It was the summer of 2002. And it’s one of those summers that lives in your memory with a golden glow. For some reason, it was a summer so many things changed and I went from a 13-year-old seventh grade kid to a grown up soon-to-be-eighth-grader 13-year-old (at least in my mind).

It was the summer I traded in my glasses for contact lenses, I stayed up too late reading with a flashlight, sewed pillows, watched TVLand … and it was the summer I discovered Chad & Jeremy. And ever since then, I’ve associated that British singing duo with summer.

That spring, the 1960s TV show “Batman,” starring Adam West and Burt Ward, started airing on TVLand and I became a big fan. I watched as often as I could; keeping a list of Robin’s “Holy” mentions as he said them. It was while watching “Batman” that I discovered Chad & Jeremy playing themselves in the season 2 episodes “That Cat’s Meow” and “The Bat’s Kow Tow.” Chad & Jeremy are staying at the Stately Wayne Manor and are at risk of having their voices stolen by Catwoman (played by Julie Newmar). On the episode Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde sing “Teenage Failure” and “Distant Shores,” and hearing those two songs had me sold.*

Chad & Jeremy on “Batman”

Days later, I did what any 13 year old in 2002 did when they loved a song. I had my parents drive me to Best Buy and I bought The Very Best of Chad & Jeremy. And my family soon got tired of hearing “The Very Best of Chad & Jeremy.” I’d have them listen whenever we went out in the car – whether it was a long car trip or on the way to church.

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