Why is this song so memorable? Why is any song so memorable? In this case, I think it's due to its (likely purposeful), ambiguous nature, where anyone can apply this song to a personal memory.
Hall and Oates did this a LOT. I can't go for that (for what?), She did it in a minute (did what?), She's gone (where'd she go?), etc. It's a 'Theater of the Mind' style of writing where you fill in the blanks that the song writer purposely doesn't provide. In that way, a song becomes yours personally.
I suspect more than a few people out there have an unforgettable summer. A summer that simply can't end because it's always there in your mind, just waiting for you to return.
As a musician, I hear something else in the music itself. There's an odd chorused, almost dissonant synth that mostly alternates between A and G. This runs through the whole song. To me, it's like the sun itself, relentless, always there. When I hear this song, I think of sunshine for that reason.
You ever have a 'falling' feeling when thinking about something from so long ago? The bridge part has a 'falling' note pattern, suggesting being drawn down into a memory.
In this song, the lyrics don't have to stand out or be brilliant because it's the music that grabs you without needing to tell you anything. In fact, take the lyrics out of the song and they're kinda silly, honestly.
But just the suggestion that it's about a lost summer is all you really need to let the music of this song take you on that journey.
Why is this song so memorable? Why is any song so memorable? In this case, I think it's due to its (likely purposeful), ambiguous nature, where anyone can apply this song to a personal memory.
Hall and Oates did this a LOT. I can't go for that (for what?), She did it in a minute (did what?), She's gone (where'd she go?), etc. It's a 'Theater of the Mind' style of writing where you fill in the blanks that the song writer purposely doesn't provide. In that way, a song becomes yours personally.
I suspect more than a few people out there have an unforgettable summer. A summer that simply can't end because it's always there in your mind, just waiting for you to return.
As a musician, I hear something else in the music itself. There's an odd chorused, almost dissonant synth that mostly alternates between A and G. This runs through the whole song. To me, it's like the sun itself, relentless, always there. When I hear this song, I think of sunshine for that reason.
You ever have a 'falling' feeling when thinking about something from so long ago? The bridge part has a 'falling' note pattern, suggesting being drawn down into a memory.
In this song, the lyrics don't have to stand out or be brilliant because it's the music that grabs you without needing to tell you anything. In fact, take the lyrics out of the song and they're kinda silly, honestly.
But just the suggestion that it's about a lost summer is all you really need to let the music of this song take you on that journey.