"Looking for the Summer" | ||||
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Single by Chris Rea | ||||
from the album Auberge | ||||
B-side | "Six Up" | |||
Released | 1991 | |||
Length | 3:51(single version) 5:03 (album version) | |||
Label | East West Atco (US) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Chris Rea | |||
Producer(s) | Jon Kelly | |||
Chris Rea singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Looking for the Summer (album version)" on YouTube |
"Looking for the Summer" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1991 as the third single from his eleventh studio album Auberge . It was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. [1] "Looking for the Summer" reached No. 49 in the UK and remained in the charts for three weeks. [2] A music video was filmed to promote the single. [3] It also featured in a diner scene in the 1992 Hollywood blockbuster Basic Instinct .
In a 1991 interview with Dennis Elsas, Rea described the song's lyrical message: "The idea is fundamentally a guy is looking at his daughter, who is now just about in her teenage years and he sees her turn away. She's looking to her summer, she's spring looking for the summer, and he, then in autumn, looks back and remembers what it was like when he also looked for his summer. The third verse reminds his wife how they hurt each other's growing pains, while they both looked for their summers, and in many ways he still looks for his summer." [4]
In a review of Auberge, Deborah Hornblow of The Hartford Courant considered the song as one of the album's "better tracks", and noted the song is "infused with a wide-openness and yearning by the strains of Rea's fine guitar work". [5] Adam Sweeting of The Guardian commented: "Song titles like "Looking for the Summer" are accurate guides to their contents." [6]
Johnny Loftus of AllMusic recommended the song by labelling it an AMG Pick Track. [1] In a 2017 concert review, Andrew Steel of Yorkshire Evening Post described the song as a "classic" and added: "The soft-rock gems of "Julia" and "Looking for the Summer" are smart, lithe numbers possessed of a foot-tapping joy underneath his husky vocals, rugged and languorous." [7]
7" single
12" single
Cassette single
CD single
CD single (US promo)
Production
Other
Chart (1991) | Peak position |
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Belgian Singles Chart (V) [8] | 39 |
Dutch Singles Chart [9] | 37 |
German Singles Chart [10] | 51 |
UK Singles Chart [2] | 49 |
Christopher Anton Rea is an English rock and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist from Middlesbrough, England. He is of Italian and Irish descent. Rea is known for his distinctive, husky singing and slide guitar playing, with the Guinness Rockopedia describing him as a "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart". After learning to play the guitar relatively late, a short burst of local band activity led to his launching a solo career in 1978.
Water Sign is the fifth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1983. The album reached No. 64 on the UK Albums Chart. "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" was released as a single, initially peaking on the UK Singles Chart at No. 60, while a re-recorded version for Rea's 1988 compilation album, New Light Through Old Windows, reached No. 74. Water Sign reached No. 36 in New Zealand. It sold well in Ireland, prompting Rea to mount an extensive tour there, which marked the beginning of an upswing in the musician's fortunes which gathered pace and continued into the 1990s.
Shamrock Diaries is the seventh studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1985. This album represents the beginning of a creative and commercial zenith for Rea. Shamrock Diaries was a huge seller in Europe, reaching the top 20 in several countries including Ireland, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and spent forty two weeks in the Dutch charts, peaking at No. 3. The album was also successful in Australia, where it charted in the top 50. "Stainsby Girls" became Rea's first Top 30 single since 1978's "Fool If You Think It's Over". In 1988, Magnet Records was taken over by Warner Bros Records, who re-released Shamrock Diaries with a significantly remixed version of "Josephine". The original version was used in the 2019 deluxe re-issue of the album.
On the Beach is the eighth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1986, and built on the success of the preceding Shamrock Diaries. It reached No. 11 in the UK Albums Chart, topped the Dutch charts, reached number two in West Germany and No. 4 in New Zealand. It reached the Top 10 in Norway and Czechoslovakia. In 2019, a deluxe remastered version of the album was released.
Auberge is the eleventh studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1991. The album, as well as the title song, is notable for its association with the Caterham Super Seven that Rea owned, which he called the "Blue Seven". The car appears on the album cover, illustrated in oil by renowned motoring artist Alan Fearnley. The album makes several references to the car over several tracks, as well on the video of the title song, and its cover illustration was used for its adverts. In 2005, Rea sold the car in an auction.
