Summer of '89
School got out
And summer arrived
We kicked things off with a water fight
There we were
Just a moment in time
Looking back
It was the time of our lives
It was a summer made of dreams
And it had just begun

Sunrise woke me with a beautiful song
A brand new day in a beautiful world
Ran through the backyard’s cool morning shadows
My friends next door would meet me by the wall
Our lives as free as a fantasy
Wide awake in a dream

It was the summer of fun
And you know that’s what we had
It was the summer to which
I will always look back
We were kids growing up
Walking a straight path
Having the times of our lives
In the summer of ’89

The doors to my dad’s store closed for good
Filled the fridge with candy
Who drank all the Yoo-hoo
Sang along to Pirate Radio
Pretended I was a DJ as I taped the songs
I still laugh thinking when my cousin said, “Women are all like snakes”

We packed our bags and flew to Washington
My cousin’s wedding, family reunion
Another plane, we’re off to Montreal
Road trip with Zou Zou to Niagara Falls
Richard Marx woke us to, “Right Here Waiting For You”

It was the summer of fun
And you know that’s what we had
It was the summer to which
I will always look back
We were kids growing up
Walking a straight path
Having the times of our lives
In the summer of ’89 

I remember the late night barbeques
Spin the bottle in the family room
Picking peaches from our yard of fruits
You sang La Bamba and I yelled “Shut Up!”
Tied a string to a beetle, watched it fly like a kite
I liked to tape record everyday life

It was the summer of fun
And you know that’s what we had
It was the summer to which
I will always look back
We were kids growing up
Walking a straight path
Having the times of our lives
In the summer of ’89

Story about Summer of '89
Summer of ’89 is about the best time… well, the best summer of my life.  I cherished that summer, and when it was over, I already missed it.  Every single word in this song actually happened—from the water fight me and my brother had the day school got out for summer, to the beetle Wendy (my best friend who lived next door) tied a string to while by the peach tree in our backyard, and ran around with as it flew like a kite.  The warm summer nights, the refreshing early mornings, the exciting trip to Washington/Maryland and Montreal, and the crazy drive with my cousin’s husband’s wacked-out brother Zou Zou to Niagra Falls, the memorable music, the laughs, the innocence, the memories.  That summer was etched in time as one single moment full of eternities of unforgettable moments.  Precious.  Priceless.  That was the Summer of ’89. 

I started writing this song July 1, 1999—10 years passed—and finished writing it on November 25, 1999.  It sounds like I worked long and hard on it, and that’s because I did.  The lyrics for this song did not come as easy as they did for other songs.  Maybe it’s because I was trying to write the whole thing in my head.  I stored all the lyrics in my mind and didn’t write them all down till the day I finished.  I wanted to see if I could do it.  I did, but it was stupid.  I’ll never do it again.  It’s easy to forget things that way.  Also, I noticed that you could sit and think about a song forever and not be able to come up with lyrics.  But the moment you put a pen in your hand and some paper underneath it, the lyrics just seem to flow.  I’m not sure why that is, but that’s what my experience has been. 

Anyway, I’ve always wanted to write a song about the Summer of ’89, and I’m glad I finally did.  Although there will be other summers of laughs, good times, and memories, the Summer of ’89 will always be cherished for the moment it was, and the memory it will always be.    

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