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Yousra and Leslie are back with a special episode about the greatest summer songs of all-time. Which ones will they choose? Comment below with your favorite summer songs.
Transcript
00:00Welcome to another episode of Rap, Rock and All That Jazz.
00:08My name is Yusra.
00:10And I'm Leslie Wilson.
00:12And today we are doing a special summertime episode.
00:15Wow.
00:16Talking about...
00:17How cool is that?
00:18How hot is that?
00:19Excuse the pun.
00:20Oh my God, I can't deal with your jokes, man.
00:22They're so like punny.
00:24They're so cheesy, yeah.
00:27So we're basically going to talk about some of the best summer songs of all time.
00:32Yeah.
00:33What is up with the summer anthem?
00:34Why is it such a big deal?
00:36Listen, music is a business at the end of the day.
00:40So you probably have nice winter songs, spring songs, autumn songs.
00:45But some of the time, summer here is pretty hot.
00:48But in some parts of the world, summer is the best time of the year, isn't it?
00:53You go surfing.
00:54You know, you got a lot of...
00:56The Beach Boys, they were great with their summer songs.
00:58But I mean, if you look at historically, you go down to the charts and look at Billboard
01:03charts for the last 10 decades, every year has been inundated by summer songs, great
01:09summer songs.
01:11What are your favorite summer songs, Yusra?
01:14Okay, when I think summer songs, it has to be something that has like a beat and some
01:19melody.
01:20Oh my God, I actually don't know.
01:23I like...
01:24I believe you're Canadian, so a fellow Canadian, Brian Adams, wrote one of the iconic Summer
01:30of 69.
01:31Oh, Summer of 69.
01:32That's a great one.
01:33That's a great song.
01:34I love him.
01:35Do you know the story behind Summer of 69?
01:38Him and some guys from school had a plan and they...
01:41No, I think it's about 69, the iconic year when the world had the most famous music festival,
01:47Woodstock.
01:48Oh.
01:49So that was at Yasko's farm in 1969.
01:51Was he alive in 69?
01:54That's a good question.
01:55He must have been a really tiny little kid, so...
01:57But I mean, every musician would have loved to have been born and performed on those three
02:02days.
02:03So he just pretended that he was around in Summer of 69.
02:07I haven't actually researched that, but it's quite a coincidence that it's 1969.
02:11No, I think he did it on purpose.
02:15Yeah.
02:16It's pretty cool.
02:17I don't know if you know the Eagles.
02:19You must know the Eagles, of course.
02:20I know Hotel California.
02:21California.
02:22Yeah.
02:23That's the song everybody in this planet knows.
02:24So is it true that if you play that song backwards, it's something like Satanist?
02:30See there are a lot of theories because the lyrics are very, very, you know, you can't
02:35make sense of them, you know?
02:37Like you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
02:40What does it mean?
02:41Are you a prisoner on your own?
02:44I think it's full of metaphors, if you ask me.
02:46It's just mindless metaphors.
02:49Or Hotel California might be purgatory.
02:53You know, you won't believe it.
02:54I did have a chance to interview Don Henley, the lead singer, who sang that when they came
02:59to Dubai years ago.
03:01But he wouldn't talk about it.
03:02He said, you know, everything that people need to know about the songs been decided
03:07by other people.
03:08So we don't know what the song's about ourselves.
03:11Yeah, I'm dying to know.
03:14I think if you look at it, it's a very disjointed song, Yusra.
03:19Everything's a metaphor, you know, windows on the ceiling, pink champagne on ice.
03:24These lyrics don't make sense to me.
03:26But it's a great song.
03:27But we brought up the Eagles, and I think two of the best summer songs came out from
03:33one of them from Don Henley, who wrote The Boys of Summer.
03:37I've never heard of it.
03:38And Glenn Frey wrote The Heat Is On.
03:40The heat is on.
03:42You must know that.
03:43OK, we go back and listen to it later.
03:46So these are two really cool summer songs.
03:48Yeah.
03:49I mean, when I think summer songs, because I'm born in the 90s, I'll think more a little
03:54bit of like what was hot at the time, like stuff like Britney.
04:00Britney always did really well in summer.
