This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
That summer feeling That summer feeling
That summer feeling
When there's things to do not because you gotta
When you run for love not because you oughtta
When you trust your friends with no reason ta nada
This joy I've named shall not be tamed
That summer feeling is gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
When the cool of the pond makes you drop down on it
When the smell of the lawn makes you flop down on it
When the teenage car gets the cop down on it
That time is here for one more year
That summer feeling's gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
If you've forgotten what I'm naming
You're gonna long to reclaim it one day
You see that summer feeling is gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
But if you wait until your older
A sad resentment will smoulder one day
And Then the summer feeling will come haunt you
And that summer feeling will come taunt you
That summer feeling will hurt you
Later in your life.
When the playground that just was all dirt
Comes hauntin
And someone who called you a flirt
Comes tauntin
It's not that these things alone
Were appealin
What I now revealin is a certain feelin
That summer feeling is gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
When the Oldsmobile has got the top down on it
When the catamaran has got the drop down on it
When the flat of the land has got the crop down on it
What I now proclaim is sortta hard to name
But that summer feeling is gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
When even fourth grade starts looking good
Which you hated,
And first grade's looking good too,
Overrated,
And you boys long for some little girl
That you dated
Do you long for her of for the way you were,
That summer feeling is gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
It's gonna haunt you
It's gonna taunt you
That summer feeling
When there's things to do not because you gotta
When you run for love not because you oughtta
When you trust your friends with no reason ta nada
This joy I've named shall not be tamed
That summer feeling is gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
When the cool of the pond makes you drop down on it
When the smell of the lawn makes you flop down on it
When the teenage car gets the cop down on it
That time is here for one more year
That summer feeling's gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
If you've forgotten what I'm naming
You're gonna long to reclaim it one day
You see that summer feeling is gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
But if you wait until your older
A sad resentment will smoulder one day
And Then the summer feeling will come haunt you
And that summer feeling will come taunt you
That summer feeling will hurt you
Later in your life.
When the playground that just was all dirt
Comes hauntin
And someone who called you a flirt
Comes tauntin
It's not that these things alone
Were appealin
What I now revealin is a certain feelin
That summer feeling is gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
When the Oldsmobile has got the top down on it
When the catamaran has got the drop down on it
When the flat of the land has got the crop down on it
What I now proclaim is sortta hard to name
But that summer feeling is gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
When even fourth grade starts looking good
Which you hated,
And first grade's looking good too,
Overrated,
And you boys long for some little girl
That you dated
Do you long for her of for the way you were,
That summer feeling is gonna haunt you
The rest of your life.
It's gonna haunt you
It's gonna taunt you
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It's amazing how well this guy can channel Lou Reed but still give it his own spin. Love love love this song.
Love love love this song. A sentimental song about sentimentality itself. To me this song sums up a lot of what Jon's songs are about: falling in love, being young, carefree and those fleeeting moments of that really formulate our memories.
The 'summer' feeling is a great little expression.
When I listen to this song I see my summers during high school. Girl on the swing with the dirty ankles is striking. Say what you will and they still adore ya, those are friends you made before you grew into an adult with adult ideas. Its just one of the greatest songs ever written and s few people have heard it.
It kind of scares me how many levels of my life this song describes. It is beautiful. Love this.
This song is about nostalgia.
Awesome