Summer Symphony

Last updated
"Summer Symphony"
Summer Symphony - Jack Gold Sound.jpg
45 RPM side label
Single by Jack Gold Sound
B-side "Lilacs"
ReleasedAugust 1970 (U.S.)
July 1971 (re-release)
Genre Jazz, Pop
Length2:44
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield
Producer(s) Jack Gold
Jack Gold Sound singles chronology
"It Hurts to Say Goodbye"
(1969)
"Summer Symphony"
(1970)

"Summer Symphony" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It was arranged by John Farrar and produced by Pat Aulton. The song was used on the album Sounds Of Sedaka, a UK issue of the 1969 album, Workin' On A Groovy Thing recorded for Festival Records of Australia.

Contents

As the early 60s came to an end, Neil’s last Hot-100 entry in the decade was “The Answer to My Prayer” in 1965. In 1968 he recorded “Star Crossed Lovers” in Australia and re-energized his career with a #1 hit there. The following year he recorded a full album in Australia with arrangements by John Farrar, who went on to guide the career of Olivia Newton-John.

“Summer Symphony” was a track on the album and was one of seven tracks written with Sedaka’s long-time collaborator, Howard Greenfield. Together they wrote some of his biggest hits, including “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” in 1962.

A number of tracks from this album were recorded by other artists; “Summer Symphony” was recorded by Lesley Gore on Mercury (1969). It was a non-album single, however, it used as the B-side of Gore's medley hit, "98.6/Lazy Day" (U.S. AC #38). [1]

Jack Gold Sound cover

"Summer Symphony" was also covered by songwriter and producer Jack Gold in 1970. His rendition reached #10 on the U.S. Easy Listening chart in the summer of 1970. The following summer the song was re-released and became a hit again, reaching #34. It was included on a compilation LP, Make The Music Play (Neil Sedaka's Songwriting Gems 1963-1971). [2]

Other versions

In 1972, The Society of Seven recorded another lyricized version with Tony Ruivivar on lead vocals. It was featured on their LP Simply Ourselves.

Chart history

Chart (1970)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary [3] 10
Chart (1971)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary [4] 34

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Sedaka</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1939)

Neil Sedaka is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard "Howie" Greenfield and Phil Cody.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen</span> 1961 single by Neil Sedaka

"Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" is a pop song released in 1961 by Neil Sedaka. Sedaka wrote the music and performed the song, while the lyrics were written by Howard Greenfield. The song is noted for being similar in musical structure to Take Good Care of My Baby by Bobby Vee, and additionally for its resemblance to the melody of the Chiffons' subsequent 1963 hit "One Fine Day". Both of these songs exhibiting similarity to "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" were penned by the team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breaking Up Is Hard to Do</span> 1962 song by Neil Sedaka

"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" is a song recorded by Neil Sedaka, co-written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Sedaka recorded this song twice, in 1962 and 1975, in two significantly different arrangements, and it is considered to be his signature song. Between 1970 and 1975, it was a top-40 hit three separate times for three separate artists: Lenny Welch, The Partridge Family and Sedaka's second version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Girl</span> 1975 single by Elton John

"Island Girl" is a 1975 song by English musician Elton John. It was written by John and his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin and released as the first single from the album Rock of the Westies (1975). It reached number one for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., selling over one million copies, and also reached the top twenty in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Will Keep Us Together</span> 1973 song by Neil Sedaka

"Love Will Keep Us Together" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It was first recorded by Sedaka in 1973. The brother-sister duo Mac and Katie Kissoon recorded their version in 1973. American pop duo Captain & Tennille covered it in 1975, with instrumental backing almost entirely by “Captain” Daryl Dragon, with the exception of drums played by Hal Blaine; their version became a worldwide hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonely Night (Angel Face)</span> 1976 single by Captain & Tennille

"Lonely Night (Angel Face)" is a song written by Neil Sedaka. The song was first recorded by Sedaka and appeared as a track on his 1975 studio album, The Hungry Years. The following year the song was made popular when covered by the pop music duo Captain & Tennille, who took their version to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Stop Believin' (Olivia Newton-John song)</span> 1976 single by Olivia Newton-John

"Don't Stop Believin'" is the title track from the 1976 album by Olivia Newton-John. Written and composed specifically for Newton-John by John Farrar. It was released in August 1976 as the album's lead single. It peaked at number thirty-three on the Billboard Hot 100. It was her seventh number one on the Easy Listening chart, spending one week at the top of the chart in September 1976. The single also went to number fourteen on the country chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calendar Girl (song)</span> 1960 single by Neil Sedaka

"Calendar Girl" is a song by Neil Sedaka. The music was composed by Sedaka and the lyrics by Howard Greenfield. Recorded in 1959 and released in December 1960 as a single, it was a Top-5 hit single for Sedaka, peaking at No. 4 on the US charts, No. 3 in Australia, and No. 1 on the Canadian and Japanese charts.

