To this day, whenever the calendar hits mid-June, an indescribable feeling overcomes me. One word simply cannot cover it. Memories flood my mind in waves. I remember staring out the window hoping that last day of school would go by in a hurry. As a Catholic school boy from kindergarten to 12th grade, the thought of not having to wear a shirt and tie until the following September was bliss. Dress shoes? Nope! It was me and my Puma Clyde’s for the summer.
A New York City summer (pronounced summah) of the 70s and 80s had no rival. It was endless stickball or football games in the street. It was one of our crew going to the fire department to get a sprinkler cap for the fire hydrant. It was hanging out on different stoops talking about everything and nothing. It was Mr. B and/or Mr. Conte giving us their take on the events of the day.
All of it came with a soundtrack. Back then, when you walked around the city, there was music playing somewhere from various sources: boombox, transistor radio, or someone’s apartment.
That soundtrack never really left me. So I compiled a playlist of songs that remind me of the summers of my youth, with a few sprinkled in from the 90s and 2000s. Available below on Apple Music and Spotify. Enjoy.
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