• Music
  • 25 Jul 22
The Track That Changed My Life: Gemma Hayes on Don Henley's 'The Boys Of Summer'
The Track That Changed My Life: Gemma Hayes on Don Henley's 'The Boys Of Summer'
The Hot Press Newsdesk
The Hot Press Newsdesk

As part of our 45th Birthday special – in which we celebrate the 45s that shaped our world – some familiar musical faces select their favourite single since the launch of Hot Press in 1977...

Gemma Hayes:

I first heard ‘The Boys Of Summer’ on a long car journey with my family when I was eight. It affected me as soon as the guitar riff kicked in. I felt nostalgic somehow for a life I had not lived.

I pictured the poor guy hanging out outside the holiday home of the girl he loved after the summer holidays when no one lived there. This song is beachy and sun-kissed. The production is of its time, which is very tailored and pristine, yet it still feels fresh today.

Revisit Gemma Hayes' Up Close and Personal interview with Hot Press here.

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Read the full 'The Track That Changed My Life' feature in the special 45th Birthday issue of Hot Press – out now:

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