a summer song, vocal harmony, acoustic guitar

"A Summer Song" is the title of a 1964 Top Ten hit by Chad & Jeremy; the song was written by group member Chad Stuart with Clive Metcalfe and Keith Noble.
Like the groups' breakthrough hit "Yesterday's Gone", "A Summer Song" is a reminiscence of a summer romance; "A Summer Song" eschews the "Merseybeat" sound of "Yesterday's Gone" in favor of a gentle folk-influenced arrangement with the lyrics also being wistful in tone.
The track was one of a number of tracks for the Yesterday's Gone album recorded at CTS Studios Bayswater in June 1964 under the production auspices of Shel Talmy with Johnnie Spence conducting the orchestra.[1]
"A Summer Song" was issued in both the UK and the US in July 1964; the UK single version opens with Chad and Jeremy trading vocals while the US single features unisonant singing throughout.[2]
"A Summer Song" was played on Juke Box Jury drawing from guest Ringo Starr the assessment of the track as a "miss" (ie.flop) with US hit potential. Indeed in the UK - where Chad & Jeremy's "Yesterday's Gone" had been a rather mild hit since followed by the unsuccessful "Like I Love You Today" - "A Summer Song" did not reach the charts while in the US following the near Top 20 success of "Yesterday's Gone" the track would afford the duo their career record reaching #7 in October 1964. "A Summer Song" also went to number two for six weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart [3]. Chad Stuart would suggest: "You'd never hear something that sweet in the British charts...For some reason in America it worked. I don't honestly know why" -"[perhaps] because the American market is bigger."[4]
"A Summer Song" also reached #7 in Canada and #49 in Australia. The track is featured on the soundtrack of the film Rushmore, and was used in the "ESPN's Sports Heaven" commercial that aired during Super Bowl XL.
The song has also been recorded by Skeeter Davis and the Lettermen.



A SUMMER SONG - Chad and Jeremy

Verse: G Bm C D

Trees swayin' in the summer breeze
Showin' off their silver leaves
As we walked by

Soft kisses on a summer's day
Laughing all our cares away
Just you and I

Sweet sleepy warmth of summer nights
Gazing at the distant lights
In the starry sky

Chorus:

C D G Em
They say that all good things must end some day
Am D Em
Autumn leaves must fall G B7
But don't you know that it hurts me so Em Bm Am
To say goodbye to you
Em D
Wish you didn't have to go
Em D
No no no no

And when the rain
Beats against my window pane
I'll think of summer days again
And dream of you

They say that all good things must end some day
Autumn leaves must fall
But don't you know that it hurts me so
To say goodbye to you
Wish you didn't have to go
No no no no

And when the rain
Beats against my window pane
I'll think of summer days again
And dream of you
And dream of you

Category:

Music

Tags:

• a summer song
• vocal harmony

[bobworthinton]

Been enjoying your stuff for years.

[mumd2003]

@bobworthinton my pleasure truly.

[ThePeaceableKingdom]

Great performance. A tune probably unfamiliar to all but listeners of oldies stations.. ;-) Still a great tune, though. Kudos for the history lesson in the comments, and you've included the lyrics and chords, too. How great is that! Good work...

[mumd2003]

@ThePeaceableKingdom thanks. itis an oldie but goodie.

[Vendingguy1961]

Did you use a vocal harmonizer on this song? If so, which one did you use? I have a nice Digitech harmonizer. I just wondered if it is the same one I have> Nice job by the way.

[mumd2003]

@Vendingguy1961 just me myself an i.

no machine.

[Vendingguy1961]

Ok, good job any way. I did not know if you were using a multitrack recorder to do it or a vocal harmonizer.

[mumd2003]

@AnnaMargolin its so kind of you to check it. I think I asked you this once before. I believe you have some music professional background? At any rate it's always a shot in the arm in the midst of a huge pile of non-music work. :-)

[mumd2003]

@TheBheng11 thank you much

[mumd2003]

@Zsolto66 belated thanks. I'm swamped with work right now. A refreshing boost. You are so kind to continue peak in. It is fitting for this time of year isn't it.