"Long Hot Summer" is a song by the English band

The Style Council The Style Council were a British musical ensemble, band formed in late 1982 by Paul Weller, the former singer, songwriter and guitarist with the punk rock/New wave music, new wave/mod revival band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previousl ...

which was their third single to be released. It was composed by lead singer

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul m ...

, recorded between 12 and 17 June 1983 in the Grande Armée Studios in Paris, and released on 8 August 1983. In addition to being sold as a conventional two track 7" single, "Long Hot Summer" was also simultaneously released as a four track 7" and 12" EP titled ''À Paris'' which also contained the song "The Paris Match" plus two keyboard instrumentals, "Party Chambers" and "Le Depart". It was also included on the 1983

mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

'' Introducing The Style Council''. The promotional video for "Long Hot Summer" was filmed on the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. The song reached the position of number three in the UK singles chart making it the Style Council's biggest hit, and it remains a staple of Paul Weller's live concerts. By coincidence the British summer heat wave of 1983, most notably July, turned out to be one of the hottest on record – something that would not have been known at the time the song was written and recorded.

Compilation appearances

As well as the song's single release, the

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

has featured on various compilation albums released by The Style Council. The song was included on ''

The Singular Adventures of The Style Council ''The Singular Adventures of The Style Council'' is the first greatest hits album by the Style Council, released in 1989. Subtitled ''Greatest Hits Vol.1'', there was never a 'Volume 2' although other Style Council singles albums have been releas ...

'', ''

The Complete Adventures of The Style Council ''The Complete Adventures of The Style Council'' is a box set by The Style Council, released in 1998, nine years after their split. It contains most of their material in chronological order, including their previously unreleased final studio alb ...

'', and ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

''.

Track listing

* 12" single (TSCX3) #"Long Hot Summer" (Extended Version) #"Party Chambers" #"The Paris Match" #"Le Départ" * 7" single (815 276-7) #"Long Hot Summer" #"Le Départ"

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. *

– lead vocals, guitars *

Mick Talbot Michael Talbot (born 11 September 1958) is an English keyboardist. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Talbot is probably best known as co-founder of the Style Council. He has been a member of Dexys Midnight Runners, the Merton Parkas and ...

– keyboards * Steve White – drums

Charts

References

External links

/ BBC Heatwave History in Graphics
{{authority control 1983 songs 1983 singles 1980s ballads The Style Council songs Songs written by Paul Weller Pop ballads Polydor Records singles