Here are Boston.com’s picks for Song of the Summer. What are yours?
"It's the perfect soundtrack — and inspiration — for enjoying all the joy that summer, and life, has to offer."
What makes a song a summer song? Is it a rocking beat? A warm vibe? References to hot fun, “gurls,” and loading up your Woody? Or just a feeling?
One thing’s for sure, there have been some famous ones over the years, from The Drifters going “Under the Boardwalk” in 1964, to the Go-Gos going on “Vacation” in 1982, to Nelly getting “Hot in Herre” in 2002. But what’s saying summer into your AirPods in the hot months of 2022?
Below you’ll see a baker’s dozen of suggestions from the Boston.com staff, along with a Spotify playlist collecting them together. But that’s not nearly enough to last through your whole summer cookout or beach bash: To expand the selections, we want to know your picks for this year’s Song of the Summer.
Scroll down for our poll to enter your suggestion for Song of the Summer. The only criteria is that it’s a song that was released in 2022, or is otherwise having a “moment” in the current season. (You’ll see one obvious example of that on the list below.) We’ll compile them and provide you with a new, improved — and much-elongated — Songs of the Summer playlist.
And yes, we know a certain Harry is overrepresented — you try narrowing them down!
Boston.com’s Summer Song Picks:
‘Break My Soul,’ Beyoncé
The song’s release was perfectly timed with the start of the summer and encourages everyone listening to get outside and dance off some stress. — Zipporah Osei
It’s been a long and difficult few years, but the beat of Queen Bey’s lead single from her forthcoming album, ‘Renaissance’, beckons you to dance off your cares and embrace letting loose and living your life. It’s the perfect soundtrack — and inspiration — for enjoying all the joy that summer, and life, has to offer. — Dialynn Dwyer
‘Running Up That Hill,’ Kate Bush
Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” was released 37 years ago, making it a seemingly odd choice for 2022’s song of the summer. But thanks to the song’s prominent presence on the TV show of the summer — Season 4 of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” — Bush landed the first Top-5 Billboard Hot 100 hit of her career, earning the publicity-shy artist a whole new generation of fans. — Kevin Slane
‘Free,’ Florence + The Machine
If you’re like me, you’ve been wondering where Florence Welch and her Machine have been, given the pressing need for some dramatic indie-rock bombast to help drown out the sad state of the world. Well, they’re finally back, and their album “Dance Fever” doesn’t disappoint — especially the most recent single, “Free.” It has just enough drum-machine bop to feel at home blasting out of your car’s speakers, while at the same time offering a much-needed lesson in how “to exist in the face of suffering and death, and somehow still keep singing.” (At TD Garden Sept. 14.) — Peter Chianca
‘Bite Me,’ Avril Lavigne
It proves that even 20 years after she released her debut studio album “Let Go” with iconic singles like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi,” she can continue her reign as the princess of 2000s pop-punk. Sure “Love Sux,” but Avril still rocks. — Heather Alterisio
‘About Damn Time,’ Lizzo
I don’t think I could put it any better than the way Lizzo did when asked about the content of the song: “I think life had thrown some major traumas and hard experiences at us, especially globally these last few years. And I wanted to write a song that allowed us to take a moment and celebrate our survival, and celebrate how far we’ve come.” I think we can all agree that having a little dose of positivity and brightness is welcomed right now. (At TD Garden Sept. 30.) — Devin Smith
‘Dance With Me,’ Joyce Manor
Punk Rock’s kings of brevity are back, and the highlight of their new album “40 oz. to Fresno” is “Dance With Me,” a perfectly sized paean to finding joy in the face of calamity. No line this year better encapsulates the ways in which existential dread can give way to communal comfort than when frontman Barry Johnson wails “We’re on a burning planet / But upon it there is magic / If you reach out you can grab it.” (At Roadrunner Aug. 13.) — Ross Cristantiello
‘Roly Poly,’ Mt. Joy
From Mt. Joy’s new album released last month, Roly Poly embodies summer with catchy lyrics and a chorus that feels like swinging around barefoot in a grassy field. It’s the perfect soundtrack to a car ride with the windows down on a warm night — what could be more summer than that? (At MGM Music Hall at Fenway Oct. 25.) — Madeleine Aitken
‘An Alien In Minneapolis,’ Ondara
You’ll find yourself humming this new track from the Kenyan-born, Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter after just one listen. Ondara, whose “Tales of America” was Grammy nominated in 2020 for Best Americana Album, may be better known in the Twin Cities, but you can discover him at The Sinclair in Cambridge on Sept. 18. — John Waller
‘Love/Hate Letter to Alcohol,’ Post Malone ft. Fleet Foxes
Even though it’s objectively a pretty sad song about alcoholism and you wouldn’t imagine the ethereal singing from Fleet Foxes being something that would get the crowd going, the bass in this song is pumping, and there’s for sure DJ’s out there remixing it for the club. It also has a line where he says “so I took a shot, took a shot, took another shot” and you know people will be taking shots to that. (At TD Garden Sept. 23 & 24.) — Susannah Sudborough
‘As It Was,’ Harry Styles
It is upbeat but also slightly nostalgic, which is why it makes me think of summer. — Ria Goveas
‘Daydreaming,’ Harry Styles
This is a song that can be played loud and on repeat. It’s both a getting ready song and a night out song. As I head out to meet my friends on a summer afternoon, walking from Cambridge across the Charles bridge to downtown, I am fully listening to this in my headphones pretending I am in a glittery music video. — Maddie Mortell
‘Late Night Talking,’ Harry Styles
I think it has a perfect pop/vintage vibe for blasting with the windows down in the car! — Clara McCourt
(Editor’s note: No scheduled dates for Harry in Boston, but he’ll be playing 15 (!) shows at Madison Square Garden in New York in August and September.)
‘Summer Clothes,’ the Wonder Years
It’s nostalgic and almost a little melancholy because part of the reason we love aimless summer nights is because they are too beautiful to last long. — Tom Westerholm
Be civil. Be kind.
Read our full community guidelines.To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address