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Summer (The First Time)

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"Summer (The First Time)"
Single by Bobby Goldsboro
from the album Summer (The First Time)
B-side"Childhood - 1949"
Released29 June 1973 (1973-06-29)
GenrePop
Length4:37
LabelUnited Artists Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bob Montgomery and Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro singles chronology
"Honey"
(1968)
"Summer (The First Time)"
(1973)
"Hello Summertime"
(1974)

"Summer (The First Time)" is a song by American singer Bobby Goldsboro, recorded for his album of the same name and released as a single in June 1973. It was written by Bobby Goldsboro, Ashley Abram and Timmy Tappan, and produced by Goldsboro and Bob Montgomery. The song was Goldsboro's second UK hit recorded on United Artists Records UP35558 and peaked at number nine in the UK Singles Chart, spending 10 weeks in the UK Top 50 singles chart.[1] It reached number seven in the Australia, and became a Top 40 Pop and Adult Contemporary hit in both the U.S. and Canada.

The song is a 1973 reminiscence about a 17-year-old boy's first romantic experience with a 31-year-old woman during the summer. Using a repeating piano riff (played by Timmy Tappan), 12-string guitar, and an orchestral string arrangement (engineered by Ernie Winfrey), the song was suggestive enough to spark some controversy at the time. The sound of seagulls combined with the string arrangement at the start of the record, which last 57 seconds until the vocals come in, creates the impression of being on a beach in mid-summer.

It is believed[by whom?] the song was inspired by the film Summer of '42, a coming-of-age comedy-drama released in 1971.

Cover versions

The song has been covered in German as Und Es War Sommer (1976) by Peter Maffay, and in Dutch as Het Werd Zomer (1977) by Rob de Nijs. The Dutch comedic duo Van Kooten en de Bie parodied De Nijs' version as Mannen Worder Wijzer (1977). [2]

Chart history

References

  1. ^ UK Official Charts, 4 August 1973
  2. ^ http://www.originals.be/nl/originals/6561
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Summer (The First Time)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  5. ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 11 March 1974
  6. ^ UK Official Charts, 4 August 1973
  7. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  8. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 11, 1973
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 13, 2017). "Image : RPM Weekly".
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.