04:02David Guetta has a summer song every like May, he'll like release a song or something.
04:09So that's what you'll hear like at clubs in the summer, at like concerts, events.
04:15So that's kind of like the stuff.
04:16I mean, I'm sorry, but unfortunately, I was born at a time where none of the old stuff
04:21really was considered summer songs or nothing.
04:24Alternative songs weren't really summer songs.
04:27It's more like electronic music.
04:31So what else have you got?
04:33I've got something for you.
04:34It's summer.
04:35There you go.
04:36You can cool off.
04:37Oh, it's a fan.
04:39Philippines.
04:40Listen.
04:41I mean, summer, summer, summer in Dubai is really crazy out here.
04:48It is actually very hot in the studio.
04:51And the whole trick is to stay cool.
04:52And there's one song that you really want to stay cool with.
04:56It would have to be a song by a band called Seals and Crufts.
04:59It's it's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
05:02It's called Summer Breeze.
05:03How beautiful is that?
05:05The very name itself is Summer Breeze.
05:07I don't think I know it.
05:09It's you.
05:10You think you know the brand Gap?
05:12Yes.
05:13Of course.
05:14OK.
05:15Three years ago, Gap used this song in their summer campaign.
05:18And apparently that was their best year.
05:20They sold the most clothes during that year.
05:22So if you want to go and Google this song, go to YouTube, look for Summer Breeze, look
05:28for just Gap.
05:29Forget about those dudes Seals and Crufts.
05:31And it's been remixed so many times because it's a mesmerizing song, you know?
05:36Yeah.
05:37I mean, I'm sure I know it.
05:38I'm sure I'll probably recognize it.
05:40I just don't know the name of it.
05:44Jasmine's in my mind, you know, again, music is, you know, like I keep saying full of metaphors.
05:50So these guys also use a lot of metaphors and wordplay with the song.
05:55Trust me, it's really a lovely song.
05:57There's some crazy summer songs by if you go back in time by a band called Mungojerrie.
06:02They were crazy British band, a guy with, you know, big sideburns like Elvis Presley
06:07had.
06:08It's a really lovely song, which perhaps borders on being cheesy.
06:11It's called In the Summertime.
06:12All right.
06:13It's I think everybody who was born those days.
06:18What are those days?
06:1960s, 70s, 80s.
06:20OK.
06:21I'd just like to know.
06:22It spans three genres, I would imagine, three decades of music.
06:25So then you've got the lovely Olivia Newton-John from Australia, Summer Nights.
06:30Oh, I love that song.
06:31What a beautiful song is that.
06:32So Greece had an incredible soundtrack.
06:36Absolutely.
06:37I love it.
06:38So much fun, wasn't it?
06:39I think when I was younger, so I so Greece came out when in the 80s, 70s, 70s.
06:45But it was about the 50s or 60s.
06:48Swinging 60s.
06:49Yeah.
06:50High school 60s.
06:51That was such a great film.
06:52I actually like thought it came out in the 60s.
06:54Like I was young.
06:55So I didn't.
06:56Yeah, that's that's all.
06:57I mean, it's I mean, it's timeless, you know, I mean, Greece is being redone.
07:02If you if you go to England, you go to the West End.
07:05For sure.
07:06There'll be a Greece show playing.
07:07Oh, yeah.
07:08Some point of the time.
07:09I'd love to go.
07:10So it's lovely.
07:11It's got a great, you know, catalogue of songs.
07:13It's got, you know, even style setters, John Travolta.
07:16Yeah.
07:17Even the fashion then is iconic now from that film.
07:21The leather trousers off the shoulder.
07:23The bell bottoms.
07:24I love the frilly frilly blouses.
07:26They are back.
07:27They are back.
07:28That's because it's summer, isn't it?
07:30Yeah.
07:31Yeah.
07:32No, I really love it.
07:33So summer songs like what's what's the purpose that they're like done?
07:41What do you think?
07:42So you said it was about business.
07:43So what do you mean exactly like to sell records during the summer?
07:47Or is that when like things slow down a bit so people have more time to like listen to
07:51music?
07:52I think it's it's it's it's also celebration.
