Every year, we do a Song of the Summer show. It always makes people angry. There is no evidence that it has ever made people happy. A lot of it has to do with the way we define the term.
This was accomplished perfectly in 2014 by author Amanda Dobbins:
"Let’s be clear about how this works: There is no such thing as a 'personal' song of summer. We do not anoint multiple songs of summer. There can only be one; the Song of Summer, by its very definition, is a consensus choice. It is the song that wrecks wedding dance floors. It is the song that you and your mother begrudgingly agree on (even though your mom has no idea what rhymes with 'hug me' and won't stop yelling it in public). It does not necessarily have to hit No. 1 on the charts, but it should probably be on the charts, because it must be widely played. It must bring people together. It must be a shared enthusiasm."
Here are the songs we talked about in order:
- “Despacito” - Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber
- “That’s What I Like” - Bruno Mars
- “2u” - David Guetta feat. Justin Bieber
- “I’m The One” - DJ Khaled
- “Humble” - Kendrick Lamar
- “iSpy” - Kyle feat. Lil Yachty
- “Body Like A Back Road” - Sam Hunt
- “Sign of the Times” - Harry Styles
- “Slow Hands” - Niall Horan
- “Crying in the Club” - Camila Cabello
- “The Weekend” - SZA
- “Likes” - Chronixx
- “Sugar Honey Iced Tea” - Sandflower
GUESTS:
- Brendan Jay Sullivan - DJ and producer; author of RIVINGTON WAS OURS: Lady Gaga, the Lower East Side, and the Prime of Our Lives
- Sandflower - Artist and musician
- Eric Danton - Rock critic, formerly for The Hartford Courant, and also in Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal and Paste
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Colin McEnroe contributed to this show.
