After the songs of summer have gone

Dead and Co., Goose ft. Vamp Weekend, Lord Huron, and Don Henley

“Out on the road today I saw a dead head sticker on a Cadillac.

A little voice inside my head said don’t look back you can never look back” 

—Don Henley, The Boys of Summer

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Although Labor Day has come and gone, and Don Henley doesn’t want us to look back, we need one last ode to the songs and memories of summer. 

This week Adam, Mat, and Kody offer a summer song of choice, hoping you’re prompted to reflect on the music that will etch summer ‘24 in your memory. 

We close things down with a Bonus Track inspired by the GOAT of “Summer is over” songs. 

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Black Muddy River by Dead and Company (Adam)

When the last rose of summer pricks my fingers

And the hot sun chills me to the bone

When I can't hear the song for the singer

And I can't tell my pillow from a stone

When I hear the opening riffs of this tune I just get fired up. John Mayer really has his way with this song and the fact that it was one of Jerry Garcia’s final songs played makes it even more monumental. This jam popped up on me in the carpool line this week and I believe I yelled, “Let us have it, John!” 

On top of that, the way Robert Hunter wrote his song makes me think of Genesis 28 and forces the mind to think toward the end of things. Hopefully, you can enjoy this song as the last rose of summer pricks your finger. 

Gen-X Cops by Goose, ft. Vampire Weekend (Mat)

In a lot of ways, I am sad to see this summer go. In plenty of others, I am glad to be moving on. I guess that’s life. I listened to a lot of Vampire Weekend this summer—especially the new album, “Only God Was Above Us.” Also, I got to see Goose live this Summer. (Click the links above to read about both on previous editions of the Swap!) So, this song sort of perfectly encapsulates my summer of music. The song is peppy and it’s fun to see VW lean into their jammier side. (Stick around on this album to experience a 33-minute Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa. So good!) Even with the fun and joy, the lyrics are somber and introspective. It’s a nice balance for the changing of seasons and the changes we experience over time. That’s life, indeed.

Long Lost by Lord Huron (Kody)

This song appears on my Colorado playlist which our family cycled through a good bit en route to, during, and after our summer trip to visit my sister, bro-in-law, and niece in Colorado. 

Before this trip, I had never experienced the Rockies in the summer. Contrary to what Lloyd Christmas says, John Denver is not full of it. 

The Rockies are majestic. They declare the glory of God. And this song will forever remind me of summer ‘24 in the mountains, “running through the forest, dancing in the fields like this forever (ever).”

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Bonus Track: Don Henley, The Boys of Summer, and the Enduring Goodness of Music by Shelby Maddox

The next time you are on a road trip, you should play a game. Randomize a playlist and see how fast you and your co-pilot can name the tune. There are just some songs we can identify within one second of the track beginning: Sweet Home Alabama, Hooked on a Feeling, and Fireflies (Yes, by Owl City). Another one of those songs is The Boys of Summer - the most successful song from the most successful Eagles member's solo career. Because it’s so recognizable and familiar it’s easy to listen to the tune and forget the love-ballad of a song it is. Henley even mentions The Grateful Dead. Picture it: the love of your life breaks up with you for someone else, some summer fling, and you’re left waiting, wondering if she’s going to come back. Imagine the agony of rip-your-heart-out-young-love having to bear that for three months! The humanity!! Then, at summer’s end after all the boys of summer have left town, you see her and tell her “I’m still here baby.” It doesn’t get much better than that.

In an interview about the song, Henley said it’s about aging and questioning the past. When this song starts up, my mind takes me to the past, specifically, 407 W Walnut in Enid, OK - the first of my 10 childhood homes. I don’t know for certain if this is the exact place I was when I first heard the song, but I can almost guarantee it was. What I do remember for certain is that house and the music that came from it. My mom and dad divorced when I was two and I think I moved out of that house by the time I was five. But those three years, whether I knew it or not, formed my taste and love for music today. I love Skynyrd because of that home. I love Metallica because of that home. I love The Eagles because of that home. The memories I have from that home aren’t great but the music I remember sure is.

There’s some pithy lesson in there but I’m not witty enough to pull it out. What I can say is this: listen to good music. It can help shape you after the trivial losses, like losing a girl to the boys of summer, and help shape you after the deepest cuts, like the breakup of a nuclear family. 

When summer is over and the years pass by, these songs will “still be strong”  no matter how many times I turn to them. 

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Shelby Maddox has written for the Swap before on Ben Rector. His first concert was Uncle Kracker at the OK State Fair and his next concert will be The Arcadian Wild in October in Oklahoma City. 

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Thank you for reading this week! Share your summer songs with us by replying via email or responding to this post!

-TheMusicSwap