Michael G. McNally -- On the Corner of Cervantes and Coltrane ( INDIAN SUMMER )

Michael G. McNally • On the Corner of Cervantes and Coltrane


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On the Corner of Cervantes and Coltrane

Come Rain or Come Shine

"Indian Summer, the wonder, the hunger, and the sound of distant thunder."
Brooks and Dunn

Indian Summer: A Baker's Dozen [21 October 2023]

Despite my longtime delight with all things related to Indian Summer, I did not expect to find so many related songs, particularly so many simply entitled "Indian Summer." Truth be told, I have always loved one particular song from the list, Poco's "Indian Summer." I strongly recommend that you take a listen. The list is divided in two. The first half are more positive reflections while the second half are more wistful longings.

Looking Forward...

1. The Doors (1970). "Indian Summer" written by The Doors [ YouTube ]
A short, simple song, "Indian Summer" was one of the first songs The Doors recorded in 1965. It was not released until 1970 on Morrison Hotel.

I love you the best
Better than all the rest
That I meet in the summer
Indian Summer

2. Poco (1977). "Indian Summer" by Paul Cotton [ YouTube ]
Poco's album Indian Summer contained the absolutely beautiful title track written by Paul Cotton.

Indian Summer is on its way
It's cool at night, and hot all day
Ain't no black clouds filled with rain
Santa Ana wind blew them all to Maine

3. Joe Walsh *1978). "Indian Summer" written by Joe Walsh [ YouTube ]
Joe Walsh recorded his song "Indian Summer" for his solo album But Seriously, Folks

I was taken by surprise by the thunder
Sit and stared out at the rain
Taken back, I was younger
In a vacant lot day
...
And the fall brought an Indian Summer
And plenty of places to play
I can still hear 'em calling (far away)
I can hear thunder (far away)

4. Al Stewart (1981). "Indian Summer" by Al Stewart [ YouTube ]
The song uses "Indian Summer" as a metaphor for the afterglow of a relationship. This studio version was included on "Al Stewart Live/Indian Summer" in 1981.

Indian Summer, the storm that drove you here is far behind
What keeps you waiting on this beach tonight
It's long been over
Come stay, we'll live gazebo lives
And let the world outside pass us by
Right here in our Arabian Nights
Until the Northern Lights cross the sky
There is no other

5. Van Morrison (2002). "Meet Me in Indian Summer" by Van Morrison [ YouTube ]
From Down the Road, Van's 29th studio album, which charted higher in the U.S. than any of Morrison's albums since 1972's Saint Dominic's Preview (a personal favorite).

Well, don't you know that my world is so lonely?
Just like a freight train in the dawn
That's why I need to have and hold you
Just to keep me from going wrong
...
Oh, won't you meet me in the Indian Summer?
We'll go walking by the weeping willow tree
Won't you meet me in the Indian Summer?
We'll go walking to eternity

6. America (2007). "Indian Summer" by Mark Rozzo and Dewey Bunnell [ YouTube ]
Their 16th studio album included this "bright and cool" track, which is actually a cover first released by Rozzo's band Maplewood.

Night fall, fireflies light up the lawn
Pink skies mirrored on the sea at dawn
From one to another, here to discover
Indian Summer

Looking Back...

7. Brewer and Shipley (1969). "Indian Summer" written by Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley [ YouTube ]
Brewer & Shipley, famous for "One Toke Over the Line," recorded "Indian Summer" for the album Weeds.

Ah hold back the Winter Indian Summer
I'm not sure if I can take the snow
In mid December I can't help but wonder
How will I ever last till the coldness goes

8. Gatlin Brothers and Roy Orbison (1985). "Indian Summer" by Barry Gibb and Larry Gatlin [ YouTube ]
Larry Gatlin and Barry Gibb wrote this song and thought it would be perfect with Roy Orbison. It's essentially a duet with Gatlin and Orbison and with Gatlin's brothers and Gibb singing background.

We were riding along on a silver dream, never dreaming it off our head
and if I'd known I'd lose you the moment I found you, I'd love you all over again
Oh what I'd give to re-live all the Indian Summers with you

9. The Dream Academy (1987) "Indian Summer" written by Nick Laird-Clowes and Gilbert Gabriel [ YouTube ]
The first cut on the second album from the band that brought us "Life in a Northern Town."

In the distance the city lights flickered in the bay
But any previous existence seemed a world away
In the end, at the summer's end
I wish we could turn around and start it again
Indian, Indian Summer
Away from the magic could it ever be the same
I think I knew those days would never come again

10. Bobby Caldwell (1999). "Indian Summer" (1999) written by Victor Herbert and Al Dubin [ YouTube ]
Victor Herbert and Al Dubin finished this jazz standard in 1937. This version is by Bobby Caldwell, from the album Come Rain or Come Shine, but it's been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and others. Caldwell's 1991 'classic' was "What You Won't Do for Love."

Summer, you old Indian Summer
You're the tear that comes after June time's laughter
You've seen so many dreams that don't come true
Dreams we fashioned when summertime was new
You are hear to watch over some heart that is broken
By a word that somebody left unspoken
You're the ghost of a romance in June gone astray
Fading too soon, that's why I say
Farewell to you, old Indian Summer

11. Brooks & Dunn (2009). "Indian Summer" by Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn [ YouTube ]
Released as a single but also appeared on their third greatest hits album.

While the wind chased the leaves outside
Passion found a place to hide
Late September heat, couldn't be denied
...
Summer, the wonder, the hunger
And the sound of distant thunder
Indian Summer

12. Stereophonics (2013). "Indian Summer" written by Kelly Jones [ YouTube ]
A track from the album Graffiti on the Train was the band's best performing single.

It was a cold September, before the Indian Summer
That's the thing I remember, when she gave me her number
Went from station to station, on a train 'cross the nation
Then the rain of November, that's the time that we ended
She was the one for me

13. American Catapult (2021). "Indian Summer" [ YouTube ]
This LA area band does not have a real social media presence. They should.

Well I'm thinking about you when the Santa Anas blow
And the Indian Summer never seems to die
The warmth will convict you, and the sun will seduce you
The lull of the land can leave you dry
...
Well I'm thinking about you when the Santa Anas blow
And the Indian Summer settles in the sky
The breeze is disarming, and it might just leave you wanting
But you know how it feels to be denied

Extra Points:
The Go West album Indian Summer (1992) was likely named after this short, warm respite in autumn. While the exact reason the band chose this name is not officially documented, the album is said to be inspired by love that blossoms and then fades with the changing seasons, like the transient nature of "Indian Summer" itself. John Mayer's "Wildfire" is about summer in general but the key line is "a little bit of summer is what the whole year is all about" and, after all, what else is Indian Summer if not a little bit of summer? There's one more track called "Indian Summer" by Shuba which is maybe worth a listen (but it is nothing, at all, like those above).

~~~

• On the Corner of Cervantes and Coltrane:

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"Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own." R.Hunter