Getting back to our regularly scheduled, non-Star Wars programming, I’ve gathered up a selection of music vids that all mention my obsession du jour, summertime, and which, in one way or another, mirror my feelings on the season I’ve largely missed out on this year. Don’t worry, it’s not all heavy, depressing stuff… and yes, I know it’s no longer Friday evening…

First up, a song I always enjoy cranking loud around Memorial Day weekend, when the season is first getting started. It’s The Cars with “Magic,” one of the five top-40 hits from their 1984 album Heartbeat City. Be warned; this clip is from the “weird stuff that really has nothing to do with anything” school of music videos (see also “Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats):

Man, nothing brings back memories of the 1980s like a sports jacket with a headache-inducing weave pattern that clashes with the equally toxic print of the shirt underneath. It’s funny, Ric Ocasek always seemed so mature to me back in the day. Watching this now, he looks like he’d probably get carded buying beer at 7-Eleven. He also looks a little like my friend Keith did in 1984. Go figure.

Next, we’ve got Brian Setzer performing the Eddie Cochran classic “Summertime Blues.” You can probably imagine why I chose this song for our feature this week. Why yes, you’re right — this timeless existential cry of protest against the unfairness of having your whole summer eaten up by The Man does resonate with me; what was your first clue? This clip isn’t a true music video; it appears to be taken from a TV special. But it earns extra credit by featuring the legendary rock-n-roll disc jockey Wolfman Jack at the beginning:

I’m not sure what The La Bamba Rock ‘n’ Roll Revue was or when it aired. I thinks it’s safe to assume it was some kind of promo for the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba, in which Setzer actually played Cochran in a couple of scenes. Like Johnny Depp and Richard Greico, he was one of those cute young guys I despised on principle back in the day, because my girlfriend at the time always made such a fuss about them and made me feel insecure. I remember being snottily dismissive of his band, The Stray Cats, because they were trying to “sound old,” and if you wanted to listen to oldies, you ought to try the real thing. Let’s just say I’ve softened my position somewhat in the years since.

I’ve been frustrated and angry about the work situation, but now that I can feel autumn approaching, my mood has shifted more toward sadness, as I said earlier. And I can’t think of any songs that reflect the melancholy yearning I’ve been experiencing this week like The Motels’ “Suddenly Last Summer”:

I always thought Martha Davis was a cutie, and obviously I like the song, but I must admit it’s all I can do not to laugh at the 2:30 mark when all the dudes from the band start looking one by one into the camera with grave expressions. Oooh, ominous! God, some of this stuff was so pretentious.

And speaking of pretentious, here’s Don Henley with the song that provided my earlier entry with a title:

I don’t have a lot of affection for Henley — let’s just say he came across very badly in a book I read a while back — but this is an awesome tune that still sounds remarkably fresh to my ear. I became aware at an early age of loss and how good things can end with little warning, so the song meant something to me even way back when. It means more now. That little voice inside my head may say don’t look back, you can never look back, but somehow I never manage to heed its warning…