Summer songs that have accompanied us throughout our lives

There are summers you won't forget. Not for the destinations or the casual love affairs, but for those songs that crept into the radios at the beach, the car stereos, or the village festivals. Songs that, decades later, still stir the same tingle in your stomach and transport us back to those endless afternoons where time was measured in ice cream and dips.

The 1960s: The Early Summers with Melody

It all started with a radio. One of those with a big button and a warm voice. In the 1960s, summer songs arrived home wrapped in the voice of Conchita Velasco or the Dúo Dinámico, like another letter in the mailbox.

“ Amor de verano ” by Dúo Dinámico wasn't just a song: it was a farewell to summer with a shed tear. Meanwhile, “ La chica ye-yé ” became an anthem for women who wanted to dance without asking permission. My aunt played it on her portable record player while sweeping the sidewalk outside the entrance, her robe tightly wrapped and her bun immaculate.

And then there were Los Brincos, with “ Lola ,” or “ María Isabel ” by Los Payos, which seemed to be playing on every transistor radio on the seafront. Songs that didn't speak of likes or platforms, but of furtive glances, sunset walks, and that innocence so typical of that era.

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70s: the rhythms that painted the summers with colors

The 1970s brought the Spanish guitar to the beach and to the party. Camilo Sesto's voice pierced the warm air of the after-dinner conversation with " Living like this is dying of love ," while grandmothers brought out iced coffee and children played barefoot with a deflated ball.

Summers tasted like Los Diablos' " Un rayo de sol ," with that chorus that many of us still hum without realizing it. Formula V gave us " Eva María " and " Vacaciones de verano ," anthems of tortilla sandwiches in aluminum foil, beach coolers with red thermoses, and first love in the suburbs.

And how can we not mention Raffaella Carrà. “ Hay que venir al sur” (You Must Come to the South ) and “ Fiesta ” were pure energy. My cousin knew them all, and she'd dance on the terrace while her mother, with a recent perm, scolded her for moving her hips so much. Those songs weren't danced to: they were lived.

1980s: between the movida and the summer dance floor

The Madrid scene shook up even the summer songs. The landscapes changed, yes, but the festivals remained sacred. And there, Orquesta Mondragón's " Viaje con nosotros " paved the way for summers of electric colors, shoulder pads, and mirrored sunglasses.

Alaska and Dinarama lit up the dance floor with “ Bailando ,” while Raffaella was still there, tireless, with her “ Caliente, calient e.” Los Refrescos jokingly reminded us that in Madrid “ There is no beach here ,” and yet, towels continued to be spread out on the grass in every park.

They were summers of recorded cassettes, shared bottles of Mirinda, and improvised dances with bare feet on cool tiles. Summer was no longer just a rest: it was a declaration of intent.

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90s: When summer became choreography

And then the Macarena arrived. At every wedding, every birthday, on every beach. The song of the summer became choreography, and no one could escape raising their arms to the rhythm of Los del Río.

The Manolos brought the Olympic spirit with “ All My Loving ,” while Zapato Veloz’s “ Yellow Tractor ” had us laughing on the way to the beach bar. Then there was Ricky Martin with his “ María ” and Georgie Dann with his “ Barbacoa ,” which got us all dancing with forks in hand and napkins around our necks.

The songs of summer became more spectacle, more choreography, more CDs. But the spirit remained: sharing, enjoying, feeling. Even though they were no longer on tape, those songs continued to accompany trips to the village, first outings with friends, and the endless car rides back home smelling of salt.

Songs that still whisper warmth to us

This article isn't a hit list: it's a tribute to what we've lived. To the songs that caught us sipping a Calippo, waiting in line for the campsite shower, or learning to dance in the town square.

Each one of them is part of our emotional map. And even though they're no longer heard on the radio, they live on. In our memories, in the after-dinner conversations where someone hums them, or in the summers we try to relive with our loved ones.

So tell us: what's your summer song? Because there's bound to be one playing in your head just by reading these lines. And if you have one, share it, because together we're writing this great soundtrack to our lives.

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