The 100 Summer Songs Countdown; March 20, 2022

Day Eight.

On day seven we paid respects to one of hip hops brightest minds, MF DOOM, who passed in 2020 by covering his song Rapp Snitch Knishes that scratches an itch in your brain that you didn’t know you had. For day eight, we really revert course from the hip hop genre to an indie folk song that I listened to religiously through middle school and high school.

Riptide by Vance Joy radiates a summer time feeling. The guitar sound coupled with what sounds like a ukulele and light bongos in the background create a song that makes you feel very happy, but sad at the same time. I’ll explain.

With a lot of the songs I’ll add to the countdown, they’ll be perfect for events with your friends like when you’re playing basketball at the park, at the beach, or driving to a party. But Vance Joys Riptide isn’t that. I think of Riptide as a song you’d play when it’s nice out and you’re driving around. Not going for an afternoon cruise, but one where you’ve got a lot on your mind and need to think and or clear your head.

The beat of the song sounds happy and the uptempo rhythm is jubilant, but the lyrics are depressing. “This cowboy's running from himself, And she's been living on the highest shelf” and “I just wanna know, If you're gonna, if you're gonna stay”.

If by chance you do listen to this with friends, it’s an easy one to sing along to and a fun one, but when you’re on your own, it makes your gears turn and think about life.

Riptide also has a beautifully nostalgic feel for myself. It takes me back to the good ole days of middle school and high school when I didn’t really listen to lyrics. It reminds me of walking on the bus and going home on a sunny day in the late spring, or even when I’d have my headphones on driving somewhere with my parents.

An awesome summer song if you need some alone time outdoors and want to think about events occurring in your day to day life.