Our favorite summer songs, movies and more

As we head into a summer like no other (Drive-in concerts? No Jones Beach shows? Maybe no movie theaters?), our thoughts may turn to happier summers gone by and the songs, movies, TV moments and concerts that made them so memorable that they. stick with us decades later. Here, Newsday's Explore LI writers and editors look back fondly at their summer faves.

FAVORITE SUMMER SONGS

Sly and the Family Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summertime, “ Junior Walker and the All-Stars’ “What Does It Take” and Tommy James and the Shondell’s “Crystal Blue Persuasion” (1969)

The summer of 1969 was a memorable one anyway, what with the moon landing, Woodstock and the Mets’ pennant chase, but these songs were the AM radio soundtrack to the first summer I could drive (my parents' '64 Pontiac Catalina) and my first adult job, as a counselor at the long-gone Capri Beach Club in Atlantic Beach (now a gated community). — ANDY EDELSTEIN

Marvin Gaye's "What’s Going On’’ (1971) 

I was 11 going on 12 in the summer of ‘71, sporting my first curly ‘fro and first pair of high-top Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers and mooning over my first crush. As we did every year the day after school closed in June, my family made a beeline to our farm in the Catskills to escape the swelter of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Our lifeline for two long months was 77 WABC radio, where DJ’s like Harry Harrison spun tunes like ‘’Whatcha See is Whatcha Get,’’ by the Dramatics, Carole King’s ‘’It’s Too Late’’ and ‘’Indian Reservation,’’ by Paul Revere and the Raiders. Those catchy singalongs eased the monotony of gardening and gazing at occasional passersby on our dusty road.

But Marvin Gaye’s ‘’What’s Going On’’ truly defined my coming of age that summer. Its wailing sax intro and plaintive pleas for peace and unity made me listen instead of merely sing along. And for the first time I began to ponder the war in Vietnam, civil unrest and the lingering racial animus dividing our nation.

Those days — and Gaye — are long gone. But his haunting refrain still resonates. — JEFFREY L. WILLIAMS

Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes” (1981). As someone who could probably recite the entire script for “All About Eve,” how could I not be drawn to a song that not only referred to Davis’ poached egg-like peepers, but also paid tribute to “Harlow gold” hair and “Greta Garbo’s standoff sighs.” The summer of ‘81 was also when I officially joined the work force (the less said about that first job, the better), but I still have visions of cranking up the radio on my drive to work and wallowing in “Bette Davis Eyes.”—DANIEL BUBBEO

The Cars' "Magic" (1984)

The first few lines of lyrics say it all, “SUMMER — it turns me upside down. Summer, summer, summer — it’s like a merry-go-round.” This guitar driven tune sprinkled with ‘80s synthesizer was cranking out of my boombox poolside with my middle school buddies before we parted ways heading to the John Hughes phase of our existence — high school. — DAVID J. CRIBLEZ 

Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew's The Show / La Di Da Di" (1985)

Growing up in the sunny suburbs of Southern California, I barely noticed the change of seasons. The summer of 1985 was different. I was just out of high school and had my first set of wheels, which allowed me to drive to all-ages nightclubs like Florentine Gardens, a former Hollywood supper-club now tricked out in chrome and pink neon. There, the DJs played anything with a beat, from British New Wave to Latin pop, but these two tracks — each featuring Slick Rick’s wry vocals and Doug’s impeccable beatboxing — brought teenagers of every color onto the dance floor. “The Show” was too long for radio, and its B-side, “La-Di-Da-Di,” was a little too raunchy, which made them both feel like musical secrets; definitely for big kids only. They’re rarely played now, but they still remind me of finding new friends, navigating a New World and having the luxury of goofing around.— RAFER GUZMAN

Baz Luhrmann’s "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen),” aka "The Sunscreen Song" (1999)

 I was 10 years old and headed into fifth grade. My Beanie Baby collection was booming, I had just discovered Harry Potter (only the first three books were out at the time), and pre-middle school life was so good, so simple. This song was everywhere — coming through the speakers at my hometown's amusement park, Funtown-Splashtown USA, in Saco, ME, where I spent most of that summer and many of the ones that followed — playing in the background at Martel's ice cream shop across the street, where I might've spent almost as much time. The advice in "The Sunscreen Song" lyrics — a Chicago Tribune column before it became a song — still holds up. Once I hit my 30s I finally started adhering to the sunscreen part.— KAYDI PELLETIER

Shakira's “Hips Don’t Lie” (2005) My first working summer, at the local public library, was paired with afternoons calling Z100 to request this trendy Shakira track.

Weezer's “Island in the Sun” (2001) — “On an island in the sun, we’ll be playing having fun,” and that island holiday sounds pretty good right about now.

Kid Rock's “All Summer Long” (2007) — A song about ‘80s summer nostalgia has since transformed into early-2000s nostalgia, reminding of Long Island nights filled with fire pits, s’mores and bad burns. It’s safe to say I played this 2009 People’s Choice Award winner, “All Summer Long.” — MEGHAN GIANNOTTA

FAVORITE SUMMER MOVIES

“American Graffiti" (1973)  

I was always obsessed with the 1950s and George Lucas’ coming-of-age comedy-drama caught the red-hot 1950s/early 1960s nostalgia craze at its height. Its intriguing slogan "Where were you in '62?" made it seem as if a mere 11 years earlier was an eternity away. But as the years have flown by, that would be the equivalent today of setting a movie in, um, 2009. Not quite the same.

