"Summer Day" is a song written and recorded by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...

. It was released as the first single from Crow's seventh studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 100 Miles from Memphis

100 Miles from Memphis

-Commercial performance:In the United States, 100 Miles From Memphis was the Billboard 200's second-highest debut. The album which started at number #3 with sales of 55,000 copies is the singer's eighth top 10 album. In its second week, the album droped to number #8, with sales of 24,000 copies. In...

. Written by Crow, Doyle Bramhall II, and Justin Stanley, the song features a breezy, smooth tempo, with a noticeable dose of 1970s, R&B influence. In the music video, Sheryl Crow goes to the park during a sunny day, staging an intimate set with her band.

Background

"Summer Day" is a delightfully breezy slice of glory-days AM radio pop. "I wanted to experiment with writing something simple and positive," says Crow. "The feeling of a great, solid love—not just a new love, but something everlasting."

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Amar Too from AOL Music said that "'Summer Day' might just be the perfect, flagship single for your summer night drives, or evenings spent in your favorite rocking chair on the patio". "The track is guaranteed to provide that extra dose of summertime easiness we're all looking forward to". "Bill Lamb

Bill Lamb

The Hon. William Henry Lamb was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1938 until 1962 and, variously, a member of the Australian Labor Party and the Lang Labor Party...

" from About.com

About.com

About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....

 stated that ""Summer Day" finds her in a Stax Records pop-soul mood". He also referred to the song as a "delightfully breezy piece of old-fashioned pop". Jonathan Keefe from Slant Magazine

Slant Magazine

Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...

 classified the song as "an effortlessness song that is instantly likable and effervescent".
The song was A-listed on BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...

 for the week commencing 3 July.
The song peaked at No 36 on the Hot AC and remained in the chart for six non-consecutive weeks.

Music video

The music video for the song was shot in Nashville, and was released on July 14, 2010 on VEVO

Vevo

Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...

 and was directed by Wayne Isham

Wayne Isham

Wayne Isham is an American music video director who has directed music videos of many popular artists; such as Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Roxette, Mötley Crüe, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Whitesnake, David Cook, Simple Plan, Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys,...

.
Sheryl Crow commented that "[Her] friend Keith Megna made an amazing 'Summer Day' video for us - inspired by a great day in Central Park

Central Park

Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...

 and our actual studio recording of the song."

Concept

The video captures people enjoying the summer are flashed while Crow delivers a groovy performance. Some are playing hula hoops and the others are either sitting on a bench while listening to music or canoeing in the lake nearby.

Reception

Bill Lamb

Bill Lamb

The Hon. William Henry Lamb was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1938 until 1962 and, variously, a member of the Australian Labor Party and the Lang Labor Party...

 from About.com

About.com

About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....

say that "The accompanying music video is laidback and blissed out like any perfect summer afternoon".

Chart performance

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Canadian Adul Contemporary Mediabase Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...	41
Italian Airplay Chart	68
Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....	7
Japanese Adult Contemporary Airplay	2
UK Airplay Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	21
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	149
U.S. Billboard Triple A Adult album alternative Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....	2
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...	47
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...	23