07:54I mean, you're celebrating the best time of the year summer when you can, you know, where
07:59your your your shortest, your shortest skirts, your shortest, I mean, your, you know, hot
08:04pants, flip flops, you know, you can take it all off, you know, so it's a fun kind of
08:09thing.
08:10It's it's it's it's there's so much fun, I mean, perhaps not in Dubai because it's really
08:14hot out here.
08:15It's it's.
08:16But then again, we look forward to we can we can watch television and, you know, look
08:22at people enjoying summer in California and, you know, beyond the beach in Australia and
08:26Oh, actually, I think it's winter there.
08:28Winter there.
08:29That's right.
08:30Yeah.
08:31Southern Hemisphere.
08:32That's OK.
08:33Geography.
08:34That was never my strong subject.
08:37It's OK.
08:38You know so much about music, so it's fine.
08:41Yeah.
08:42So summer, I mean, what else do we want to talk about during summer songs?
08:48I mean, I mean, do radio stations have you heard any of our stations doing a summer hit
08:55list or, you know, so it's kind of a nice thing to do, wouldn't it be?
09:00Here's like a very sad admission, but I don't listen to radio because I just don't like
09:06ads.
09:07Yeah.
09:08All right.
09:09So I I pay for like a streaming service and I will listen.
09:12And actually, I don't I will go on to their streaming onto their platforms and look for
09:17like a summer hits playlist.
09:19Yeah.
09:20So do you ever stream stuff on your phone or?
09:23No, I'm I'm I'm kind of I'm like you.
09:25I don't listen to to the radio because I don't like static.
09:28I'm I'm I'm very fussy about sound quality.
09:31Oh, interesting.
09:32I'm I've got a nice sound system in my car and that's why I do a lot of my music listening
09:37actually in my car when I'm all by myself, you know, of course, in office once in a while
09:42when nobody's looking, I put on my headset and, you know, my headphones and and get lost
09:47in music, you know, but.
09:49So I agree with you.
09:50I don't listen to the radio.
09:52You don't listen.
09:53It's sad.
09:54I mean, it's the radio.
09:55I don't want it to die.
09:56I just I'm sick of it.
09:59I don't want to hear ads.
10:01And and you know what?
10:02They play the same songs over and over again, which actually I do on my own.
10:07Yeah.
10:08But no, I just big summer anthems, despite the fact that we don't listen to radio, basically
10:14big summer anthems that I've noticed are and like Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber collaborated
10:20on a song.
10:21It's called something like I don't care.
10:25I'm not a fan.
10:26I don't know if you've heard it or not.
10:27No, I'm not sure.
10:29Maybe if I do, you might recognize it.
10:33I don't know.
10:34It just felt so basic to me.
10:36Like, I don't know.
10:37Are people trying hard anymore?
10:40Taylor Swift released two songs, one with Katy Perry in the video, and it caused controversy.
10:45Like, I feel like she depends a lot on press for people to listen to her songs rather than
10:51for her songs being good.
10:53Yeah.
10:54No offense.
10:56So that's kind of what I noticed.
10:57I skimmed through the playlist.
10:59And like, just the big names were Martin Garrix, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift.
11:05But otherwise, I noticed a very heavy amount of electronic music, but like lighter stuff.
11:14Not the heavy bass drop kind of situation we had back in the early 2000s.
11:20But it's more like very chill.
11:22So people are now looking more into that.
11:24I don't think they want bangers anymore.
11:26No, not during summer anyway.
11:28And like you just said, I mean, what's so special about summer and why do?
11:32I think, you know, during winter, a lot of producers work with their artists to record
11:38songs for the festival season.
11:40Everybody wants to know what's the number one song at the end of the year and as you
11:44bring in the new year.
11:46So I think it works similarly with summer, you know.
11:49Everybody wants to know which is the number one hit song during summer.
11:52And so it seems like a real fun time summer, you know, even though it's oppressively hot
11:57in some parts of the world, you know.
11:59But it's a lovely time.
12:01Summer sounds good, doesn't it?
12:02Yeah.
12:03Sounds better than winter.
12:04To be honest, now that I'm an adult, summer is the same as winter and fall.
12:11I mean, we don't get holidays.
12:13When you're young, you're just like, yeah, it's summer.
