Freedom of summer just passed; what was the best song?
As we emerge from the dog days of the season, it’s unavoidable: we must anoint this year’s Song of the Summer.
It’s our civic duty, like voting in the midterms. Or a papal conclave, except more fun.
In years past, the winner has been indisputable. Recall Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” in 2012. Or the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” in 2009. Last year, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” got the nod from many experts, though I’m still not sold. I chose K-Pop Demon Hunters’ “Golden,” released literally last summer. That song of course went on to bigger things, like song of the year.
The thing is, to be crowned the SOTS, it has to be inescapable, ubiquitous. A bop that we all end up knowing front-to-back, whether we want to or not. A tune that we love or hate…or love to hate and hate to love, sometimes all at once. It’s played at sporting events and at the mall. It’s blasting out of car stereos and in your pre-dawn Uber to the airport. You heard it on your European vacation. The SOTS travel.
Photo by Yumu
This summer has been busy with music-filled moments. Our nation celebrated a milestone birthday with the usual patriotic tunes. The Knicks captured hearts and minds with their breathless championship run, Taylor Swift cheering courtside (though she got more mileage from that than she did with her new “Toy Story” song). The World Cup fed our fútbol obsession, soundtracked by a playlist of fist-pumping jams like…John Denver’s “Country Roads?” At least England serenaded its team with “Wonderwall.” The final game’s halftime show gave it a shot, but the pastiche of established stars singing older songs felt uninspired, the musical equivalent of a 0-0 draw.
“Widow’s Bay” brightened an otherwise dull TV landscape, powered by a cool playlist of catalogue classics from the crates. Corona’s “Rhythm of the Night” has a standout moment. But the SOTS cannot be from 1994. It has to date stamp the year from whence it came. Those are the rules.
So, who are the contenders? Carly Rae has nice new bops out. Madonna’s “Love Sensation” remix with Kylie Minogue could be a thing. Drake is back despite Kendrick finishing him off at the 2025 Super Bowl, and folks do love a comeback narrative. Phoebe Bridger’s “Lost Boys” is lovely but laconic. Songs from Zara Larsson, Ariana Grande, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo? All of these are nice enough, but none of them feel like the one.
My pick? I’m going all-in on Charli XCX’s skittering, thumping “Camera.” Despite all the haters-in-waiting on her fascinating new album “Music, Fashion, Film” and its much-hyped turn away from dance music, this is definitely a dance song, albeit a vibe-y one with Strokes-esque guitars. It was the hypnotic high point of her astounding Lollapalooza set in Chicago, which you can and should watch in its entirety on YouTube. Most crucially, its mantra of a hook is the best kind of brainworm, the lyrics epitomizing exactly what a SOTS should deliver.
“All I know is how it makes me feel. And it makes me feel how it makes me feel. Yeah, it makes you feel how it makes me feel. Yeah, it makes me feel how it makes me feel.”
It’s not too late to have a Brat summer all over again.
Charli XCX brings her Music, Fashion, Film Tour to Inglewood’s Kia Forum for two nights, Sat., Oct. 17, and Sun., Oct. 18.
Category: Entertainment
