Given that winter means a world without festivals, it’s hard to not be constantly looking forward to summer! Let’s listen to the artists we most want to see out in a sun-soaked field in 2025 – and hear what they have to say about that holiday season…

ACTIVITY 1
Brainstorm the connotations of summer!
ACTIVITY 2
Consider each of the lyrics below. Each of them – on the surface, at least – feel perfectly suited to a festival stage (the key ‘summer’ words are highlighted in orange). But how ‘summery’ are they really? Do the writers use the summery motifs to emphasise their good mood – or do they somehow use our expectations re: summer to create a more unexpected meaning?
Give each lyric a rating between 1 and 10:
- Allocate a rating of 1 if the lyric actually feels like the opposite of summer. It’s dark and miserable and juxtaposes the typical summer vibe! In fact, it’s all the worse because we had the expectation – on first reading of the key words – that we were heading somewhere gorgeous. To find ourselves in a place of such bleakness, after our hopes had been raised so high, is much worse than just being told straight out we were headed for a place of winter/upset/horror.
- Allocate a rating of 10 if the lyric is soooooo summery! The motif absolutely links to all those things we would hope for from summer: positivity, warmth, happiness, fun, relaxation etc. It suggested summer ‘on the tin’ and when we scratched the surface of the quote, summer is exactly what we found. No sign of darkness or upset or worry. 100% good times. Hurrah.
- Give a rating of between 2 & 9 dependent on where the lyric falls in between those two extremes.
Explain your decisions (in discussion if working with a group – or on paper if working individually) with reference to the techniques used, the surrounding words and anything else that might have directed your decision.
A. Pale Waves, ‘Glasgow’
And I just met your brother, the start of the summer
He warned me about you, we drank in the pouring rain
B. Olivia Rodrigo, ‘all-american bitch’
I make light of the darkness
I’ve got sun in my motherfucking pocket, best believe
C. fred again.., ‘adore u‘
You walk through life just like a dancer
If I had my way, every day would be your parade
Ooh, I adore you
Ooh, I adore you
D. Chrissy Costanza, ‘But, What If I Fly?’
They say the sun is golden
Is it like the bars that make my cage?
‘Cause in the dark I’m hoping
I’d like to see one day
E. Charli XCX, ‘Boom Clap’
You’re picture-perfect blue
Sunbathing under the moon
F. Medium Build, ‘Beach Chair’
‘Cause you ain’t shit, but I love you
You need work, but I reckon it can be done
And I promise I won’t put no one above you
Death do us part, beach chairs in the sun
G. Pearl Jam, ‘Immortality’
There’s a trapdoor in the sun
H. Bow Anderson, ‘Dear Body’
I dragged myself back to the gym, when it was therapy I shoulda been in
I’ve never felt good in my skin, and I still wear a t-shirt when I swim
Ruined so many holidays, skipping the birthdays cause of cake
Counted every last little taste wondering when it would show up on my thighs or my face
I know better, now that I’m older
But in photos, I still hate my shoulders
Oh I wanna heal this
I wanna set us free…
I. Louis Dunford, ‘Summer In The Manor’
It’s the summer in my city
There’s chaos in the heat
For six weeks straight you meet your mates and terrorize the street
We’re melting in the manor
It’s too hot for kicking ball
We congregate on the estate and play money up the wall
J. Troye Sivan, ‘Plum’
I was summer, you were spring
You can’t change what the seasons bring
ACTIVITY 3
Now, collect your thoughts and write a response to this question:
Explore the use of the summer motif in the quoted lyrics.
Explore the key words, examine the techniques, explain your thinking as completely – and in as multi-layered a way – as possible.
ACTIVITY 4
Find any summery (or seasonal) quotes within the texts you’re studying.
ACTIVITY 5
Now, answer the same question:
Explore the use of the summer motif in the text(s) you are studying.