"Summer Girl" by HAIM // Song Review

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Released in the summer of 2019, "Summer Girl" was the first new music HAIM released in two years following the release of their album Something to Tell You . The song represented not only a sonic shift for the band, but also was a deeply personal offering of love, hope and healing during a particularly difficult chapter of life. 

At the time, Ariel Rechtshaid, the band's longtime producer and Danielle Haim's partner at the time, had recently been diagnosed with cancer. He has since recovered, but the emotional weight of that time shaped the heart of the song. Danielle wrote the song as a way to channel the light in the darkness. The recurring line "I'm your summer girl" becomes a sweet and simple mantra throughout the track that encapsulates the desire to be that source of hope for him.

"I was on tour and felt like I was trying to send positive energy his way almost telepathically," Danielle shared alongside the song's release. "Whenever I would come home in between shows I wanted to be his sunshine, his summer when he was feeling dark." That sentiment shines through every line of the song, which was written from a place of wanting to be a beacon of warmth during someone's darkest days.

"Summer Girl" is filled with so many beautiful lyrical moments, but the bridge especially stands out. There's something deeply moving about how honest and direct it's written, as she truly bares it all emotionally. "The tears behind your dark sunglasses, the fears inside your heart's deepest gashes," Danielle sings in the bridge, "Walk beside me, not behind me, feel my unconditional love".


Sonically, "Summer Girl" is breezy and light, yet emotionally grounded. It's rooted in the vintage Los Angeles sound that HAIM would later expand upon the following year on Women In Music Pt. III. There's a distinct magic in how they capture the essence of their hometown, in a way that is nostalgic, and effortlessly cool. The saxophone, written by frequent collaborator Rostam Batmanglij and adapted from Blodwyn Pig’s 1969 track "Sing Me a Song That I Know", is pivotal to the song. It is reminiscent of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side", a connection the band leaned into by adding extra bass and ultimately crediting him as an additional co-writer.

This song is the embodiment of emotional resilience, unconditional love and the gentle promise of being a light in someone's darkest moments. 


Thanks for reading! Check out more of my reviews of HAIM's music, including my anniversary review of Women in Music Pt. III, my review of I quit + more from my song of the week series.


Photo Credit: HAIM, Polydor


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