Music for a Free-Range Summer
Post-pox jamz to rock you from solstice to equinox

Well, it’s summertime and you know what that means. Gonna head down to the beach, gonna do some beachy things.

So you lost a whole summer to COVID-19 and now you’re vaxxed, waxed and maxed to make up for lost time. You got your hair cut, bought a couple summer shirts a size bigger than last year’s — all you need now is a soundtrack to accompany your impending seasonal hi-jinx.

To that end, Honk Journal humbly offers its Summer Jamz 2021 Playlist, featuring 95 songs by different artists — that’s five hours and thirty-four minutes of wide-ranging musical enjoyment! And though there may appear to be no set logic to the selections, there is in fact a method to this madness. The first track is “Good Vibrations,” composed by Brian Wilson, whose June 20 birthday falls on this year’s summer solstice. The next song corresponds to Ray Davies’ June 21 birthday, on and on, all the way to Joan Jett’s birthday on September 22, the day of the autumnal equinox.

The complete list of songs, artists and birthdays follows below. Click the Spotify link above and enjoy these choice jams while roadtripping, hanging at the pool, grilling your choice of delectables, blowing your fingers off with fireworks and/or pumping your guns at the gym. Crank it up — and have a great summer!


This playlist is dedicated to the memory of David Sheets.

  1. Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
    Brian Wilson – June 20, 1942
  2. Do It Again – The Kinks
    Ray Davies – June 21, 1944
  3. We Gotta Get You a Woman
    Todd Rundgren – June 22, 1948
  4. Juke Box Blues
    June Carter Cash – June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003
  5. Feel Good Song
    Solange – June 24, 1986
  6. Everything She Said – Wham!
    George Michael – June 25, 1963 – Dec. 25, 2016
  7. Goodbye to You – Scandal
    Patty Smyth – June 26, 1957
  8. Music Box Dancer
    Frank Mills – June 27, 1942
  9. Cowboy Fora De Lei
    Raul Seixas – June 28, 1945 – August 21, 1989
  10. I Can See It in Your Eyes – Men at Work
    Colin Hay – June 29, 1953
  11. Ain’t It de Truth?
    Lena Horne – June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010
  12. Love Come Down
    Evelyn “Champagne” King – July 1, 1960
  13. Gotta Go Get My Baby
    Marvin Rainwater – July 2, 1925 – Sept. 17, 2013
  14. A Little Respect – Erasure
    Vince Clarke – July 3, 1960
  15. Blow Your Head – The J.B.’s
    Fred Wesley – July 4, 1943
  16. Heart and Soul – Huey Lewis & the News
    Huey Lewis – July 5, 1950
  17. Straighten Up and Fly Right – The Andrews Sisters
    LaVerne Andrews – July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967
  18. See the Big Man Cry
    Charlie Louvin – July 7, 1927 – January 26, 2011
  19. Debra
    Beck – July 8, 1970
  20. Welfare Boogie – Fraternity
    Bon Scott – July 9, 1946 – Feb. 19, 1980
  21. Slippery People – The Staple Singers
    Mavis Staples – July 10, 1939
  22. Buy for Me the Rain – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
    Jeff Hanna – July 11, 1947
  23. Magnet and Steel
    Walter Egan – July 12, 1948
  24. I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better – The Byrds
    Roger McGuinn – July 13, 1942
  25. Dizzy – Throwing Muses
    Tanya Donelly – July 14, 1966
  26. Owner of a Lonely Heart – The Sarm Orchestra
    Trevor Horn – July 15, 1949
  27. 007 (Shanty Town) – The Aces
    Desmond Dekker – July 16, 1941 – May 25, 2006
  28. Gimme Danger – The Stooges
    Ron Asheton – July 17, 1948 – January 6, 2009
  29. Nowhere to Run – The Vandellas
    Martha Reeves – July 18, 1941
  30. ’39 – Queen
    Brian May – July 19, 1947
  31. Bette Davis Eyes
    Kim Carnes – July 20, 1945
  32. Pink Panther/It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio stasera)
    Plas Johnson – July 21, 1931
  33. Closer to Fine – Indigo Girls
    Emily Saliers – July 22, 1963
  34. Polk Salad Annie
    Tony Joe White, July 23, 1943 – Oct. 24, 2018
  35. Life in the Gladhouse – Modern English
    Robbie Grey – July 24, 1957
  36. Psychic Hearts
    Thurston Moore – July 25, 1958
  37. He’s a Rebel – The Crystals
    Darlene Love – July 26, 1941
  38. Fancy
    Bobbie Gentry – July 27, 1942
  39. Beautiful World – DEVO
    Gerald Casale – July 28, 1948
  40. Fly by Night – Rush
    Geddy Lee – July 29, 1953
  41. Hounds of Love
    Kate Bush – July 30, 1958