<i>Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits</i> 1961 studio album by Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits is a solo album by Neil Sedaka released in 1961 immediately after the cover versions of earlier hits in Circulate.

"Run Samson Run" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield and sung by Neil Sedaka. It appears on his album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits. The song was included in Neil Sedaka Sings His Greatest Hits (1959–1963).

<i>Love Theme from "Romeo And Juliet" (A Time for Us)</i> 1969 studio album by Johnny Mathis

Love Theme from "Romeo and Juliet" is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on July 30, 1969, by Columbia Records. Of its 11 tracks, eight had been hits for other performers earlier that year, and one of the remaining three, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again", would become a huge success for Dionne Warwick several months later.

<i>The Other Side of Me</i> (Andy Williams album) 1975 studio album by Andy Williams

The Other Side of Me is the thirty-fifth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in the summer of 1975 by Columbia Records and including the 1973 recording of "Solitaire" from his album of the same name alongside 10 original recordings, four of which were also by "Solitaire" composer Neil Sedaka. After unsuccessful attempts to leave behind the formulaic album genre of easy listening covers of pop hits, The Other Side of Me offered a compromise by filling half of the sides with material that was popularized by other artists and the other half with either new or obscure selections.

<i>A Song</i> 1977 studio album by Neil Sedaka

A Song is an in-studio album containing the works of American pop star Neil Sedaka. It was produced by George Martin and released in 1977 on the Elektra label in the US, marking the beginning of Sedaka's association with Elektra, which would run through 1981. Outside of the US, A Song was released on the Polydor label. After several record labels released bootleg CD's sourced from vinyl pressings over the years, the album was officially remastered and released on CD and digital platforms on November 11th, 2022.

<i>I Dont Remember Ever Growing Up</i> 2007 studio album by Andy Williams

I Don't Remember Ever Growing Up is the forty-third and final studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in the UK by the Demon Music Group in 2007. In the liner notes of the album Williams writes, "Over the past few years I have come across songs that I really wanted to record. I picked 13 of my favorites and set out to make a new record." While the title track is the only new song, the other 12 selections were chart hits for other artists or, as is the case with "Desperado" by the Eagles, received critical acclaim without having been released as a single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Next Door to an Angel</span> 1962 single by Neil Sedaka

"Next Door to an Angel" is a rock and pop song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield and recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1962. It was issued by RCA Victor Records. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1962. "Next Door to an Angel" also went to No. 19 on the Hot R&B Singles chart. It was Sedaka's last appearance on the American Top 10 until "Laughter in the Rain" in late 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Where the Boys Are (Connie Francis song)</span> 1961 single by Connie Francis

"Where the Boys Are" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield for, and first recorded by, Connie Francis as the title track of the 1960 movie by the same name in which she was co-starring.

<i>I Only Have Eyes for You</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1976 studio album by Johnny Mathis

I Only Have Eyes for You is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on May 10, 1976, by Columbia Records and included two new songs, "Yellow Roses on Her Gown" and "Ooh What We Do", which was written specifically for him, as well as a contemporary arrangement of the 1934 title track that foreshadowed his recordings of standards that incorporated a disco beat a few years later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Stay Mad at You</span> 1963 single by Skeeter Davis

"I Can't Stay Mad at You" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was originally recorded by American country artist Skeeter Davis, becoming her second top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. "I Can't Stay Mad at You" followed on the popular success of Davis' earlier 1963 crossover hit "The End of the World". The song was one of the first Goffin-King compositions to be recorded by a country music performer.

<i>Play Me Out</i> (Helen Reddy album) 1981 studio album by Helen Reddy

Play Me Out is the thirteenth studio album by Australian-American pop singer Helen Reddy that was released in 1981 by MCA Records. Having recorded 12 studio albums at Capitol Records over a 10-year period, she felt the move was "'long overdue... For the last three years I didn't feel I was getting the support from them.'" Whatever support she received from the new label was not enough to get the album onto Billboard magazine's Top LPs & Tape chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Last Song Together</span> 1973 single by Neil Sedaka

"Our Last Song Together" is a 1973 song recorded by Neil Sedaka. It is a track from his LP The Tra-La Days Are Over, and was the third of four single releases from the album.

References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 99.
  2. Various – Make The Music Play (Neil Sedaka's Songwriting Gems 1963-1971)
  3. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 98.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 98.