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Summer Soft
By Avery | July 31, 2007
It’s summer, which means that I’m back developing a whole new appreciation for Songs In The Key of Life. Again. Of course, it goes without saying that As is, without question, the crown jewel of that collection, but SitKoL is such a comprehensively superior album, almost every song on there is an all-time beast. The song that’s got me all geeked up these days is the sublime, Summmer Soft.
As I said when I wrote about this album before, I grew up hearing SitKoL, so as a result I don’t think I really appreciated how good an album it is until I got older. That’s partially why I think the lack of a generation gap is particularly troublesome in terms of musical quality. Part of growing older and listening to grown folks’ music is that I can come to a more nuanced understanding of what the artist was talking about when my life experience has grown. No disrespect to Cube, but in trying to keep his record career focused on the “reality” of the streets, he’s neglecting the reality of the thirty-plus former hardheads who have, by one means or another, gotten themselves together. Or the reality of cats who were around the action, but not really a part of it. Which is his real story - and mine. That little parenthetical aside, because I’m better able to understand the situations Stevie’s describing as I get older, both in terms of lived experience and comprehension of literary devices, every time I hear Summer Soft, I get more and more floored.
First of all, let’s talk personification. Nothing heavy-handed enough to get into allegory, just simple assignment of human characteristics to a season. The thing is, it’s done with such care, you get the impression that it could be allegorical. Is it about the changing of the seasons, or is it about losing a loved one in one of the transitional seasons? Or is it about waking up one day to find that things have transitioned? In any case, there’s no question that it represents excellent writing — the type of writing that I, as an English teacher, get very excited about.
But then, Summer Soft is not a poem. It’s unquestionably poetic, but it’s a song. Which means that the music and the singing is a factor. But of course, this is early 70’s Stevie, so it goes without saying that those are on point. What I really like is the contrast between the quiet beginning of the song and the repetition of the chorus(es) in ascending keys at the end. Oh. And that line, “taking with her summer’s play” at the end of the first verse. That line, particularly the way he sang it, almost made me hate fall. Almost. Football kept that from happening.
At any rate, rather than talk about it, let’s have Summer Soft.
UPDATE
A Summer Soft story…
One time, I was at my then-girlfriend’s apartment, blasting Summer Soft as we were about to leave. The upstairs neighbor was on her way out the door too. When it got to the end when Stevie’s like, “na-na-naa-naaa-naaaa! WHOOO!!” the neighbor joined right in with him, as loud as she wanted to be.
Topics: Music |
July 31st, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Summer Soft has to be in my top 5 Stevie Wonder songs of all time. It is, as a single, merely perfect.
I don’t know what that musical convention is in which you take the chorus and take it up half a register and sing it again, but Summer Soft is the one song I know you could do that on and on and it never would get tired.
That said. In my mind, the very happiest song ever written is Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do”.
And furthermore on a personal note, the song ‘Overjoyed’ brings me to tears every time I hear it. Don’t tell my wife. It’s about the woman I let get away.
July 31st, 2007 at 5:12 pm
i must be the odd man out on “do i do.” i. cannot. stand. that. song. maybe it’s stevie’s proto-rapping, but that’s one of the few songs in his ‘meh’ column for me.
but since you mentioned it, top 5 stevie songs:
- as
- superwoman (where were you when i needed you)
- summer soft
- golden lady
- you haven’t done nothin.
(? why do i think i’m leavin off somethin reeally good?)
July 31st, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Top Five (hard w/ him):
Uptight (Everything is Alright)
Boogie on Reggae Woman
Overjoyed
Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing
Superwoman
July 31st, 2007 at 10:54 pm
definitely on ‘don’t you worry ’bout a thing.’ something’s gotta come off. it’s really hard, though. but we now have my next playlist, i’ll tell you that much.
August 1st, 2007 at 11:13 am
“I’ll be standing on the side when you check it out” is a very heavy line about maturity in relationships.
December 13th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Thanks for this post. I was scouring the web trying to find somebody who shares my passion for this song, just to connect with someone and ostensibly shout “Stevie Wonder is god.” Like yourself, I find myself revisiting SITKOL over and over again, and at the moment, Summer Soft is on repeat. I have to echo your sentiments: Summer Soft represents to me an exercise in perfection—the melody, the production, the vocals…the lyrics. Just unbelievable. Stevie in this little 4-minute or so ditty at the pinnacle of his songwriting and artistic powers. I’m inevitably and profoundly moved every time I hear this song. Also, regarding your point about Cube and the lack of artistic growth and maturity that we see in today’s commercial landscape, I couldn’t agree more. Was just talking about this with a friend, specifically, with a song like Justin Timberlake’s new single “Til the End of Time.” It’s catchy. As a song, it’s relatively better than most of the crap major labels pour down our throats on a daily basis. And yet, amidst all of that, it’s a Red Herring. When you stack up a song that arguably represents the best of pop music, or commercial pop music, that is out there (like the Justin Timberlake song) today against a song like Summer Soft, there is just no comparison. Not to be a cliched pop music fatalist here, but there’s no question today’s landscape is a progressively bleak one when you compare it to our musical forebearers. I speak primarily of Top 40/AAA/R&B commercial formats, of course. There is stuff independently out there that is interesting and beyond cookie cutter. But it’s harder and harder to find it amidst the din of MySpace and the like.
Cheers