In a post to social media on July 30, Danielle Haim revealed that the track started as a GarageBand demo on her phone. The lyrics were inspired by producer and Danielle's partner Ariel Rechtshaid's cancer diagnosis during the making of their second album, Something to Tell You; Danielle said that during the band's time off from touring, she wanted to be Rechtshaid's "hope when he was feeling hopeless" and a "light that shined on him when he was feeling very dark", which led to her singing "I'm your summer girl" over the demo's bass line. She asked friend and musician Rostam Batmanglij for help, and he wrote a saxophone part for the song. The saxophone part was adapted from the 1969 song "Sing Me a Song That I Know" by Blodwyn Pig. After he and Haim thought the melody sounded like "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed, he added bass guitar effects that mimicked the sound of the track. Haim then brought the song to Rechtshaid, who added final effects to the song.
Pitchfork named the song the Best New Track, with staff writer Michelle Kim describing it as having a "jazzier palette than HAIM's usual guitar-forward funk-pop", calling it "sweetly plaintive" and saying that with the lines "You walk beside me, not behind me/Feel my unconditional love", "Danielle positions herself as a rock for her partner and invokes the age-old belief: Love has the power to heal." Tyler Damara Kelly of The Line of Best Fit called it an "amalgamation of an experimental jazz-fusion which permeates the record".
HAIM debuted the track at a concert at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles on July 17. After performing the track live, the group shared a snippet of the song being played in the studio on social media. They later posted that it would be released later in the week.
Summer Girl
HAIM Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're there when I close my eyes, so hard to reach
Your smiles turn into crying, it's the same release
And you always know, and you always know
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
Doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, do
Doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, do
Doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, do
Doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, do
Lightning in your eyes, you can't speak
Falling from the sky, down to me
I see it in your face, I'm relief
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
Doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, do
Doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, do
Doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, do
Doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, doot, do, do
Peer around the corner at you
From over my shoulder I need you
I need you to understand
These are the earthquake drills that we ran
Under the freeway overpasses
The tears behind your dark sunglasses
The fears inside your heart as deep as gashes
You walk beside me, not behind me
Feel my unconditional love
And I can see the angels coming down (doot, do, doot, do)
Just like a wave that's crashing on the ground (doot, do, doot, do)
I can see the angels coming now (doot, do, doot, do)
Like a wave that's crashing on the ground (doot, do, doot, do)
And I can see the angels coming down
Like a wave that's crashing on the ground
The lyrics of HAIM's song Summer Girl evoke a feeling of nostalgia and longing, with the singer reminiscing about an absent loved one who is always on their mind. The opening lines "L.A. on my mind, I can't breathe, you're there when I close my eyes, so hard to reach" suggest that this person is physically distant and difficult to communicate with, but they are a constant presence in the singer's thoughts.
The chorus, which repeats the phrase "I'm your summer girl" several times, implies that the singer is a source of comfort and happiness for this person, and that their relationship is mostly experienced during the summer months. The use of the word "girl" suggests a playful and carefree dynamic between the two.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more enigmatic and poetic, with mentions of lightning in their eyes and falling from the sky. The lines "peer around the corner at you, from over my shoulder I need you" create a sense of urgency and desire, and the repetition of the phrase "I'm your summer girl" reinforces the singer's role as a source of support during difficult times.
Overall, the lyrics of Summer Girl are open to interpretation and could be interpreted as a love song, a tribute to a friend or family member, or a nostalgic reflection on past memories.
Line by Line Meaning
L.A. on my mind, I can't breathe
I'm obsessed with you and you're suffocating me, even when I'm thinking of other things like L.A.
You're there when I close my eyes, so hard to reach
I can't escape thinking about you, even in my thoughts that are supposed to be my own personal space.
Your smiles turn into crying, it's the same release
You're wearing a mask pretending to be happy, while deep down you're crying, it's like you're letting out one emotion instead of holding all of it in.
And you always know, and you always know
You're aware of all this as well, what I'm feeling and what you're hiding.
I'm your summer girl
I'm here to make you feel like it's summer all the time, and I'll keep smiling so you can keep wearing a mask.
