What Will Be 2021's Song of the Summer?
Its officially summerand a weird one at that. While many Americans are enjoying a return to big group gatherings (weddings! Block parties! Live music! ), others are still hesitant to jump back in with the specter of COVID-19 not fully in the rearview. Through this uneasy reentry weaves our summer soundscape: the teen angst of Olivia Rodrigo, the lazy sweetness of Justin Bieber and Peaches, the disco and soul vibes of Dua Lipa and Silk Sonic. Heres how we think the annual song of the summer debate couldand shouldplay out as these hot months unfold. Raisa Bruner: It depends what chart you look at, of course, but Olivia Rodrigos pop-punk hit Good 4 U was sitting pretty on both Spotifys global charts and and Billboards Hot 100 as the respective number one and number two in mid-June, making that anthemic send-off song a bona fide summer hit. After that, it gets a little more complicated: BTS slick, retro English-language bop Butter was basically crafted just for thisone of the lines is hot like summer, in case it wasnt already on-the-nose enough. That, and the support of fans, have meant the strategy is working, with Butter topping the Billboard charts and edging out Rodrigo. (Its not quite as high on streaming, but it may yet climb and secure the crown.) Other contenders: Dua Lipas Levitating remains in a solid position on the charts, despite having been released more than six months ago, as does Justin Biebers Peaches.  Read more: How Olivia Rodrigo Became Americas Biggest New Pop Star  Judy Berman: Good 4 U is going to sound great blasting from the stereo systems of cars full of girls who just got their drivers licenses. Even if it drops out of the top spot, I can see it hanging out in the top 10 for months. If I had to place a bet, thats where Id put my money. (Personally, as a geriatric millennial who has seen the Breeders live more than once, I would like to see Rodrigos 90s-indie pastiche Brutal get more play.) I also feel like theres room for Doja Cat and SZAs Kiss Me More in this conversation. It is a pretty silly song, but its creeping up on Olivia in the Spotify charts. I certainly have a higher tolerance for lovelorn goofiness when temperatures hit 80. Then again, maybe Im just desperate for a new SZA album and am feasting on any crumbs she has to offer. Andrew R. Chow: I prefer the Good 4 U/Misery Business mashup! At any rate, Im not counting out Bad Bunny, either. The Puerto Rican superstars latest song Yonaguni has racked up a casual 114 million YouTube views and 110 million Spotify streams in the last two weeks alone, and has served as the soundtrack to 500,000 TikTok videos. The song plays to all of Bad Bunnys melodic strengths, although its moodiness might prevent it from being his biggest club smashits more of a contemplate-love-while-scuba-diving type of vibe. Bunny also sounds great singing in Japaneseand that decision, whether driven by artistic or commercial reasons, could help the song find a lasting audience in the island nation that is the second largest music market in the world behind the U.S., according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Cady Lang: Its easy to see just why Good 4 U is topping both the Hot 100 and streaming charts right nowits angsty fun in the best way, giving you big Gen Z Hayley Williams energy and the perfect chorus to be scream-sung at many karaoke sessions to come. That being said, Im also banking on Doja Cat and SZAs effortlessly enjoyable Kiss Me More to have some major pull for this years song of the summer. We already know that our problematic fave Doja is both queen of the charts and the Internet. This distinction has been confirmed yet again with Kiss Me More, which features soundbites made for TikTok challenges (Ive counted three different ones so far) and, coupled with SZAs ethereal angel energy and a genius interpolation of Olivia Newton-Johns Physical, feels like the electric, thrilling promise of a summer flirtation. Kat Moon: Doja Cat and SZAs Kiss Me More definitely shouldnt be written off in this conversation. The track hasnt left the top 10 of Billboard Hot 100 since it entered the chart in April, and its not hard to guess why. Doja Cat and SZAs satiny voices, along with the silly, yes, but sultry lyrics, create the perfect mood for sensually swaying to the beat. Its unlikely for the track to fall out of the top spots of the Billboard or Spotify Top 50 charts anytime soon, especially as it will surely get another boost when Doja Cats album Planet Heron which Kiss Me More is a lead singledrops on June 25. ARC: Country songs can take a while to reach a critical mass, which is why I remain optimistic that 2021 will be the summer of Carly Pearces Next Girl. The song was released last September and has taken the long way around up the Country Airplay charts, currently cresting at #18 this week. If you heard the song at a crowded bar, you might mistake it for an airy faux-feminist ditty. But over the charming snare shuffle, Pearce weaves an epic tale of heartbreak at the hands of a 21st-century Lothario; it starts with a magical meet-cute and ends with a crushing ghosting, which she recounts to his next potential victim over a soaring, seething bridge: Hell make you think its love/ But I promise you, its nooooooot. Alongside Good 4 U, its one of the best uptempo breakup songs in recent memory. RB: Montero (Call Me By Your Name), Lil Nas Xs sinuous, flamenco-inflected offering from earlier this winter, has been stuck in my head since it was first released. There is something wonderfully propulsive about the hand-clap beat and the guitar melody. But when I heard Jessie Js I Want Love for the first time in June, I was immediately sold; if theres any justice in the world, Id like this big-voiced disco song to be heard everywhere all summer long. Its like ABBA on steroids, with an Eye of the Tiger-style riff undergirding it for good measure, and I cant get enough. Read More: Lil Nas X on Montero (Call Me By Your Name), LGBTQ Representation and the Influence of FKA Twigs  JB: Love Montero. Love the steady stream of singles from Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. But without even realizing it, I stumbled into a psych-rock phase when the warmer weather hit in May. Ive had two songs in particular on repeat. The title track from Painted Shrines debut album Heaven and Holy has a wonderful psych-meets-surf-meets-garage-rock