12:15You know, school's out, like your friend.
12:18What's his name?
12:19Alice Cooper.
12:20Alice Cooper said.
12:21But we don't have school's out.
12:22We go to work.
12:23I mean, I guess I can enjoy some time in my car to listen to some summer anthems.
12:27Otherwise, beach clubs, beaches, hotels, like you can barely sit outside so you can listen.
12:34So I guess the only thing, only time where we can sit and listen to music here in the
12:38UAE would be like lounges or clubs.
12:42Yeah.
12:43Yeah.
12:44Which have to play bangers.
12:45So how much are we going to be exposed to summer songs this summer, if you really think
12:50about it?
12:51Unless we consciously like plug our headphones in and listen.
12:55You know, I mean, again, as we as we talk, things keep popping into my head.
12:58And remember, as a young kid growing up, have you heard of a singer called Cliff Richard?
13:04He's now Sir Cliff Richard, he's he's he was famous for, you know, Bachelor Boy, a song
13:09that he sang that he would never, he would always be a bachelor.
13:12But he made a fantastic album and a movie as well.
13:15In the in the 50s, 60s was called Summer Holiday and it was packed with hits.
13:21Oh, cool.
13:22You know, we're all going on a summer holiday, you know, stuff like that.
13:26I mean, OK, it's way back in time.
13:28It's classic.
13:29It's you know.
13:30But I mean, there's always been an extra emphasis in the music business during summer.
13:36That's true.
13:37Yeah.
13:38A lot of like concert.
13:39Well, because they can handle like concerts during this time of the year.
13:43And it's holiday time as well.
13:45You know, isn't it?
13:46A lot of people, kids go on holidays and, you know, adults do that as well.
13:50And it's holiday season.
13:52So I think there's as much festivity on during summer as there is in the winter months.
13:59That's true, actually.
14:00I do prefer the sound of summer songs more than like winter, Christmas, New Year.
14:06Like I don't.
14:07They're more sentient at that time, isn't it?
14:09More sentimental.
14:10Some are just about like I keep using the word fun.
14:13Yeah.
14:14It's all about casual fun, meeting people, summer flings, going out.
14:18Yeah.
14:19Yeah.
14:20You know what?
14:21You're right.
14:22I'm going to give summer songs like a bigger chance.
14:23Like now, as I am scrolling through like a playlist to see if I recognize any of these
14:28big summer hits, I mean, you know, it's OK.
14:33There's some Ellie Goulding, Avicii released a post, what do you call it when someone dies
14:40and releases a song?
14:41A post-hum.
14:43Kind of a tribute?
14:44Is it like?
14:45I'm going to find the word.
14:46Like post.
14:47What would that be?
14:49I know Eric Clapton, the great British guitarist, he lost his son when he was small and he wrote
14:54a real tear joker called Tears in Heaven.
14:57Oh, yes.
14:58I know that one.
14:59Would you know my name?
15:00Would you know my name?
15:01Yeah.
15:02Sweet song.
15:03No, the word I was looking for is posthumous.
15:04Posthumous.
15:05Posthumously means if an artist releases a song after they die or like somebody releases
15:12it.
15:13That's right.
15:14Yeah.
15:15That's the word I was struggling with.
15:16We needed to jog the memory.
15:17We're journalists.
15:18What is this?
15:19We're lost in music right now, so I guess nothing makes sense besides music for this
15:23point of time.
15:24Yeah.
15:25So Avicii released a song after he passed away and it's in the hits as well, which is
15:29like really interesting, really cool.
15:32I have a feeling maybe Michael Jackson's songs are going to come back for a while.
15:35It's his death anniversary.
15:36That's right.
15:38anniversary after this episode comes out.
15:42So I think he might be like back in a little bit.
15:47I feel like maybe that one song, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, was it released in summer?
15:54I can't even remember or know, but I feel like because Rami Malek just won the Oscar
16:00and that song is like back in again, people will be listening to that.
16:04Yeah.
16:05That's a great song.
16:07It's my karaoke go-to.
16:08Wow.
16:09That's lovely.
16:10Maybe we should do a we should do a program about the best songs ever written.
