RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Summer is swiftly rolling along, as is our road trip music playlist. On this week's Wingin' It, journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy takes us back to the 1990s with her favorite road trip song. It's a good one. Her pick, "Summertime," by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, better known now as Will Smith.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUMMERTIME")
DJ JAZZY JEFF AND THE FRESH PRINCE: Drums, please. (Singing) Oh, yeah.
SOWMYA KRISHNAMURTHY: This song is the quintessential summer road trip song. The music is so melodic and romantic and just evokes breezes and warm summer nights.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUMMERTIME")
DJ JAZZY JEFF AND THE FRESH PRINCE: (Singing) Here it is the groove slightly transformed, just a bit of a break from the norm, just a little somethin' to break the monotony of all that hardcore dance that has gotten to be a little bit out of control...
KRISHNAMURTHY: "Summertime" dropped in 1991, and back then I was too young to have my license. So for me, this song really evokes riding the elementary school bus in Kalamazoo, Mich., going to school. So just when the weather's starting to turn, the days are getting longer, the radio station would play "Summertime." And I remember being a kid sitting in the back of the bus and just totally zoning out to this song.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUMMERTIME")
DJ JAZZY JEFF AND THE FRESH PRINCE: (Singing) School is out and it's sort of a buzz. Back then I didn't really know what it was, but now I see what have of this, the way that people respond to summer madness. The weather is hot, and girls are dressing less and checking out the fellas to tell 'em who's best. Riding around in your jeep or your benzos or in your Nissans sitting on lorenzos.
KRISHNAMURTHY: As an adult, the lyrics kind of made more sense to me. You know, when you're in elementary school, a lot of the content is a little bit more adult. But as I grew up, it just became this song that would always usher in the summer.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUMMERTIME")
DJ JAZZY JEFF AND THE FRESH PRINCE: (Singing) Then 6 o'clock rolls around. You just finished wiping your car down. It's time to cruise, so you go to the summertime hangout. It looks like a car show.
MARTIN: That was music journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy. She was talking about her favorite road trip song, "Summertime," by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. We still want to know what songs you like to drive to. Let us know by going to the WEEKEND EDITION Facebook page.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUMMERTIME")
DJ JAZZY JEFF AND THE FRESH PRINCE: (Singing) Two miles an hour so everybody sees you. There's an air of love and of happiness. And this is The Fresh Prince's new definition of summer madness. Summer summer summertime, I just sit back and unwind. Summer summer summertime, I just sit back and unwind. Summer summer summertime, I just sit back and unwind. Summer summer summertime...
MARTIN: Definitely feeling the summer vibe. This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.