Months Of The Year In Song: July, Time For Summer Holidays (Belated Ones)

I’m afraid this post is six months too late, but before I became unwell I had almost completed my Months of the Year in Song series (as I started it in September ’22), so despite the songs being entirely inappropriate for cold January, in the Northern Hemisphere anyway, I’m determined to see it through until the end.

For once I did have an inkling as to where the name July came from, and yet again it is of Roman origin. In 44BC the Roman Senate renamed the month in honour of the general Julius Caesar. Before then it was called Quintilis, being the fifth month of the original calendar that started with March.

For children like me who grew up in Scotland, the beginning of July always marked the start of our long school summer holidays, when we would enjoy all that brilliant sunshine and balmy weather… NOT. Invariably it rained, and we ended up having beach holidays dressed in our cagoules, but I’m sure in amongst all that rain we did have a few sunny days too! Some of my best memories are from those beach holidays along the Moray Coast. The North Sea got its name for a reason but we regularly donned our swimming costumes and braved the elements. Nowadays it’s called wild swimming but back then it was just called swimming.

But this is a music blog and I’m pleased to say this next bit will almost write itself as despite not being able to come up with any July songs myself, the rest of you certainly did, and looking back at last June’s comment boxes there are plenty to share.

We’ll start off with one of the most well known July songs from Neil. He said:

To me, this Springsteen song is very great. It’s one of my favourites:
4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).

I had thought he was describing the New Jersey beaches when I first saw the word Sandy, but no, Sandy is a girl and this ballad has been described as “the perfect musical study of the Jersey Shore boardwalk culture”. Thanks Neil.

Next up we have Ernie Goggins who has been a regular contributor to this series. Here are his own words:

If you liked the mellow stuff last time then July by BOY might appeal. They are a Swiss-German duo and this track is from their 2012 album Mutual Friends (it did nothing here but rocketed to #6 in the Swiss album charts). This link is to a live acoustic version.

That is very beautiful Ernie, and as you say, very mellow.

He’s not done yet though as we have another two July songs from Ernie. The first he describes as being slightly more rambunctious: Low July by JT And The Clouds. Here again are his own words:

JT went on to be one half of Birds of Chicago who had a bit of success in the 2010s. The album this comes from is called Caledonia which has to be a sign of some sort.

Finally from Ernie:

Last suggestion is the very specific July 12, 1939 by Larry Jon Wilson (Charlie Rich did a decent version as well). It is one of those Southern US story songs you associate with the likes of Bobbie Gentry and Tony Joe White.

You are right there Ernie – very Tony Joe White.

Here’s a song suggestion now from Lynchie. He said:

Dave Alvin 4th of July is a favourite of mine, especially the acoustic version.

I’m afraid this isn’t the acoustic version but I’m sure you will be able to seek it out. Very nice Lynchie.

Next we have a July suggestion from my good friend C from Sun Dried Sparrows. She has bent the rules a little but that’s never stopped me including anything before. Here are her own words:

As for July, the first thing I thought of was the band called July….if you won’t mind me bending the rules yet again! (I think Ernie will know too of this psychy band from the late ’60s.) A very dreamy Summery number of theirs that springs to mind is Dandelion Seeds, which was also later covered (very nicely) by the Lemonheads.

Lovely stuff C, and it could only come from the late ’60s!

Martin from New Amusements usually pipes up with something and this time he came up with three suggestions. This is what he said:

At the risk of inundating you with songs that all have the same title, Aimee Mann also has a lovely song entitled 4th of July, which has some great lyrics.

Here are his other suggestions.

Gordon Lightfoot had Black Day in July, which was very downbeat. Scritti Politti had Here Come July, which wasn’t.

Thanks Martin, I really liked Scritti Politti back in the day but I’d never heard that song of theirs before.

CC from Charity Chic Music dropped by with this contribution. Like C he is bending the rules a little but I’m fine with that. Here are his own words:

Can I offer Little Bird from Goldfrapp’s ethereal album Seventh Tree with it’s chorus of July-ly-ly, July-ly-ly, July-ly-ly.

