Remember Johnny Rivers?

Maybe because I was riding through the same poor side of town I ride through five days a week in order to get downtown to the office, but was coming from a different direction this morning after having to get a blood draw, this morning a song of Johnny Rivers' came into my head - "Poor Side of Town" - and after I played that through my mental video, I remembered smash hits like "Secret Agent Man," "Memphis," "Baby I Need Your Loving" and this one, "Summer Rain," which didn't go to number one on the charts in 1967 but to this day when I hear it (which is practically never), it gives me chills.  I think it is one of the most romantic love songs of all time.  The words are so incredible -- like he actually lived it and met his true love, the song is full of meaning, tenderness, joy, wonder.  Wow.  And he played that acoustic guitar like an angel!

I found a poor quality video from 1973 at You Tube and decided not to post it.  The sound quality on this recording is not much better, but it has the studio orchestration behind it so you kind of get an idea of what it sounded like back when I was still in high school (EEK!) before videos were ever dreamed of, people still played 33LPs and 45 singles on record players and DJs spun actual hot-pressed records, and eight-track was becoming all the rage.

 

Lyrics:

Summer Rain taps at my window
West wind soft as a sweet dream
My love, warm as the sunshine
Sitting here by me
She's here by me

She stepped out of a rainbow
Golden hair shining like moonglow
Warm lips, soft as her soul
Sitting here by me, yeah
She's here by me

All summer long we spent dancing in the sand
And the jukebox kept on playing
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

We sailed into the sunset
Drifting home, caught by a gulf stream
Never gave a thought for tomorrow
Just let tomorrow be, now
Let tomorrow be

She wants to live in the Rockies
She says that's where we'll find peace
Settle down, raise up a family
One to call our own, yeah
We'll have a home

All summer long we spent grooving in the sand
Everybody kept on playing
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

Winter snows drift by my window
North wind blowing like thunder
Our love is burning like fire
And she's here by me, yeah
She's here with me
Let tomorow be