  42. No New Tale to Tell – Love and Rockets
    Daniel Ash – July 31, 1961
  43. Friend of the Devil – Grateful Dead
    Jerry Garcia – August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995
  44. Boom Clap
    Charli XCX – August 2, 1992
  45. The Best Is Yet to Come
    Tony Bennett – August 3, 1926
  46. Space Age Love Song – A Flock of Seagulls
    Paul Reynolds – August 4, 1962
  47. Shake Your Rump – Beastie Boys
    Adam “MCA” Yauch – August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012
  48. The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades – Timbuk3
    Pat MacDonald – August 6, 1952
  49. I Get Enthused
    B.J. Thomas – August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021
  50. Skinny Legs and All
    Joe Tex – August 8, 1935 – August 13, 1982
  51. How Will I Know?
    Whitney Houston – August 9, 1963 – Feb. 11, 2012
  52. A Song for Jeffrey – Jethro Tull
    Ian Anderson – August 10, 1947
  53. Such Great Heights – The Postal Service
    Ben Gibbard – August 11, 1976
  54. I Don’t Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)
    Buck Owens – August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006
  55. Teenage Kicks – The Undertones
    Feargal Sharkey – August 13, 1958
  56. I’ll Coming Running
    Connie Smith – August 14, 1941
  57. What a Man Gotta Do – Jonas Brothers
    Joe Jonas – August 15, 1989
  58. Gotta Be This or That
    Ketty Lester – August 16, 1934
  59. Jackie Wilson Said – Dexys Midnight Runners
    Kevin Rowland – August 17, 1953
  60. Crash – Primitives
    Tracy Tracy – August 18, 1967
  61. Space Truckin’ – Deep Purple
    Ian Gillan – August 19, 1945
  62. Pocket Calculator – Kraftwerk
    Ralf Hütter – August 20, 1946
  63. The Magnificent Seven – The Clash
    Joe Strummer – August 21, 1952 – December 22, 2002
  64. Sugar, Sugar – The Archies
    Ron Dante – August 22, 1945
  65. Speak to the Sky
    Rick Springfield – August 23, 1949
  66. Classical Gas
    Mason Williams – August 24, 1938
  67. Another Sunny Day – Belle & Sebastian
    Stuart Murdoch – August 25, 1968
  68. Needles and Pins – The Searchers
    Chris Curtis – August 26, 1941 – Feb. 28, 2005
  69. Tennessee River – Alabama
    Jeff Cook – August 27, 1949
  70. Crazy Horses – The Osmonds
    Wayne Osmond – August 28, 1951
  71. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
    Michael Jackson – August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009
  72. No One But You – Kitty Wells & Red Foley
    Kitty Wells – August 30, 1919 – July 16, 2012
  73. Only in My Dreams
    Debbie Gibson – August 31, 1970
  74. Massachussetts – Bee Gees
    Barry Gibb – Sept. 1, 1946
  75. Love Me Just a Little Bit More – Dolly Dots
    Esther Oosterbeek – Sept. 2, 1959
  76. A Six Pack to Go
    Hank Thompson – Sept. 3, 1925 – Nov. 6, 2007
  77. Rusty Cage – Soundgarden
    Kim Thayil – Sept. 4, 1960
  78. Year of the Cat
    Al Stewart – Sept. 5, 1945
  79. Dreams – The Cranberries
    Dolores O’Riordan – Sept. 6, 1971 – January 15, 2018
  80. Talk of the Town – Pretenders
    Chrissie Hynde – Sept. 7, 1951
  81. Waiting for a Train
    Jimmie Rodgers – Sept 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933
  82. Love Is a Stranger – Eurythmics
    Dave Stewart – Sept. 9, 1952
  83. Good Guys and Bad Guys – Camper Van Beethoven
    David Lowery – Sept. 10, 1960
  84. Hair – Hair Ensemble
    Gerome Ragni – Sept 11, 1935 – July 10, 1991
  85. Midnight at the Oasis
    Maria Muldaur – Sept. 12, 1943
  86. Gopher Mambo
    Yma Sumac – Sept. 13, 1922 – Nov. 1, 2008
  87. The American Ruse – MC5
    Fred “Sonic” Smith – Sept. 14, 1948 – Nov. 4, 1994
  88. Sister Christian – Night Ranger
    Kelly Keagy – Sept. 15, 1952
  89. Only Shallow – My Bloody Valentine
    Bilinda Butcher – Sept. 16, 1961
  90. Settin’ the Woods on Fire
    Hank Williams – Sept. 17, 1923 – Jan. 1, 1953
  91. Point of Know Return – Kansas
    Kerry Livgren – Sept. 18, 1949
  92. Dream a Little Dream of Me
    “Mama” Cass Elliot – Sept. 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974
  93. Lies – Thompson Twins
    Alannah Currie – Sept. 20, 1957
  94. So Long, Marianne
    Leonard Cohen – Sept. 21, 1934 – Nov. 7, 2016
  95. Fake Friends – The Blackhearts
    Joan Jett – Sept. 22, 1958

About Michael Carmody

Michael Carmody is a Gen-X musician living and working on the Great Plains.

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