Relive the hits of summers past with these chart-topping songs
Every summer, one song stands out and completely dominates the charts. The official songs of summer ring out each year at every beach, barbeque, and 4th of July celebration. These catchy earworms are inescapable and though some may disappear as the days shorten and the nights become long, some truly stand the test of time.
As we look to safely and responsibly party this summer, let’s take a look back at some of the hottest songs of summer.
“Old Town Road”
Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus was absolutely everywhere in the summer of 2019. It feels like yesterday that this song was topping the charts for nineteen consecutive weeks, dominating the summer charts from April to August. “Old Town Road” was the song of the summer for fans of country music too, even though Billboard chose to disqualify it from their Country music lists.
Nevertheless, “Old Town Road” remains the standout song of the summer of 2019. The genre shattering bop was a viral phenomenon that was beloved by everyone from grandparents to grade school choirs who were recording their own versions of this tune.
“Despacito”
Though “Old Town Road” had a longer reign on the summer charts, few songs were as inescapable as “Despacito.” Luis Fonsi’s 2017 reggaeton song was a massive crossover hit. It topped charts in forty seven countries. Fonsi’s sizzling hot song featuring flamenco guitar and throbbing drums is undeniably catchy.
“Despacito” was a game-changer for Latin pop music to make the leap into the mainstream music scene in the United States. The song was such a smash hit that Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran wanted to jump on a remix version. Sheeran lost out to Bieber and “songs of summer history” was made.
“Get Lucky”
“Get Lucky”, a collaboration between French electronic duo Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams, may not have been number 1 on the charts in 2013 but this song was absolutely everywhere. The disco hit took the world by storm and became a favorite of pop music radio as well as music critics.
“Confessions Part II” and “Yeah!”
We may debate which song was actually the song of the summer in 2004 but there is no doubt that it was performed by Usher. “Confessions Part II” was a smooth R&B hit that featured some real talk from the Atlanta, Georgia based performer. The song takes the form of a series of confessions of infidelity told to the narrator’s girlfriend. Maybe not a typical songs of summer material, but nonetheless, this song was a scorching hit.
“Yeah!” on the other hand was more of what you’d expect from a hot summer song. It combined R&B with the up-tempo Southern hip hop subgenre known as Crunk. This Dirty South banger sees Usher share the spotlight with producer Lil Jon and Ludacris.
“Crazy in Love”
This list would be nothing if it didn’t give proper credence to our queen Beyonce. Her 2003 hit “Crazy in Love” is a feverish celebration of summer love. The chemistry between Beyonce and former boyfriend Jay-Z as well as a scorching hot music video make this a truly classic summer song.
Critics and fans fawned over the catchy track. “Crazy in Love” cemented Beyonce not just as a solo artist after leaving Destiny’s Child but as a household name. Since it’s success Beyonce has had a blank check to make whatever high concept music videos and incredible live performances that she wants. This song of the summer made Beyonce a queen in any season.
“Hot in Herre”
Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” is the epitome of a song of the summer. It was even named by Billboard as the king of all songs of summer. This sweaty song transcends the summer of 2002 and seems to be everywhere as temperatures rise. “Hot in Herre” was the original sweltering banger that started a trend of sexy music videos with unbelievably catchy hooks. This song may truly be the song of every summer.
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What are your favorite songs of summer? Drop ‘em like it’s hot in the comments below!
