The Lovin’ Spoonful were one of the most popular bands to emerge from New York City’s 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene. The folk-rock act scored Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with its first four singles—“Do You Believe in Magic” (No. 9), “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice,” “Daydream” (No. 2), and “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?” (No. 2).
All of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s were written or co-written by the group’s frontman, John Sebastian.
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On July 4, 1966, a couple months after The Lovin’ Spoonful released their second studio, Daydream, the band issued the new non-album single “Summer in the City.” The tune moved quickly to the top of the Hot 100, becoming the group’s first and only song to reach No. 1 on August 13, 1966.
“Summer in the City” knocked The Troggs’ “Wild Thing” from the top of the chart and spent three weeks at No. 1 before being replaced by Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman.”
About the Writing and Recording of “Summer in the City”
Sebastian co-wrote “Summer in the City” with his younger brother, Mark, and Lovin’ Spoonful bassist Steve Boone. To create the tune, John reworked a song Mark had written when he was just 15 called “It’s a Different World.” John revised the melody and wrote new verses inspired by the contrast of life in a big city in the summertime during the day and the night.
The song laments how uncomfortable it is in the city under the hot sun, and then how exciting it is there on summer nights, going out dancing and looking for romance.
To complete the song, Boone came up with the jazz-influenced middle-eight instrumental section, which was partly inspired by George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”
During the recording, The Lovin’ Spoonful suggested that sound effects be added to the track to approximate the noises you’d hear in the city. A soundman brought in a library of pre-recorded noises and the group chose the sounds of car horns and a jackhammer to add to the song.
“Summer in the City” is considered among the first pop hits to utilize sound effects to enhance the track.
More About “Summer in the City”
“Summer in the City” was later included on the group’s third studio album, Hums of The Lovin’ Spoonful, which peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
A 2024 Billboard article ranked “Summer in the City” second on a list of top-10 summer songs for 1966. “Wild Thing” was No. 1.
In a 2023 interview with Uncut magazine, Boone noted that “Summer in the City,” which was a more rocking tune than The Lovin’ Spoonful’s previous hits, helped change the band’s image.
“[P]rior to that, people were like, ‘Are you guys ever gonna make a real rock song? What’s with all this lightweight stuff about daydreams?’” he noted. “But when ‘Summer in the City’ got on the radio, those attitudes changed overnight. It was the deal-maker for us, it completed our circle. It cemented our place as a genuine rock band.”
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