"Hot Fun in the Summertime" is a 1969 song recorded by Sly and the Family Stone. The single was released just prior to the band's high-profile performance at Woodstock, which greatly expanded their fanbase. The song peaked at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, kept out of the number 1 spot by "I Can't Get Next to You" by The Temptations.[4] "Hot Fun in the Summertime" also peaked at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard soul singles chart in autumn 1969.[5] It is ranked as the seventh biggest U.S. hit of 1969,[6] and the 65th in Canada.
| "Hot Fun in the Summertime" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the US single | ||||
| Single by Sly and the Family Stone | ||||
| from the album Greatest Hits | ||||
| B-side | "Fun" | |||
| Released | July 21, 1969[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:37 (mono single version & stereo album version) | |||
| Label | Epic 5-10497 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sly Stone | |||
| Producer(s) | Sly Stone | |||
| Sly and the Family Stone singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Hot Fun in the Summertime" (audio) on YouTube | ||||
Rolling Stone ranked the song #247 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and it has also been named in lists by Yahoo! Music and AskMen as an all-time "summer anthem."[7][8]
Background
editThematically, "Hot Fun in the Summertime" is a dedication to the fun and games to be had during the summer. "Hot Fun in the Summertime" was intended to be included on an in-progress album with "Everybody Is a Star" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"; the LP was never completed, and the three tracks were instead included on the band's 1970 Greatest Hits LP. This song is known for its rare use of strings in a Sly and the Family Stone song, featuring violins being played in the upper register.
The B-side to this single is "Fun," a song taken from the group's third album (Life) from 1968.
Chart performance
editThe Beach Boys version
edit| "Hot Fun in the Summertime" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Beach Boys | ||||
| from the album Summer in Paradise | ||||
| B-side | "Summer of Love" | |||
| Released | July 14, 1992[13] | |||
| Recorded | late 1991 – mid 1992 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:29 | |||
| Label | Brother Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sly Stone | |||
| Producer(s) | Terry Melcher | |||
| The Beach Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The track was covered by the Beach Boys on their 1992 album Summer in Paradise. The song was also released as a single during that same year, backed with "Summer of Love." A video was made to accompany the song.
Chart history
edit| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles | 66 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 17 |
| US Gavin Report Adult Contemporary | 10 |
| US Radio & Records Adult Contemporary | 13 |
Other covers
editIt was performed on stage in HBO's 1981 television special The Pee-wee Herman Show.
The song was covered by The Party, which was originally supposed to be on their 1992 album, Free, but was then released on their 1993 album, "The Party's Over...Thanks For Coming".
It was covered in 1982 with somewhat greater chart success by a funk outfit known as Dayton, and again in 1995 by The Manhattan Transfer featuring vocals by Chaka Khan.
Genesis vocalist and drummer Phil Collins cited the song as one of the musical inspirations for "Misunderstanding". The members of Toto have also cited it as an inspiration for "Hold the Line".
Dave Koz and Friends (Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair and Richard Elliot) did an instrumental jazz cover on their 2013 collaboration album Summer Horns.
Personnel
edit- Sly and the Family Stone
- Sly Stone - vocals, piano
- Freddie Stone - vocals, guitar
- Larry Graham - vocals, bass guitar
- Rose Stone - vocals
- Cynthia Robinson - trumpet
- Jerry Martini - saxophone
- Greg Errico - drums
- Uncredited: Strings with violins in the upper register.
- Written and produced by Sly Stone
References
edit- ^ "Sly and the Family Stone - Hot Fun in the Summertime".
- ^ Pitchfork Staff (August 18, 2006). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1960s". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
No surprise, however, that it's the sweet and psychedelic soul sounds that win out.
- ^ Rolling Stone Staff (June 25, 2022). "The Best Summer Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
Sly and crew croon beautifully about summer days over string-sweetened light funk...
- ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 534.
- ^ a b "Top 100 Hits of 1969/Top 100 Songs of 1969". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- ^ Willman, Chris (2012-05-29). "The 50 Greatest Summer Songs!". Music.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- ^ "Top 10 Better Man". AskMen.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002
- ^ a b "1969: The Top 100 Soul/R&B Singles". Rate Your Music. Archived from the original on 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1969". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
- ^ Billboard. 1992-07-25. p. 42. Retrieved 2016-10-02.