We have all heard on the radio: “This is the song of the summer!” But what does that actually mean? What qualifies something as a summer song? What could be the next song of the summer?
Often amassing the majority of radio play in late May through early September, “the song of the summer” is a song, single or record that is either released or gains popularity over the summer.
The term has amassed popularity within the last decade since its first early use in the 1990s. This coincides with the rise of the Billboard chart — a music catalog listing the most popular songs, albums and artists of the previous week.
In the last decade, a new trend made itself apparent — the rise of popular “trap” songs and artists. Trap is a southern-based offshoot of hip-hop that musically consists of syncopated, fast hi-hats and booming 808-style bass hits accompanied by an aggressive lyricism.
Trap singles — and hip-hop as a whole — gained massive popularity in the 2010s with artists like Future, Travis Scott, Drake, Young Thug, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion dominating the hip-hop and general charts with their particular styles of hip-hop.
Songs can dominate culturally as well as on the charts, with “WAP,” “Sicko Mode” and “Humble” being prime examples.
The other side to this musical exposé is the exponential rise of a sub-genre called “Bro-Country.”
Bro-Country is an offshoot of 21st-century contemporary country that takes cues from a mix of hip-hop and modern pop music. Artists like Morgan Wallen, Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs are at the top of this sphere of music.
This now brings us back to the central question — what is the current “song of the summer?” A question whose answer is kind of complicated.
If we look at it from a chart-topping quantitative perspective, it’s “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen off his newest full-length double album “One Thing at a Time.” It’s a catchy contemporary country song about a liquor-fueled one-night stand.
“Last Night” has been number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for 15 weeks running — well before the start of the summer.
Often, songs that dominate culturally are songs that are immensely popular or have blown up because of social media. “Tomorrow 2” by GloRilla and Cardi B and “Munch (Feelin’ U)” by Ice Spice are both examples of songs that have blown up over the last year through the digital landscape.
Determining the most culturally dominant song of this summer is also complicated. The short answer is — we just do not know it yet.
There has simply not been a song that has impacted the cultural zeitgeist or completely entranced audiences this summer compared to years past. Whether it be fans dissecting Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license,” or making TikTok dance videos to Doja Cat and SZA’s “Kiss Me More,” this summer has noticeably lacked a dominating trend of its own.
Music is always evolving, and trends are always changing. In the next few years, we may not even be focused on summer as the most profitable or most influential period in the year — from a pop-culture standpoint at least.