16:14You know, this would rank in my top five list, without a doubt, Bohemian Rhapsody.
16:20It's such a difficult song to have written.
16:23And Freddie Mercury, who wrote that song over, over, over, you know, he overtracked himself.
16:30So all the voices you hear are Freddie Mercury at different levels.
16:34So maybe that's for another show.
16:35Let's leave it for another show.
16:37And when we can talk about some of these iconic songs going back in time, right up to the
16:42ones that, you know, Gangnam Style, was that iconic?
16:48I mean, I think it was, although maybe I don't want it to be.
16:52I'm so overhearing that song, but yeah, I think it was.
16:55So if you could pick one summer song to listen to this entire summer, what would it be?
17:00Well, that's a tricky one.
17:05No, it's not.
17:06It's not.
17:07Sorry about that.
17:08Summer Breeze.
17:09Oh, is that so?
17:10Summer Breeze.
17:11I'm stuck on that.
17:12So even though it's like whatever years old.
17:13It's timeless, Yusra.
17:15It's one of those songs that's really timeless.
17:17And believe me, if you want to if you if you think it's a little old fashioned, the song,
17:21look at the remix versions.
17:22There are lots of remix versions out there.
17:25And you'll enjoy it with a lot of scratching.
17:27You know, the DJs, you know, add more bass to the song.
17:30It's essentially a pop folk rock song.
17:33But it's it's a really cool summer song.
17:35And it's going to you know, you're going to feel cool.
17:37You don't have to drink so much of water.
17:39The song will dehydrate you.
17:41It's that good, yeah, really.
17:45Okay.
17:46I if I had to choose one summer song.
17:49So look, I'm not going to go deep into something good and classic because right now, my sort
17:56of summer hit list has a more reggaeton like Latin vibe.
17:59I love reggaeton.
18:00Yeah.
18:01I love reggaeton.
18:03So I'm going to listen to that Benny Blanco song with Selena Gomez.
18:05It's called I Can't Get Enough.
18:06Okay.
18:07So you listen to that song.
18:09It's really good.
18:10And I'll listen to Summer Breeze.
18:12Yeah.
18:13And then we can, you know, decide and discuss.
18:17Let's see who's going to convert who first.
18:18Yeah.
18:19That's a challenge.
18:20I think you will love that Selena Gomez song.
18:22I love reggaeton.
18:23I love it.
18:24It's got a great vibe.
18:25Yeah.
18:26I'm very much into Latin music as well.
18:28So yes.
18:29Me too.
18:30Chico Cesar.
18:31I love Chico Cesar.
18:32He's a great Latin artist.
18:33Of course, Enrique Iglesias.
18:34I know Enrique.
18:35Yeah.
18:36But Latin is a cool vibe, isn't it?
18:37Maybe that's another show as well.
18:38That should be another show.
18:39We've got a lot of shows coming up, guys.
18:40We've got a lot of ideas as we keep talking.
18:41Yes.
18:42Is it time to say bye for now?
18:43Yeah.
18:44It is.
18:45You've recommended a song for me and I've recommended one for you.
18:46And that's it.
18:47Those are the summer sort of songs.
18:48And hope we've recommended songs for you guys out there as well as some of the songs that
18:49you may have heard of and want to go back and listen to.
18:50Yeah.
18:51Yeah.
18:52Yeah.
18:53Yeah.
18:54Yeah.
18:55Yeah.
18:56Yeah.
19:02Or if you haven't heard of them, maybe Google them and try and give them a listen to.
19:07I mean, I think at some point as we start to, you know, do more and more episodes, maybe
19:11we can put playlists together on SoundCloud for everybody.
19:14Sounds good.
19:15Yeah.
19:16Lovely.
19:17Link it.
19:18Yeah.
19:19So, yeah, that's it.
19:20Thanks for being on the show, Leslie.
19:21And we'll see you guys soon.
19:23Yeah, guys.
19:24And don't stop watching us.
19:25We're going to have a lot more fun and we're going to get better and better as we go along.
19:28I hope so.
19:29We're just being ourselves, Yusra, Yusra is Yusra, I'm me, and that's it.
19:35So, look forward to meeting you next week.
19:38Bye.
19:39Bye for now.