In the Summertime

"In the Summertime" is the debut single by British rock band Mungo Jerry, released in 1970. It reached number one in charts around the world, including seven weeks on the UK Singles Chart, two weeks at number one on the Canadian charts, and number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US. Written and composed by the band's lead singer, Ray Dorset, while working in a lab for Timex, the lyrics of the song celebrate the carefree days of summer.

Composition and recording Dorset has said that the song took only ten minutes to write, which he did using a second-hand Fender Stratocaster, while he was taking time off from his regular job, working in a lab for Timex.

The song was recorded in Pye Studio 1 with Barry Murray producing. Initially it was only two minutes long; to make it longer, Murray played the recording twice, slightly remixing the second half, and put the sound of a motorcycle in the middle. In an interview with Gary James, Dorset explained that they couldn't find a recording of a motorcycle, but that "Howard Barrow, the engineer had an old, well, it wasn't old then, a Triumph sports car, which he drove past the studio while Barry Marrit [sic] was holding the microphone. So, he got the stereo effects from left to right or right to left, whatever. And that was it."

Dorset has suggested that it was the first number one song to employ "beatbox" percussion. [Dorset comments at about 3:25 in the interview]

Release

The initial UK release was on Dawn Records, a new label launched by Pye. It was unusual in that it was a maxi single, playing at 33 rpm, whereas singles generally played at 45 rpm. It included an additional song also written and composed by Dorset, "Mighty Man", on the A-side, and a much longer track, the Woody Guthrie song "Dust Pneumonia Blues", on the B-side. As the record was sold in a picture sleeve, also not standard at the time, and sold at only a few pence more than the normal 45 rpm two-track single, it was considered value for money. A small quantity of 45 rpm discs on the Pye record label, with "Mighty Man" on the B-side, and without a picture sleeve, were pressed for use in jukeboxes. These are now rare collector's items.

In 2012, Dorset sued his former management company Associated Music International, run by his former friend and business manager Eliot Cohen, claiming over £2 million in royalties from the song that he believed had been withheld from him.

Personnel Credits adapted from the single liner notes for "In the Summertime". Ray Dorset – vocals, electric guitar, 6-string acoustic, cabasa, stomp Paul King – banjo, jug Colin Earl – piano Mike Cole – string bass

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1970)PeakpositionAustralia (Go-Set National Top 60)1Australia (Kent Music Report)1Denmark (IFPI)1France (CIDD)1Italy (FIMI)1Mexico1New Zealand (RIANZ)1South Africa (Springbok Radio)1Sweden1US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)30US Cash Box Top 1002US Record World Top 1001

Year-end charts Chart (1970)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)16Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)2Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)4Canada Top Singles (RPM)7France (IFOP)2Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)4South Africa (Springbok Radio)2Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)2UK Singles (OCC)1US Billboard Hot 10053US Cash Box Top 10035

Certifications and sales

The Mixtures version

In 1970, Australian rock band the Mixtures covered and released the song. The song replaced Mungo Jerry's version at number one on the Australian chart, where it remained at number one for six weeks. It was the biggest-selling single by an Australian artist in Australia in 1970 and number three overall.

Charts Weekly charts Chart (1970)PeakpositionAustralia (Go-Set National Top 40)1Australia (Kent Music Report)1

Year-end charts Chart (1970)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)3Australian Artist (Kent Music Report)1

Shaggy version

In 1995, Jamaican-American reggae musician Shaggy covered the song, and released it in June that year by Virgin Records as the lead single from his third studio album, Boombastic (1995). Aside from the addition of rap lyrics, Shaggy's version also substitutes other lyrics for the song's original line "have a drink, have a drive." He also performed the song on an episode of Baywatch. A year after its release, the song was re-recorded and released specifically for the film Flipper under the title "In the Summertime" ('96 version).

Critical reception Pan-European magazine Music & Media complimented Shaggy's cover version as a "tasty remake". Roger Morton from NME felt the musician had covered "In the Summertime" "in fine jagga-jug band/who gives a shit style." Al Weisel from Rolling Stone described it as "a bouncy, infectious remake of the 1970 Mungo Jerry hit, [that] alternates a soulful chorus with a rapid-fire rap a la Chaka Demus and Pliers' 'Murder She Wrote'."Weisel, Al (7 September 1995). "Recordings". Rolling Stone.

Track listings United Kingdom CD single "In the Summertime" (single edit) – 3:46 "It No Matter" – 3:56 "Gal You a Pepper" – 3:37 "In the Summertime" (Sting vs. Shaggy remix) – 4:40

7-inch vinyl and cassette "In the Summertime" (single edit) – 3:46 "It No Matter" – 3:56

12-inch vinyl "In the Summertime" (Sting vs. Shaggy remix) – 4:40 "In the Summertime" (LP version) – 3:55 "In the Summertime" (Drum Dancehall mix) – 3:54

1996 "Flipper" CD single "In the Summertime '96" (original version) – 3:52 "In the Summertime '96" (instrumental) – 3:52 "Flipper Main Theme" – 3:58

United States CD single "In the Summertime" (single edit) – 3:48 "In the Summertime" (LP version) – 3:55 "In the Summertime" (Drum Dancehall mix) – 3:54 "In the Summertime" (Funk Dance mix) – 3:58 "Boombastic" (LP version) – 4:05 "Boombastic" (Sting remix) – 4:18

12-inch vinyl "In the Summertime" (LP version) – 3:55 "In the Summertime" (Drum Dancehall mix) – 3:54 "In the Summertime" (Funk Dance mix) – 3:58 "Boombastic" (Sting remix) – 4:18

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995)PeakpositionEurope (European Dance Radio)23Europe (European Hit Radio)6Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)7Hungary (Mahasz)2Poland (Music & Media)3UK Pop Tip Club Chart (Music Week)20US Cash Box Top 1003

Year-end charts Chart (1995)RankLatvia (Latvijas Top 50)107New Zealand (RIANZ)21UK Singles (OCC)73US Billboard Hot 10018US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)9US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard)7US Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)8US Cash Box Top 10023

Certifications

Release history RegionVersionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United Stateswith "Boombastic"1995VirginUnited KingdomSolo26 June 1995Japan5 July 1995CDAustralia24 July 1995United States30 April 1996Contemporary hit radio Misprinted as the previous week, 23 April, on the source.

In other media The song's lyric "have a drink, have a drive, go out and see what you can find" led to its use in 1992 in a UK advert for the campaign Drinking and Driving Wrecks Lives. It featured the first verse against people enjoying drinks in a pub during summer, then stopped to show a fatal car accident caused by drunk driving.

"In the Summertime" has been featured in many feature-length films including 29th Street, Twin Town, The Substitute, The Maze Kids Movie: Bigger, Better, Longer, Dirtier, Drowning Mona, Mr. Deeds, Stolen Summer, Anita and Me, Wedding Crashers, Wild About Harry, Despicable Me 2, and Dog Days, and X.

In the Summertime

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