June 29, 2023 (Song #2007): “Summer Fly” (1987) by Cheryl Wheeler.  Happy Birthday to Marcus Dippo & Meghan Murray! LYRICS & SONG HISTORY APPLE MUSIC SPOTIFY 

T-35* brings me to 1988.  I remember working at GRP when Craig Sussman, from Cypress Records/A&M, came to visit the office and put this CD on my desk (Half-A-Book).  I took it home to the apartment I lived in (301 East 69th St) with Caroline (who’d just started an amazing job in M&A at Goldman Sachs – hence the fancy apartment address) and Alison King (who was getting her master’s at the NYU School of Journalism), and we listened to it over and over again. We loved Cheryl’s voice and songs; I couldn’t get her music (especially this song) out of my head. I remember asking Craig, on a subsequent visit: “How come she’s not famous???” He gave several reasons that it hadn’t worked out for her and it changed my perspective on the connection between talent and fame: I’d thought that if a person was talented enough, s/he could automatically become famous.  I’d never considered the politics and fickleness of fame.

A small part of me had wanted to be a performing singer/songwriter and I’d signed up to play at a few open mics in the city; I remember not telling anyone I was performing since I’d only ever performed for welcoming audiences of friends & family and I wanted to see what it was like to perform for strangers.  The performances went well enough, but they weren’t all that much fun (and, to be honest, no one ever invited me back). When Craig told me about Cheryl Wheeler’s career, I realized that being a good singer/songwriter isn’t enough; real magic has to happen on so many levels for a person to be “famous”.  At some point I realized that true success for me is satisfaction and contentment and that being “famous” in the grand scheme isn’t going to make me happy.  I don’t know how Cheryl Wheeler feels about not being Taylor Swift-level famous, but I hope she knows that she impacted at least one life (mine) in a beautiful way. (P.S. It turns out that being a music teacher in my hometown has given me a comfortable amount of attention and a tiny taste of “fame”; being recognized by my students in our local grocery store sparks a lot of joy in my life, even if it drives some of my friends and family crazy.)

P.S. Peter, Rose, Bennett and I used to listen to a lot of Cheryl Wheeler on our roadtrips.  Our favorites  Cheryl Wheeler songs are “When Fall Comes To New England”, “POTATO” and “Estate Sale”.  Please check ‘em out.