Well, it’s not technically the season of summer until June 20th according to the experts at Google dot com. However, for me at least, the tradition of summer begins on June 1st. The greenery of thriving things already abounds; the whole air is perfumed with honeysuckle and white clover; and humidity sticks like a wet dog kiss to my cheeks the second I leave the house. It may not be 90 degrees quite yet, but summer is alive and well where I’m sitting in Middle Tennessee. It’s time to get a playlist together.
We’ve done playlists in the past for Songs That Make Us Smile and a Rabbit Room Road Trip, both of which are well-suited to the summer season. But there’s plenty of music out there to soundtrack the season, and I thought, “Let’s get together a seven-hour super-jam filled with music that celebrates the joy, freedom, and fullness of life we experience this season because of the resurrection.” I’m thinking sunny oceanside scenes with the Beach Boys picking up “Good Vibrations.” I’m thinking Mariah Carey, Carly Rae Jepsen, or Taylor Swift celebrating romance with the most danceable bops you’ve ever heard.
But what I love about curating these playlists is the collaboration and the different genres, styles, and themes other music lovers think of when I send a prompt like this. Now in addition to my summer beach party jams, we’re having elegant nights drinking wine and overlooking the sea with Frank Sinatra or Astrud Gilberto; we’re “Feeling Good” with Nina Simone; we’re “Coming In Hot” with Lecrae and Andy Mineo; we’re Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything…
Anyways, you get the picture. There’s a lot to be thankful for in the summer, and music reminds us of this. I hope these songs encourage you as they’ve encouraged me to join in the party—to embrace joy and freedom and life everlasting and thank the one who offers them anew to us every morning.
Thanks to all who contributed to this playlist: Elly Anderson, Janna Barber, John Barber, Ron Block, Shigé Clark, Matt Conner, Randall Goodgame, Ella Horn, Lanier Ivester, Santosh & Shiny John, J Lind, Mark Meynell, Drew Miller, Andrew Osenga, Eric Peters, Andrew Peterson, Jill Phillips, Chris Slaten, Helena Sorensen, Joe Sutphin, Annaleigh Thiessen, Chris Wheeler, Adam Whipple, Chris Yokel