Of course you can CC.

Next up we have Rol’s suggestions. Knowing Rol’s vast knowledge of all kinds of music, I could probably write a blog post just made up of his suggestions alone, but he always goes easy on me. Although he says here that he is inundating me with them, four suggestions is doable and here they all are. Of the four I think I like the Cisco Houston and John Stewart songs best. Here are Rol’s words:

Bruce, Aimee and Larry Jon are all excellent suggestions that would have been on my list. I’m afraid I’m going to rather inundate you with suggestions this month, but I’ll leave it to you to choose the one you like best…

Last but most definitely not least are Khayhem’s suggestions for July. Here is what he said:

For July, Martin’s been there with my default go-to, Scritti Politti’s Here Come July, so here’s a couple more.

First up, Bomb The Bass with their 1991 hit Winter In July, featuring the wonderful words and music of Loretta Heywood.

Secondly, When I Call A Name by Michael Andrews from the soundtrack to the 2005 film Me And You And Everyone We Know, written, directed and starring Miranda July. The tenuous link being that it’s her voice you can hear in this song. The vocal effects are lifted directly from the film and make sense in the context of the scene. A great film, if you haven’t seen it.

Another case of bending the rules Khayem but why not, especially as it’s linked to a film I think I’d like to seek out at some point.

So, that’s your lot for this month, except it’s not this month is it, it’s a month from half a year ago but by now most regular visitors to this place know why I had to go on hiatus last year.

I usually end with a picture of someone who shares their name with the month but I’m a bit stumped so it’ll have to be Khayhem’s Miranda July who is a very striking lady with a penchant for fine knitwear it seems.

Next time it’ll be the final instalment of this series, so if anyone knows of any songs about the month of August please do share them with me, as at the moment I’m stumped with that challenge too.

Thanks as ever for everyone’s contributions to this series – I couldn’t do it without you.

Until next time…

4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) Lyrics
(Song by Bruce Springsteen)

Sandy
The fireworks are hailin’ over Little Eden tonight
Forcin’ a light into all those stony faces
Left stranded on this warm July

Down in the town, the circuit’s full of switchblade lovers
So fast, so shiny and so sharp
As the wizards play down on Pinball Way
On the boardwalk way past dark

And the boys from the casino
Dance with their shirts open
Like Latin lovers on the shore
Chasin’ all them silly New York virgins by the score

And, Sandy, the aurora is risin’ behind us
These pier lights, our carnival life forever
Oh, love me tonight for I may never see you again
Hey, Sandy, girl
My, my baby

Now the greasers, ah, they tramp the streets
Or get busted for sleeping on the beach all night
Them boys in their high heels
Ah, Sandy, their skins are so white

And me, I just got tired of hangin’ in them dusty arcades
Bangin’ them pleasure machines
Chasin’ the factory girls underneath the boardwalk
Where they all promise to unsnap their jeans

And you know that tilt-a-whirl
Down on the South Beach drag?
I got on it last night and my shirt got caught
And they kept me spinnin’, babe
Didn’t think I’d ever get off

Oh, Sandy, the aurora is risin’ behind us
This pier lights, our carnival life on the water
Runnin’, laughin’ ‘neath the boardwalk
Ah, with the boss’s daughter
Ah, remember, Sandy, girl
My, my, my, my, my baby

Sandy
That waitress I was seein’ lost her desire for me
I spoke with her last night
She said she won’t set herself on fire for me anymore

She worked that joint under the boardwalk
She was always the girl you saw
Boppin’ down the beach with the radio
The kids say last night she was dressed like a star
In one of them cheap little seaside bars
And I saw her parked with lover boy out on the Kokomo

Did you hear the cops finally busted Madame Marie
For tellin’ fortunes better than they do?
For me, this boardwalk life’s through, babe
You ought to quit this scene, too

Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
This pier lights, our carnival life forever
Oh, love me tonight and I promise I’ll love you forever
Oh, I mean it, Sandy, girl
My, my, my, my, my baby

Yeah, I promise, Sandy, girl
Sha-la-la-la-la, baby