Capture the essence of the season and immerse yourself in the magic of summer with your own well-crafted sunshine playlist! From bright, energetic tunes to laid-back island vibes, nostalgic favorites, and patriotic anthems, discover how music can set the tone, elevate your summer adventures, and create lasting memories. Join me as we explore the songs that make summer unforgettable and share your own playlist picks to celebrate the season together.
I’m Mindy Peterson, host of Enhance Life with Music podcast, where we explore the ways music makes our lives better. And this is Microhance, a micro-dose of musical enhancement.
I am a midwestern gal through and through. I grew up in west Michigan; I’ve lived in the Minneapolis area since 2000; and lived in Chicago for a year in between. One of my favorite parts about midwest USA is the four distinct seasons we experience. I love having the variety of our very distinct spring, summer, fall, and – yes – winter! I do love winter!
One of my favorite ways to fully experience and enjoy each distinct season is with a corresponding seasonal playlist. We just celebrated Memorial Day weekend here in the US, which is our unofficial kick-off to summer – and my cue to start playing my Summer Mix playlist. For me, a Summer Mix means bright, energetic songs that, at the same time, have a laid-back sort of vibe. The lyrics may make mention of sunshine, vacation, summer (including tons of Michael Franti like “The Sound of Sunshine” and “Summertime Won’t Last Long”; or Train’s “Vacation”; “Walkin’ on Sunshine”; “Island in the Sun”).
- There are sultry Sade songs on my list.
- songs that make me feel like I’m on a Caribbean island, like reggae, artists singing in Spanish, or anything by Santana.
- Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay, sung by one of my favorites, Aaron Neville.
- Then there are a few nostalgic songs:
- Summer is a time for making memories, and sometimes the best way to do that is to bring back the sounds of summers past.
- There are a few tracks that remind me of good times and carefree summer days of childhood or the more recent past.
- One example has the word “summer” in it and reminds me of my grandma, since I had an album of hers featuring this song growing up. The song is “Theme from ‘A Summer Place'” (Percy Faith and his orchestra). I cannot hear this song without feeling close to my grandma, who I have wonderful memories of and who died when I was about 7 years old.
- Another song is forever associated for me with a family RV trip out west that Ian and I took with our kids when they were young. The song had just come out and my daughter and I listened to it on repeat.
- Other songs are patriotic in honor of THE US summer holiday, 4th of July; like Neil Diamond singing “America”.
- There are Jack Johnson songs, Norah Jones songs…
And these are just a few of the 300(!) songs on my Summer Mix playlist.
As you can tell, my list has a lot of variety, even though each song says “summer” to me in one way or another. Some tracks have been on the list for over a decade. Others have come and gone. I was certainly much more vigilant on age-appropriate lyrics when my kids were young, for example. But the list gets updated throughout the summer season, and throughout the seasons of life. Tracks are added and removed, keeping my playlist both fresh and meaningful.
Now that my kids are in college and beyond, they will occasionally mention that they heard a song from “Mom’s Summer playlist,” and it immediately transported them back to childhood summer dinners on the porch!
Music is a powerful tool that can set the tone, elevate your experience, and create lasting memories.
After Labor Day, when the temperatures drop and the leaves start turning, I’ll switch to my Comfort Food for Ears playlist – around the time I start reaching for fall recipes like chili and lasagna. Until then, music – and watermelon – is what fully immerses me in the season of Summer.
If you have your own summer playlist – or take the time to craft one – I would love to hear what tracks you selected and why.
You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
I’m Mindy Peterson, and I hope this inspires you to enhance your life with music.
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