Album: Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful (1966)

Charted: 8 1

License This Song 

• Hot town, summer in the city
  Back of my neck gettin' dirty and gritty
  Been down, isn't it a pity?
  Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city
  All around, people lookin' half dead
  Walkin' on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head
  
  But at night, it's a different world
  Go out and find a girl
  Come on, come on, and dance all night
  Despite the heat, it'll be alright
  And babe, don't you know it's a pity
  The days can't be like the nights
  In the summer in the city
  In the summer in the city
  
  Cool town, evening in the city
  Dressed so fine and lookin' so pretty
  Cool cat lookin' for a kitty
  Gonna look in every corner of the city
  'Til I'm wheezing like a bus stop
  Runnin' upstairs, gonna meet you on the rooftop
  
  But at night, it's a different world
  Go out and find a girl
  Come on, come on, and dance all night
  Despite the heat, it'll be alright
  And babe, don't you know it's a pity
  The days can't be like the nights
  In the summer in the city
  In the summer in the city
  
  Hot town, summer in the city
  Back of my neck gettin' dirty and gritty
  Been down, isn't it a pity?
  Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city
  All around, people lookin' half dead
  Walkin' on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head
  
  But at night, it's a different world
  Go out and find a girl
  Come on, come on, and dance all night
  Despite the heat, it'll be alright
  And babe, don't you know it's a pity
  The days can't be like the nights
  In the summer in the city
  In the summer in the city Writer/s: John Benson Sebastian, Mark Douglas Sebastian, Steve Boone
  Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 23

• James from San Pedro, CaI'm surprised John Sebastian never credited Summertime as performed by by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Rosemary Clooney having at least some influence on the melody.
• Cmi from AlabamaMy sisters and I were trying to remember what year was it that we, as a family, took our first trip to the beach in Panama City, Florida. I remembered the song on the radio, playing on every station down, playing while we were there, and playing on every station on the trip back. Summer in the City: that nailed it down to August 1966. Our first family trip to the beach, and a wonderful song by which to remember that trip.
• Catherine Dadesky from Koksijde, BelgiumIt was August 1966, a hot, sunny day, I was in my boyfriend's car in a traffic jam when I first heard Summer in the City on the radio. When I heard the horn, I really thought it was a car behind us. I turned to look but then I realised it was part of the song. To me, it 's always been a special song.
• Eric Harris from Lost Angeles CaThis was the first "rock" song I was ever exposed to. When the verse kicks in I thought it was the wildest thing ever and then the build up to 'at night it's a different world' was just explosive to my young ears. Plus we were always taking trips into NYC and it was hot, humid, dirty, steamy...this song conjures up all of that without ever mentioning it.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn October 3rd 1966, the Lovin' Spoonful performed "Summer in the City" on the week-day afternoon ABC-TV program 'Where The Action Is'...
  Nine days earlier on September 24th the song was at #37 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart, and that was also its last day on the chart...
  It had entered the Top 100 chart on July 10th at position #53; four weeks later on August 8th it would peak at #1* {for 3 weeks} and it stayed on the chart for 11 weeks...
  Between 1965 and 1969 the quartet had fourteen Top 100 records; with five making the Top 10...
  They just missed having two more #1 records when "Daydream" and "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" both peaked at #2...
  Sadly, lead guitarist 'Zal' Yanovsky passed away on December 13th, 2002 at the young age of 57...
  May he R.I.P.
  * The three weeks "Summer in the City" was at #1 it prevented “Lil’ Red Riding Hood" by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs and "Sunny" by Bobby Hebb from reaching #1, both those records peaked at #2 right behind the Spoonful.
• Anthony from Fareham, United KingdomBrings back those lost years :)
• Fred from Laurel, MdOK, on that descending bass line (DBL) thing, how about "Walk Don't Run '64" by the Ventures (1964), or "Runaway" by Del Shannon (1961)? Admittedly, these differ from the line in "SITC," but only slightly. Transposing everything to Am, the "WDR" DBL goes, beat-by-beat, A-A-G-G-F-F-E-E; "Runaway" goes, measure-by-measure, the same; while "SITC" goes, A-A-G-G-F#-F#-F-E. The insertion of the F# does give it a bit of a different flavor. Also note that, of the examples given earlier, "Lucy" (Beatles) is in a major, not minor key, and again, transposing to A(major), the DBL is, A-A-G-G-F#-F#-F-F, another variation. And "While My Guitar...", once again in minor, matches "Lucy". "Sunny Afternoon"s DBL goes, A-A-G-G-F#-F#-F-F-E-E-D-D-C-C-B-B. **** Another, even earlier example of the DBL, A-G-F-E, is found in Josh White's "One Meatball" (written by Hy Zaret & Lou Singer, 1944), a song with roots that predate the American Civil War (George Martin Lane, 1855), though not with the 1940's music, I'm sure.
• Fred from Laurel, MdAnd, OBTW, I'm certainly not knocking this song -- it's truly outstanding, and I still find it so after all these decades. Another sign of the genius(es) of this band!
• Fred from Laurel, MdDescending bass line? 1966? I can't think of an earlier example right off the top, mainly because I was plugged in to other musical genres before 1965, but I absolutely refuse to believe this bass line didn't originate MUCH earlier than that! Prior to the mid-60's, rock tended to be musically quite formulaic, with 3- and 4-chord songs predominating, but surely, at least there had to be some jazz or big-band era songs with this bass line. I defer to the musical experts on this one.
• Joyce from Tonyrefail Nr Cardiff , United Kingdomlove this song it takes me back to the 60s loveit
• Joe from Cleveland, OhGood point about the similarity between the descending baselines of this song and the Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon," both released in the summer of 1966. I've also wondered if one song was inspired by the other, and which one? The Kinks seemed to like the descending bassline, which turns up in lots of their songs ("Dead End Street, "Waterloo Sunset," for example). Either way, 1966 was certainly blessed with two great "summer" songs!
• Eric from Camas, WaThis song's prominent descending bass-line was the inspiration for Cream's "Tales of Brave Ulysses," according to Wikipedia. I would venture also that the song is the grandfather to several other songs which came after it using the same descending bass-line idea, including:
  
