single on July 4, 1966. In the US and several other countries, Boone's country song "Butchie's Tune" was used as the B-side, while in other countries, "Fishin' Blues" was used. The single's release corresponded with a record heat wave in New York City – peaking in June and July at and in August – and came shortly after a similar heat wave experienced by Britain in the end of June. An advertisement promoting the single was published in the July 2 issue of Billboard magazine, promising it would "capture the feel... of Summer in the City". Author Jon Savage compares the ad's imagery, which depicts three silhouetted black boys playing with a fire hydrant, to that of a riot in Chicago's West Side which began on July 12 after police stopped young blacks from using a fire hydrant to cool off. The single was the Lovin' Spoonful's fifth, and one of six released between December 1965 and December 1966 that reached the top ten in the US. The release rose quickly; Billboard classified it as a breakout single across the US on July 16, and it jumped from to on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 30. On August 13, it overtook the Troggs' "Wild Thing" to become the Lovin' Spoonful's only . It held the position for three weeks, becoming what author Jon Savage terms the "American song of the summer", before losing the spot to Donovan's "Sunshine Superman". In addition to reaching on Cash Box and Record World Top 100 charts, it was in Canada and on the UK's Record Retailer Chart. "Summer in the City" was later sequenced as the closing track on the album Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful, released in November 1966. "Summer in the City" has a harder sound than the Lovin' Spoonful's previous output. Boone later expressed pleasure that the song departed from the band's softer image, helping to quickly change the attitudes of those who asked him when they were going to make "a real rock song". While the band's next single, "Rain on the Roof", reached on the Billboard Hot 100, both Butler and Boone felt it was a mistake to release the song as the follow-up to "Summer in the City". John contended the band ought to avoid releasing consecutive singles that sounded too similar. However, Boone worried the return to a softer sound would alienate the band's new fans.