In 1974, Bell Records released the album, titled the same as is this narrative from the Bullpen today, featuring a song of the same name, which was arguably the greatest hit by Canadian musician, Terry Jacks. A little more than a month ago, we began the season that many feel is the best season each year, that being summer.

Each season has its pros and cons, its likes and dislikes, its excitement, and sometimes its disappointments. Summer’s the season that warms us up (as it finally did heat up in June), lets us live in shorts and tees most every day, allows those who own them opportunities to take to the lake in/on their motorcycle, convertible, boat, jet-ski, or kayak, and spend some time baiting a fish pole, lying on a beach, catching some baseball, working in the yard/garden, basking in the sunshine, attending a lakeside or park concert, listening to beach music, enjoying a drink with an umbrella, or just kicking back.

Summer is also a time when summer activities re-occur getting people of all ages outdoors to enjoy, and to take advantage of some of our favorite hobbies. Morning coffee on the deck/porch, hiking, gardening, landscaping, participating in sports, watching sports in person or on our deck television, picnicking, camping, barbecuing, visiting nature sanctuaries, zoos, making an Audubon visit, swimming, boating, even getting outside to get some things done around the house to repair or beautify our domiciles are just some of what summer offers, and has offered us. There are so many other opportunities to enjoy before summer ends in about six more weeks (local baseball, car shows, local concerts, outdoor dining at many places near us, fine entertainment at many places where you can sit down to eat and/or have a libation outdoors and enjoy some of the wonderful entertainers we have in our area.) There is also some national baseball coming to our area, and some well-known comics and speakers, who have, or will, pass through town, or the area, visiting the Comedy Center and Chautauqua Institution.

Summer has also affected the music world, as there have been many songs written and performed that include a reference to the summer season, and that brings us to today’s Voice from the Bullpen’s, memory check, testing your recollection of “Name that artist,” attempting to identify the performer of the following summer, summertime, or sunshine songs:

Summer in the City

Summer Nights

Summertime and the Living is Easy

Summertime, Summertime

In the Summertime

Sunshine of Your Love

Hot Fun in the Summertime

A Summer Song

The Boys of Summer

Endless Summer Nights

Sunshine on my Shoulders

Islands in the Sun

Summer Breeze

Summer of ’69

Here Comes the Sun

The Summer Wind

Summer Rain

Summer Highland Falls

Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

When Summer is Gone

Theme from A Summer Place

Sunshine Superman

Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on You

Good Day Sunshine

Ain’t No Sunshine

Sunny Afternoon

House of the Rising Sun

Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows

Walking on Sunshine

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In

Sunshine (Go Away Today)

Summertime Blues

Summertime Dream

I Got the Sun in the Morning

Trip Around the Sun

Sunrise, Sunset

The Colour of the Sun

I’ll Follow the Sun

Summer Wine

Bonus for five extra points – Who collaborated with the answer to #40?

Answers:

The Lovin’ Spoonful

John Travolta and Olivia Newton John

The Paul Smith Quartet

The Jamies

Mungo Jerry

Cream

Sly and the Family Stone

Chad and Jeremy

Don Henley

Richard Marx

John Denver

Harry Belafonte

Seals and Croft

Bryan Adams

The Beatles

Frank Sinatra

Johnny Rivers

Billy Joel

Nat King Cole

Gary Lewis and the Playboys

Percy Faith

Donovan

Elton John

The Beatles

Bill Withers

The Kinks

The Animals

Gerry and The Pacemakers

Leslie Gore

Katrina and The Waves

The Fifth Dimension

Jonathan Edwards

Eddie Cochran

Gordon Lightfoot

Doris Day

Jimmy Buffett (in collaboration with Martina McBride)

Fiddler on the Roof

Jimmy Buffett

The Beatles

Lee Hazelwood

Bonus answer – Nancy Sinatra

Well, I hope this one was a good challenge to tackle in this Summer of ’25 for all of us. Hope summer, so far, has been great for everyone. May we all have an enjoyable, safe, relaxing, smart, and great rest of the summer. Remember to keep using that Sun Screen, wearing those sunglasses, and stay careful around the grills, and camp and backyard fires.