The Road to Hell is the tenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1989. Coming on the back of several strongly performing releases, it is Rea's most successful studio album, and topped the UK Albums Chart for three weeks. It was certified 6× Platinum by BPI in 2004. The album demonstrates a thematic cohesion previously absent from Rea's work, with the majority of the tracks containing strong elements of social commentary, particularly concerning alienation and violence, and contains lyrics which reference an ongoing search for escape/redemption. The second part of the two-part title track, "The Road to Hell ", is one of Rea's most famous songs, and his only single to reach the UK Top 10. Geffen Records released the album in the US, adding the 1988 re-recording of Let's Dance. Allmusic describes the album as a "modern masterpiece".
"Josephine" is a song from the album Shamrock Diaries by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, and which performed strongly when released as a single on 22 June 1985, reaching the Top 10 in France and the Netherlands, and a remix enjoyed popularity on the Balearic beat scene. It was written for his daughter of the same name. Rea would later name a song after his youngest daughter, Julia, on the album Espresso Logic (1993).
Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris Rea is a compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released by Rhino Records in 2009. The album reached #8 in the UK, making it Rea's first entry in the Top 10 in ten years since The Blue Cafe (1998), and was certified Gold by BPI in 2013.
"Julia" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, which was released in 1993 as the lead single from his thirteenth studio album Espresso Logic. The song, written and produced by Rea, was dedicated to Rea's daughter Julia Christina, who was four years old at the time of its release. The song reached No. 18 in the UK and remained in the charts for five weeks.
"Auberge" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, which was released in February 1991 as the lead single from his eleventh studio album, Auberge. It was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. "Auberge" reached No. 16 in the United Kingdom and remained on the UK Singles Chart for six weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single. It was directed by Nigel Dick and shot at Bray Studios, Berkshire.
"Nothing to Fear" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1992 as the lead single from his twelfth studio album God's Great Banana Skin. It was written and produced by Rea. "Nothing to Fear" reached No. 16 in the UK and remained in the charts for four weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single, directed by Andy Morahan.
"Soft Top, Hard Shoulder" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1993 as the third single from his twelfth studio album God's Great Banana Skin and the soundtrack of the 1992 British comedy drama film of the same name. "Soft Top, Hard Shoulder", which was written and produced by Rea, reached No. 53 in the UK and remained in the charts for two weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single.
"The One I Love" is a song by Scottish rock band Big Country, which was released in 1993 as the third and final single from their sixth studio album The Buffalo Skinners. It was written by Stuart Adamson and Bruce Watson, and produced by Big Country.
"That's What They Always Say" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1989 as the second single from his tenth studio album The Road to Hell. It was written by Rea and produced by Rea and Jon Kelly. As the follow-up to "The Road to Hell", "That's What They Always Say" reached No. 83 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for four weeks.
"Heaven" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in March 1991 as the second single from his 11th studio album, Auberge (1991). It was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. "Heaven" reached No. 57 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for two weeks.
"Winter Song" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1991 as an extended play and as a track on the European edition of his eleventh studio album Auberge. "Winter Song" was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. The EP, which was released to coincide with Rea's current tour of Britain, reached No. 27 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for four weeks.
"Texas" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1990 as an extended play from his tenth studio album The Road to Hell (1989). It was written by Rea and produced by Rea and Jon Kelly. "Texas" reached No. 69 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for two weeks.
"Tell Me There's a Heaven" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1990 as the third single from his tenth studio album The Road to Hell (1989). It was written by Rea and produced by Rea and Jon Kelly. "Tell Me There's a Heaven" reached No. 24 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for six weeks.
"God's Great Banana Skin" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1992 as the second single from his twelfth studio album God's Great Banana Skin. The song was written and produced by Rea. "God's Great Banana Skin" reached No. 31 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the charts for three weeks.
"Let It Loose" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, which was released in 1983 as the lead single from his fifth studio album Water Sign. The song was written by Rea, and produced by Rea and Dave Richards. "Let It Loose" reached No. 85 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for four weeks.