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The Scorching Vibes of Summer

The song that rocked my fun in the sun

By Colleen Millsteed Published 10 months ago 3 min read
Top Story - August 2023
27
Image courtesy of Pixabay

Poet in the Arctic (Medium Writer) invited me to tell you about my summer and my summer song in this great article found here:

The challenge reads:

And now I challenge YOU fellow medium members, to write about your summer song, your summer tune, your summer vibe. What does your summer song mean to you? Is it the perfect energy, or do you get the summertime blues?

And so I’m trying to take up this challenge but bear with me because it’s the middle of my winter and summer songs and summer vibes seem another world away right about now.

When I think of summer, I immediately think of Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer”

Why, you may ask?

It brings me back to the glorious summers of my late teens. A summer, whereby my best friend and I spent the glorious days cruising the Perth beaches, swimming in the pristine blue waters, racing from the surf on the occasions a shark was sighted and soaking up the warmth of the sand and sun’s golden rays.

My bestie, Alison, and I would be tanned to perfection, blonde hair flowing in the breeze and loving the heat of the sun’s rays, the warm sands; a sharp contrast to the cool shock of the ocean’s waves and rough surf.

We’d tour two or three different beaches each day of the weekend, looking for the gorgeous boys — enjoying the tease and flirt of young love.

In between beaches, we’d cruise the highways, windows down, music tuned loudly and singing along to Don Henley’s words, at the top of our lungs — mostly out of tune and full of giggles.

The famous words sung along with Don Henley:

Out on the road today

I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac

A little voice inside my head said

“Don’t look back, you can never look back”

I thought I knew what love was, what did I know?

Those days are gone forever

I should just let them go but...

🎼🎼🎼

I can see you

Your brown skin shining in the sun

I see you walking real slow and

Smiling at everyone

I can tell you, my love for you will still be strong

After the boys of summer have gone

And this song would be played on constant repeat — over and over again!

After a long day in the sun, we’d head back to Alison’s house to shower and doll up with our mini skirts and sleek tube tops, fuzzed up hair and glamorous makeup; ready to head out to taste the nightlight, while stalking the pavements in our stiletto heels.

Strutting our stuff, feeling young, gorgeous and irresistible, while meeting that night’s man of the hour, along with his drunken friends.

Summer meant the sailor boys hit the city of Perth and they’d take over our local nightclubs. We’d befriend a few on a Friday night and then spend Saturday and Sunday cruising the highways, showing them our city, our beaches and our glorious summer fun.

Yes, Don Henley’s song, The Boys of Summer, summed up my perfect summer fun and the summer vibes of my youth.

How ironic that the words mean so much more today than they did back then — as I did eventually find a love that was still strong, after the boys of summer had gone!

Please click the link below my name to read more of my work. I would also like to thank you for taking the time to read this today and for all your support.

If you enjoy this piece, you may enjoy this one too.

Please visit my website if you'd like more information on my newly published book, Battle Angel : The Ultimate She Warrior.

Originally published on Medium

feature80s music
27

About the Creator

Colleen Millsteed

My first love is poetry — it’s like a desperate need to write, to free up space in my mind, to escape the constant noise in my head. Most of the time the poems write themselves — I’m just the conduit holding the metaphorical pen.

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  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

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    Arguments were carefully researched and presented

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Comments (15)

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  • Marilyn Glover10 months ago

    Colleen, you took me back in time with that song, which is one of my all-time favorites. ❤️

  • Jennifer L Osborne10 months ago

    Oh my gosh, yes! That song brings so many of us back! What a wonderful memory!

  • Thank you for taking us with you on this journet

  • Ahamed Thousif10 months ago

    Amazing Story!! Well done @Colleen..

  • Gerald Holmes10 months ago

    Great song choice and a great story. Very well done and Congrats on the Top Story.

  • Dana Crandell10 months ago

    My summers were very different, but this song got plenty of airtime on my players.

  • Kelly Khoo10 months ago

    Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" encapsulates cherished memories of youthful joy, sun-kissed adventures, and everlasting love. 🌞🎶

  • MANOJ K 10 months ago

    Hello one of my favorite this story now keep rocking

  • Diane Mary Markey10 months ago

    Colleen, I love the summers in Australia. Again, thank you, Diane.

  • Whoaaaaa, you've actually met sharks in the wild?! You're soooo cool! I've only seen them in the zoo or aquarium. That song is very catchy! Oooo, I spot a Top Story! Congratulations my friend!

  • Babs Iverson10 months ago

    Fabulous story!!! Fantastically written!!! Loved this!!! Congratulations on Top Story!!!♥️♥️💕

  • Cathy holmes10 months ago

    Great job on this one, and great song choice too.

  • So different from the summers of my youth--delivering papers, working at the nursing home, playing tennis, football, softball with my brothers. But I loved the song & I'm glad someone got to enjoy summers as you've described here.

  • Tiffany Gordon 10 months ago

    Super Kool stuff Colleen! I enjoyed this piece immensely! It sounds like you gals had a lot of fun! Fantastic job my friend!

  • Mariann Carroll10 months ago

    This actually took me me back to my teenage years . The nice thing about Australian winter it still feel like summer . 😍

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