Boys of Summer

So...I was driving to work this morning and since 101X insists on playing Red Hot Chili Peppers all of the time, I flipped over to KGSR and the aforementioned song was playing. It was the original, by Don Henley. I like this song. I think it's a great song. My parents were into Don Henley when I was younger, so I've been with this song for a long time.

However, as most girls my age, I got into the Atari's around the end of high school. They are your basic post-punk, pop-rock band. On their album, "So Long, Astoria" they included their version of this song. I loved it, America loved it (it is still their highest charting single). They updated it a little - their version is a little more rockin' and they reference Black Flag rather than the Grateful Dead. All in all, great cover.

So back to me in my car this morning. I'm waiting to turn left and having sort of a low-key jam to Don Henley when I found myself wanting a little more to the song. And I realized, I really like the Atari's version a lot better than Don Henley's original. I feel like the later version of the song has more emotion, and more than that, more desperation. Kris Roe's vocals really capture the nostalgia and the urgency of this regret about a time has drifted away. Don Henley just kind of sounds like he's cruising, you know?

So there, I said it. I admitted it. I like the cover better than the original. Sorry, Don Henley, but thank you so much for playing it with the Eagles at ACL Fest last year!

Funny side story - when my husband and I were first dating, he made me a mix cd for my birthday (which was about 3 weeks after we started dating). So he calls me the next day to ask how I liked it and all that business. As I was praising his excellent mix cd skills he asked, "Did you like how I threw down the original 'Boys of Summer'?" I did my best, but ended up busting up laughing. The cd had the version by DJ Sammy. He assumed that the Ataris had covered a DJ Sammy song. Hilarious. He is still that adorable. Maybe that's why I like this song so much...