GERSHWIN’S SUMMERTIME: THE SONG THAT CONQUERED THE WORLD (2011)
James Maycock’s gem of a profile is an unalloyed pleasure
SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE SECTION
“The story of this languid, melancholy song is superbly told”
RADIO TIMES
“Maycock’s splendid documentary is a model of its kind, made with real visual imagination”
TIME OUT
Picks Of The Day / Critics Choice
EVENING STANDARD, DAILY TELEGRAPH, THE OBSERVER, THE TIMES, THE INDEPENDENT

Made as part of BBC’s “All America” season, this film shows how SUMMERTIME, Gershwin’s aria from his radical 1935 opera Porgy & Bess, became the most covered composition in the world – with over 25,000 versions.

It reveals how musicians have projected their own dreams & desires onto the song, re-imagining SUMMERTIME throughout the 20th century as a civil rights prayer… a hippie lullaby… an ode to seduction… an Indian lullaby… an African reverie… a modern freedom song.

This intriguing investigation into the secret life of SUMMERTIME doesn’t just explore the song’s breathtaking adaptability but also how it resonates on a deep emotional level too. The tune has magically tapped into something deep inside us all – nostalgia & innocence, sadness & joy and our intrinsic desire for freedom.

DIRECTOR & PRODUCER & WRITER: James Maycock

BROADCASTER: BBC TV / BBC Four

PROGRAMME DURATION: 60 minutes

PRODUCTION COMPANY: BBC Music & Arts Co-Production

BBC EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jonty Claypole

BBC CONTROLLER / COMMISSIONER: Richard Klein


Clips

Summertime Surfers.


Summertime Eureka Moment – Reconstruction.