Summer Love

©RandyBaran 1997/2023

Once in awhile

a certain smile comes gliding ‘cross my face.

Then ev’ry moment

That I’ve been dreaming of you, gently falls into place.

I remember our walks on the beach

holding your hand, a world within reach

And I almost can taste the wind in our faces.

And I think of Summer Love, oh I think of

Summer Love

What a beautiful day

The perfect time to break away from all my cares

Oh but when I kick back, and close my eyes

I can picture the sun in your hair.

Looking back can be futile I know

But there are times, when it comforts me so

And I almost can taste, the wind in our faces.

And I think of Summer Love, oh I think of

Summer Love

My spirit’s unbroken

And my heart’s been remade

The words go unspoken

But the thoughts stay the same

And I think of Summer Love, oh I think of Summer Love (repeat 4x, fade)

I wrote this song a year after my mom died. It could apply to her, also to my ex-wife now. My mom’s favorite song was the Tymes ‘So Much in Love’ which nostalgically brings back summer days when I was a kid.

Friends of mine who heard Summer Love said I should show it to Brian Wilson. Wouldn’t you know, three years later, July 2000, Sandy and I had a brief audience with Brian in his dressing room at the Chicago Theater.

He was about to premier Pet Sounds for the first time (with a huge orchestra), almost 40 yrs. after he recorded it. There wasn’t much time – you think I brought the tape of Summer Love? I should have – I could barely compose myself!

Brian might’ve liked it. It was a 12/8 ballad; a meter and format which I know he likes. I wish I could link you to it, but the vocal register is so wide (low to high notes) that I sure can’t do it justice. So, it sits in the vault and only a few have heard it. On the other hand, my son, who has heard it countless times and was six when I wrote it, still reminds me if I get any of the words wrong.

Another thing about Brian’s concert, it was on my mom’s birthday, four years after she died. That one blew Carol Kaye’s mind – she helped set up the private meeting.