The Lovin' Spoonful 'Daydream'

Chart Peak: 2
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The first of two Summer Hits from John, Zal, Steve and Joe, 'Daydream' made No.2 in Britain and America in May 1966.

Strange but true, there are two Lovin' Spoonful songs out of the 30 on this album and they're right next to each other. The way the sleevenotes are phrased seems to imply that they were written before the album was sequenced, don't they?

Anyway, of the two big Spoonful hits this is the one I remember hearing more of when I was a kid, possibly because it was a slightly bigger hit but I suspect more because it doesn't have a title that ties it into one season and so got the lion's share of airplay as an oldie. That said, I haven't heard it for a long time.

The trouble with this song is that it seems a bit too determinedly laid-back, almost aggressively relaxed. Obviously, this is partly because it's really about smoking various substances, but also it seems to be one of those examples of people who are just a bit too insistent that you chill out and relax as if it turns into a sort of inverse macho contest. I'm a pretty relaxed - or, some might say, lazy - person generally, but there's nothing less relaxing than being told to take it easy, man. I guess this is trying to do something similar to 'Groovin' at the top of the album, but it doesn't quite convince me, though it's not unpleasant. At least it's nowhere near as annoying as their other Top 40 single, 'Nashville Cats'.

Available on: Very Best Of The Lovin' Spoonful

The Lovin' Spoonful 'Summer In The City'

Chart Peak: 1
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The follow-up to 'Daydream', this track made No. 8 in August 1966. It was also an American No. 1 and was originally a poem written by John Sebastian's brother.

One of my favourite summer tracks, mainly because it's so ambivalent. Sure we're all pleased to see the summer when it first arrives but after a few days isn't there a little part of all of us that starts to get a bit tired of the heat as we pack ourselves onto trains and spend our days in offices and classrooms? That was of course even more the case in the days before widespread air-conditioning in Britain. Matthew Sebastian neatly sums up the physical manifestations of summer days "Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty" and hints at the impatient mood that can sometimes develop: he then contrasts this with the pleasures of a summer night, when the world seems a lot more open and welcoming. I went for a walk to the park after 9pm just the other day and it was great that it was still light enough to see then.

The song is greatly improved by its musical setting, even if they do have to sing it twice to make it up to a commercially viable length. John Sebastian's staccato electric piano part gives the song a hook before the rest of the arrangement kicks in, and there's a palpable contrast between the tension of the "day" verses and the lighter, more open-sounding "night" bridge. Like 'Lazy Sunday', it's also a great sound effect track, with the subtle use of jackhammers and traffic noises representing the irritation without actually becoming irritating themselves. For me the only flaw of the track musically is that they seem to run out of ideas at the end, sounding like they're going to a big finish that never arrives and fading almost as if they're shy.

Available on: Summer In The City - The Collection