To kick off summer the right way, the interns at Zildjian made a Spotify playlist consisting of our favorite “Songs of Summer”, ranging from the past to the present. Whether these songs were in the Top 10 the summer they were released, or they simply have a summertime vibe, compiling them all seemed like the perfect way to start Summer ’17! Even better, all of these songs also feature Zildjian Artists on drums!
These five songs below best represent the 40 song playlist. Download it in its entirety on Spotify - you can listen straight through to travel from the past to the present day, or on shuffle to mix all of the summers from the past 50+ years! We hope you enjoy!
“Good Vibrations" - Beach Boys feat. Hal Blaine
Few drummers have had careers as rich as studio legend Hal Blaine. A member of the Zildjian family for over fifty years, Hal has played on forty #1 hits, including three with The Beach Boys. Hal was the drummer for the informal group of Los Angeles studio musicians known as the “Wrecking Crew”. By 1966’s “Pet Sounds”, the Beach Boys studio instrumentation was almost entirely performed by the Wrecking Crew, including the critical and commercial hit “Good Vibrations”. “Good Vibrations” was essentially the end of Beach Boys surf rock, but it is still captures the vibe and charm of the warm California sun, which makes it an absolute essential for our Zildjian Songs of Summer playlist.
"Blue Sky" - The Allman Brothers feat. Claude "Butch" Trucks
Long-time Zildjian Artists Claude “Butch” Trucks and Jaimoe were possibly the greatest drumming duo of the classic rock era. Together they formed the rhythm section of the Allman Brothers Band. Butch was the freight train that chugged along with a solid backbeat, and Jaimoe provided depth and texture with his jazz influence. “Blue Sky” has become a jam rock staple for its lengthy guitar solos, and it is one of the last recordings of guitarist Duane Allman. “Blue Sky” is the perfect song to listen while driving down a country road, and we would like to dedicate this pick to Butch and Greg Allman.
"Girls of Summer" - Aerosmith feat. Joey Kramer
Aerosmith has sold more records than any other American rock band, and forever at the helm has been drummer Joey Kramer, a Zildjian Artist since 1977. Aerosmith emerged on the scene in the early 1970’s where they clearly established themselves as one of America’s most talented rock bands. Aerosmith dominated rock music in the 90’s and 00’s with hits like “Girls of Summer”. The music video for “Girls of Summer” was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2003, and it perfectly depicts a rockin’ summer.
"Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line feat. Sean Fuller
Another notable song featured on our playlist is “Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line. Released in 2012, this song effortlessly bridged the gap between the country and pop genres and was played on Country and Pop radio stations alike all throughout the summer of 2013. The country duo performed “Cruise” at the Teen Choice Awards in the summer of 2013, making them the first Country Artists to perform at this award show. Zildjian Artist Sean Fuller, who has been a member of the Zildjian Family since 2013, played on this record with Florida Georgia Line, and he is currently on tour with the duo across the United States. Sean’s current cymbal setup includes everything from multiple splashes and small EFX cymbals like the 10” FX Trashformer and the 9” K Custom Hybrid Splash to the 40” Traditional Orchestral Gong with 14” A Custom HiHats, a 19” A Zildjian Ultrahammered China and an 18” A Custom Projection Crash somewhere in the middle. “Cruise” instantly reminds you of rolling the windows down and blasting music on long drives in the summertime.
"Ride" - Twenty One Pilots feat. Josh Dun
The last song we’re highlighting from our playlist is “Ride” by Twenty One Pilots, whose members include vocalist and musican Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. Off of their fourth studio album Blurryface, “Ride” reached #1 on Billboard’s US Hot Rock Songs and #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2016. Drummer Josh Dun, who has been a member of the Zildjian family since 2015, played on this record and will be performing at various musical festivals this summer. Josh’s current setup consists solely of A Custom cymbals, including 14” A Custom HiHats, a 16” A Custom EFX, 19” and 20” A Custom Crashes, and a 22”A Custom Ping Ride. The immense popularity of “Ride” resulted in it being ever-present on the radio last summer, and it became a staple in the summer of 2016.
Now check out our own “Top 40” list of favorite summertime songs by Zildjian Artists. Just click the button to download the FREE Spotify* playlist.
Check out the full list of songs below!
- "Good Day Sunshine" - The Beatles feat. Ringo Starr
- "Good Vibrations" - Beach Boys feat. Hal Blaine
- "Long Hot Summer Night" - Jimi Hendrix feat. Mitch Mitchell
- "Sea of Joy" - Blind Faith feat. Ginger Baker
- "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)" - The Hollies feat. Bobby Elliot
- "Blue Sky" - The Allman Brothers feat. Butch Trucks
- "Sweet Home Alabama" - Lynyrd Skynrd feat. Artimus Pyle
- "Thunder Road" - Bruce Springsteen feat. Max Weinberg
- "I Want You to Want Me (Live)" - Cheap Trick feat. Bun E. Carlos
- "Girls of Summer" - Aerosmith feat. Joey Kramer
- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Queen feat. Roger Taylor
- "Hang Fire" - The Rolling Stones feat. Charlie Watts
- "Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey feat. Steve Smith
- "Jack & Diane" - John Mellencamp feat. Kenny Aronoff
- "The Power Of Love" - Huey Lewis & The News feat. Bill Gibson
- "You Can Call Me Al" - Paul Simon feat. Steve Gadd
- "Pour Some Sugar on Me" - Def Leppard feat. Richard Allen
- "Sweet Child O' Mine" - Guns N' Roses feat. Bryan Mantia
- "Mountain Song" - Jane's Addiction feat. Stephen Perkins
- "Enter Sandman" - Metallica feat. Lars Ulrich
- "Ants Marching" - Dave Matthews Band feat. Carter Beauford
- "Run Around" - Blues Traveler feat. Brendan Hill
- "Semi-Charmed Life" - Third Eye Blind feat. Bradley Hargreaves
- "Good Riddance" - Green Day feat. Frank Wright
- "Subterranean Homesick Alien" - Radiohead feat. Phil Selway
- "Higher" - Creed feat. Scott Phillips
- "Last Kiss" - Pearl Jam feat. Matt Cameron
- "Hella Good" - No Doubt feat. Adrian Young
- "Drops of Jupiter" - Train feat. Scott Underwood
- "The Middle" - Jimmy Eat World feat. Zach Lind
- "The Rock Show" - Blink-182 feat. Travis Barker
- "Heavy Metal Drummer" - Wilco feat. Glenn Kotche
- "Joyful Noise" - Derek Trucks Band feat. Yonrico Scott
- "Makes Me Wonder" - Maroon 5 feat. Matt Flynn
- "Viva La Vida" - Coldplay feat. Will Champion
- "Toes" - Zac Brown Band feat. Chris Fryar
- "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line feat. Sean Fuller
- "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons feat. Daniel Platzman
- "Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day" - Luke Bryan feat. Kent Slucher
- "Ride" - Twenty One Pilots feat. Josh Dun
*Spotify is a free music player. If you don't already have an account, you can sign up for one after clicking the download button.
Let Us Know What You Thought about this Post.
Put your Comment Below.