A Look Back at the Brat Summers of History
If you’ve been enjoying “brat summer” by listening to Charli XCX, making jokes about Charli XCX or simply causing problems on purpose with no idea that a lady had released an album, fear not. We have it on good authority that “brautumn” is on the way, but considering how many brat summers we’ve experienced in the last 50 years or so, there’s also every chance of its return.
Da Brat Summer
In May 1994, now-infamous rapper Da Brat released her first single, “Funkdafied,” followed by the album of the same name a month later. Both soared the charts and went platinum, making her the first woman with a platinum rap album. It took six years for her to snag another one, but that one was released in April, so 1994 was the inarguable Da Brat summer.
Brat Pack Summer
You probably assumed the “Brat Pack,” the loosely connected group of actors who tended to star in John Hughes films, earned their nickname the same way every celebrity does: a dedicated network of tabloid reporters trying out various puns on a whiteboard. But it was actually popularized mostly by a June 1985 New York Magazine article by David Blum, who was invited to party with Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe and Judd Nelson, portraying them as a spoiled ringleader, a brainless pretty boy, and an asshole, respectively. They didn’t love that, so in an effort to distance themselves from the label, the Brat Pack soon broke up.
The Brat Summer
On July 10, 1982, “Chalk Dust — The Umpire Strikes Out” by The Brat (really a pair of British comedians) entered the U.K. Singles Chart, peaking at number 19. It was an imaginary musical confrontation between John McEnroe and an umpire, who eventually shoots and kills him. It charted in several European and African countries. That’s how the music industry used to be.
‘Brat’ Summer
In May 1997, Brother (known as Brat in Russian) made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival before its video release in June. Critics praised it as “the main event of the country,” and it became an instant classic in Russia, earning a 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and making more money in its 2022 Russian theatrical re-release than most American movies. To answer your question, yes, it’s incredibly bleak.
Dave Brat Summer
On June 10, 2014, then-economics professor and now-Congressman Dave Brat won a seriously David-and-Goliath primary against the House Majority Leader in Virginia, which was unprecedented even by candidates not stuck with a shoestring campaign run by a 23-year-old. It would be an inspiring story if he weren’t a Tea Party Republican. Ironically, unlike other politicians recently proclaimed as such, Dave Brat is not brat.
