Mayor Of Ponce: Wayfarers of Summer

WAYFARERS OF SUMMER

  I was in the car and Don Henley’s "Boys of Summer" came on. I’d forgotten how great of a song that was/ is, no matter how big a prick Don Henley was/ and probably still is. My Favorite line is near the end, "I can seee you. Brown skin shinnin’ in the suun. Ya got yer hair slicked back… way-farers on baaa-by".

God, I love that. It gives you such an amazing visual. At least to me it does. And it’s a great thing when a song can add that sense to it as well. You can hear it AND see it. Chills.

It’s beautiful how some songs can give you a cinematic moment. Like when you read a book, you make your own movie in your head. Springsteen comes to mind. But I’m less talking about entire stories put to music, more just a one line in a song that gives an image that you’ve swear you’ve touched. You know you’ve been there.

I watched the Republican National Convention the other day at a bar with no volume on. It did help to not have hear all the bullshit patriotism, but without sound, it was quite strange. Watching the faces of the delegates, they just seemed like a tired old bunch. It seemed so sad in that arena. The haunting music of "Boys of Summer" should’ve been overdubbed for a new video. Surely some of those cold hearts in those conservatives had a warm summer. Somewhere. Sometime. A restless, maybe misspent youth that they wanted hold on to. God, I hope so. And you have to believe there was at least one deadhead sticker on a giant SUV Cadillac, right?

With music and lyric giving imagery, you wish technology would give us added sense of smell. A scratch & sniff radio, if you will. I can almost touch the brown skin of the girl in the wayfarers. I can see the bottle of Panama Jack tanning oil as my mind pans up. I want to smell it. I want to smell the whiskey and cocaine in a Stones song. I can hear and see it, why not scratch and smell it?

Jeffery Lebowski probably said it all when he groaned, "I hate fuckin’ Eagles, maaan". Just like he said Metallica were a "bunch of assholes" on the Speed of Sound tour. Don Henley’s probably a prick, but I thank him for writing "Boys of Summer". Somehow it made my day. Reminded of how great this summer has been. I’m just sad it’s coming to an end. And yes, just like in the song, I want to hold on to it. Along with youth. And innocence. And you best believe I’m going to try.

Maybe my hair won’t be slicked back, But I’ll definately have my wayfarers on.

– J. Winter

The Mayor of Ponce wants to know what songs, or a line in a song gives you the same feeling. A lyric that makes an image pop into your head. Whether it be something personal, or it’s like reading a book, and in your head, you have your own video for the song. Comment below!