“Back to the Future” (1985)  More 1950s nostalgia: I’m sensing a pattern here. — ANDY EDELSTEIN

“Airplane!” (1980) 

I grew up on iconoclastic comedians like Steve Martin, the Monty Python troupe and the original “Saturday Night Live” players, but none of them prepared me for the sheer, manic irreverence of this disaster-film spoof from the team of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker. Never had I seen so many ideas mocked, and at such tremendous speed, in a single sitting. The jokes veered from stupid to brilliant to some combination of both. The movie became my gold standard of comedy: Even today, I have never seen anything funnier than tough-guy actor Robert Stack angrily whipping off his sunglasses — only to reveal a smaller pair underneath. That summer as a 12-year-old, I spent nearly every dime of my allowance on bus rides to the multiplex and bargain matinees of “Airplane!,” racking up something like 30 views before it finally left theaters. — RAFER GUZMAN

"E.T.” (1982)

 Rarely have I ever gone to see a movie in a theater more than once, but “E.T.” was the exception. Funny, suspenseful and heartfelt, I was captivated by what was a “Wizard of Oz” for the ‘80s complete with its messages of friendship and, like “Oz,” that there’s no place like home. Even sweeter, it began a lifelong love affair with Reese’s Pieces. — DANIEL BUBBEO

“Purple Rain” (1984)

 While all my friends were giggling over “Ghostbusters” and crane kicking to “The Karate Kid,” I was watching Prince and the Revolution tear up the silver screen. I laughed at Morris Day & the Time, fell completely in love with Apollonia Kotero and had my mind blown by Prince’s sheer musical genius. Plus, it was an extra bonus sneaking into this R-rated feature being under age. — DAVID J. CRIBLEZ

“The Parent Trap” (1998)

It was the start of what would later become the (relatively short-lived) height of Lindsay Lohan, and, perhaps more importantly, it was the movie that forever shaped my view of what summer camp should be. I’d head to camp a regular 11-year-old and return with the long lost twin I’d always wished I had. Alas, I never actually made it to sleepaway summer camp, and this remake of the 1961 film (which was also released in summer) has stuck around to remind me. Thanks, cable reruns .— MEGHAN GIANNOTTA

FAVORITE SUMMER TV MOMENTS

Britney-Madonna Smooch (2003)

 When Britney Spears and Madonna kissed onstage at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. I had the show on in the background as I got ready for my first day of high school the next day. (As it happens, I was laying out the denim-on-denim outfit I would wear, inspired by the infamous matching looks Britney and then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake wore to another award show in 2001.) Anyway, the kiss: I stopped in my tracks. — KAYDI PELLETIER

'Survivor' Summer (2000)

"Every so often, a TV show comes along that seems to change everything," began the Aug. 23, 2000 Newsday story on a TV show that had come along that summer and seemed to change everything. Perhaps "everything" then (and now) was an overreach when talking about "Survivor" yet … still. In that moment, in that summer, on that date when about 40 million people were about to watch the finale, "everything" was just about right. I'd written easily a dozen stories on the phenomenon (we were not yet calling it a "show") by then and had gone to Sweden to report on the phenomenon there too. (Yes, Newsday once sent a reporter to Sweden; look it up.)   When "Survivor" finally rolled into our lives on May 31, the hype that had preceded it seemed almost quaint by comparison. From that point on, the culture went into hyperdrive. This sort of heat has a way of imprinting memories — mine, at least. A TV treasure had arrived in our lives. That treasure is still there.— VERNE GAY

FAVORITE SUMMER CONCERTS

Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin at the Singer Bowl (1968)

As one of the craziest summers in U.S. history wrapped up, I had the privilege of seeing two of rock's icons at the peak of their powers perform at the former World's Fair venue that's now tennis' Louis Armstrong Stadium. The thrill of hearing the show's emcee, gravel-voiced WNEW-FM disc jockey Scott Muni, intone "Jimi is here … Janis is here …" still resonates with me as much as the artists' performances. Maybe that's because a little more than two years later, Jimi and Janis wouldn't be here; both stars would die from drug overdoses. — ANDY EDELSTEIN

Huey Lewis & The News at Jones Beach Theater (1984)

As a 14-year-old MTV kid from the suburbs, Huey Lewis & the News were on my turntable 24/7 in 1984. Hence, catching the “Sports” tour was a monumental occasion for me. It was also my inaugural concert at Jones Beach Theater, a venue that would dominate my summers for the next 36 years. My parents were strict and not all that thrilled with my infatuation with rock and roll. When I came home from the show with my freshly purchased concert T-shirt featuring the band’s logo on the front and hit song title, “I Want A New Drug” on the back, my father quickly confiscated it claiming I was promoting drug use. The irony was that Huey Lewis & the News was the cleanest band I listened to … go figure. — DAVID J. CRIBLEZ