Rockabilly

The song “Summertime Blues” by Eddie Cochran is one of the favorite Summer golden oldies. In 1958, 19-year-old Eddie Cochran was getting ready to record “Love Again,” which was written by 17-year-old Sharon Sheeley. Together with his manager Jerry Capehart, Cochran wrote “Summertime Blues as the B-side. Liberty Records decided to flip the record over and release “Summertime Blues” as the A-side. This turned out to be Cochran’s breakthrough hit, going to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #18 on the U.K. Singles Chart. The song made him a star. The handclaps in the background were provided by Sheeley, who became his girlfriend.

Cochran was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota. He had an image of a nice-looking, well-dressed young man with a rebellious attitude. Besides singing, he played the guitar, drums, piano, and bass. He was interested in the technical aspects of recording and experimented with multi-track recording and overdubbing. In 1960, Sheeley and Cochran were passengers in a British taxi cab when it crashed and he was killed. Cochran was 21.

Here are the lyrics to “Summertime Blues” by Eddie Cochran:

“Well, I’m gonna raise a fuss
I’m gonna raise a holler
About a working all summer
Just to try to earn a dollar
Well, time I called my baby
Try to get a date
My boss says, no dice son
You gotta work late
Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

Oh, well my Mom and Poppa told me, son
You gotta make some money
If you want to use the car
To go ridin’ next Sunday
Well I didn’t go to work
Told the boss I was sick
Well you can’t use the car
Cause you didn’t work a lick
Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

I’m gonna take two weeks
Gonna have a fine vacation
I’m gonna take my problem
To the United Nations Well I called my congressman
And he said, quote:
I’d like to help you son
But you’re too young to vote
Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a gonna do”
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues”

For More Golden Oldies Music       

The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop, rock and roll, R&B, or rockabilly songs that were hits during the first era of rock and roll (that is, from about 1952 until the British invasion in 1964). After a song is featured, it then goes into the juke box. You are welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections there. Every weekend, there is a Juke Box Saturday, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.

Please click here for the Daily Doo Wop YouTube channel, to which you can subscribe. Thank you for stopping by The Daily Doo Wop. Hope you enjoyed “Summertime Blues” by Eddie Cochran.