First Aid Kit — The Boys of Summer
Album: The Boys of SummerAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 505
Length: 3:59
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
The summer's out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets
The sun goes down alone
I'm driving by your house
Though I know you're not home
But I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby
And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
I never will forget those nights
I wonder if it was a dream
Remember how you made me crazy?
Remember how I made you scream
Now I don't understand what happened to our love
But babe, I'm gonna get you back
I'm gonna show you what I'm made of
I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
I see you walking real slow and you're smilin' at everyone
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
Out on the road today, I saw a DEADHEAD sticker on a Cadillac
A little voice inside my head said, "Don't look back. You can never look back"
I thought I knew what love was
What did I know?
Those days are gone forever
I should just let them go but-
I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got that top pulled down and that radio on, baby
And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on, baby
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
Nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
The summer's out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets
The sun goes down alone
I'm driving by your house
Though I know you're not home
But I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby
And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
I never will forget those nights
I wonder if it was a dream
Remember how you made me crazy?
Remember how I made you scream
Now I don't understand what happened to our love
But babe, I'm gonna get you back
I'm gonna show you what I'm made of
I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
I see you walking real slow and you're smilin' at everyone
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
Out on the road today, I saw a DEADHEAD sticker on a Cadillac
A little voice inside my head said, "Don't look back. You can never look back"
I thought I knew what love was
What did I know?
Those days are gone forever
I should just let them go but-
I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got that top pulled down and that radio on, baby
And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on, baby
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
Comments (32)add comment
I liked this a lot. Other than Miley Cyrus doing "Jolene," I typically loathe cover songs.
One of those songs on RP in which the top comments are oddly out of sync with the aggregate listener rating.
timmus wrote:
Frankly, I like this version because it comes from a completely different place.
The Eagles' original was indeed gritty, but it reflected a sadness; the realization that he'll probably never see "her" again.
This version is done with an uplifting emotion; a realization that the summer love affair is over, but, "Man, that was fun, and I need to get it back!"
Yes.. this is it. It's missing that gritty, dirty feeling with the raw synthesizers, and the heady 80s sound. It gives a sense of your head reeling from the things that transpired earlier. When I hear it replaced with barbershop harmonies and a smooth beat, I can only think they missed the point.
Frankly, I like this version because it comes from a completely different place.
The Eagles' original was indeed gritty, but it reflected a sadness; the realization that he'll probably never see "her" again.
This version is done with an uplifting emotion; a realization that the summer love affair is over, but, "Man, that was fun, and I need to get it back!"
smartn1 wrote:
Agreed. It's somehow less than the sum of the parts, isn't it?
I don't normally like covers too much, but this isn't bad.
Edit: About half way through this, and it's fizzled. I give it a 4
Agreed. It's somehow less than the sum of the parts, isn't it?
timmus wrote:
Yes.. this is it. It's missing that gritty, dirty feeling with the raw synthesizers, and the heady 80s sound. It gives a sense of your head reeling from the things that transpired earlier. When I hear it replaced with barbershop harmonies and a smooth beat, I can only think they missed the point.
Covers don't need to duplicate the original. They really should not. But they do need to do something that makes the original into something that belongs to the cover artist. However, just having the FAK sound isn't enough.
Yes.. this is it. It's missing that gritty, dirty feeling with the raw synthesizers, and the heady 80s sound. It gives a sense of your head reeling from the things that transpired earlier. When I hear it replaced with barbershop harmonies and a smooth beat, I can only think they missed the point.
Covers don't need to duplicate the original. They really should not. But they do need to do something that makes the original into something that belongs to the cover artist. However, just having the FAK sound isn't enough.
I have to admit the original song is a favourite of mine, and listening to this cover, I think it's because of the urgency in Don Hendley's voice, and the driving guitar in the original.
This version alternates between a driving tempo and a more relaxed tempo, where it loses momentum. The vocal is in tune and nicely performed, but it also lacks the urgency in delivery.
This version alternates between a driving tempo and a more relaxed tempo, where it loses momentum. The vocal is in tune and nicely performed, but it also lacks the urgency in delivery.
I totally and completely want to love this, but there's just something oddly meh about certain points that takes me away from the moment. Love me some FAK, but can't get 100% behind this...
I love FAK, and this is pretty, but, sad to say, it's a cover nobody needed.
keymaster wrote:
It's pretty and well played, but it really misses out on the spirit of the original. Henley's version gives you the feeling of the end of summer, with the exhaustion and sunburn from too many hot days in the Sun, plus an edge of desperation from lost love. This version totally misses out on that, the singing is too bright and cheery to have any of that weight to it.
