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.
Give the song a listen and let me know what you think. Has all of innocence one away? Do you love how the song disguises itself as a soft rock song and then turns into a full on rocker? Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderfull and Happy Sunday!!
“Last American Summer”
Home-swept butterflies
Popsicles meltin’ in mid-July
Lost in your baby-blue eyes
Season of wonder
Cheap cologne, nervous laughs
Had a Xanny, but it falls so fast
Half of my broke
Pounded like thunder
And the fireworks were burnin’ in your eyes
Outshinin’ all the stars up in the sky
What a thing to get myself into
Here I am, red, white, and blue
Fallin’ under
This last American summer
Late nights, no regrets
Long talks, Marlboro Reds
Can’t get it out of my head
Our days are numbered
Loaded car, movin’ slow
Where the hell does innocence go?
Half of my broke
And these days, I wonder
Are the fireworks still burnin’ in your eyes
Outshinin’ all the stars up in the sky?
What a thing to get myself into
Here I am, red, white, and blue
Fallin’ under
This last American summer
And are the fireworks still burnin’ in your eyes
Outshinin’ all the stars up in the sky?
What a thing to get myself into
Here I am, red, white, and blue
Fallin’ under
This last American summer
Written by Cleto Cordero and Will Hoge
