KEVIN McCORRY, HOST: I’m Kevin McCorry and this is ‘Jukebox Journey’
[MUSIC MONTAGE: “m.A.A.d city” by Kendrick Lamar, “Ya Hey” by Vampire Weekend, and “Hey Ya!” by Outkast.]
KM: We’re unstuck in time, jumping through decades and genres, meditating on a theme.
Today marks the changing of the season….and this week we’re digging through summer songs made by Philly artists.
[MUSIC: “Summertime” by D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince]
KM: Going to number four on the chart in August of 1991, D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
Summer in the city…. Songs that evoke childhood memories of hazy, hot days on the rowhome streets. 12 years old in the era before cell phones…. when your ten-speed was your passport and the only thing you couldn’t outrun were the neverending thoughts about your crush.
[MUSIC: “You Make Me Feel Brand New” by The Stylistics]
KM: June 1974, the Stylistics hit number two with a song recorded at the legendary Sigma Studios at 12th and Race.
It was the summer between 7th and 8th grade — those days of nervous butterflies, the anxiety of how to act around her. What to say? You watch from a distance, trying to play it casual.
[MUSIC: “Private Eyes” by Daryl Hall & John Oates]
KM: One of a string of hits for Hall & Oates in 1981, this one released in August.
As the days get hotter, the hours linger longer…boys bake in the sun playing two-hand touch… girls gather on the steps in their own circle…a dad from the block opens a hydrant to spray relief.
[MUSIC: “Stay Cool” by The Roots]
KM: In July 2004, the Roots album The Tipping Point debuted at number four.
The nights are short but feel like forever….you lie in bed and replay scenes in your head over and over again. Was that a smile when she looked at you? Or just your imagination?
[MUSIC: “Airegin” by The Miles Davis Quinte]
KM: John Coltrane playing tenor sax on the record ‘Cookin with the Miles Davis Quintet.’ Released July of 1957, when the jazz great was still living in Strawberry Mansion.
You think of her until you fall asleep. You sing her name. You’ve never felt this exposed, this vulnerable.
[MUSIC: “Long and Lonely Nights” by Lee Andrews and the Hearts]
KM: Another from July of ‘57. Lee Andrews and the Hearts were hot with a release on the long defunct Main Line Records label. The lead singer? The father of Amir ‘Questlove’ Thompson of The Roots.
Then one evening you see her at the water ice stand. You talk and she laughs at something you say. She seems to actually think you’re funny. Is this what it means to click?
[MUSIC: “The Twist” by Chubby Checker]
KM: Released July of 1960 and going on a dominant two year run: South Philly High Alum Ernest Evans, better known as Chubby Checker.
And now you are really building up your nerve. That’s how this works, right? You have to say how you feel? Sure…easy…piece of cake. One of these days you’ll definitely do it.
[MUSIC: “Talk is Cheap” by Dr. Dog]
KM: From their self-titled album released July 2024: Dr. Dog.
And one moonlit night you finally work up the guts to bear your soul. You brace for it to be crushed. But, no, instead:
[MUSIC: “I Saw the Light” by Todd Rundgren.]
KM: The pride of Upper Darby Todd Rundgren cracked the top 20 for the first time in July 1972.
And the next thing you know you are talking for hours, holding hands on the block…it feels impossible. You feel like you’re floating….days of perfect harmony.
[MUSIC: “Holding On” By The War on Drugs]
KM: From August 2017, The War on Drugs’ album “A Deeper Understanding”
So did it last? Heck no. Didn’t survive the first week back to school after the break. Did the breakup hurt? Heck yes. But is there something beautiful and nostalgic about relishing the memory….kinda like hearing a song that brings you right back to a time and place long past? With..out doubt.
[MUSIC: “Motown Philly” by Boyz II men]
KM: Released in June of 1991 and rising to number 3 on the chart…the debut single from Boyz II Men.
I’m Kevin McCorry. This has been ‘Jukebox Journey’….on WHYY.
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