  "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (Led Zeppelin)
  "Temptation Eyes" (The Grass Roots)
  "25 or 6 to 4" (Chicago)
  "Bert's Blues" (Donovan)
  "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" (Beatles)
  "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (Beatles)
  "Dear Prudence" (Beatles)
  "Brain Stew" (Green Day)
  
  There are undoubtedly many others, but those are the more famous examples.
  
  Note: During the same year this song was released (1966), the Kinks released "Sunny Afternoon," which also had a prominent descending bassline, the pattern of which "Summer in the City" uses only half. I haven't as of yet been able to find out which of the two songs was released first. If "Sunny Afternoon" preceded "Summer in the City," then the Kinks can take the credit (as far as I have been able to find) for the spate of songs done later by other groups that used the descending chord sequence theme.
  
• Goug from Biot, FranceThis song is brilliantly "lowdown" covered by Quincy Jones, with just a few bars of Chorus' vocals at the end. Instrumental part of this version was then sampled in Nightmares on Wax's legendary "Les nuits" or "Night Inter(tro)lude", first track on their first three albums
• Jay from Brooklyn, NyMost of The Lovin' Spoonful's songs have a country-folk feel, but not this one. Here, John Sabastian celebrates his hometown, New York. Listen to how Sebastian pronounces the words: he sounds like a New Yorker. He usually hides his accent, but here, he loudly and proudly proclaims where he is from. Even the music sounds like the City. I must disagree with Bob in San Francisco. I was in San Francisco a couple of summers ago and I had to wear long pants and a jacket. Come to New York in late July or early August when the sun is beating down, radiating off the glass and steel and concrete and you will know what it is like to walk on a sidewalk hotter than a match head.
• Sara from Greenville, AlCo-written by Mark Sebastian, John's brother, who, according to legend, submitted the lyrics as a poem in his high school English class.
• Lester from New York City, NyRay Gomez does a rockin' version of this song.
• Bob from San Francisco, CaThis song was written about the Spoonful playing at a club here in San Francisco in North Beach with a one armed Go-Go dancer.Bob McDowell San Francisco.
• Pj from Okc, OkThis song reminds me of hot summer nights having fun. I love the Lovin Spoonful!
• Jon from Oakridge, OrPretty good song. Can lift your spirits, in a weird way.
• Johnny from Los Angeles, CaI can't imagine Joe Cocker doing this.
• Eric from Vancouver, CanadaThis song is often mistaken to be performed by Three Dog Night, even though that band never played it.
• Christoph from Graz, AustriaThere's also a cover version by Joe Cocker!
• Mike from Chicago, IaThe part when they switch to "But tonight it's a differeent world, go out and find a girl" was part of a poem written by John Sebastions's brother. He received an "F" for the poem in school so to prove a point John added it to this song, which of course was all over the radio.

More Songfacts:

Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of)Lou Bega

The party tune "Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of)" was the theme song for the 2000 Democratic Convention (the party of Bill Clinton), until someone noticed the line, "A little bit of Monica in my life."

Don't SpeakNo Doubt

No Doubt's hit "Don't Speak" is about Gwen Stefani's breakup with the band's bass player, Tony Kanal, after seven years together.

Empire State of MindJay-Z

Jay-Z was going to ask Mary J. Blige to duet on "Empire State of Mind," but he decided on Alicia Keys when he heard the piano stabs on the track.

Let The Day BeginThe Call

Al Gore chose an inspiring but obscure campaign song when he ran for president in 2000: "Let The Day Begin" by The Call.

Poker FaceLady Gaga

The "Mum-mum-mum-ma" hook on lady Gaga's "Poker Face" was sampled from Boney M's 1977 hit "Ma Baker."

AirplanesB.o.B

"Airplanes" by B.o.B was written by Lupe Fiasco, who recorded it but decided to pass.

Editor's Picks

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.