Summer heat is still growing, and tan lines are already showing – its JULY, a great month for summer celebrations and SUMMER MUSIC!! Instead of letting business create a Cruel Summerfor you, let your favorite tunes guide your writing and advertising chores this month. Sit back, crank up your favorite channel, and jam the tunes!
Top Ten Summer Tunes:
- Cruel Summer(1983) by Bananarama
- The Boys of Summer(1982) by Don Henley
- Summer of ’69(1985) by Bryan Adams
- WipeOut(1963) by The Sufaris
- Surfin’ USA(1963) by The Beach Boys
- School’s Out for Summer(1972) by Alice Cooper
- Summertime Blues(1958) by Eddie Cochran
- Summertime(1991) DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
- Summer Breeze(1972) Seals and Crofts
- Summer in the City(1966) by The Lovin’ Spoonful
What summertime songs would you add to this list? Why not run a July contest asking your audience to share their favorite summertime songs? Perhaps compile the 10 most popular into a list and create a poll in which everyone could vote. The one who submitted the winning song could receive:
- Free product or service from your business
- Discounts to your products or services
- Summertime drink discount card
- Amazon $30 gift card
- ITunes $30 gift card
Holidays and Special Days
July 4 – Independence Day
Thomas Jefferson, is the author of the Declaration of Independence. He led a committee that crafted the declaration from June 11-28, 1776. Jefferson and other representatives from the thirteen colonies, voted and approved it on July 4, 1776. The document declared freedom for the 13 colonies from British rule. It currently resides in the Exhibition Hall of the National Archive in Washington, D.C.
July 5 – National Bikini Day
On July 5, 1946, the first Bikini was worn and modeled. That makes this a very special day, National Bikini Day. Oddly, it is referred to as “National”, but it did not originate in the U.S. At that time, conservative Americans largely shunned the bikini, until the 1960s. Perhaps the word “national” refers to France, where the Bikini was first modeled.
July 13 – Friday the 13th
Are you superstitious? Then, Friday the 13th is a day you may look forward to with fear! Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day, a day when bad things can happen. Whatever you do, don’t walk under a ladder, and don’t let a black cat cross your path on this day. Throughout most of recorded history, the number 13 has been seen as an unlucky number. If you live in fear of the number 13, you suffer from Triskaidekaphobia.
July 15 – National Ice Cream Day
When you get the urge for a snack on a hot, humid summer night, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Ice Cream! Therefore, it’s only fitting that ice cream be given its own special day. On this day, set the diet aside and splurge a little. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month. He also established National Ice Cream Day as the third Sunday in the month.
July 22 – Parent’s Day
Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of every July in the United States beginning in 1994, Parent’s Day is a day for children to honor both of their parents at the same time. Mother’s Day falls in May and Father’s Day in June, which means Parent’s Day completes the trilogy of parental holidays and is a day for children to show their appreciation to both parents at the same time.
Birthdays
July 1, 1916- Olivia De Havilland, actress
July 1, 1934- Jamie Farr, actor
July 1, 1952- Dan Aykroyd, actor
July 1, 1961- Princess Diana, Princess of Wales
July 1, 1961- Carl Lewis, Olympic champion, track star
July 2, 1932- Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s
July 3, 1962- Tom Cruise, actor
July 4, 1872- Calvin Coolidge, 30th U.S. President (1923-1929)
July 4, 1918- Ann Landers, advice columnist
July 4, 1918- Abigail Van Buren, advice columnist
July 4, 1930- George Steinbrenner, NY Yankees owner
July 5, 1810- P. T. Barnum, showman, circus founder
July 6, 1923- Nancy Reagan, First lady of the United States
July 6, 1946- George W. Bush, 43rd U.S. President (2001-present)
July 6, 1946- Sylvester Stallone, actor/director
July 8, 1958- Kevin Bacon, actor
July 8, 1961- Toby Keith, 2003-2004 Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year
July 9, 1956- Tom Hanks, actor
July 9, 1839 – Adolphus Busch, American brewer, Busch Beer.
July 10, 1980- Jessica Simpson, singer
July 11, 1767- John Quincy Adams, 6th U.S. President (1825-1829)
July 12, 1817 Henry David Thoreau, author, philosopher
July 13, 1942- Harrison Ford, actor, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, more
July 14, 1910- William Hanna, “Hanna-Barbera”, creators of the “Flintstones” and the “Jetsons”
July 14, 1912- Woody Guthrie, folk singer, songwriter
July 14, 1913- Gerald Ford, 38th U.S. President (1974-1977)
July 15, 1951- Jesse Ventura, WWF wrestler, MN governor
July 16, 1911- Ginger Rogers, actress, dancer
July 17, 1934- Donald Sutherland, actor
July 19, 1962- Anthony Edwards, “Dr. Greene” on TV series “ER”
July 20, 1919- Sir Edmund Hillary, explorer, mountaineer, first to reach the peak of Mt Everest
July 21, 1899- Ernest Hemingway, novelist
July 21, 1924- Don Knotts, actor
July 21, 1952- Robin Williams, actor
July 22, 1947- Danny Glover, actor
July 22, 1947- Don Henley, singer, songwriter, member of the “Eagles”
July 23, 1961- Woody Harrelson, actor
July 23, 1989- Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter” in Harry Potter moives
July 24, 1951- Lynda Carter, actress, “Wonder Wonam”
July 26, 1894- Aldous Huxley, writer, wrote “Brave Wew World”
July 26, 1964- Sandra Bullock, actress
July 28, 1866- Beatrix Potter, children’s author
July 28, 1945- Jim Davis, cartoonist, created “Garfield”
July 30, 1863- Henry Ford, auto maker, industrialist
July 31, 1963- Wesley Snipes, actor
July 31, 1965- J.K. Rowling, author of “Harry Potter” series
July 31, 1966- Dean Cain, actor “Superman” on TV series “Lois and Clark”
What great ways do you plan to spend your July days? How can you leverage these holiday events or happenings to attract customers and impact your business? Share them in the comments and of course, share them with your readers! Until next month, keep jammin’ to those summertime tunes, go barefoot as much as possible, and as always, keep writing!