I was intent on celebrating July, hot days and summer in general while we’re still smack in the middle of it. And while there aren’t a whole lot of non-Fourth tunes about July there were quite a few about heat, hotness and certainly summertime.

Amid the familiar seasonal salutes from Billy Stewart, War and Sly and the Family Stone came certain obscurities from Lollipops and Street Corner Society. And if there were sidetrips away from the central theme to include hot rods and hot pants, it was only because there were some good tunes to be found there.  In the end, there were popsicles.

But while there was just one song from The Beach Boys, there were two from the Decemberists, which may prove I can’t get a handle on seasonal programming after all. 

Here’s a link to the whole show; the playlist follows.