A slightly different mix of the song with different vocals, officially known as "Summer Babe (Winter Version)", later became the first track on the band's debut album, Slanted and Enchanted, released in April 1992.[8] In 2024, "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" was ranked number 244 by Rolling Stone magazine on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[9] In 2019, Paste ranked the song number two on their list of the 15 greatest Pavement songs,[10] and in 2022, Consequence of Sound ranked the song number five on their list of the 10 greatest Pavement songs.[11]
Pitchfork said the song "sketches Malkmus' balancing act between the court jester and the savant. It takes a foolish confidence to start your debut single with "Ice baby" only two years removed from Vanilla Ice's billboard-topping single. "Summer Babe" careens between self-seriousness and complete nonsense; when Malkmus sings, with an exasperated laugh, "Drop off," it's as if he’s laughing at himself."[13]
Track listing
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Summer Babe"
3:13
2.
"Mercy Snack: The Laundromat"
1:39
3.
"Baptist Blacktick"
2:03
Total length:
6:55
Music video
The music video of the song, which is quite rare, was directed by a woman referred to as "Tanya S," an early member of the Silver Jews. The video features Malkmus, Nastanovich, and Ibold miming the song (with either some or no instruments) along with backdrops of New York City and clips of Malkmus' then-girlfriend (another early ex-Silver Jews member) interspersed.[14][15]
