Calling a song "The Song of Summer" is becoming almost as significant of the UK's "Christmas Single," where it's hotly debated over and marketed every year as a sign of pride and good sales. In the past few years, we've usually had an even tie among a cluster of songs such as Icona Pop's "I Love It," "Happy" by Pharrell, "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke and last year's "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea. And what all these had in common is that they were released and ramped up in the spring, so that by the time Pride rolled around, we could all fully lip sync along or know to run away at first chord. This year, the race is either too muddled or a broad, varietal playing field. Depends on how you look at it.
Early contenders such as "Feeling Myself" ( Nicki Minaj feat. Beyonce ), "One Last Time" ( Ariana Grande ), "Pretty Girls" ( Britney ), "Bitch Better Have My Money" ( Rihanna ) and anything off Rebel Heart have come and gone quietly with little fanfare, to the disappointment of their labels. "Uptown Funk" which is bizarrely at #5 this week after 29 weeks ( that's Christmas, dear ) is still holding strong, but even the basic-est of bitches is tiring of that one. So where does that leave us for anthems?
Well Fetty Wap's "Trap Queen" is high on the charts right now, but lacks the punch to be a real daytime party track, unless you're high at a backyard BBQ. Plus Fetty's missing eye creeps out your mother.
Novelty can sometimes work ( see "Gangnam Style" ), which might help Lil Mama's adorable "Sausage," but it might be held back by its sheer terribleness. Terrible in a good, camp way, but still. I say pair that one up with Ivy Levan's adorable "Biscuit" and there's your breakfast.
Maroon 5 has two contenders with "Sugar,"—which has been out a while—and "This Summer's Gonna Hurt Like a Motherf****r." "Sugar" might be long and rotten in tooth ( pun intended ), but still high on the charts; "This Summer" has the benefit—like Lana Del Ray's past hit, "Summertime Sadness,"—of namechecking. Plus the remixes are already sickening.
74-year-old producer Giorgio Moroder might have the actual album of the summer, if previews prove correct, but so far tracks by Britney, Sia and Charli XCX have been well-received, but not chart-worthy and, frankly, too cool for the kids.
My pick, if it all goes my way, would be "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon, a direct ode to equal parts Rick Springfield and U2 that actually sounds like a legit pop rock track, not the overly-produced grabs at the teens like Maroon 5 has been churning out. "Shut Up" being a summer hit could signify a great new direction in pop, because if you look to our old fallbacks mentioned earlier, summer might be over soon.
Go to Moose's Moosebox Facebook page and tell us what you think will be the "Song of Summer."
