By Michele Byers
Summer is time to be outdoors — hiking, swimming, bicycling, fishing, camping, kayaking, horseback riding, birding, surfing and more.
Whether you’re at the shore, on a mountain, by a river or in the forest — or stuck inside wishing you were outdoors — a soundtrack can come in handy.
Here’s a playlist of songs about nature and the outdoors to inspire you, pump you up or put a smile on your face.
For inspiration to get out and enjoy sun and fresh air, it’s hard to beat the energetic U2’s “It’s a Beautiful Day.”
“This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie is sure to get you itching to hit the road and explore our country’s lovely places.
The mother of all conservation songs has to be Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” with its oh-so-true lyrics about not knowing what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.
On the flip side is “Nothing but Flowers” by the Talking Heads, a humorous riff on the opposite of paving paradise and putting up a parking lot.
The Beatles sang more about love, love, love than nature, but “Mother Nature’s Son” is a good addition to any outdoor playlist. Another classic about getting back to nature is “Apeman” by the Kinks, actually a protest against nuclear war.
If the heat and humidity are getting you down, try “Summer in the City” by the Lovin’ Spoonful.
Gotta get away? The antidote is Canned Heat’s “Going Up the Country,” a Woodstock era classic.
Sunny days are the very essence of summer, and a couple of good songs are “Blue Sky” by the Allman Brothers and “Mr. Blue Sky” by the Electric Light Orchestra. “Sunshine on my Shoulders” by John Denver also fits the bill, although just about anything by John Denver is outdoorsy.
If the shore is your thing, you’ll need songs about the beach and water. No shore playlist would be complete without the Beach Boys — how about “Catch a Wave” — or Otis Redding’s soulful “Dock of the Bay,” which tells how nature can be a refuge from loneliness.
And Weezer’s popular “Island in the Sun” practically makes you feel warm rays on your skin.
Are you a birder? If so, your soundtrack should include Jack Johnson’s “Upside Down” since birds provide the best of Mother’s Nature’s songs. There’s also the funny “I Like Birds” by The Eels.
And for those who may be working on your life list, there is “Fly Like an Eagle” by the Steve Miller Band, “Blackbird” by the Beatles, “Hummingbird” by Seals & Croft, “Mockingbird” by James Taylor and Carly Simon and “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley. And, yes, not all of those are really about birds!
A reverence for nature is beautifully expressed in “Morning Has Broken,” an old hymn updated by Cat Stevens. “One Sweet World” by the Dave Matthews Band is an ode to Mother Earth. And “Leaves that are Green” by Simon & Garfunkel uses nature as a metaphor for the passage of time.
Raising your environmental consciousness? Try Julian Lennon’s “Saltwater,” the Pretenders’ “My City is Gone,” Neil Young’s “Who’s Gonna Stand Up?” and “Mercy Mercy Me (the ecology)” by Marvin Gaye.
For more contemporary songs, try “Back to the Wild” by Langthorne Slim, “Mount Marcy” by Frontier Ruckus, “Country Calling” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, “Time Forgot” by Conor Oberst, “Northern Lights” by The Cave Singers and “The Wild Hunt” by The Tallest Man on Earth.
You can probably think of lots more.
Enjoy music and nature together this summer! Look for our “New Jersey Conservation Summer Playlist” on Spotify.
Write to me at info@njconservation.org and share what’s on your playlist.
Michele Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. For more information, contact her at info@njconservation.org or visit NJCF’s website at www.njconservation.org.