bounciness that transports me to a beach party at sunset, with a freshly lit bonfire and a watercolor sky. (If you know Woods, the two acts share a member in Jeremy Earl, and the sounds are pretty similar as well.) Im also hooked on Esmerim Gzelim by the Amsterdam-based, Turkish-psych-inspired Anatolian act Altin Gna love song so smooth and slinky its practically liquid, with a chorus that will make you want to learn Turkish. In case these tracks sound inaccessible, let me be clear: they are not! Both of these songs are earworms that mightve been top 10 hits in a different place or time. CL: The vaccine is now (mostly) readily available, the temperatures are going up, and the song that we all need right now is the City Girls Twerkulator, which made its long-awaited debut this May, just in time for shot girl summer. While the song went viral last year after the Miami rap duos 2020 album City on Lock was leaked, there were sample clearance issuesthe track prominently features Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Forces iconic Planet Rock and Cajmeres Coffee Pot (Its Time for the Perculator) that prevented the song from being released with the album. The samples were worth the wait, however, giving us a high-energy, braggadocious dance track with throwback energy that Id like to hear at every party this summer. Another song with throwback party vibes that has been on rotation for me is Saweeties Sweat Check, an upbeat track from her EP Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1 that sounds like easy and breezy old school West Coast rap, which for me, is exactly what summer should sound like. KM: Silk Sonic left a searing impression when the superduo performed the 70s-inspired Leave the Door Open at the Grammys. It was a stage to remember: Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, dressed in retro fashion, cooed and crooned against a backdrop of twinkling lights reminiscent of the night sky. And whereas many of us initially enjoyed this performance in solitude, we now have the opportunity to collectively sing along to the smooth melodies in public spaces and perhaps even under an IRL night sky. Silk Sonic has not yet announced a release date for its debut album An Evening with Silk Sonic, but until then, Ill be jamming to Leave the Door Open. Another track I will play on repeat in the months to come: K-pop group TWICEs Alcohol-Free, which is a refreshing and delightful ode to summer. The songs music video shows the nine members dancing by the beach next to a bar boasting a vibrant assortment of drinks. Mojito with lime, sweet mimosa, pina colada, member Momo sings in the chorus. I will be dreaming of a seaside vacationand the tangy refreshment to go with itas I listen to this breezy bossa nova-styled number. JB: Since were in this weird liminal phase between lockdown and full-on, packed-movie-theater, sweaty-dance-floor normalcy, I think were going to see a lot of cautiously hedonistic outdoor partying this summer. Pools. Beaches. Parks. Cookouts. Open-air concerts and open-air intoxication. For music, after a 2020 that gave us one indelible banger (WAP) and a lot of quieter, more niche stuff, that will probably mean a return to upbeat, crowd-pleasing, sing-along jams. Whatever the song of the summer turns out to be, were sure to hear a lot of it, because so much of our recreation is going to happen in public places. I dont think its been done yet, but any artist who can capture the mood of liberation that comes with reopeningsomething like Diana Ross Im Coming Out or Schools Out by Alice Cooperis going to clean up. KM: Unlike past years, the emotions connected to our re-entry to the world will likely play a huge role in determining the song of the summer on an individual level. At that first return to the bar, the rooftop party or, in due time, the concert with live music, theres bound to be a particular sentiment tied to the songs heard in community. For me, it was at my first visit back to karaoke in the U.S. that Olivia Rodrigos Drivers License shot up the ranks. While I favor Deja Vu and Good 4 U out of the artists singles dropped ahead of Sours release, Drivers License took on special meaning when my friends and I, along with a handful of people I had met for the first time that night, belted to the songs bridge in unison. Now, the thrill and joy of singing with abandon alongside othersan experience I missed too dearly in 2020will always flash in my mind when Rodrigos viral debut single plays. RB: While many Americans are returning to a normal life of sortsand clubs and bars and parties are back, with New York City even rescinding all restrictions as of June 15Im living a slightly different existence, spending my summer in a small town in Idaho. Nightlife consists of three bars. One of them hosts local bands, usually country music, on weekend nights. The other has a jukebox, and the evenings soundtrack is purely dependent on the whims of the patrons. The only reliable music radio station I can get here is the alt-rock channel, which plays a mix of Twenty One Pilots and Blink-182 from the early 2000s. Because Im not being exposed to the urban experience and mainstream music consumption, in this small bubble certain songs rise up as unlikely ubiquitous choices: for instance, Ive noticed that electronic artist Big Wilds 6s to 9s featuring Rationale gets the people going, whether its played on the jukebox at midnight or sung by a campfire with an acoustic guitar. Thats whats different about this summer in general, I think: we are each having such distinct experiences, depending on our comfort with crowds and our locations and access to normalcy, and perhaps we are more likely than ever before to veer away from whatever is considered officially popular. Ive been going to local outdoor concerts and swing dancing to bluegrass and folk, and while I dont know many of the songs, the feeling they capture is all I need from my summer of music. And the winner is  Good 4 U has a good shot; Kiss Me More is hot on its heels. But ultimately the song of the summer isand should bea personal choice, a tune to timestamp a few months and bring back waves of nostalgia in future. Were just grateful for the musical optimism thats thick in the air. Sign up for our Entertainment newsletter. Subscribe to More to the Story to get the context you need for the pop culture you love. 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