This week, a gorgeous summer love song by The Rascals when they were young or some such shit.

Groovin’ was written in 1967 by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati. It was a monster hit topping the Billboard charts. It’s been covered over 80 times, which gave me a wealth of material to work with.

We begin with the blue-eyed Jersey soul of The Rascals:

Lady Soul? I thought she was the queen of soul. Whatever you call her, Aretha cut one of the first covers of Groovin’.

Johnny Nash transformed this Italo-American tune into a reggae number. I can see clearly why.

Gladys Knight & The Pips took this week’s song to Motown. As the album title goes, it’s both silky and soulful.

British folk-rocker Iain Matthews recorded the Cavaliere-Brigati classic in 1976:

If there’s such a thing as a journeyman rock star, Paul Carrack is one. Here’s a 21st Century take on this Sixties classic.

What would the Friday Cocktail Hour be without instrumental versions of the week’s tune? This time, Booker T. & The MG’s followed by George Benson from an album whose cover I featured last month.

That’s it for this week. I prose a toast to the normal summer days that we all miss. It’s what Bogie, Betty, and Frank would want. Never argue with them.