It’s almost June, which means that it’s time to break out the blank tapes — sorry, CD-Rs — and compile your favorite summer tunes onto one easy-to-transport device. Sure, summer doesn’t officially begin until June 20, but (clearly) the sun isn’t waiting around to take its cue.

When I think of summery music, more often than not, I start to remember the tunes from “97.3 KBSG! — Seattle” (yes the jingle did just play in my head) that I grew up listening to when I lived in Redmond. Who can resist the light-hearted fun of a Buddy Holly or Monkees song on a hot summer day? Songs like that were made to be heard while outside catching some rays, sipping on a soda beverage and chomping down burgers. Just thinking about it makes me want to leave the office right now to go chill in the park with sandals and a single-scoop ice cream cone (any more and I’ll make a mess, I guarantee it) blasting “Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs. … So, I’m sort of an overgrown eight-year-old, but my stuffed panda Squish prefers me that way. But I digress …

The problem here is that there are too many good songs from that era to fit onto one tape, or even two for that matter. Besides that, what could I include that isn’t already predictable? As much as I want to make a mix that doesn’t exclude Mungo Jerry’s “In the Summertime,” I think it’s about time I gave the summer mixed tape a makeover with some more modern tracks or, at the very least, some lesser-used gems (I couldn’t live with myself if I left off Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s 1975 release, “Hey You,” even if it is technically an oldie) that embody the season’s mood rather than make direct references to it. For good measure, I’ll divide a track list between two discs (what, you didn’t think I’d actually use an audiocassette, did you?): Summer Days and Summer Nights.

SUMMER DAYS
1. “Hey You” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
2. “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
3. “You May Be Right” by Billy Joel
4. “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder
5. “Island in the Sun” by Weezer
6. “Where It’s At” by Beck
7. “Girlfriend” by Harry Nilsson
8. “San Francisco Bay Blues” by Eric Clapton
9. “I See Love” by Keb’ Mo’
10. “Born on the Bayou” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
11. “Precious Time” by Van Morrison
12. “The Sweet Escape” by Gwen Stefani
13. “Callin’ Out” by Lyrics Born
14. “A Sweet Summer’s Night on Hammer Hill” by Jens Lekman
15. “La Grange” by ZZ Top
16. “Just Like Heaven” by the Cure
17. “Here Comes My Baby” by the Tremeloes
18. “Drift Away” by Dobie Gray

SUMMER NIGHTS
1. “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé
2. “Lullaby” by Wang Chung
3. “Baby I Love Your Way” by Peter Frampton
4. “Mexico” by James Taylor
5. “Mud on the Tires” by Brad Paisley
6. “One of these Nights” by the Eagles
7. “Such a Night” by Dr. John
8. “Shadow Dancing” by Andy Gibb
9. “Minor Swing” by John Jorgenson
10. “On the Road Again” by Katie Melua
11. “Sinkin’ Soon” by Norah Jones
12. “Lucky” by Jason Mraz (featuring Colbie Caillat)
13. “Marry Me” by Martin Sexton
14. “Family Tree” by Ben Kweller
15. “Dusty Road” by Missy Higgins
16. “1000 Miles Per Hour” by Ok Go
17. “A Wink and a Smile” by Harry Connick Jr.
18. “American Pie” by Don McLean

On these discs, I’ve tried to cover a lot of ground with genre. Summer Days contains some of the more upbeat, danceable tracks for a high energy day in the sunshine. Summer Nights moves into the lazier, ambling tracks, perfect for a drive during twilight with the windows down and the volume up. Both CDs are full of good tunes to sing along to, as well. I’ve highlighted all my special favorites in blue. Some of these tunes are covers; for some reason or another, I felt they fit better here than the original versions.

What, no Jimmy Buffett? you say? How could I have left off the Offspring or System of a Down? I want my Missy Elliot! you demand. I know there are plenty more songs that could have worked well on these mixes, but with so many songs in the world, I just went with my gut … well, and the “top of my head,” as they say. It’s not an essential mix of summer songs (far from it, to be honest); just a very good one, if I do say so myself. Of course, I’m just trying to put the idea in your heads. If you don’t like mine, make your own. Whatever helps you enjoy the season.

Tips on making a mixed CD:
Pick a theme. Try not to become too specific with your themes. Try to keep them broad so you leave yourself with a lot of good song options. A Summer theme works well for this. You could go so far as to do one for Summer Love, or Summer Drives, Summer Nostalgia, etc. But try to stay away from themes such as Songs With My Name in Them. Besides really narrowing your options, you’re going to end up resorting to including songs that you don’t really want to listen to. Which leads me to my next tip …
Omit songs you don’t like. Should go without saying, but some people will go to any length to stick to a theme. Really, don’t do this. Ultimately, you’ll just end up skipping it every time you listen. And even if you don’t skip it, it will soil the experience.
No repeats. Maybe it’s just me, but when I make a mixed tape, I don’t like to repeat artists. Usually, multiple songs by the same artist fit into the same theme, so it’s hard to make a choice, but just pick one. That’s all you need to get your point across. It’s painful for me to accept that one Led Zeppelin song is enough, but in this case, it probably is.
Think of your listeners. More often than not, you’re making this CD to play with friends — at a party, on a road trip, etc. — so make sure to pick songs everyone will like, or at least tolerate. (No matter how much you love “Sunshine Day” by the Brady Bunch, and by “you” I mean “I,” it’s probably not going to be a crowd pleaser.) That’s why I keep some music in my library that I don’t normally want to listen to. It comes in handy for projects like this.

(As always, all the songs I mention are available at the iTunes store for 99 cents each.)