Hot Fun in the Summertime

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“Hot Fun in the Summertime”
Single by Sly & the Family Stone from the album Greatest Hits
B-side	"Fun"
Released	August 1969
Format	7" single
Recorded	1969
Genre	Psychedelic soul/funk
Length	2:37
Label	Epic 5-10497
Writer(s)	Sly Stone
Producer	Sly Stone
Sly & the Family Stone singles chronology
"Stand!"/"I Want to Take You Higher" (1969) "Hot Fun in the Summertime"/"Fun" (1969) "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"/"Everybody is a Star" (1969)

"Hot Fun in the Summertime" is a 1969 hit single recorded by Sly & the Family Stone. The single was released in the wake of the band's high-profile performance at Woodstock, which greatly expanded their fanbase. It reached #2 on the U.S. pop chart and #3 on the U.S. R&B chart. Thematically, "Hot Fun in the Summertime" is a dedication to the fun and games to be had during the summer, although it has also been analyzed as a commentary on the race riots of the late-1960s. "Hot Fun in the Summertime" was intended to be included on an in-progress album with "Everybody is a Star" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"; the LP was never completed, and the three tracks were instead included on the band's 1970 Greatest Hits LP.

The B-side to this single is "Fun", a song taken from the group's third album (Life) from 1968.

The track was covered by The Beach Boys on their unsuccessful 1992 album Summer in Paradise. It was covered in 1982 with somewhat greater chart success by a funk outfit known as Dayton, and again in 1995 by The Manhattan Transfer featuring vocals by Chaka Khan.

Rolling Stone ranked it #247 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

[edit] Credits

• Lead and Background Vocals by Sly Stone, Rose Stone, Freddie Stone, and Larry Graham
• Guitar by Freddie Stone
• Bass by Larry Graham
• Drums by Greg Errico
• Horns by Jerry Martini (tenor saxophone) and Cynthia Robinson (trumpet)
• Written and produced by Sly Stone