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Rolling Stones songs: Summer Romance
*Click for ROLLING STONES UNRELEASED: ‘SUMMER ROMANCE’ (early version, 1978)

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

About ‘Summer Romance ’ by The Rolling Stones (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.