sweet tea in the summer // playlist

- July 22, 2023

So many of these songs evoke so much nostalgia of summer's past, of family, friendship, and youth. sweet tea in the summer is a playlist specifically curated around so many of my favorite songs of all time that I connect with so deeply. So many are light, airy songs that are carried by their lyrical storytelling and feelings they evoke for me. I was also so inspired by the Renoir painting pictured above titled In the Meadow, I love the delicate, yet vibrant, colors and how lively the entire setting feels.

The title, sweet tea in the summer, comes from a lyric from "seven" by Taylor Swift. I love Folklore so much and have written about my love for it so many times over the past three years. With "seven" in particular, I was so emotional when I first heard the song and was deeply moved by the way she captured the feeling of youth and memories of the past in such a vivid way. I also feel so connected to the lyric; "I was high in the sky with Pennsylvania under me, are there still beautiful things?" I am also from Pennsylvania and this entire song paints such a vivid portrait of shared childhood memories with that as the setting. In the summertime I always return to Folklore, which I continue to love more and more with each passing year.

The playlist ends with one of my favorite songs of all time, "A World Alone". All of Lorde's Pure Heroine was crucial to this playlist's curation, especially songs like "Ribs", "400 Lux" and "Bravado" too. I have related to that album in the deepest, most personal way, probably deeper than other album I've ever heard in my life. Lorde is such an incredible songwriter that I forever admire for being able to capture these fleeting moments and complex feelings in a way like no other.

I feel similarly when I think of Bleachers' music too, so many of their songs stand out to me as being among the most important in my life. While I was curating this, another lyric and theme that inspired this playlist is; "all that hope I had when I was young, I hope I wasn't wrong" from "Dream of Mickey Mantle".

So much of this playlist is also based around the hero concept that links "All My Heroes" by Bleachers, "New York" by St. Vincent, "Perfect Places" by Lorde and "The Archer" by Taylor Swift together. I plan on one day writing a more in-depth analysis of those songs or making a dedicated playlist around that specific theme. Those four songs have always meant so much to me since I first heard them. I still can't believe that I had the chance to tell Jack Antonoff, who co-wrote and produced those songs, how I have always loved that lyrical connection. Getting to hear his insight on it was such a surreal experience. I would love for you to read more about it / see his response here. ♡

So many of my other musical heroes that were also crucial to this playlist that are featured heavily throughout are; Harry Styles, Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, Halsey and The 1975, to name a few.

With this series, I want to find a way to share more of my music taste outside of my long-form album reviews and monthly New Music Friday posts. I especially want to spotlight the artists that I haven't found a way to incorporate into my content prior to this, or in a different way than before. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I have! 🩷

Follow me on Spotify here to keep up with my future playlists and listen to sweet tea in the summer here / linked above. If you have any prompt ideas or music recommendations, let me know in the comments below. I will be sharing more curated playlists throughout the summer, so be sure to check back here soon for more! Thanks for reading!