Rolling Stones songs: Summer Romance
*Click for MORE ROLLING STONES SONGS 1962-PRESENT

I need money so much, I need money so bad/ And I can’t be your mum, don’t want to be your dad…

Written by: Jagger/Richards
Recorded: EMI Pathé Marconi Studios, Paris, France, Jan. 5-March 2 1978 / RCA Studios, Hollywood, USA, Aug-Sept. 1978; EMI Pathé Marconi Studios, Paris, France, June 19-Oct. 19 1979
*Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012

From the The Rolling Stones – All the Songs book:
A casual love affair between an adult and a high school student that ends as
summer draws to a close… The unhappy lover bemoans his situation. He
will be going to the pub to drink and play pool while his beloved is
studying. While the basic premise of “Summer Romance” may not be the
most original ever, the music radiates a redeeming energy. Ron Wood
would declare in 1980: “Mick! Before I gave him guitar lessons, we
wouldn’t have had songs like ‘Summer Romance,’ because of all that
rhythm guitar.” This is another Glimmer Twins number that the Stones
have never performed live!

The Stones recorded an initial version of “Summer Romance” during the
Some Girls sessions in January 1978. They then worked on the song at the
Wally Heider (formerly RCA) Studios during the summer, before giving it
its definitive form at the Pathé Marconi Studios between the end of June
and the beginning of October 1979. The early versions reveal a far faster
rock track with a distinctly punk feel. The sound is raw and definitely more
effective than the album version. Like many of the songs written by Mick
Jagger around this time, “Summer Romance” gives prominence to the three
guitars: Mick plays an initial rhythm part with a distorted sound (stereo
right), Ron answers with a second rhythm guitar played using the palm
mute technique (left), and finally Keith takes lead, setting the song on fire
with some excellent phrases still very much influenced by the spirit of
Chuck Berry (center). He uses his MXR Analog Delay pedal to obtain his
vintage sound, enriched with a short, very pronounced reverb. Ian Stewart
is on piano, although unfortunately inaudible and buried in the mix except
in the coda, where he emerges for a few seconds after 3:06. On some of the
working mixes, by contrast, he can be heard throughout the track. Charlie
delivers a good drum part, supported by Ronnie’s bass, which is excessively
guitaristic and as a result not as effective as it could be. “Summer
Romance” is a well-made rock track that suffers from overly conventional,
overly smooth mixing that eradicates some of its original spirit.