Turn off the AC, put away the shorts and bring out the jackets, the dog days of summer are over, at least if you believe the Farmer’s Almanac.
The dog days began July 3 and end today, August 11.
The dates have changed over the centuries. In 16th century Anglo-Saxon England they were considered from July 7 to September 5. They then moved from July 19 to August 20 and then July 30 to September 7.
With climate change the dates could change again.
Dog days didn’t get their name because it’s so hot, it’s even unbearable for a dog; not are the temperatures so hot they drive a dog mad.
Dog days gets their name from the bright star Sirius, which looks like a dog. The star was associated with the extreme heat, drought and humidity because that was when the star returned to the night sky and was closest to Earth. Many people in ancient times blamed Sirius for the extreme heat.
Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine wrote our Song of the Day. She said she wrote it after bicycling past a giant text installation in London by artist Ugo Rondinone. The text said “Dog Days Are Over,” a reference to Sirius.
She recorded the song in a studio the size of a loo. There are no guitars. Welch said the sound mostly came from “a tiny Yamaha keyboard.” The percussions came from “hands on the wall while hitting a drum underneath it at the same time.”
The song was the second single from the group’s 2008 debut album. “The Dog Days are Over” reached 21 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and 23 in England.
Song of the Day is created by Sheldon Zoldan, and produced by Pam James for WGCU.