"Summertime, Summertime"'s follow-up, "Snow Train" (written by Feller) b/w "When the Sun Goes Down" (written by Jameson) failed to chart and slowed the Jamies' roll to a virtual stop. A switch to United Artists was hardly a panacea, as "Don't Darken My Door," written by Larry Jaspon and Vicki Gay, stiffed (along with the flip side, Jameson's "The Evening Star") in 1959. The Jamies had numerous personnel changes: Robert Paolucci joined shortly after "Summertime, Summertime" hit, he became a monk afterward, but eventually left that calling to work as a translator. When they couldn't find another hit, the Jamies went to the well again with "Summertime, Summertime" and broke the Top 40 with it for the second time on August 4, 1962, at number 38.
A year later, the Fortunes (formerly the Cliftones) redid the song for their first release on Decca Records. But they weren't the only ones. The infectious ditty has also been redone by the Doodletown Pipers, Hobby Horse, Jan & Dean, the Legendary Masked Surfers, Mongo Jerry, and Sha Na Na. In addition, Buick and Applebee Restaurants both revitalized the song in their commercials. ~ Andrew Hamilton, Rovi