By Frank “Smokin” Truatt
On June 24th, 1974, the Beach Boys released an album called “Endless Summer.” When I returned to college for my senior year, that album would hit number one on the Billboard charts. It was a collection of early Beach Boy hits, you know, those songs about surfing, the beach, California girls and fast cars. The title of the album didn’t mean much to me back then, but as time has gone by, I have come to appreciate the term “Endless Summer” more than ever.
Music was always a part of our lives, but when we were young and that final school bell would ring, it would bring us to a time of amazing fun in the summer sun. From our early days in elementary school, summer vacation did seem, well, endless! This was no Christmas or spring break; this was an all-out no school celebration that seemed to last forever. Summer vacation usually meant a trip to the Jersey Shore or Lake George. There were cookouts with family and friends and many a swim as time seemed to stand still, if not for a while. We had our family taking care of us and our friends to spend many a summer day outside always finding a new adventure. With that Beach Boys album, they tapped into our inner soul. With songs like “The Warmth of the Sun” and “All Summer Long” they were talking to the youth of America.
As we got a bit older, we understood the car songs and those songs about “The Girls on the Beach.” I don’t think any of us wore watches back in the day. We knew it was time to go home when the sun was setting, and even then, we could stay up late and watch television or play games.
Looking back on this past summer, as an adult with always a lot of things to do, it went by in a flash. It went by so quick, that there’s still a bunch of things that I had planned to get done before the cold weather sets in. I guess that’s a part of growing up, taking on those adult responsibilities, while rarely taking enough time to appreciate the world around us. Yes, the Beach Boys named that album perfectly….”Endless Summer.” Don’t you wish you could go back and relive any one of those great summers. I know I sure do!
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