Someone Somewhere In Summertime
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"Someone Somewhere In Summertime" is a song by Scottish rock band
Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...
which was released as the third single from their fifth studio album '' New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)'' (1982). Written by the members of Simple Minds, it was released on 5 November 1982 by
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...
.


Background and recording

There are minor historical discrepancies regarding the song's exact title. The original album version of '' New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)'' in 1982 lists the opening track as "Someone Somewhere in Summertime", whereas the single release titled the song as "Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)" on the front cover. The 2001 compilation album '' The Best of Simple Minds'' uses this exact title, while the 2003 DVD release "Seen The Lights: A Visual History" lists the song as "Someone, Somewhere (In Summertime)". Mel Gaynor was the drummer for the song, with Kenny Hyslop and Mike Ogletree being the other session drummers for '' New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)''. No promotional video was made for the song's release, as the band were preparing for a forthcoming tour of the UK. In a 2008 interview
Jim Kerr James Kerr (born 9 July 1959) is a Scottish musician and lead singer of the rock band Simple Minds. Commercially successful singles released by Simple Minds include " Don't You (Forget About Me)", " Glittering Prize" (1982), " Someone Somewh ...
said of the song: "I think the Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) songwriting craft (...) gives the feeling that we'd arrived - that we'd reached some kind of maturity."


Composition

Although a new wave track in the same genre as the band's previous two singles, "Someone Somewhere In Summertime" is noticeably different in terms of melodic effect. Described by
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Dave Thompson as an "introspective" track with a "dreamy atmosphere", the song is generally seen as taking a gentler and more delicate turn that, as the title suggests, evokes a yearning nature. This can be seen where the song demonstrates imagining blissful or ecstatic scenes in the line: "Moments burn, slow burning golden nights, once more see city lights".


Critical reception

Similarly to " Promised You a Miracle" and " Glittering Prize", "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" has received positive acclaim, praised by AllMusic's MacKenzie Wilson for its ability for "tapping into internal emotion". A ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' review in 2003 described the "lush" and "erotic" song as one of the album's strongest and more "tuneful" tracks. A '' Q'' magazine special in January 2005 stated the song as opening '' New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)'' in "magisterial fashion. Charlie Burchill's
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-like guitar descended across Mick McNeil's textured keyboards, creating a ravishing sense of wonder." ''
Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' praised the way the music and the words fit together, with the "barren mood mirrored by stark guitar work and synthesizers" supporting the lyrics about the singer looking for someone with whom "to share his solitary psychic state." More recent reviews of the song, especially live, have also been positive. ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
''s Simon Price describes "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" as "an unimpeachable highlight, starting 100ft above the ground and never coming down to earth.". ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
s Dave Simpson also complimented the track, labelling it as "a waltz through a mythical August haze" and describing its parent album as a "shimmering masterpiece".


Commercial performance

Its performance in the UK Singles Chart was significantly poorer than the band's two previous hits, peaking at no. 36 and charting for 5 weeks. Nonetheless, it has become a live favourite. and acclaimed as one of the album's most popular tracks. The song also charted in Ireland, peaking at number 19.


Influence and legacy

"Someone Somewhere in Summertime" has been sampled on the song " The World Is Mine" by French producer
David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...
. Irish singer and musician
Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...
, the lead singer of the Irish rock band U2 chose "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" as one of his chosen records on his broadcast of ''
Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...
'' on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
which was first broadcast on 26 June 2022. The band re–recorded the song as part of their performance on the
Sky Arts Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, films, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...
''Greatest Albums Live'' series. The set was performed at the
Paisley Abbey Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the River Cart, White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, base ...
in
Paisley, Renfrewshire Paisley ( ; ; ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Water, a tributary of the River ...
in Scotland, with the recordings later released by the band on a live album release entitled ''New Gold Dream – Live from Paisley Abbey'' in recognition of the ''New Gold Dream'' album having celebrated its 40th year of release.


Charts


References

{{Authority control 1982 singles 1982 songs Simple Minds songs Virgin Records singles