What is the song of summer? : NPR

The idea that a few unofficial “Songs of the Summer” produces every year has been romping around for ages. And although it is an inaccurate science, the concept generally existed as a form of cultural carbon dating: If you think about summer 2012, you can imagine Carly Rae Jepsen'S maybe call me “or Gotye“Someone I knew earlier,” came from the next loudspeaker. There is no title or no trophy that publish the song of the summer, but it is important to have imprinted the history of a certain year. It is not for anything either lucrative To have made a claim to future nostalgia – the more joyful, wistful and/or contagious, the better.

Every week we use this column to destroy the most important findings from the latest Advertising board Albums and singles charts. But it seems to be a good week to implement a bigger question about the charts, around August 2025: we have A true “song of summer” this year? (For a few abbreviated knowledge from the charts of this week, continue scrolling.)

Advertising board A song on the summer ticket was only started until 2010. Since then it has been easy to determine to use data that can rightly claim the status of the song of summer. Take the musical summer 2024 when two country songs- Post Malone'S “I had help (feat. Morgan Wallen)” And Shaboozey'S “A Bar Song (Biptsy)” – triumphed over Pop -Banger (Sabrina Carpenter'S “Espresso” and “Please”), hip-hop titan (Kendrick Lamar's ultimately Grammy winner “not like us”), left field hits (Tommy Richman'S “Millions of dollars Baby”) and the entirety of Charli XCX'S brat. Although nothing of brat made the cut Advertising board'S Last songs of the summer ticket for 2024 Rounded off a solid integrative cross -section of superstars and newcomers who have overlapped several genres, really represents a lot of what they would hear if they turned a commercial radio station last summer or immersed them in a shop.

But what about The Summer? Well, as The latest songs on the summer ticket I'll tell you … it's pretty dark.

Of course, No. 1 Alex Warren'S “usually”, which combines the average of haking persistence from Imagine dragonsThe elevated elevation of Coldplay and the fervent dedication of praise; It is exceeded Advertising board Hot 100 for nine of the past 10 weeks and it is unlikely that it will loosen his grip over the course of summer. “Usually” is the song of the summer based on raw diagram numbers, but it is hardly a Windows-Down Beach Banger like “Espresso”. It follows the letter, but not the spirit of the Song-of-the-Summer Act.

Then, in No. 2, 3 and 5, you have three Morgan Wallen-songs, all from his latest overcrowded mega album. I am the problem. “What I want (feat. Tate McRae) “was I am the problemThe biggest hit and the current Wallen single with the simplest claim to the status of the song of summer: It dresses the grumpy singing lesson of the singer in Trap Beat, throws a few foam blooms from McRaes and calls it a day. And since Wallen's name two massive songs of the summer of the Sommers 2024- “I had some help” and 2023s “Last Night” -I in a song-of-the-summer conversation. “What I want” is just not particularly eventful and it doesn't have half as much fun as Wallen and Post Malone had at the time ago.

Back in the songs of the summer ticket, Kendrick Lamar's “Luther (feat. Sza)” is number 4, but lived on the hot 100 for 36 weeks. Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars'”Die with a smile” sits in 6th place after 50 weeks; And Chappell Roan“S” Pink Pony Club “takes 7th place after 59 weeks. Songs are only entitled to the songs of the summer ticket if you have not reached this specific table in an earlier summer – hence” A Bar Song (Tipsy) “and” A Bar Song (Tipsy) “and Teddy swims“Lose Control” misses this year's songs of the summer ticket, even though they stay in the top 10 hot 100 of the year – but that does not make “Luther” “Luther”, “die with a smile” or “Pink Pony Club”, which feels particularly connected in the summer of 2025.

All of this speaks with a large part of what the hits of this summer feels so out of date: for the most part in streaming algorithms -and radio programmers, which often loll their clues from what is played in streaming services -the biggest songs in the charts for eternity. “Lose Control” is currently in the 71st week in the top 10 in the middle 101 Weeks on the hot 100; Both numbers delete the previous all -time data records. The song is still motionless in several ways, on No. 7.

But there is another problem at work here: For various reasons, many of the biggest A-list stars in pop, hip-hop and R&B have so far been 2025 in the case of Bad rabbitLady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar have determined their latest albums in such a time that their greatest influence had already been faded at the time of summer. Some competitors have improved compared to the expectations in the trade (Miley cyrusPresent Lord) or not as soon as expected (expected (expectedHaimPresent Addison Rae), while others decided to wait until late summer (Sabrina Carpenter) or in early autumn (Sabrina)drake) publish new albums. Everything is an unusually sleepy summer.

Advertising board'S songs of the summer ticket has its own structural defects when it comes to lending the status of the song of summer, starting with the fact that it weighs every summer week as possible. This setup makes it practically impossible for late breaking hits to compete with songs that have occurred for months. (It also helps to explain the lack of tracks KPOP -demon hunterWhich has been completely blown into the air in the past six weeks.)

Nevertheless, a few songs have risen in the songs of the summer ticket in the past few weeks, and these belong in the discussion of the song of the summer. Sabrina Carpenter's “Manchild” on No. 8 provides a worthy memory that Carpenter has more summer hymns in her than her new album (The best friend of man) approaches later this month. And Ravyn Lenae“S” Love Me No “, No. 9, is everything that a song of summer should be: frothy and fun, with a touch of nostalgia. And although it has not cracked the songs of the summer ticket – it has only been on the hot 100 – – Justin Bieber'S “daisy” feels like a late blow. Increased by the unmistakable guitar sound of aspiring star Mk.GeeThe track should stay long enough to subsequently enter the song-of-the-scale conversation.

Whether it “Manchild”, “Love me not”, “daisies” or “Golden” by Huntr/X KPOP -demon hunterIt is difficult not to root for a new song to dominate the charts while the weather is still hot. After all, it would be nice to hear a song of the summer that is anything but “ordinary”.

Top -albums

Last week, Tyler, the creator'S Do not tap the glass Debüt at No. 1So that it is the fourth recut of the rapper in a row Advertising board 200 albend diagram. This week, Do not tap the glass falls on No. 4Clear the way for the return of Morgan Wallen's streaming blockbuster I am the problemwhich now spends a ninth -like week on the diagram. It is still solid in front of the album to No. 2: The Soundtrack too KPOP -demon hunterWhat the gap closes a little every week.

Elsewhere, three new albums in the top 10 are debut: the K-pop group Tomorrow X together lands with No. 3 with The star chapter: together; The rapper Youngboy never broke again evaluated 16. Top 10 album with Masa at No. 6; and singer-songwriter Tyler Childers hits a new career as Schnepfenjäger Bows at No. 7. Also worth mentioning: the compilation of 2003 The essentials Ozzy Osbourne stays in the top 10 for a second week after the death of the rock legend.

Top songs

For a ninth not consecutive week, Alex Warrens “usually”, Sits on the Advertising board Hot 100Daunch massive airplay on commercial radio stations. But KPOP -demon hunter Keeping milestones continues to stack. Now both fictional bands of the soundtrack – Huntr/X, a group of girls expressed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna And Rei Ami and Saja Boys, one of Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and Samuil Lee expressed Boy band – ended up in the top 10 songs.