Sounds of Summer
There are certain pop songs or classical pieces that will always make me think of summer. One is Prince’s “Raspberry Beret”, which I heard on my way to work this morning & thought – perfect! Not only do the song’s flippant lyrics & upbeat tempo seem appropriate for warm weather & sunny skies, the album it originally appeared on (“Around the World in a Day”, in case you were wondering) came out in April of 1985. As such, it was technically a spring release, but I can guarantee that it got a lot of play on my stereo that summer. To this day, I sometimes listen to that record in the dead of winter to help myself think warm thoughts.
With regard to the classical repertoire, Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” makes me think of rising mercury, not so much because of its music or plot, but because it was the first opera I ever performed in, way back in the summer of 1989. Nearly twenty years later, when I sang it again at Baltimore Opera, it was May & the thought crossed my mind that I simply couldn’t imagine doing that show in cold weather. Mind you, I know it happens all the time; I just have such strong associations with that opera & a certain time of year. What are some tunes (classical or otherwise) that make you long for summer?
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