7 Songs From the 1970s That Feel Like the Tail End of Summer

Years of American schooling that begin in August and end in May have become so deeply ingrained in our collective psyche that, no matter how many years have passed since we were last in school, the tail end of summer always feels like one of the biggest transitions of the year. Stores begin advertising back-to-school supplies, parks begin to close, and if you have kids, suddenly, they’re not spending their days at home anymore.

This hot, steamy time of year can conjure a lot of nostalgic feelings, and it’s hard to find a better pairing for nostalgia than classic rock. These seven songs from the 1970s seem to embody that “end of summer” feeling, even if we’re still a ways away from the equinox.

“More Than A Feeling” by Boston

Boston’s 1976 track “More Than A Feeling” from their eponymous debut is peak nostalgia, thanks to lines like “So many people have come and gone / Their faces fade as the years go by / Yet, I still recall as I wander on / as clear as the sun in the summer sky.” Talk about making you homesick for your old high school pals.

“Summer Breeze” Seals & Crofts

The title track from Seals and Crofts’ fourth studio album is the sonic equivalent of hearing a smell—for this writer, the potent combo of pool chlorine and cigarette smoke—and instantly being transported to the final days of summer spent soaking up every last bit of sun by the pool. Cigarette smoke might not be “jasmine in my mind” to everyone, but no two summers are the same, are they?

“Kodachrome” by Paul Simon

Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” from the 1973 album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, isn’t necessarily about summer. But it is a bit nostalgic, a bit snarky, and a bit morose. Lines like “Kodachrome / They give us those nice bright colors / give us the greens of summers / makes you think all the world’s a sunny day” helped solidify Simon’s track on this list of “end of summer” 1970s songs.

“Wild Mountain Honey” by Steve Miller Band

Steve Miller Band’s deep cut “Wild Mountain Honey” has all the shimmery, ethereal qualities of heat waves vibrating off the hot cement in late summer. The trance-like song mentions the benefit of endings and transitions: “Ooh, mama, well, look what’s been done / You can only see the stars after a setting sun.” It’s not explicitly about the warm-weather season. But it fits in nicely just the same.

“Hotel California” by The Eagles

The Eagles’ iconic track “Hotel California” has a misty, moody character that matches the sultry late-summer weather. The narrative is far more fantastical than most people’s general summer experience. Still, it causes the listener to drift off into their own version of this late-night drive to the hotel where guests can “check in any time they like but they just can’t ever leave.”

“Thirteen” by Big Star

Big Star beautifully captured the transition between summertime and school in their innocently sweet love song, “Thirteen”. The track places itself in that late summer in-between, where school is already in session but it’s still hot enough to go to the pool on the weekends. The full seriousness of the school year hasn’t set in yet, and the world still feels like it holds the same potential it did in the early summer.

“Night Moves” by Bob Seger

“Night Moves” by Bob Seger is one giant “remember when,” so it only makes sense that it would close out our list of “end of summer” 1970s songs. Seger’s track about a steamy summer love reminds listeners of similar experiences they may have had—or maybe dreamed about—on humid summer nights. “Practicing our night moves in the summertime, oh, in the sweet summertime.”

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