Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - Elvis Costello and "The Other Side Of Summer"
Elvis Costello returns to the top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart with biting social commentary tucked into a Beach Boys-esque package. Also, a quick shout out to Paula Abdul and grade school dances.
Elvis Costello - “The Other Side Of Summer”
Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 4 weeks (May 25 to June 15, 1991)
Previous Modern Rock #1 hit: Simple Minds - “See The Lights”
Next Modern Rock #1 hit: Electronic - “Get The Message”
Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:
Mariah Carey - “I Don’t Wanna Cry” (5/25/91 and 6/1/91)
Extreme - “More Than Words” (6/8/91)
Paula Abdul - “Rush Rush” (6/15/91)
Excuse me a moment as I temporarily veer away from today’s Modern Rock Tracks chart topper…
When I was 12 years old, I started attending grade-school dances. These were fun little excursions into a local school cafeteria/gymnasium, where kids in seventh, eighth and ninth grade got to intermingle outside of the classroom and dance to all the modern hits of the era. You’d be hard pressed to make it through one of these events without jamming out to EMF’s “Unbelievable,” hopping along to MC Hammer’s timeless “U Can’t Touch This,” and likely swinging your arm in the air while NKOTB were “Hangin’ Tough.”
The hardest part for a nerdy wallflower like myself was the slow-dance portion of the event, when you’d be able to finally have that up-close moment with the subject of your middle-school infatuation. I suspect a good number of folks who slow danced together had already established some kind of flirtatious connection in school, but this was an adult-approved venue by which to really show how much you “loved” someone by awkwardly putting your arms on each others’ shoulders and shuffling back and forth. It was hilarious, in retrospect.
I wanted to do that SO bad.
Truth is, I wasn’t the kind of kid with the social capital to ask a girl to dance, and surely any girl who may have remotely considered asking me would have to be pretty low on the playground hierarchy to take the popularity hit that dancing with me would have required. As a result, most of the slow-dance portion of the events would feature me hanging out in a corner, watching other kids dance. In that way, I developed an emotional connection with the music, so a lot of my early memories of pop music in the ‘90s came attached to slow songs, and dreaming of the day I could dance with someone to those songs.
Enter Paula Abdul. Man, she was (is) beautiful. And pairing that beautiful woman with the soft touch of “Rush Rush” just hit 12-year-old Matt right in the heart. Whenever that song would come on, usually in an unexpected transition from, say, Vanilla Ice, I would watch people pair up and dance, and I would find myself getting lost in the song, dreaming of a slow dance I assumed would never happen but finding peace in the song nevertheless.
Teenage emotions are weird, but for some reason, even though the song is tied to what you might consider a sad memory of dancing alone, something about “Rush Rush” always brings a smile to my face, and now that it’s #1 on the Hot 100 at this point in my reviews of the MRT charts, I felt like I should give it a shout out. I’m sure I’m not the only one of a certain age that has fleeting memories of unrequited love and the soft melody of a popular love song from their youth.
Sorry for the tangent, gang. Back to regularly scheduled programming…
There’s something uniquely fun about Elvis Costello. He has a history of some brash, against-the-grain moments, including his now-famous bit on “Saturday Night Live” that I referenced the last time he topped the MRT chart with “Veronica.” I appreciate an artist who can be tongue-in-cheek with what they produce, effectively lifting a middle finger at things while also making it sound cool and professional.
“Veronica” wasn’t so much a middle finger as it was a contrast between a relatively upbeat pop/rock ditty and the sad story of Costello’s grandmother and her battle with Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a pretty terrific song, but the juxtaposition between the uplifting music and the somber subject matter underscores that portion of Costello’s unique genius.
Enter “The Other Side Of Summer,” Costello’s second and final Modern Rock Tracks #1 hit.
This song was released right at the start of summer 1991 and it almost certainly nailed the aura of the season with its breezy guitars and vocal harmonies. And it starts out with some lyrical deception, with Costello pointing out the beautiful day (even though the sun “struggles” up), feeling glad (though in his own suspicious way), and reflecting on the magic of the season (even though there’s malice there, too). Do you want us to be happy, Mr. Costello? Why the contradictions?
As it progresses, Costello seems to take great pride in continuing to build his Beach Boys homage musically while simultaneously pointing out the hubris and hypocrisy of those who preach one thing and practice another. While admitting that the lyrics are not a call out of John Lennon’s talent specifically, Costello does take a shot at Lennon’s “Imagine,” as well as Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall”:
Was it a millionaire who said "Imagine no possessions"?
A poor little schoolboy who said "We don't need no lessons"?
