For My Sunday Song #453, we are talking “Last American Summer” off the new album from Will Hoge, ‘Sweet Misery’ which came out on August 22, 2025. The song was written by Cleto Cordero of the band Flatland Cavalry with the help of Will Hoge. Flatland Cavalry actually released this song back in 2023, however, their version was straight up country. This one is not. This has Will Hoge’s slant all over it.
Cleto Cordero came up with the song during Covid while sitting in what called his “quarantine garden”. It was Summer and he started thinking back to all those fun Summers when he was young and innocent where everyone was together having a good time, fireworks, good food and everything you think of when you think of Summer. Covid stopped all of that and he thought we might never have another one of those type of Summers again. Thankfully that wasn’t true. He got with his pal Will Hoge and they took the song and turned it into a little love song to Summer.
The song talks about all those things they did during Summer seeing the butterflies, the melted popsicles, the drugs, the cigarettes and the fireworks. You know, good wholesome stuff. Late nights, good long talks and being with the girl you love. Well, time goes by and life changes. You lose your innocence and life gets in the way and those great Summer good times are gone. You had your last American Summer and didn’t know it was going to be your last.
Musically, it starts off as this slow moving, sad, nostalgic sounding song. An acoustic guitar, some keyboards and Will Hoge singing this lyrics with such heartbreak. As the song moves on, the drums kick in and the tempo picks up ever so slightly. The song keeps building until about 2:30 minutes in and the drums pound and everything explodes including a killer rock and roll electric guitar solo. The full band is in hammering away and rocking out until the very end.
Continue reading “My Sunday Song – “Last American Summer” by Will Hoge”
Will Hoge – Sweet Misery – (Edlo Records)
Ellefson Soto – Unbreakable – (Rat Pak Records)
Chevelle – Bright As Blasphemy – (Alchemy Recordings / BMG)
Maroon 5 – Love is Like – (Interscope Records)
Van Halen – Balance (Expanded Edition) – (Rhino Records / Warner Records)
As December Falls – Everything’s On Fire But I’m Fine – (As December Falls)
Deep Purple – Made In Japan (Steven Wilson Remix) – (Purpletuity Ltd / Rhino Records)
Rise Against – Ricochet – (Loma Vista Recordings / Concord)
Billy Idol – Dream Into It – (Dark Horse Records)
H.E.A.T. – Welcome to the Future – (earMusic)
Ghost – Skeleta – (Loma Vista Recordings)
Harem Scarem – Chasing Euphoria – (Frontiers Records)
Whitesnake – Access All Areas: Live – (Rhino Records)
Will Hoge – Blackbird On A Lonely Wire (Will’s Version) – (Will Hoge)
Frehley’s Comet – Live +1: The Expanded Version) – (Friday Music Two)
Samantha Fish – Paper Doll – (Rounder Records / Concord)
Willie Nelson – Oh What A Beautiful World – (Legacy Recordings)
Sting – Sting 3.0 Live – (A&M Records)
The Sex Pistols – Live in the U.S.A. 1978 – (Ume)
Stereophonics – Make ‘Em Laugh, Make ‘Em Cry, Make ‘Em Wait – (EMI / Universal Music)
Yngwie Malmsteen – Tokyo Live – (Music Theories)
Simple Minds – Live in the City of Diamonds – (BMG Rights Mgmt)
Coco Jones – Why Not More? – (High Standardz / Def Jam / UMG)
Smokey Robinson – What The World Needs Now – (Gaither Music Group)
Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra – Still Blooming – (Decca Records / Universal Music)
Robin Trower – Come And Find Me – (Artone Label Group / Provogue)
Machine Head – Unatoned – (Nuclear Blast X Imperium Recordings)
Wednesday 13 – Mid Death Crisis – (Napalm Records)
Art Nation – The Ascendance – (Frontiers Records)
Russ Ballard – Songs From the Warehouse/The Hits Rewired – (Frontiers Records)
James And The Cold Gun – Face In The Mirror – (Loosegroove Records)
Eyes – Spinner – (Prosthetic Records)
Sunflower Bean – Mortal Primetime – (Lucky Number)
Eluveitie – Anv – (Nuclear Blast)
Landmvrks – The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been – (Arising Empire)
Conan – Violence Dimension – (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Caliban – Back From Hell – (Century Media Records)
Coffin Feeder – Big Trouble – (Coffin Feeder)
Ancient Bards – Artifex – (Limb Music Publishing)
Game Over – Face The End – (Scarlet Records)
Cancer – Inverted World – (Peaceville)
Trick or Treat – Ghosted – (Scarlet Records)
Employed to Serve – Fallen Star – (Spinefarm Music Group)
Cosmic Cathedral – Deep Water – (InsideOutMusic)
Oak – The Third Sleep – (Karisma Records)
Rodeo Boys – Junior – (Don Giovanni Records)
Jawdropped – Just Fantasy E.P. – (Fire Talk)
Cloth – Pink Silence – (Rock Action Records)
Viagra Boys – Viagr Aboys – (Shrimptech Enterprises)
Fib – Heavy Lifting – (Julia’s War Recordings)
d4vd – Withered – (Darkroom / Interscope Records)
William Tyler – Time Indefinite – (Psychic Hotline)
Samia – Bloodless – (Grand Jury Music)
WesGhost – Am I Dreaming? – (Columbia Records / Sony Music)
Uwade – Florilegium – (Ehiose Records / Thirty Tigers)
Hannah Rose Platt – Fragile Creatures – (Xtra Mile Recordings)
Stephen Stanley – Trustfall – (Sparrow Records / Capitol CMG)
Tucker Wetmore – What Not To – (Back Blocks Music)
Wilder Woods – Curioso – (Dualtone Music Group / MNRK Records)
Will Hoge – Carousel – (Will Hoge)
Dave Matthews Band – Where Are You Going: The Singles – (RCA Records / Sony Music)
Dream Theater – Parasomnia – (Ytse Jams Inc. / InsideOutMusic)
Nessa Barrett – Aftercare (Deluxe) – (Warner Records)
Kendrick Lamar – GNX – (PG Lang / Interscope Records)
Guided By Voices – Universe Room – (GBV Inc)
Manic Street Preachers – Critical Thinking – (Sony Music)
Thundermother – Dirty & Divine – (AFM Records / Soulfood Music Distribution)
JohnnySwim – When the War is Over – (Mr And Mrs Swim)
2 Loud 2 Old Music 