My Go-to Summer Song: Soak Up the Sun
I mean that literally and figuratively
I have a new summer anthem — Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up the Sun.” I sang it last weekend at a winery in Central New Jersey. In the bright sunshine. It was hot and humid — a typical New Jersey summer day, except it was mid-spring.
The morning had started off foggy and threatened rain, but by early afternoon the sun broke through, and my long-planned outdoor gig would thankfully not need to move indoors. The sunny skies also brought people out who might otherwise have stayed in, so we had a good crowd.
I’ve always loved “Soak Up the Sun,” and Sheryl Crow is one of my favorite artists. But it wasn’t historically my go-to until I performed it for the first time on this warm, summer-y afternoon, surrounded by a rosé-guzzling crowd of friends and music lovers and wine lovers and playful, well-behaved dogs. It was one of those idyllic moments in life I know I’ll always remember…that time I sang “Soak Up the Sun” on a glorious sunny day and meant every word, and people sang along and it was a beautiful thing, and we were all digging the day together.
I’m gonna soak up the sun
Gonna tell everyone to lighten up
I looked out and saw smiling faces, friends laughing, couples grooving to the music…everyone just having a good time. It was more than just the song; it was the vibe, the beautiful setting, the letting go of our stresses for a few hours. It was all the things.
I’m gonna tell them that I’ve got no one to blame
But every time I feel lame, I’m looking up
Gonna soak up the sun
This day and this song held a deeper meaning for me also, if you don’t mind my getting all metaphorical on you. I’ve had my share of challenges over the last two years, and have been working my way out of a fairly dark place, both physically and emotionally, since a simultaneous benign brain tumor diagnosis and breakup in the summer of 2020. Each day, week, month is better, and while sometimes it’s one step up and two steps back, I have rocked my recovery like nobody’s business. I’ve had a ton of support from family and friends, but I’ve also relied on sheer inner strength and an iron will that I didn’t know I had until I really needed it (and until the tumor was removed).
I’ve also leaned heavily on music. Singing is my passion. My thing. To sing “Soak Up the Sun” on a sunny day, with summer around the corner, as I’m rounding the corner, coming out of the shadows into the light…was just amazing.
I’m not one for platitudes; I prefer subtext. On the surface this song is a happy-go-lucky tune that I’d totally blast out of the car window on a hot summer’s day, make friends with the car next to me at the light, and sing at the top of my lungs as the light turns green and we drive off. Gonna soak up the sun…yeah!
That said, the woman at the center of this song has some issues — she’s got a crummy job, no money…in fact, she’s got diddly-squat. But she’s self-deprecating about it. And she’s not letting it get her down…she’s looking up. I can relate to that. I was dealt a crummy hand, and my friends and I joke about my being “out of my gourd” when I still had a tumor in my head. (We can joke about it now that the crisis has passed.) But hey, every time I feel lame, I’m looking up too. And now I have a go-to theme song to remind me to keep looking up, and to bask in the brightness of how far I’ve come.
Don’t have no master suite
But I’m still the king of me
You have a fancy ride, but baby
I’m the one who has the key
Thanks Christopher Robin and Songstories for this awesome prompt!
