Monthly Mix - Chapters Made by Songs Of Summer
A soundtrack that tells the story of summer.
Hello Friend,
I know we are scattered far and wide geographically and so this mix will undoubtedly land differently with you, wherever you are right now. Here all the doors are open, it’s breezy and yet still warm, the sun is shining. It feels like high summer. Whilst the good weather is here I couldn’t help but put together something celebrating summer.
Apologies if you’re in winter or it’s rainy, I promise this will provide a necessary lift.
As I began picking songs for this month’s mix I fell down a deep rabbit hole of music and moments. Organising them (it has to flow!) I noticed a story emerging. The story of me, summer by summer, song by song. Punctuation points and narrative unwittingly woven together over many decades.
From that first festival (unsupervised) at 17, feeling 10ft tall, unstoppable as the sun set behind the stage (heaven is a perfect sunset and a hot, dry festival for me, incidentally) and having just met the love of my life (two in one week as it goes, one turned out to be a cheat and a liar - I married the other).
Through to late nights and early mornings at university, onto summers spent in sweaty crowds of happy humans celebrating music at so many festivals and concerts and more of the same at club terraces.
Getting married (my engagement ring turned up the day we went to God’s Kitchen in 2005 and we were married before the following summer).
A skipped couple of years that I really don’t remember (your baby being stillborn will do that it seems).
Children appearing on the scene, bringing a different flavour of music and magic by the heady power of school discos.
Now they are old enough to enjoy gigs and festivals too (they’ve been going since they were little, but now is a different kind of fun) and a different era is upon me as I discover a new identity.
It’s May and there’s a whole summer ahead. I can’t help but be excited about what songs will have added themselves to the mix in three months time.
Something new.
Like a fresh solstice sunrise over Glastonbury Tor, new things are on the horizon (I don’t know if that metaphor works or not, let’s go with it for now). Posts like this one now come with a dedicated chat space for subscribers.
Want to talk all things music related and hear about the time I saw Jake Shears dj naked? Or a crazy fact about my relationship with The Killers? It’s all going on here.
I’m so interested to know the songs that have soundtracked your summers?
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If you love a list or don’t have Spotify, the playlist is below as always.
With love,
V.V
Chapters Made By Songs of Summer
16/17 and unstoppable. (1997 - 1999)
Close To Me - The Cure
Get Miles - Gomez
Don't Falter - Mint Royale, Lauren Laverne
Bunking off uni to go to the beach. (2000 - 2003)
Romeo - Basement Jaxx
Love At First Sight - Kylie Minogue
Love Story - Layo & Bushwacka!
A mix up. (2002)
All In My Head - 2021 Remaster - Kosheen
(Fat Cats) Northampton (2004)
Eple - Röyksopp
La femme d'argent - Air
(and Festivals) The beginning of all the other summers. (2003 - 2007)
In My Arms - Radio Edit - Mylo
Munich - Editors
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control) - Groove Armada
The Bike Song - Mark Ronson, The Business Intl
Enter, a different kind of summer. (2009 - 2014)
Starz In Their Eyes - Just Jack
Feel So Close - Radio Edit - Calvin Harris
Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine
Starry Eyed - Ellie Goulding
Hawaiian Air - Friendly Fires
And so it begins again… (2016)
Scribble - Underworld
A new era. (2023/24)
New Romantics (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift
What are the songs that scream summer to you? The magic moments, the sunsets, festivals, first dates, breakups, holidays. I’m here for all of it and I’d love to make a mix from your suggestions - let me know in the comments.
You can find more playlist joy right here. To make sure you don’t miss the next one…
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This month’s mix. Love it? Hate it? Recommendations? I’m here for all of it, please do share your thoughts in the comments below.
Love At First Sight - what a belter of a song!