Summer sounds

In which G.M. Norton picks out some of his favourite summer songs.

By the time you read this, I will be...

...on holiday in Whitby. My family and I have holidayed in Whitby before and made some treasured memories so I'm hopeful that more precious moments will be made. My eldest daughter turns 12 in a few day's time, which feels awfully strange to write down. We took her to a rather splendid pie shop on her 8th birthday - I wonder if history will repeat itself.

To get into the holiday mood, I've been listening to a few songs that always remind me of summer. Here's three of my favourites.

The Day We Caught The Train

One of my best chums was a massive Ocean Colour Scene fan, so got me into the band back in 1996 or 1997. Moseley Shoals remains once of the best albums and this is one of the standout songs.

Sunny Afternoon

The Kinks are one of my favourite bands. For somebody who loves words, I'm always usually about the music. But Ray Davies always manages to bend my ear.

Paint it Black

I do love a jaunty tune mixed with dark lyrics. Brian Jones, taking obvious inspiration from George Harrison, does a marvellous job on the sitar while Mick delivers one of his finest vocals. Interestingly, the lyric "I turn my head until my darkness goes" was taken from James Joyce's Ulysses.

G.M. Norton

Protagonist of 'Norton of Morton'