
Peak
2
Weeks
16
Score
3,359
Chart Year
1969
It may be hot in the summertime, but everything's cool in this Sly & the Family Stone classic. Written and produced by Sly Stone, the song celebrates the balmy days when school is out and the sun is shining. The song is a showcase for the entire band; all seven members sing on the chorus and along with vocalists Sly and Rose Stone, guitarist Freddie Stone and bass player Larry Graham each get lines. Their horn players, sax man Jerry Martini and trumpet player Cynthia Robinson (a rare female horn player in a hit-making band) also get their due. Sly Stone was never known for punctuality, and he didn't deliver "Hot Fun In The Summertime" until August 1969. Epic Records rush released it, but by then the summer was almost over. It reached its US chart peak of #2 (behind "I Can't Get Next To You" by The Temptations) on October 18. This song was released shortly after the Woodstock festival, where the band did a memorable set. This helped pique interest in Sly & the Family Stone, and gave the song a nice boost on the charts. The song was released as a standalone single but has shown up on many compilations. It came at a time when Sly & the Family Stone were at their peak, shortly before Sly Stone slid into a drug-induced abyss, taking the band down with him. Sly became very unreliable and their music suffered. In 1972, key members Larry Graham and Gregg Errico left, and in 1975 the band broke up. Over the next 30 years, Stone made sporadic appearances but never staged a full-fledged comeback. The Beach Boys recorded this on their 1992 album Summer in Paradise.
End of the spring And here she comes back Hi, hi, hi, hi there Them summer days Those summer days That's when I had Most of my fun, back Hi, hi, hi, hi there Them summer days Those summer days I cloud nine when I want to Out of school, yeah County fair in the country sun And everything is true Ooh, yeah, yeah Hot fun in the summertime Hot fun in the summertime Hot fun in the summertime Hot fun in the summertime First of the fall And then she goes back Bye, bye, bye, bye there Them summer days Those summer days Boop-boop-boop-boop When I want to Out of school County fair in the country sun And everything is cool Ooh, yeah, yeah Hot fun in the summertime (hey, hey, hey, ooh) Hot fun in the summertime (ooh, yeah) Hot fun in the summertime
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 9, 1969 | 79 | 47 |
| 2 | Aug 16, 1969 | 54 | 72 |
| 3 | Aug 23, 1969 | 42 | 84 |
| 4 | Aug 30, 1969 | 36 | 90 |
| 5 | Sep 6, 1969 | 29 | 97 |
| 6 | Sep 13, 1969 | 26 | 100 |
| 7 | Sep 20, 1969 | 21 | 105 |
| 8 | Sep 27, 1969 | 9 | 117 |
| 9 | Oct 4, 1969 | 9 | 117 |
| 10 | Oct 11, 1969 | 5 | 121 |
| 11 | Oct 18, 1969 | 2 | 124 |
| 12 | Oct 25, 1969 | 2 | 124 |
| 13 | Nov 1, 1969 | 6 | 120 |
| 14 | Nov 8, 1969 | 7 | 119 |
| 15 | Nov 15, 1969 | 12 | 114 |
| 16 | Nov 22, 1969 | 25 | 101 |