☀️🎶😎 Summer Anthem Round-up ⭐️🌊😍 New, old, classic, niche, it doesn’t matter, just rec your very best bop for the summertime.

Question

Joyce · Answer

K-Pop Hits: 1997: solid bops. the cool hit (해변의 여인 or woman on the beach) is the perfect summer song

Alex Weiss Hills · Answer

Mystical Composer by Momoko Kikuchi: Bop of the summer for me. Whole album is perfect for night driving with the windows down but Mystical Composer hits on all fronts from the busy bass to the keyboard hooks. Chorus takes you somewhere.

Sarah Cooney · Answer

The Boys of Summer (First Aid Kit): Every time the OG version of this song played on the radio, my mother would always sing along--this was "her" song in a way that her other favorites were not. It belonged to her before me, before she was a mother, when she was just herself. This version is my version of the song.

Willy Huber · Answer

Make Me Lose Control: RIP to the legend Eric Carmen. This ultimate 1988 power pop song should have made it to #1, but alas, it did not. Still charted super high though. You really can feel the love in this song.

Maddy · Answer

Short King: PURE JOY

Danielle · Answer

Boat Song, Nico Moon

Analisa Burns · Answer

Licorice Pizza (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack): say what u want about the film but this soundtrack is the perfect summer dinner party playlist

Laurel · Answer

Shintaro Sakamoto - My Memories Fade: Lazy beach day tunes. Instrumentals feel like a video game soundtrack for an island level.

Jess · Answer

Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince: Classic

Elodie · Answer

The Spins: Driving with the windows down feeling like a teenager - all my worries disappear 🪄

Dylan · Answer

Lana Del Rey - Doin' Time: lana covering a song by a ska punk band who i worshipped as a teenager feels correct because she & I are only a month apart in age & we both went through phases of lusting over toxic men

original by sublime below:

Dylan · Answer

All Saints - Pure Shores: timeless pop perfection

Dylan · Answer

Ray of Light: This album is widely regarded as Madonna's magnum opus, and the older I get, the more I appreciate why.

Collaborating with electronic producer William Orbit, it took her four months to record - the longest she's ever spent recording an album. Worth it, imho.

Ray of Light debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard 200 with the highest first-week sales for a woman at the time. It topped the charts of 17 countries, won multiple Grammy awards and has now sold over 16 million copies globally.

~ paraphrased from wikipedia (my favourite internet site)

Dylan · Answer

Shaggy, Rayvon - In The Summertime: SWEET AS HONEY STING LIKE BUMBLEBEE

Dylan · Answer

Aaliyah - Rock The Boat: this track is y2k summer perfection. god i miss her.

Dylan · Answer

LFO - Summer Girls: SOME OF THE WORST LYRICS EVER WRITTEN. ALSO A SUMMERTIME COMEDIC MASTERPIECE. I was about to talk some shit about the frat-boy vibes I get from this group, but then I looked them up on Wikipedia.

While I was very pleased to discover that the name LFO is an acronym for Lyte Funky Ones (obviously), I was saddened to read that all three original members died in their 30s and 40s.

Danielle · Answer

put your records on - corinne bailey rae: also on my anti-depression playlist

Wynne · Answer

Can't Do Much - Waxahatchee: This whole album is actually perfect.

grayaelc · Answer

The General (Dispatch): My husband and I’s favorite summer song. Highly recommend driving with the windows down yelling/singing “Go now you are forgiven!”

Coco Quizon · Answer

LFO - Every Other Time: I like to cosplay a movie montage in the mornings where I’m a teen navigating the hardships of my life at a well-funded coastal American High School and my dad just confiscated the keys to my top-down ride, which I needed for the dance to celebrate the end of Senior Year and my life is about to change forever.

This is my favorite song for this exercise.

Sophia Lucchesi · Answer

Always Be My Baby: Maybe it’s the rope swing in the music video or the lakeside setting - but this always reminds me of late summer nights.

Lizzie · Answer

Night Moves: Dusk, windows down, late june feeling

Kathleen Jordan · Answer

Trap Queen by Fetty Wap: I come alive

Nicole · Answer

Steal My Sunshine by Len: “Does he like butter tarts?”

kitty · Answer

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Mary Jane's Last Dance: Makes me feel like I’m hitchhiking across the country in the 70s

Jessie · Answer

Hans Zimmer Pirates of the Caribbean Medley, Live from Prague: Put this on in the car and tell me it doesn’t slap, I dare you.

Eric F · Answer

Living In America - DoM 🇺🇸: “Forget all you haters USA is for lovers”

grace murray · Answer

Summer Love - Justin Timberlake: a car drove by my apartment bumping this the other day and I haven’t stopped listening to it. song of the summer idc

clownmommy · Answer

Livin' It Up - Ja Rule: just hearing the horns on this intro transports me to summer vacation riding in a convertible with my older sisters on our way to pick up a $20 sheet pizza for dinner

kim · Answer

Summer of George - Color Televsion: cliche way to describe it but i always feel like i transported to the beach when i hear this song.

Shellie Gossling · Answer

I wanna get better by Bleachers: Talk about a bop.

Shellie Gossling · Answer

Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer: The most amazing summer song.  Poetic and gorgeous.

Shellie Gossling · Answer

Soda Pop - Kpop Demon Hunters: I know I know, but it’s SO GOOD.

Sarah · Answer

OMC - How Bizarre: Cruisin down the freeway in the hot hot sun ☀️☀️☀️ I really can't think of a better summer bop.

Matt · Answer

Marcos Valle - "Estrelar": Marcos Valle: Ambassador to Good Vibes, Champion of Summertime, Spokesperson for Beach Bods. Lyrically, "Estrelar" is a workout motivation anthem set to an infectiously funky instrumental (ooh that bassline) encouraging listeners to get their physique good and toned 'cuz summer is near. Key lyrics to muse upon: "Domingo é dia / de um ti-ti-ti a mais e de bumbum pra trás" (in translation: "Sunday's the day / for gossiping and showing off that butt")...just like the good Lord meant for Sundays to be spent! The chorus of this song is pure boogie heaven musical ecstasy and literally cannot be grown tired of.

I got to see Valle in concert recently, and at age 82, the man is a portrait of health, so I can only imagine he's been taking his own words to heart for a while. ("Estrelar" is the lead track from Marcos Valle's awesome 1983 self-titled album. The album cover shown above captures the vibe perfectly...saúde, Marcos!)