On That Note

Summertime is simply dripping in nostalgia. Yes, there are the warm fuzzies of the holiday season, the sense of anticipation when school starts in the fall, and an opening or coming-back-to-life in the springtime. But summer creeps its way into every sensory experience, from the smells of the barbecue to the way the air feels on your skin.

The older my children get—the older I get—the more I await summer’s arrival, eager to both begin something new and to slip into that languid nothingness of warm, sunny days of books and picnics—and music, of course.

I still remember the playlists we built as kids to rattle the speakers over my parents’ pool; what came on the radio late at night when we were driving around town with the top off my friend’s Jeep; how a single ear-worm of a tune could become the anthem of an entire year, even if we claimed to hate it. Perhaps second only to time-honored Christmas carols, summer jams weave themselves into the fabric of a season, into all of the positive associations and “good times” memories that live within that season.

That means for me, though, that those connections are from another place, swimming around in the humidity of an Indiana summer, lost in the maze of cornfields where we used to get ourselves into trouble. So I wondered, what would an Evergreen summer playlist sound like? Well, it would be a collection of memories like mine (can I get a shoutout from my fellow Midwesterners?!), with a whole lot else thrown in. These mountain towns are a glorious melting pot of forever residents and those who “got here as quickly as they could” (though if I ever hear you actually say that, you’re canceled), and I wanted to build a playlist representative of this coming together.

Summer is a time for friends, anyway, and this summer, we’ve all been set free again. Host that weekend block party or organize a picnic in the park! When you do, here’s a mix that’s got a little something for everyone, compiled by, well, everyone. In fact, I didn’t add a single song of my own, so for those of you who don’t like my musical taste, enjoy the shared interests of your peers and neighbors! A little country, a little hip-hop, a little indie, and a lot of Bob Marley, here is your ultimate summer playlist, Evergreen!