100 Songs of Summer #43 “In the Mood” by Glen Miller
Want to get really nostalgic with the Top 100 Songs of Summer countdown? Travel back to the big band era and its number one bandleader, hit-maker and iconic musical genius Glen Miller. Probably his most famous arrangement, “In the Mood” fits the Hamptons’ summer vibe like a comfy, white glove.
Hamptons 100 Songs of Summer #43
“In the Mood” by Glen Miller
There’s something incredibly endearing and gentlemanly about this tune. Miller recorded “In the Mood” on RCA Bluebird in 1939 and it’s since been dubbed one of the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century by National Public Radio and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1983. Despite coming out after The Great Gatsby‘s Roaring Twenties, the big band hit still somehow conjures images of grand East End mansions, classic cars with lots of curves and white wall tires, champagne and Fitzgerald’s general finery.
It’s a joyful song with class. It’s grass courts, tennis sweaters and horn-rimmed sunglasses without feeling pretentious or annoying. It’s a dance on the grand patio with a girl with finger waves and a water view. It’s calling your friends “chap” and “old boy.” It’s fishing with a bamboo rod and a cocktail in a glass. It’s of a simpler time. It’s a song that says so much without a single lyric. It’s a certain summer fantasy without a drop of unseemly sweat. What’s not to love?