Yes.. this is it. It's missing that gritty, dirty feeling with the raw synthesizers, and the heady 80s sound. It gives a sense of your head reeling from the things that transpired earlier. When I hear it replaced with barbershop harmonies and a smooth beat, I can only think they missed the point.
FAK knocked it out of the park with "Silver Lining", they really don't need to be doing Don Henley covers.
Dropped into the middle, and didn't get a whole lot out of it, but will reserve judgement until I've heard the whole thing.
I love the Atari’s version the best. This really is a different spin. Not a bad side track to the original.
principekd wrote:
I hear ya. I have to go with a 6 on this, probably because the original takes me back to a different space and time. That said, it is fun to hear.
Part of me wants to pan this a little bit for a reason I can't quite identify - perhaps because a year or so back we heard a couple of folks cover this at a local brewery, which absolutely blew us away (one of those covers that makes you pause and say, "hey, wait, isn't this... ____? Holy crap, how'd they do that?" - love those) - I feel like their creativity here doesn't quite hit me the same way -
And yet their sound is so crisp & clean, their harmonies are lovely - hard to give this anything less than a seven out of the gate (and I didn't!) -
I hear ya. I have to go with a 6 on this, probably because the original takes me back to a different space and time. That said, it is fun to hear.
It's pretty and well played, but it really misses out on the spirit of the original. Henley's version gives you the feeling of the end of summer, with the exhaustion and sunburn from too many hot days in the Sun, plus an edge of desperation from lost love. This version totally misses out on that, the singing is too bright and cheery to have any of that weight to it.
Covers don't have to follow the original of course, but the lyrics here aren't really happy ones to be sung as if there's no deeper story to them.
Covers don't have to follow the original of course, but the lyrics here aren't really happy ones to be sung as if there's no deeper story to them.
I love them but I'm not crazy about this cover.
Google yowling.
> Also, are they in danger of being better known for doing covers than originals?
I think so.. I think their sound is better than their songwriting.
And with this song -- it's not even like Don Henley wrote the original.
I think so.. I think their sound is better than their songwriting.
And with this song -- it's not even like Don Henley wrote the original.
When The Ataris covered this, they changed "Deadhead Sticker" to "Black Flag Sticker." This cover keeps the original lyric.
What would be an appropriate lyric for today?
What would be an appropriate lyric for today?
Ooh, no. Sorry.
I'll buck all the haters here and say what a great cover this is.
Serves no purpose.
Unnecessary i.m.o.
Part of me wants to pan this a little bit for a reason I can't quite identify - perhaps because a year or so back we heard a couple of folks cover this at a local brewery, which absolutely blew us away (one of those covers that makes you pause and say, "hey, wait, isn't this... ____? Holy crap, how'd they do that?" - love those) - I feel like their creativity here doesn't quite hit me the same way -
And yet their sound is so crisp & clean, their harmonies are lovely - hard to give this anything less than a seven out of the gate (and I didn't!) -
And yet their sound is so crisp & clean, their harmonies are lovely - hard to give this anything less than a seven out of the gate (and I didn't!) -
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness. - Oscar Wilde.
I’ll start at a 7, think this may grow on me…
Their covers are normally great and shed new light on a song.
This one isn't one of those.
Also, are they in danger of being better known for doing covers than originals?
This one isn't one of those.
Also, are they in danger of being better known for doing covers than originals?
I don't normally like covers too much, but this isn't bad.
Edit: About half way through this, and it's fizzled. I give it a 4
Edit: About half way through this, and it's fizzled. I give it a 4
As covers go, I've heard worse. It's kind of familiar but different at the same time, and they sing sweetly. Nordic Emily Lou channelling Kathleen Edwards? Works for me.
Yeah, this one's a "no" for me. I don't get whole lot out of First Aid Kit, and they're not bringing anything new to this one.
With "girls" singing this song, the lyrics take on a whole new perspective. I was finding the original a bit tiresome, although I still liked it, but this First Aid rendition has re-energized the song for me. Sometimes a cover can do that. I guess I'll have to check out the rest of the album to see what else this band has uncovered.
What a lovely, delicate version of this song.
Great original song, and a worthy cover from the wonderful First Aid Kit.
Good to see that they put their own stamp on the track, whilst staying relatively faithful to the original.
Thanks, Bill, for providing this relatively new (cover)!
Good to see that they put their own stamp on the track, whilst staying relatively faithful to the original.
Thanks, Bill, for providing this relatively new (cover)!
What a pretty cover!