Today’s flashback is one of those songs I’ve long associated with summer, though technically it arrived at the absolute tail end of the season.

“Master Blaster (Jammin’),” Stevie Wonder‘s homage to Bob Marley and reggae music, didn’t debut on the Billboard Hot 100 until September 20, 1980. Though the song kicks off with the lyric, “Everyone’s feeling pretty / It’s hotter than July,” it’s likely most listeners were experiencing fall’s crisper temps at the time. Still, whenever I happen to hear “Master Blaster,” my mind conjures up an image of rippling heat rising from baking concrete. Anyone remember September being unusually hot in Chicago that year?

“Master Blaster” served as the lead single from the singer-songwriter’s Hotter Than July album (note the lyric referencing the album’s title). Wonder enjoyed a seven-week run atop the Billboard R&B chart beginning at the start of November, but the song took a little longer to work its way up the Hot 100. “Master Blaster” didn’t peak at #5 until December 5, 1980, but spent three weeks there, approximating the celebration of July at Christmas. Hear here:

I have to admit that I’m far from a fan of reggae. As one might reasonably expect, I was exposed to a lot of Bob Marley while in college, but the music quickly became anathema to me. Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster” and Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” are probably as near the genre as I’m willing to tread. I’m sure purists object to such pop co-option, but boy those two songs are still tops with me.

Come to think of it, my dad’s the one who brought both 45s home and turned me on to these tunes. Might be worth inquiring whether he was a closet Rastafarian.

Purchase Stevie Wonder – “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.