BWW Blog: Alyssa Sileo - Songs That Sum Up Summer

Sometimes you just have to turn to music to tell the story.

I do not give my iPod a break on these summer days. It's still cranking out showtune after showtune, and I started to notice how the titles of my most played songs can be Hashtag So Relatable.

Here's the first edition in a game I'd like to play more often, called Songs that Sum Up. For this version: Songs that Sum Up Summer.

(For this listing, I'm making these connections based mostly on titles. The context of these tunes may not be reflective of your summer. Unless you live inside a musical. Then, yes. They could apply to your summer.)

1.) "Telephone Wire" (Fun Home) -Because of those long road trips and those stretches that you're in the middle of nowhere, and the closest thing you spot to civilization is a squawking bird. Maybe cattle. And you start to wonder what those telephone wires are for, if no one lives here.

2.) "Non-Stop" (Hamilton) - "This heat is NON-stop." Unless you're in Alaska. Then, "This cold is NON-stop." This item is a year-long Song-Sum for you.

3.) "Tradition" (Fiddler on the Roof) - Whether your summer traditions involve partying at the local pool, going to the beach, having movie marathons, eating dangerous amounts of popsicles, or doing your hometown's summer drama program, we all have customs that make these months memorable.

4.) "Cool" (West Side Story) - Because, truly, you are ROCKIN' those shades.

5.) "Woe Is Me" (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) - When you walk into a store and the school supplies are already available.

6.) "Enough" (In The Heights) - Seriously, ENOUGH OF THESE MOSQUITOS!!!

7.) "When You're Driving Through the Moonlight" (Cinderella) - Because you're still driving on that endless road trip. You're still in that middle-of-nowhere but the day has left, and something about the August stars make you feel the least lonely you've ever been, and the moon is so huge in front of you that you could take a detour through it if you really wanted to.

8.) "Stay With Me" (Into the Woods) - And this is what you say to those August Stars and those lazy days and those moons than you can see. Because these are sometimes annual things. But it's oh-so long in between.

9.) "Who Am I?" (Les Misérables) - This is what we all ask ourselves when we wake up from those heat-induced, sugar-crash naps that seems to take us to another country or Alaska or December. And you're not quite sure if you're hot or cold, but you definitely want food.

10.) "So Much Better" (Legally Blonde) - Because in many ways, this summer was so much better than last. The dog-days may be dismal but it's so joyful to compile your list of top-summer-nights. Every year there's new things to look back on and forward to, so while you're in that in-between space, enjoy living the memories. They will set you up for a great school and work season. I've always believed mid-year dosages of fireworks, summer storms, and long car-rides infuse one with some invincibility. The whole sky celebrates for a bit for making it through another winter. Its smile is so warm, you can practically feel it.

Whether your summer was soaked with chlorine, seawater, or the backyard hose, I hope you hold onto that celebration. Summer is like a 54 Below cabaret- a loose plot and grand moments!

(You read this whole blog thinking I was going to include "Summer Nights" on that list! Haha! Nope.)

(I made a Spotify playlist of all these songs! Enjoy! https://open.spotify.com/user/lyssimarieee/playlist/3ZGvPWb1Xn3n2fILYYMP3w)

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