Summer is a month away, playlists are shifting and the annual debate over the song of the summer is beginning. It’s not an exact science. It’s more of a feeling. The song playing at every pool party, blasting from passing cars and stuck in your head during a walk across campus. The one you didn’t mean to memorize but somehow still know every word of.
Some summers are defined by a single, undeniably popular anthem. Think “California Gurls” by Katy Perry in 2010, “Call Me Maybe” in 2012 or “Despacito” in 2017. Other summers feel more like a shared playlist, with multiple songs rotating on the same aux. More recently, many pointed to “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter as the defining track of 2024, while Chappell Roan had a strong run last summer with songs like “The Subway” taking over feeds and speakers alike.
So…what actually makes a song the song of the summer?
First, it has to be catchy, almost annoyingly so. The kind of chorus that loops in your brain whether you like it or not. A true contender doesn’t just play in the background—it follows you. You catch yourself humming it while walking to class, or your friend calls you out for singing it without even realizing.
Then there is popularity, which people love to downplay but it matters. A lot. Songs become inescapable before they become iconic. They climb charts like the Billboard Hot 100 and stay there, showing up everywhere from TikTok edits to grocery store speakers. At some point, hearing it too much is exactly what locks it in.
Timing also plays a role. Most songs of the summer drop right as the weather starts to shift into late spring and early summer, when people are building new playlists for beach days, road trips and nights that go a little longer than planned. Artists know this and plan releases around it.
And then there is the wildcard. Sometimes a song that has been out for years suddenly resurfaces and finds a whole new life. It is less predictable, but when it happens, it spreads fast.
Looking ahead to summer 2026, there are already a few strong contenders. Zara Larsson has been in the conversation with “Midnight Sun,” a track that leans fully into bright, easy summer energy even though it dropped earlier in the year.
There is also new music from Harry Styles, whose album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally is already getting attention. Tracks like “Aperture” and “Taste Back” feel built for warm weather, the kind of songs that work just as well with the windows down as they do on a crowded playlist. Harry has done this before with “Watermelon Sugar,” and it would not be surprising to see one of these new singles follow a similar path.
Beyond that, part of the fun is in what has not even been released yet. Noah Kahan could easily land a quieter but still defining track, especially if this summer leans a little more mellow.
And then there is Olivia Rodrigo. Her new album, You Look Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, is set to be released June 12, and if her past projects are any indication, at least one track will quickly move from new release to unavoidable.
Whether it ends up being one song on repeat or a handful that rotate depending on the mood, the song of the summer usually makes itself clear without much debate. It is the track that shows up everywhere and somehow becomes tied to a very specific moment in time. By the time fall rolls around, you are either still playing it or skipping it immediately, but either way, it did its job.