What better way to while away these final days—possibly hours—of summer than with a specially made playlist courtesy of one of your next favorite CW hunks, "Hart of Dixie" star Wilson Bethel. If you're not yet familiar with this handsome talent, you will be when "Hart of Dixie" premieres next Monday, September 26. Check out his picks below!
Face facts: Summer is over. Beach days and BBQs? Gone. Sultry nights and margarita mornings? Bye bye. Put the hard top up on your Seabring. Pack away your flip-flops and tank-tops. Three months of beautiful, glorious freedom; of heatwave hook-ups; of endless backyard parties and outdoor concerts have come to an end… You’ve already started to forget it happened, right?
Well, all is not lost. Remember that feeling from two or three months back when every song that came on the radio seemed like the soundtrack to the best summer ev-ar? Exactly. It’s right there in the music! So even as we turn the corner onto fall, here’s the shimmering summery reminder of what makes summer, summer. The auditory equivalent of a sunburn, a road trip and a sizzling crush all wrapped up in one picnic basket, so to speak.
This is my soundtrack to the endless summer of 2011…
"Summertime in the LBC" (Doveshack)—Ummm. Kind of self-explanatory. Vintage Cali hip-hop courtesy of Nate Dogg (RIP!) & Co. This song lays out in pretty plain terms exactly what makes a SoCal summer so incredibly dope. Take notes.
"Come Over" (Estelle)—What would summer be without booty calls? Yeah. Estelle gets it. Mix in some reggae flavor and you’ve got the perfect sound for a sexy, sweaty, late-night rendezvous.
"Get Lite" (The Beatards)—References: Skateboarding? Check. Fourth of July fireworks? Check. Feel good anthem of 2011? Check and double check. This is the joint that’s got everybody around you wondering what your goofy-ass grin is about.
"Fool for You" (Cee Lo Green)—When another hook-up just doesn’t suffice, there’s always the real thing: Summer Love. On this sleeper cut from The Lady Killer record, Ol’ Cee Lo reminds us why he’s the most soulful dude on the planet and why falling in love is still cool.
"Thinking of You" (Lord Echo)—Yeah. I’m still hung up on that whole love thing. Sign me up, please.
"Midnight City" (M83)—Synth monster! If this song doesn’t get you fist-pumping you should check that your earholes are working. Give me windows down, freeway speed, max volume and nighttime in any city in America…
"Living for the City" (Stevie Wonder)—Speaking of any city in America… If ever there was a song that made me want to spend a summer day sweltering on the blacktop, this is it. Open up a fire hydrant and dance that sh-- out!
"Can You Get to That?" (Funkadelic)—Yeah. Sleigh Bells sampled that. Why? Because it’s one of the illest acoustic funk jams ever. And BTW, the answer is, yes. I can get to that.
"Sunshine Superman" (Donovan)—Bob Dylan strikes me as too wintery for summer. But Donovan? Perfecto. He’s the smiling side of the '60s. I mean, the song is called "Sunshine Superman." It’s like happiness meets invincibility. Duh.
"No Rain" (Blind Melon)—Epic, feel-good psychedelic pop music and perhaps one of the most memorable music videos of all time. To this day, when I close my eyes and picture freedom, I see that girl in the bumblebee suit dancing around in a field.
"Learning To Fly" (Tom Petty)—If there’s better convertible-driving music on planet Earth, I haven’t heard it. Ever cruised Mulholland Drive in a rented vintage Porsche? I haven’t either. But I imagine this is what it feels like.
"Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard" (Paul Simon)—If reggae is the No. 1 international summer music import, then Brazilian music has got to be No. 2. Shy of landing on a beach in Rio, this has got to be the next best thing. Shimmery Brazilian guitar + Paul Simon + whistling = ear-to-ear smile.
"Let’s Go Surfing" (The Drums)—If you need an explanation, you don’t deserve summer. Go lie down in the snow somewhere and listen to The Smiths. I wanna go surfing! I don’t care about nothing! I think that pretty much sums it up.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
"Feel Me Flow" (Naughty By Nature)—Watch the music video and you’ll get it.
"Go Outside" (Cults)—First of all, the song title bears good advice. Secondly, this was probably the best front-to-back summer record of this summer.
"Holidays" (Miami Horror)—Wait! Wait! How did I forget!?!? What would summer be without a certified dancefloor banger? Well. This is it.
Download Wilson's playlist on Spotify!
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