Who – Summertime Blues

I wrote this for Dave’s site when he asked a group of bloggers to pick a song that signifies “summer” to you. Now summer is starting to wind down…I thought I would post this one.

I first heard this song by The Who. The Who’s version is a good one for bar bands to play but it’s hard to keep it under control in a bar setting. It must be loud before it works…although it’s fun to see some patrons with their hands over their ears…it’s best to limit that.

Eddie Cochran wrote Summertime Blues with his friend Jerry Capehart and released it in 1958. Capehart helped Cochran get a record deal. Capehart said: “There had been a lot of songs about summer, but none about the hardships of summer.” With that idea and a guitar lick from Cochran, they wrote the song in 45 minutes.”

The song was going to be a B side of the Cochran single “Love Again” written by Sharon Sheeley. The record company wisely made the decision to make Summertime Blues the A side. In 1960 Sheeley was his girlfriend and was in the car that crashed killing Cochran. She died in 2002 five days after having a cerebral hemorrhage.

I like the Cochran version…and the Who version…and they are completely different. I’ve always loved the way The Who covered Summertime Blues. If I had a time machine… The Who would be a stop to see them live at this time. The version they released in 1970 was on their album Live At Leeds…a great rock live album.  The song peaked at #27 on the Billboard 100, #8 in Canada, and #38 in the UK in 1970.

Live at Leeds would be my pick for the best rock live album ever. The album peaked at #4 on the Billboard 100, #2 in Canada, and #3 in the UK. It’s raw, raucous, and in your face…in other words, a great rock song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAM1k9vEVqg

Summertime Blues

Well, I’m a gonna raise a fuss, I’m a gonna raise a holler
I’ve been working all summer just to try and earn a dollar
Well, I went to the boss, said I got a date
The boss said “No Dice, son, you gotta work late”

Sometimes I wonder, what am I gonna do
There ain’t no cure for the summertime blues

Well, my mom and poppa told me, “Son you gotta earn some money
If you want to use the car to go out next Sunday”
Well, I didn’t go to work, I told the boss I was sick
He said “You can’t use the car cause you didn’t work a lick”

Sometimes I wonder, what am I gonna do
There ain’t no cure for the summertime blues

Gonna take two weeks, gonna have a fine vacation
Gonna take my problems to the United Nations
Well, I went to my congressman, he said, quote
“I’d like to help you son but you’re too young to vote”

Sometimes I wonder, what am I gonna do
There ain’t no cure for the summertime blues

Unknown's avatar

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

46 thoughts on “Who – Summertime Blues”

  2. Great tune Max. Certainly the best summer song ever. Live at Leeds is a great album! I’m partial to the original Summertime Blues but The Who do a great job on it! Still bloody hot and humid here today, hotter than all of August. Still we don’t have much to complain about.

    Like

    Reply

      1. Wow! We had a moderate summer where I live…other places though had some bad drought conditions like Texas. Today…it’s in the mid 80s!

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Good lord that’s inhumane! I do feel bad for you and some of the other areas west and south. Hope you get some relief soon. It’s just the dam humidity here, it’s 29 but feels like 36. Honestly with my asthma it’s hard to breath outside.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. We are having great weather right now…mid 80s and feeling wonderful. And it is staying like this for a while.
        Yes poor Dave…that weather they have been having is terrible.

        Liked by 1 person

      7. Overall…and we might be one of the only places…we have had a moderate summer compared to most. We’ve had around 6 days above 100…other than that…it’s been a little below normal.

        Liked by 2 people

      11. Yeah today was the 62nd day this year at or above 100F or 38Celcius. And smog has been high last few weeks. I feel for you with asthma…my wife has that & has had a tough time this summer. Technically I have it too, spent a lot of weeks in hospital as a kid with it, but (duh!) it got way better when my mom quit smoking in the house when I was a teen, better yet when Ontario banned smoking in coffee shops. But I’ve been short of breath a few times this summer as soon as I go out.

        Liked by 2 people

      12. Nothing worse than not being able to breathe. Tough to deal with as a kid. I feel for your wife especially in those conditions. Don’t know what I’d do without my meds! Those are truly brutal temperatures to endure, not sure how much El Niño is affecting it but I hope it will pass.

        Liked by 1 person

      13. Guys I don’t have asthma… but I tried to do my daily walk in 98 degree weather last week…I actually felt the air burn inside my lungs…yea it’s no way…I can’t imagine you two with asthma.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Thanks again for doing that one for my site and the mention! A great pick and I’m sure Randy could elaborate but one that’s been covered a whole lot of times, which points to a great song. I tend to think Joan Jett’s was the first version I heard.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. You are only the second person I’ve met on the blogs that had that set. I had it also…it was my first Who album.
      That is a good thing!

      Like

      Reply

  11. It was a great pick at the time of Turntable Talk and it’s a great pick now. I love both the Eddie Cochran original and The Who’s rendition.

    But the very first version I ever heard of “Summertime Blues” was neither by Cockran nor by The Who. It was a 1981 German rendition by my longtime favorite German-singing band BAP: 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment