Songs Of Summer “Fly” by Sugar Ray
I have very vivid memories of both this video for Sugar Ray’s “Fly” (the spinning room, sitting on top of a moving car, being in a pool with their clothes on, etc.) and buying the album. I was 14 when the album came out in the summer of 1997 and must have bought the CD at the nearby Best Buy or something. I hadn’t listened to it before going to visit my Grandma in Cleveland. After the two hour drive there I’m sure we had dinner or something, and then I went to bed where I plugged my Discman in and gave the disc my first listen. Holy shit, every song on that record is way heavier than “Fly.” I was blown away because I wasn’t expecting that, but I really dug the record and still give it a listen every now and then. Of course, the softer summer songs are what would send Sugar Ray on to fame and fortune. I would imagine anyone who went back and listened to Floored (their second album which had “Fly” on it) nowadays would be pretty shocked as well. I can’t say I still dug Sugar Ray in their later entries, but now that I’m older all their singles feel pretty nostalgic. Maybe I’ll pick up their Greatest Hits record at some point or just get the songs from iTunes.
