Jumping into a lake on a hot summer’s day can be as thrilling as…well… rock and roll, but what rock tunes get you jumping in head first? Let’s take a long walk off a short dock as cottagemixtape.com plunges into the Top 10 Rock Songs For Jumping In the Lake. Cannonball!
Read more Top 10 Lists in Rock:
• Top 10 Greatest Breaks in Rock Music
• Top 10 Rock Songs About The Devil
• Top 10 Rock Songs About Ghosts
10. Led Zeppelin – “Whole Lotta Love“
Ok, this first one might seem like a stretch (or in this case a long jump), but with those opening lines: “You need cooling, baby I ain’t fooling” what else could Robert Plant be talking about? A tall glass of lemonade? Maybe. A delicious cold beer? Perhaps. Something sexual? Most likely. But if you need to cool down on a hot summer day out in cottage country, what else could he be talking about? You got it. Jumping in a cool refreshing lake on a summer day, now that’s love.
Cool down and listen to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” on Cottage Country Vol. 12
9. Nirvana – “Dive“
Can you hear that? That’s the lake saying, “Dive, dive, dive in me“. Well that’s actually Kurt Cobain yelling it into your ear, from the Nirvana’s “Incesticide” album, which IMO is better than Nevermind (but Nevermind that for now). What’s important here is the visceral thrill of this song, as it lurches and jumps into the chorus. Raw and energetic it makes you want to get up and dive! dive! dive… in a lake.
8. AC/DC – “Heatseeker“
If you “don’t need no life preserver” then not only are you comfortable in the water but you may also be what AC/DC refers to as a “Heatseeker“. That’s right, you “don’t need no one to hose you down“(you hoser) just jump in the lake. “Charging out the sky“, no doubt to plunge into a lake, because even the most avid Heatseekers gotta cool their jets sometimes.
Listen to AC/DC’s “Heatseeker” on Cottage Country Mix Vol. 17:
7. Brian Eno – “Baby’s On Fire“
“Baby’s on fire, better throw her in the water“, the opening lines to Brian Eno’s “Baby’s On Fire“, from his debut scorcher of an album, “Here Come The Warm Jets“. The song definitely has a devious streak to it. No stop, drop and roll here, instead the famous musician and producer recommends you jump in the water, that is, before you have to be thrown in.
Stop, drop and listen to Eno’s “Baby’s On Fire” on Cottage Country Mix Vol. 12
6. Crowbar – “Oh, What A Feeling”
“Ohhhhhh what a feeling, what a russsshhhhhh!“, the refrain from Crowbar’s song, “Oh, What A Feeling“. A funky Canadian rock number, with jangley guitar work that could have easily made our Top 10 Greatest Rock Breaks list (maybe later in the Canadian edition). The song’s sustained vocals contra its uptempo beat, it sounds as if they are coming down in slow motion and just as they are cutting through the water: “what a rushhhhhh” into the bubbly abyss.
Listen to Crowbar’s “Oh What A Feeling” on Cottage Country Mix Vol . 10
5. The Breeders – “Cannonball“
Twin sisters, from presumably the same mister, Kim and Kelley Deal from the Breeder’s with their 90s Alternative Rock hit, “Cannonball“. From their album Last Splash, which they manage to fit in the song itself lyrically with “I’m the last Splash” to the “hey now in the shade“, “Cannonball” is ripe with summer imagery, including jumping into the water on a hot summer days. Should I attempt the reverse two-and-a-half somersaults or the flying forward one-and-a-half somersaults pike? I think I will opt for the less fussy, more fun cannnnnoballllll!
“I need all of you stop what you are doing and listen” to the Breeder’s “Cannonball“
on Cottage Country Mix Vol. 18
4. Gob – “Soda“
Of course we have to include Canadian punk rockers, Gob and their song “Soda“. Soda may be the title of the song but the real subject is getting your lake-jump on with it’s “I wanna jump in the lake” chorus. Here, jumping in the lake is not just the mantra of the song but the mantra of the summer. Of course we had to include it on Cottage Country Vol. 13, which kind of had this whole west coast, beach, punk surf vibe to it. So it was a perfect fit, like cold beverages and friends doing a favourite Canadian summer pastime, which is jumping in a lake (“sun shining down on the beach on the summer“). Putting crickets in your mouth (like the video) is optional.
Got Soda? Listen to “Soda” by Gob on Cottage Country Mix Vol. 13:
3. Dio “Holy Diver“
Here is one with “Diver” explicitly in the title, Dio’s “Holy Diver” from the album of the same name, Holy Diver. This song was made after his departure from Black Sabbath (after he replaced Ozzy). Their is no doubt that Dio reignited Black Sabbath’s sound, but after parting ways, Dio was going through some soul-searching of his own (hence, “got to get away“). Maybe that’s all it takes, a little getaway and a little holy lake diving to refocus you on your path.
Gotta get away? Listen to Dio’s “Holy Diver” on Cottage Country Mix Vol. 17
2. Motley Crue – “Kickstart My Heart“
“Oh, are you ready girls? Oh, are you ready now, now, now!!!” Then “whoa, yea” there is no better way to kickstart your heart then a jump in a lake. If “skydiving naked from an aeroplane” sounds a bit too extreme and maybe you are looking for something a little closer to earth then “Kickstart My Heart” is the perfect tune to get you revved up to jump into a lake. From Mötley Crüe’s momentous album Dr. Feelgood, what can feel better than a jump in the lake?
Maybe having the right tunes to jump in with Dougie Boom’s Cottage Country Mix.
Listen To Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart” on Cottage Country Mix Vol. 8!
1. Van Halen “Jump“
When you think of “jumping” as a subject, it’s the first rock song that should come to mind and within 3 seconds of that keyboard intro you know what song it is, from their 1984 album, it’s Van Halen’s “Jump“. Now, the keyboards on it was not (at first) well received by David Lee Roth when he heard it, but the song haas become a staple of rock radio and a milestone for the band. So, like jumping in a lake, sometimes it’s better to not hesitate but “Jump“.
If you are prefer to keep your feet on the ground and don’t want to get your hair wet. Maybe stick to the shore and listen to The Cottage Country Mix.
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The series finale of Cottage Country Mix – Vol. 24
Dougie Boom's Cottage Country Mix 