In the Summertime

"In the Summertime"
Single by Mungo Jerry
from the album Electronically Tested
B-side	"Mighty Man"
Released	1970
Genre	Pop-Folk
Length	3:40
Label	Dawn Records (UK) Janus Records (US)
Writer(s)	Ray Dorset
Producer	Barry Murray
Mungo Jerry singles chronology
- "In the Summertime" (1970) "Baby Jump" (1971)

"In the Summertime" is a song recorded in 1970 by the British pop-blues band Mungo Jerry. Written by the group's leader Ray Dorset, this song, which celebrates the carefree days of summer, reached the Number 1 position on charts around the world (including seven weeks in the UK), Number 1 for 2 weeks in Canada, and Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US. It is considered one of the highest selling singles of all time with an estimated 5-10 million copies sold^[1].

It was unusual because the initial UK release, on Dawn Records (a new label launched by Pye), was a maxi-single, playing at 33 rpm (whereas singles generally played at 45 rpm), including an additional song, Mighty Man, also written by Dorset, on the A-side, and a much longer track, the Woody Guthrie song Dust Pneumonia Blues, on the B-side. As it was housed in a picture sleeve (something which only became commonplace about eight years later), and only sold at a few pence more than the normal 45 rpm two-track single, it was considered excellent value for money. Small quantities of 45 rpm discs, on the light blue Pye record label, were pressed for use in jukeboxes, and these are now rare collectors' items.

Shaggy version

"In the Summertime"
Single by Shaggy featuring Rayvon
from the album Boombastic
Released	1995
Format	12", CD single
Recorded	1995
Genre	Reggae fusion, Hip-hop, reggae
Length	3:46
Label	Virgin
Producer	Shaggy, Rayvon
Shaggy singles chronology
"Soon Be Done" (1993) "In the Summertime" (1995) "Boombastic" (1995)

Shaggy covered the song and released it as the first single from his album Boombastic. His cover version features Rayvon.

His version was successful in various countries and reached the top 10 in the UK (Number 5) and the USA (Number 3).

Shaggy changed one line of the song to reflect modern-day values. In Mungo Jerry's version, the lyrics encouraged people to "have a drink, have a drive..." while Shaggy's version says "I'm going to ride and drive ..." The relevant part of the original recording was used in 1992 on British TV public service advertisements warning viewers not to drink and drive.

Track listing

7"

1. "In the Summertime" (featuring Rayvon) - 3:46
2. "It No Matter" - 3:56

CD

1. "In the Summertime" (featuring Rayvon) - 3:46
2. "It No Matter" - 3:56
3. "Gal You a Pepper" - 3:37
4. "In the Summertime" (Sting/Shaggy remix) (featuring Rayvon) - 4:40

12"

1. "In the Summertime" (Sting / Shaggy Remix) (featuring Rayvon) - 4:40
   
2. "In the Summertime" (Funk Dance Mix) (featuring Rayvon) - 3:58
   
3. "In the Summertime" (LP Version) (featuring Rayvon) - 3:55

12" Promo

1. "In the Summertime" (LP Version) (featuring Rayvon) - 3:55
   
2. "In the Summertime" (Drum Dancehall Mix) (featuring Rayvon) - 3:54
   
3. "In the Summertime" (Funk Dance Mix) (featuring Rayvon) - 3:58
   
4. "In the Summertime" (Sting Funk Mix) (featuring Rayvon) - 4:45

Charts

Other cover versions

A near identical version of the song was released in Australia in 1970 at the time of the 1970 radio ban by The Mixtures, which had a clever beach-related promo music video. They followed it up with "The Pushbike Song", which sounded nearly identical to "In the Summertime". Another cover version was recorded by the Idle Race and enjoyed some success in South America, but it was not released in the UK until its appearance on a retrospective CD in 1996.

The 1996 film The Substitute used a new version of the tune in its soundtrack.

In 2006, the progressive keyboardist Derek Sherinian covered the song on his album Blood of the Snake, featuring singer Billy Idol, guitarist Slash, and bassist Tony Franklin.

In 2007, the American rap rock group Phunk Junkeez covered the song on their album Hydro Phonic.

Other media citations

• "In the Summertime" was featured in the official soundtrack of the 2005 film, Wedding Crashers, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson
• "In the Summertime" can be heard in the background of a scene in Mr. Deeds
• "In the Summertime" is featured in the 1997 Welsh film Twin Town, directed by Kevin Allen, and starring Rhys Ifans and Dougray Scott
• "In the Summertime" can be found at the beginning of the movie Drowning Mona
• "In the Summertime" is featured in the 2008 film, An American Carol
• "In the Summertime" is used in the UK version of Life On Mars, second series, second episode.
• "In the Summertime" was used and modified as a Canadian commercial jingle for Kraft Barbecue Sauce in the 1980s.

References

1. ^ The Book of Golden Disks: by Joseph Murrells - ISBN 0 214 205126