Been a while since my last Pertinent Playlist, but as I sit on the deck on this sunny April afternoon, I felt compelled to ramp things up for summer. As you might imagine, there’s no shortage of songs about summer, the sun, warmth, and heat. Honestly, I had to whittle this down. I mean, no one wants a 93-song playlist. Do they?

Now that it’s compressed to a manageable 25 songs, I’ll chat about a few. And with a running time at just over 90 minutes, it’s a perfect fit for mowing the yard, making that day trip, running errands, or just chilling on your deck, like me.

I’m always curious how people organize their playlists. My guess? Most are just in the order songs were added. You can do better. I considered sorting alphabetically, by song length, or by release date, but ultimately went with alphabetical by artist.

Bananarama kick it off with their 1983 hit “Cruel Summer,” a breezy tune that hints at summer’s oppressive heat – but after winter and spring, we’re all ready for it. Of course, give it a few months and we’ll be sweating through our shirts, begging for autumn.

Naturally, those classic ’70s summer staples make an appearance. The Beach Boys, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Pink Floyd, Seals & Crofts, and The Who are all here for the Baby Boomers and Gen X crowd. Like Roger Daltrey says, “There ain’t no cure for the summertime blues,” which can really apply to all generations.

For Millennials and Gen Z, there’s plenty to enjoy too: “HOT TO GO!” from Chappell Roan, Childish Gambino’s “Feels Like Summer,” and “Summer Sun” from Plains and Jess Williamson. Scotland’s The Twilight Sad even drop in with their moody gem “That Summer, at Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy.”

And of course, those bands originating in the ’80s are well represented. The Cure, Crowded House, and The Cars all show up. As Ric Ocasek exclaims on “Magic,” “Summer, it turns me upside down / Summer, summer, summer / It’s like a merry-go-round.” No argument here.

Spoon contributes “Hot Thoughts” – pretty much where my mind is right now waiting for summer. The Stereophonics bring “Song for Summer,” while Gizmodrome delivers “Summer’s Coming” (yes, that’s Klark Kent on vocals). And no summer playlist would be complete without Simple Minds’ “Someone, Somewhere (In Summertime).”

Divine Fits – a supergroup in my book featuring Brit Daniel and Dan Boeckner – released just one album, 2012’s A Thing Called Divine Fits. From it comes the summer-ready “Like Ice Cream.” Still hoping for more from them someday.

You can practically smell the sunscreen in tracks from Death Cab for Cutie and The Style Council. And let’s be honest, you were already humming “Summer Nights” the moment you saw the playlist title. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John gave us a timeless classic on the Grease soundtrack: “Summer loving had me a blast…”

And I’d be remiss not to include a song from my old friend, the late, great Tommy Talton. “I’ve Got the Sun in My Heart,” from his posthumous release Seven Levels, is as uplifting as it gets. The singer proclaims, “I got the sun in my heart, the moon in my head / I like to travel a lot, but I stay home instead.” This is my kinda vibe. Miss you, Tommy.

Enjoy the playlist – and the sunshine – while you can. Summer is coming.