Huffington Magazine Issue 50 | Page 20

E PREVIEW BEST SUMMER EVER HUFFINGTON 05.26.13 ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC conjures up images of a hot, dry, dusty Texas summer where nothing moves, and the air is unbelievably hot and still. MOBY’S PERFECT SUMMER The 90s dance music pioneer returns this summer with a new album, details TBD. In the meantime, he shared with us 10 songs that mean summer to him. anything better than Led Zeppelin on a perfect summer day.” C FLANIGAN/WIREIMAGE/GETTY IMAGES (MOBY) 2. PUBLIC ENEMY, “FIGHT THE POWER.” 1. LED ZEPPELIN, “RAMBLE ON.” I remember riding in the car with my mom when I was 7 or 8 years old and this song came on the radio and the DJ said, “Is there anything better than Led Zeppelin on a perfect summer day?” To which I’d answer, “No, there really isn’t I moved back to NYC (I was born there, but grew up in Connecticut) in 1988, and the summer I moved back this song was heard everywhere. Every bar, every car, every night club, every boombox. Maybe because of that, and on some Pavlovian level, I always think of this song as a quintessential summer song. 3. MASSIVE ATTACK, “PROTECTION.” In 1995 I had an idyllic summer in Berlin, and this song was the recurring soundtrack. I remember lying in bed with my thengirlfriend, and the apartment we were staying in had big, open windows, and it was amazingly warm for Berlin, and this song has never sounded more perfect. 4. THE STYLE COUNCIL, “LONG HOT SUMMER.” An obvious choice, maybe, but I reserve the right to be obvious. And sometimes obvious choices (like orange juice for breakfast) are the best ones. 5. THE GUN CLUB, “MOTHER OF EARTH.” The Gun Club’s album Miami is one of the best records ever made, and this song always 6. THE VERVE, “BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY.” In 2000 I was spending a lot of time in the UK, playing festivals and concerts, and somehow the weather in the UK was amazing (which, sadly, isn’t often the case). I remember hearing this song over and over again at Glastonbury (in the car park, at Joe Strummer’s camp, on boomboxes, etc.), and it just seemed like the most perfect song for that perfect summer. 8. THE DOORS, “THE CRYSTAL SHIP.” I remember going on a date in L.A. years ago. It was the middle of summer, we drove up to Mulholland, sat in her pickup overlooking the valley, and this song came on the radio. It felt like gravity weakened. Everything on the planet started floating out to space a little bit. 9. THE STROKES, “IS THIS IT.” If you’re ever wandering around New York City at 5:30 a.m on a summer morning