The Lovin’ Spoonful held the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 the week of August 9, 1969, with ‘Summer in the City,’ the folk rock band’s first and only #1 hit. This was also the most overtly rocking song they had released to that point.
Dropping in the middle of a record heat wave in New York City, ‘Summer in the City’ was the right song at the right time. It spent three weeks in the top spot and earned critical acclaim for its shifting keys and use of sound effects.
Billboard’s own Song of the Summer formula places this song at #2 for 1966, behind the official Song of the Summer, The Troggs’ ‘Wild Thing.’ That’s a great candidate, too, but I don’t see how ‘Summer in the City’ isn’t a slam-dunk for the crown, regardless of what the charts say.
Old songs. Great memories.
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Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn’t it a pity
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city
All around, people looking half-dead,
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head
[Chorus]
But at night it’s a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come on, come on, and dance all night
Despite the heat, it’ll be alright
And, babe, don’t you know it’s a pity
The days can’t be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city
[Verse 2]
Cool town, evenin’ in the city
Dressin’ so fine and lookin’ so pretty
Cool cat, lookin’ for a kitty
Gonna look in every corner of the city
‘Til I’m wheezin’ like a bus stop
Running up the stairs, gonna meet you on the rooftop
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[Chorus]
But at night it’s a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come on, come on, and dance all night
Despite the heat, it’ll be alright
And, babe, don’t you know it’s a pity
The days can’t be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city
[Bridge: Instrumental and sounds of the city]
[Verse 1]
Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn’t it a pity
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city
All around, people looking half-dead,
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head
[Chorus]
But at night it’s a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come on, come on, and dance all night
Despite the heat, it’ll be alright
And, babe, don’t you know it’s a pity
The days can’t be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
Summer in the city
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