FEATURE:
Groovelines
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Summertime
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NOT only is…
Summertime from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince one of the essential tracks of the ‘90s. I feel it is one of the all-time great tracks. Now that we are in autumn, I am looking back at summer jams. Songs that portray heart and relaxation; good times and chilled vibes. The Rap duo released Summertime in May 1991. The lead single from their fourth studio album, Homebase, the song makes heavy use of Summer Madness by Kool & the Gang. It samples the song in its instrumentation. The song was produced by Chicago-based producers Hula and K. Fingers. It won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1992 Grammy Awards. Over thirty years after its release, Summertime still gets people moving, singing and smiling. It is such a cool and catchy song; it will be taken to heart for many years to come. Before coming onto an interesting article about the track, Wikipedia have a section about the critical reaction to the iconic track:
“Steve Huey from AllMusic said that "Summertime" "was a warm, breezy reminiscence about growing up in Philadelphia and attending barbecues where the whole community showed up to see and be seen." He added, "It had all the good vibes of a typical Fresh Prince number, but it was clearly a more mature effort, and that's Homebase in a nutshell." Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "Pop/rap duo returns with this steamy hip-hop jam that is sure to quickly heat up radio airwaves thanks to its catchy chorus and clever wordplay.” James Bernard from Entertainment Weekly described the song as "absolutely uplifting". People magazine stated that "the musical backing is more sophisticated", describing it as "a smooth Gershwin via Kool & the Gang version". Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number 9 in its 2013 "Best Summer Songs of All Time", saying, "Over a funky laid back beat, a young Will Smith does a fantastic Rakim impression over a sample of Kool & the Gang's "Summer Madness" and drops a sweet ode to hanging out and driving around his native Philly: "Honking at the honey in front of you with the light eyes/ She turn around to see what you beeping at/ It's like the summer's a natural aphrodisiac." It's still hip-hop's finest summer celebration”.
For many of us, Summertime was an anthem during childhood. The visions that were summoned in the song made us all dream! If our own experiences were not the same as Will Smith’s, we could at least appreciate the song on another level. It is the perfect combination of Jazzy Jeff’s production and musical talent, tied to Smith’s cool and confident narration that creates this incredible chemistry. One thing that really engrossed me about the song is how productive Smith is during the day! Sort of detailing his plans and itinerary whilst the weather is hot and the air is alive with possibility, one wondered whether he could have managed to fit everything in! The Ringer produced a wonderful feature in 2018 where they questioned Smith’s ability to tick everything off of the list he reveals:
“Here we have a number of conflicting statements. Will says he’s sitting with his friends, but I thought he had to hustle to the mall and then get changed again. Who can afford to be nostalgic when their social calendar is so packed that day?
For a song based around the premise that summertime should be used to sit “back and unwind,” the narrator has spent much of the day on the move. When he finally makes it to his family reunion, the old folks are dancing, which is nice. But as six o’clock rolls around, he informs us that he just finished wiping the car down. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? Was he wiping the car down during his family reunion? I had a cousin by marriage who used to do chores around the house to avoid interacting with the family at gatherings, so I suppose Will could have been treating the Nissan’s undercarriage while grandma rocked out on the dance floor.
At the least, it feels like he’d get a talking-to from his relatives for not being fully engaged in the celebration—especially because he flees the family festivities for the summertime hangout, where “everybody” has just arrived “fresh from the barbershop or fly from the beauty salon.” Everybody? Does that include Will, too? Between hitting the mall, getting changed, wiping his car down, attending the family gathering, and then scooting over to the hangout, when exactly did he fit in a fresh fade?
I’m beginning to fear that our fair Fresh Prince is not on the level.
Every moment frontin’ and maxin’
That would be exhausting. Think how tired Will would be simply from the nonstop frontin’, let alone combining that with unending maxin’ while simultaneously running all over the city to complete various chores and attend sundry gatherings. The man would not only have to be a top-tier multitasker with possible time-traveling/time-slowing capabilities, but he’d also have to possess a kind of superhero stamina and recovery. I’m sceptical”.
I guess one cannot take the lyrics too literally – though it is amusing reading the entire article and how exhausted our Fresh Prince must have been! The ultimate summer anthem, it is a song that, actually, sounds pretty engaging and incredible whatever the time of year. It is a song that I will never tire of. I do wonder whether we will ever get more music from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Perhaps they had their time. Their final album together, Code Red, was released in 1993 (Smith continued to record music solo, whilst Jazzy Jeff (Jeffrey Townes) has released music steadily since). If you are stressed and need some sunshine, then put on Summertime and…
SIT back and unwind.