100 Songs of Summer #29 “Blister in the Sun” By Violent Femmes

This addition to our Hamptons Top 100 Songs of Summer Countdown might just be the coolest tune ever written about summer or sunshine. Perhaps the “blister” part is a little dark, but Gordon Gano’s gritty, post-punk vocals and the catchy yet never easy beat are hard to ignore.

Hamptons 100 Songs of Summer #29

“Blister in the Sun” By Violent Femmes

Released first on Violent Femmes’ self-titled debut album in 1983, this alt-rock ditty hit the true mainstream popularity it deserved when it was re-recorded and re-released as “Blister 2000” on the soundtrack to John Cusack’s last great comedy film (in the spirit of Better Off Dead and Say Anything), Grosse Pointe Blank, in 2000.

The lyrics are a bit cryptic, but one thing’s for sure, someone’s “high as a kite,” and probably not in the Dan’s Papers Kite Fly kind of way. It also says, “My girlfriend, she’s at the end—she is starting to cry,” but we can only speculate they’re talking about Montauk.

All that aside, “Blister in the Sun” is a rollicking, fun song that inspires us to dance and make mischief—two of our favorite things!

Let me go on… like I blister in the sun
Let me go on… big hands, I know you’re the one