether for several years.
What kept me musically active was one special moment last year: I was asked to write a new Christmas song for our annual Christmas concert. I worked together with songwriter Sky Rowan, and we came up with “Christmas Song.” That was just a working title, but we kept it — and the song was very well received at the concert.
Now that I’ve started reworking my old catalog, I came across “Christmas Song” again and thought: why not turn it into a summer song? I reached out to Sky to see if she’d like to join me once more, and she was immediately excited. That’s where things stand right now.
Summer nights
Verse 1
Out in the sun, the streets are wide
Kids on their bikes the heat inside
Jump in the pool from the highest rail
Salt on our lips the wind sets sail
Ice cream melts on the old park wall
Someone is laughing, nightbirds call
August is burning, the day runs fast
We drink it in, we make it last
Chorus
Summer nights, the air’s on fire
Singing all night long
Old guitars and wild desire
Everyone sings along, hey!
Summer nights, the city fades
Under the setting sun
Every kiss and every promise
Melts before it’s done
Verse 2
Fries and cola, the radio plays
Bonfire smoke drifts through the haze
Teenage hearts with the moon above
Nothing but time the taste of love
Skateboards crash on the empty square
Voices are rising, music there
Nothing but stars in the August sky
The night begins and never dies
Chorus
Summer nights, the air’s on fire
Singing all night long
Old guitars and wild desire
Everyone sings along, hey!
Summer nights, the city fades
Under the setting sun
Every kiss and every promise
Melts before it’s done
Bridge
Every town, in every place
We’ve got smiles on every face
Summer hums through every street
Moving to the summer beat
Chorus
Summer nights, the air’s on fire
Singing all night long
Old guitars and wild desire
Everyone sings along, hey!
Summer nights, the city fades
Under the setting sun
Every kiss and every promise
Melts before it’s done
Comments
-
It's a curious idea, and you've turned the story on its head.
I like the lyrics; it's a succession of scenes so summery and familiar to everyone that without realizing it, you're there, on an August night. @grounding
0 -
Strong imagery. It's leaning into common tropes and cliches, but I think it's meant to. You're evoking all those scenes and memories of summer from childhood onwards. Things that everyone recognizes.
The chorus feels like it should have a good sing-a-long factor to it. Especially if they are sitting around a campfire with an old guitar!
It has my favorite lines:
Every kiss and every promise
Melts before it’s done
although those are almost the odd lines out. Everything else feels warm and dreamy, nostalgic, whilst those lines suggest unfulfilled potential.
The Bridge feels a little weaker to me. It's not really introducing anything new. Maybe that would be a better spot for those more melancholy lines? Use it to deliberately introduce that other emotional feel.
Well worth pursuing!
0 -
@RainyDayMan Thanks so much for the feedback! The nostalgic stuff and simple images were definitely on purpose — the original came out of a “sing-along Christmas song.” Since I usually write more reflective (or even sad) lyrics, I wanted to try something lighter and happier for once.
Funny thing: the bridge is actually the only bit that survived from that Christmas version 😅 You’re right though, it doesn’t really add much yet. I’ll keep working on it — I don’t want it to end up too flat.
0 -
@MoraAmaroLaLoba : Thanks a lot! Glad the scenes came across that way — I was hoping to capture exactly that late-summer August night feeling
0 -
I really don't like Xmas songs , Everybody seems to write one on July
looks pretty good
1
Howdy, Stranger!