Lightning in your eyes, you can't speak
Falling from the sky, down to me
I see it in your face, I'm relief
I'm your summer girl
There's anger and passion in your eyes, you're unable to speak, but it feels like it's striking down to me as I can sense it in your face, and I'll continue to be your relief from that with my 'summer girl' personality.
Peer around the corner at you
From over my shoulder I need you
I need you to understand
Looking around the corner at you, I want you to realize how much I need you and how desperately I want you to understand that.
These are the earthquake drills that we ran
Under the freeway overpasses
The tears behind your dark sunglasses
The fears inside your heart as deep as gashes
We've been through some difficult times and run earthquake drills, spent time under freeway overpasses, cried behind those dark sunglasses and your fears run deep and hurt like gashes in your heart.
You walk beside me, not behind me
Feel my unconditional love
I'm here for you, not ahead of you or behind you, and I'll always have unconditional love for you.
And I can see the angels coming down (doot, do, doot, do)
Just like a wave that's crashing on the ground (doot, do, doot, do)
I can see the angels coming now (doot, do, doot, do)
Like a wave that's crashing on the ground (doot, do, doot, do)
And I can see the angels coming down
Like a wave that's crashing on the ground
Despite all of the difficulties and pain we've gone through, I can see hope on the horizon, like a wave crashing on the shore, as angels come down to help us through.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: Alana Mychal Haim, Ariel Zvi Rechtshaid, Danielle Sari Haim, Este Arielle Haim, Lou Reed, Rostam Batmanglij
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joaomessias2685
☆ LYRICS ☆
L.A. on my mind, I can't breathe
You're there when I close my eyes, so hard to reach
The smiles turn into crying, it's the same release
And you always know, and you always know
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du
Lightning in your eyes, you can't speak
Falling from the sky, down to me
I see it in your face, I'm relief
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl, I'm your summer girl
I'm your summer girl
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du
Peer around the corner at you
From over my shoulder I need you
I need you to understand
These are the earthquake drills that we ran
Under the freeway overpasses
The tears behind your dark sunglasses
The fears inside your heart as deep as gashes
You walk beside me, not behind me
Feel my unconditional love
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du
Du-du, du-du-du-du
And I can see the angels coming down
Just like a wave that's crashing on the ground
And I can see the angels coming down
Like a wave that's crashing on the ground
☆
@holland3185
L.A. on my mind, I can't breathe
You're there when I close my eyes, so hard to reach
The smiles turn into cries, it's the same release
And you always know, and you always know
I’m your summer girl
I’m your summer girl
I’m your summer girl
I’m your summer girl
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du x4
Lightning in your eyes, you can't speak
Falling from the sky, down to me
I see it in your face, I'm relief
I'm your summer girl
I’m your summer girl
I’m your summer girl
I’m your summer girl
I’m your summer girl
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du x4
Peer around the corner at you
From over my shoulder I need you
I need you to understand
These are the earthquake drills that we ran
Under the freeway overpasses
The tears behind your dark sunglasses
The fears inside your heart as deep as gashes
You walk beside me, not behind me
Feel my unconditional love
Du-du, du-du-du-du
Du-du-du-du, du-du-du-du-du x4
And I can see the angels coming down
Like a wave that's crashing on the ground
I can see the angels coming now
Like a wave that's crashing on the ground
@AndiRachManMusic
So they have been walking for two years since Want You Back. Legend says they’re still walking.
@rozyy15
WAS THAT TWO YEARS AGO ALREADY?! Man time flies!!!
@robertgomez7414
And they have only travelled about two miles on Ventura blvd in all that time.
@melliethemortician
Robert Gomez honestly in this heat thats about as far any of us can get lmao
@conansmith5164
pTa is a god
@MaValVega
rozyy21 your comment was really good 😂👏
@tanishamehta9471
legend says that they're still walking....
@moxipoximoxi5149
Totally agree:-)
@ancasan100
I'm waiting the Extended version
@mawa6891
I heard they came across Gisele Bündchen... still walking from Rio 2016.