The rabid rebel dogs ransack the shampoo shop
The pop princess is downtown shooting up
And if that goddess is fit for burning
The sun will struggle up, the world will still keep turning
Costello points to the contradictions inherent in people presenting a vision of a perfect world, while living an existence walled off from the world they’re advocating to improve. It’s a narrative that gets progressively stronger as the song unfolds, no longer clinging to the initial visual beauty of a sunny summer day, but instead pointing toward rampant drug use, fires burning on the hills (the “Astroturf” line was a particularly biting touch), buried dreams and cardboard shacks. But sure, Costello says, lets keep dancing to that groovy summer beat!
I appreciate what he’s going for, but I’m not into the song for its message on the state of the world in 1991. Rather, I appreciate what he brings to the track musically, and it is a really well-composed song. The chorus in particular is really well put together, a beautifully organized mix of harmonies and Costello’s own unique voice just come together in a wonderful way.
The video helps highlight this musical/lyrical juxtaposition, showing a leather-jacket-clad Costello jamming out on the beach with a bunch of young ladies while showing clips of depressed areas of cities and folks living on the streets. The image of a couple walking their dog in a nice California neighborhood and waving at a woman wheeling a shopping cart and yelling back was particularly well played.
In general, I’m more of a music guy than a lyrics guy, so when I hear “The Other Side Of Summer,” I get completely lost in the music and tend to tone out the lyrics, which might be for the best. I tend to view music as an escape from the politics and troubles of our day-to-day existence, and crossing the two streams of consciousness takes me out of that mode. That said, I think the track is solid on its own musical merits, and is still one I can see adding to my list without reflecting on the politics or real-world sensibilities too much.
As I noted above, this is the last time Costello topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart. He would score another U.S. hit in 1994 with “13 Steps Lead Down,” which topped out at #6 on the MRT chart. Otherwise, most of his chart success would happen on the other side of the Atlantic, where he would chart in the top 100 with several more singles throughout the 1990s. Despite the lack of chart success, he’s still a creative force and putting out albums in the 2020s.
Costello has had a crazy and interesting career in music, and is a unique figure in terms of his talent, creative genius, and desire to poke at prevailing trends and beliefs. Some might call “The Other Side Of Summer” a bit too bitter, but I think the fun he had musically makes it a track worth revisiting, and has quickly become one of my favorites.
Rating: 8/10
Chart Check: A look at other notable MRT chart songs from this time period
Biting social commentary seemed to be top of mind in the early summer weeks of 1991, as Joe Jackson managed to create a one-two punch of pointing out the foibles of modern life. Julian Cope brings it back to love, EMF finds belief after being unbelievable, and you can bet The Farm on their track not being a Beatles cover.
“Obvious Song” by Joe Jackson: Joe Jackson, perhaps most famous for his 1982 #6 Hot 100 hit “Steppin’ Out,” managed to find himself near the top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart a decade later with “Obvious Song.” This one topped out at #2 behind “The Other Side Of Summer,” but features a comparably biting rebuke of society. If given the choice between the two, I’d take “Steppin’ Out” every time. Obviously.
“Beautiful Love” by Julian Cope: Former MRT chart topper Julian Cope (he of the least-read edition of my Chart Chat reviews) found his way back into the top 10 one more time with “Beautiful Love,” a far-less-cynical track than the others that led the charts at this time. Cope’s homage to love topped out at #4 behind Elvis Costello.
“All Together Now” by The Farm: Before I listened to this, I really thought this was going to be a modern-rock cover of the Beatles hit of the same name. It ended up being an interesting history lesson. The song is about the “Christmas truce” of 1914 during World War I. The Farm reached #7 on the MRT chart with this jam, and topped out at #4 on the British charts as well. A 2004 reprisal of this hit also reached #5 on the MRT chart.
“I Believe” by EMF: This up-tempo follow up to “Unbelievable” managed a #10 chart peak on MRT, just before “Unbelievable” hit #1 on the Hot 100 in the summer of 1991. I think it’s kinda funny that “I Believe” was the follow up to a song called “Unbelievable,” but that’s probably just me. The song is fine.
I spent most of those dances by the wall, staring at my shoes.
Fun (and obviously 100% true) fact: Almost all of "Forever Your Girl" was written about me.
"In general, I’m more of a music guy than a lyrics guy, so when I hear “The Other Side Of Summer,” I get completely lost in the music and tend to tone out the lyrics, which might be for the best." Same Matt, I love the tune. The lyrics are dark compared to the music which makes me feel good - like a Beach Boys song.