we're all going on a summer holiday: the ultimate summer playlist

If you're anything like me, your iTunes suffers from both schizophrenia and a severe case of guilty pleasure syndrome. It's almost as if the 'good' music gets lost in between the slew of crap that's managed to worm its way onto my most played. I always make it my duty to organise my player in time for summer fun and love coating memories in my stand out summer soundtrack. In my opinion, ipod summer playlists are a complete holiday must have, therefore, I invited some of my favourites to delve into theirs and give us all some much needed inspiration. This bunch of awesomeness is what they had to offer! Who's playlist hits the summer spot for you? What songs grace your playlist?




Jamie from Hello, I'm Jamie
The perfect summer playlist – you can dance to it, you can relax to it, it makes you feel happy. Right? Then where better to start than Curtis Mayfield’s stone cold classic Move on Up?  WHAT. A. TUNE. It's played at Arsenal after we win, so reminds me of the good times; trumpets blazing, it's impossible not to get into - whether it's head nodding or hand-drumming to that goddamn bongo rhythm you'll proper enjoy it, although you might crash the car (I recommend trying the Single Ladies dance with it (I'm not joking - do it). It’s hard to be a member of my family without liking The Kinks (Dad used to live next door to Dave (the guitarist with the luscious locks) and Sunny Afternoon is candidate for my favourite song of all time as well as being just generally amazing.  Sit back in your hammock and enjoy whilst you're basking in the sun. Blur are my favourite band - and Sunday Sunday is a song from their best album.  This was such a hard choice: I only allowed myself this single Blur song on the basis that it doesn't need to be 'listened to' to be enjoyed (you can dance) but neither is it limited by in depth listening. It also has some ace slide guitar at the end. Beach Boys are a quintessential summer band, and one of those which I discovered through the medium of 50p charity shop records. I originally had Girls Aloud's Love Machine in this slot, but you can't really leave BBs off a summer playlist. Does everyone here like Villagers? Set the Tigers Free is a lovely song to relax to. Every precedent for a superb summer song is filled: sounds so clean, consistently fresh and amazing on vinyl.  I think that the line 'I'll be cheering from the sidelines / with a sandwich and a beer' clinched its place here.  Let's not forget we're in Britain, and embrace the line 'and all at once I step outside / into the wind and rain' as an example of it working brilliantly for sitting around inside during a humid storm. 

Claire from Jazzpad
Summer tunes for many people involve percussion, dance beats and lyrics about ice-cream and other such holiday frivolities. For me it's more about the memories you have created, whether that is on holiday or just enjoying the evening sun after work or school.. This summer, what I was looking forward to the most was GLASTONBURY. Pure, muddy, uncensored Worthy Farm. Every single one of these tracks might not be a summer essential, but for me they sum up my highlights of the best weekend I have had in any summer I can remember. And if songs aren't meant to stimulate that warm feeling from the memory of a wonderful time, what are they meant for?



SJ from Cowbiscuits
Basically I'm a lip-syncing queen so these songs make me feel like in in a Summer-time music video! First up is the fabulous Lady Gaga with Summerboy from the album The Fame. I chose this as lyrics such as "My Martini glistens while checking out other guys" and "Bikini tops coming off" just sound like a perfect summer day followed by summer party. Plus it's always good to have a boy or two hanging around during summer! Next is N.E.R.D with Hot-n-Fun (ft Nell Furtado). Despite Pharrell Williams being the hottest male known to the planet Earth (see the video and him in a fur hat) the whole video/song has that drink in hand (are you seeing the theme here?) and party in the desert theme. Up next is a mix of awesome artists Kid CuDi, Bethany Consentino (of Best Coast) and Rostam Batmanglij (of Vampire Weekend) with their song All Summer which was made as part of a short film for Converse (see the video) last summer. Best Coast are full of summer hit anyway so i urge everybody to go listen to the album but this song is so fun it makes me wanna go skate along the sea front. For my next choice I thought I'd take it back to my teenage years, I was 13 (and fully in love with Adam Lazzara) when I first heard this song and I'm 21 now and it's still up there as one of my favourite songs ever! Taking Back Sunday with Cute Without The 'e' a song about best-friends betraying each other ahh to be a teenager! For the record I'm very much Team Jesse Lacey but I guess thats for more personal reasons ;) Last up is another perfect trio - Jay-Z, Kanye West and Rihanna with Run This Town. Last summer I saw Jay-Z live and it was easily one of the best moment of my life, Beyonce was dancing at the side of the stage and Kanye West came out to perform this song as a suprise. I was near the front and crying like a child! This song reminds me of that and also makes me feel like a boss. Pledge your allegiance!




Ella from Ella Masters

1) Ben is an old uni friend from Falmouth and this song has really helped me get through some tough times. I put this on and it just reminds me of all the times we spent at gylly beach, and feeling free.....the good life you should really hear this after he has had a few whiskeys; beautiful singer and a wonderful man. His music has grown so much since we first met in 2007. It is truly beautiful and it makes me pine for the sea and cornwall perfect for summer. 2) 'This is a tuuuuuunnnnneeee!', as my friend beth used to shout in her car that she aptly named 'the rudebox', sets the scene for you hehe, driving around the coast of cornwall windows down music blaring perfect way to spend your summer. This song flows through so many happy memories in my head that it is with out a doubt one of my favourite summer songs. Sitting in the back garden with my old house mates surrounded by sea, surf and sun is just the perfect combination. He played this song at glasto '09 with a massive brass band and it was one of the best and carefree moments of my life. 3) This really doesn't need any explanation, but two of my favourite singers combined! I love singing this whilst hoovering, my granddad was a big band singer so this always reminds me of him. His nickname was "Bing" because he sounded like Bing Crosby, it just makes me happy to hear this. 4) I chose this because it was the anthem to my summer 2009 where I saw them at Beach break. I saw them before they really made it big back in 2007 at Shepherd's Bush Empire and me and my friend saw the lead singer when we were outside and he had no shoes on and he was dressed really smart. It's just one of those sweet memories that combine everything into a great happy time. 5) I really just love the vocals in this song really beautiful, and their album is truly wonderful, it has a really old and strong sound to it.

Hope you enjoyed this post! What summer tracks are standing out for you this year? I'll be back on Friday with help from my fellow blogging ladies to discuss summer suitcase staples!