It’s time to announce my Official Summer Song 2024.
It’s once again time to announce my official song of the summer. But before that, let’s celebrate some of the other musical highlights of summer 2024.
This tradition harkens back to the early days of this website. Since 2006, I have highlighted some of my favorite musical tracks of the past summer months.
One of those tracks became my Official Summer Song, but I’ve also given special shoutouts in various categories, two of which have been mainstays every year: what song has the best lyrics, and what was my favorite throwback song of that summer?
Receiving any of these questionable honors relates, in part, to which song I’ve listened to the most – but there’s more to it than air time. The official definition for the Official Summer Song is that it can represent any genre or era of music, as long as it always reminds me of that summer.
The Official Summer Song can represent any genre or era of music, as long as it always reminds you of that summer.
So, what were the musical highlights of summer 2024? Check out all the nominees in this playlist.
Best music platform
The soundtrack of the summer was decidedly electronic – and the sources included your usual suspects like VUM and Flow Festival. The film Challengers also had an amazing electronic soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
But the number one musical medium was YouTube, with its plethora of DJ sets. Here are a couple of channels to get your house party on.
- Arwen’s Faith
- MAJ (My Analog Journey)
- Flavour Trip
Best lyrics
I’m sometimes bummed by contemporary songs being something like two minutes long (or short) on average – it’s just content for TikTok or Spotify, not a full song.
Other times, artists don’t seem to put any effort into telling compelling stories. But there are exceptions – Dua Lipa, for example. Sure, her lyrics aren’t necessarily all that deep but at least they’re laced with plenty of delightful double entendre.
But if control is my religion
Dua Lipa: Whatcha Doing
Then I’m heading for collision
Lost my 20/20 vision, please
Whatcha doing to me, baby?
I’m scared to death that you
might be the one to change me
Her latest album, Radical Optimism, might not turn into the same kind of success as Future Nostalgia, but Whatcha Doing is one of the album’s many wonderful pop tunes. Its lyrics are all about letting your guard down and surrendering to your passions.
Best throwback song
This category celebrates songs that are at least 15 years old. I usually find them in movies, on the radio, or on social media, in video games, or then they simply pop up from my subconscious. But even I don’t know where I came up with this year’s pick.
Imagine a time when record labels were actively trying to combine the commercial pop aesthetic of boy bands like New Kids On The Block with the street credibility of rappers like Vanilla Ice (using “credibility” quite loosely here) – and you get East 17.
Their hit It’s Alright is such a catchy anthem that it should be called It’s Amazing. The music video is high-energy and full of quick cuts to the weirdest dance moves.
And going back to my riff on the length of modern pop songs – It’s Alright represents a wonderful time when pop songs and their music videos could easily be five minutes long, with extended intros and dance breaks.
My Official Summer Song
And so, we get to the main event.
This year’s winner is pure pop perfection. The song is happy and catchy, and the singer’s silky voice is utterly seductive. The winner has also been a massive hit all over the world – there’s no way you haven’t heard this song.
My Official Summer Song cannot be anything else but Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter.
Easter Egg: Here’s last year’s winner.
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