Top 100 Songs of Summer #25 “Sunny Afternoon” by The Kinks

The beach, the breeze, the sunny afternoon…the perfect day to enter this milestone spot on our Top 100 Songs of Summer Countdown. While each of the prior sunny, sandy songs of the season we’ve celebrated earned its spot on our list, we’re now entering the big time, as the Top 25, then Top 10, and eventual Number 1 are within sight. This is serious business (well, as serious as a showcase of music about sunbathing, surfing, swimming and the mood they evoke can be). So start giving it some serious thought.

Starting Monday, August 12, you can come right here to DansPapers.com to vote for your favorite tunes and help us decide on the ultimate music that makes your summertime shine—and that will make the top of our Top Songs list. And who knows, your song just may end up as the Top Song of Summer.

Hamptons 100 Songs of Summer #25

“Sunny Afternoon” by The Kinks

This summer of 1966 in Britain was dominated by this classic written by legendary Kinks front man Ray Davies for the band’s Face to Face album, a bluesy yet buoyant bit of storytelling. Here in the U.S., it took until autumn of that year to reach its peak, at number 14 on the Billboard charts, but nearly 50 years later it still evokes dreams of living on a sun-soaked stretch of easy street, but even more so the idea that even if you lose it all (or most of it, or lots of it—the monetary details remain vague), a sunny afternoon is reason enough to be loving life. Forget any political undertones of this song and simply kick back with a cold one and enjoy—hey, if Ray Davies sings the praises of sipping on an ice cold beer, who are we to argue? No matter if you’re in a billion dollar mansion or just here for a day on the beach, nothing’s better than a sunny afternoon on the East End.