IMAGI-BLOG
Where's the great pop song of the summer?
Submitted by ChrisB on May 18, 2008.Last weekend I was talking to a friend of mine about how I dislike driving - even though I own a car and it takes me about 35 minutes to drive to work in the morning and an hour and half to get there by bus. I just dislike traffic and looking for parking and having to go in for an oil change every three months. But the one thing I said that I do like is in the summer when I can drive down the interstate (I-90) with my windows rolled down, wearing sunglasses and having the radio up really loud. It is one of the pleasures that makes $4 a gallon worth it.
Yet, this summer I can't see a great song that will be blasting from my speakers AND the speakers of the car the pulls up next to me at the same intersection. Unless I'm missing something, but Sasha Frere-Jones wondered the same thing. I'm going to quote his blog post from the New Yorker verbatim because it is worth repeating and he raises an interesting question (my emphasis):
Ask my hallmates—yesterday, I flapped my arms about and crowed: “What kind of year is this? What world have we inherited from the proto-robots who built the robots that will eventually rule us? Where are the singles? Where is ‘Crazy In Love’? Where is ‘Since U Been Gone’? Where is ‘Hey Ya’?” Over at Vulture, they were fumbling with the same Ouija board, apparently. Their theory is that N.E.R.D.’s tuneless hammer party, “Everybody Nose,” is the best that pop will give us this summer. They are no more sanguine about this prospect than I.
What the Nu Shooz has gone wrong? Is the collapse of the music industry actually making music collapse? Pop songs should be happy, and proliferating like liberated little algae. Are we all hanging on Usher’s abs? Chris Martin’s stubble? Dwayne Carter’s, um, chains? The Jonas Brothers? (Why did we take Hanson for granted?) Where is the song that can slow down time and make us like the fact that Top 40 plays the same hits over and over? (I remember driving down the West Side highway last summer and saying, “It isn’t right that “Umbrella” isn’t playing somewhere, now.” My companion was confused.) My guess is that in 2008 this song will come from a country artist. Or Chris Cornell. (The last one isn’t a guess.)
While I'm now curious to hear what Chris Cornell has in store for us, I can't think of any "Umbrella"s or "Since U Been Gone" or "Toxic"s right now. Songs that make listening to pop radio a worthwhile venture (and sometimes it is).
With the industry in the condition it is in these days, I'm going to have to turn to my own tastes to make my soundtrack of the summer. In a way, I find that depressing.
I guess I'm making this post to ask two different questions: what will be blasting from your cars or headphones this summer and/or am I missing a great 2008 pop hit (think more Justin Timberlake and less The Shins)?
Right now my summer hit (and every single person who was at the Triple Door last night would agree) is "Little Bit" by Lykke Li, but it's not univesal:
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Erik Gonzalez said on May 19, 2008:
I don't think you can identify a classic song like that before it "happens".
However, if I were a betting man, I might be tempted to think "Black & Gold" by Sam Sparro, "Beggin'" by Madcon or "Mercy" by Duffy might work.
And of course, my personal favorite, "Holle" by K.I.Z.
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Jon Harthun said on May 19, 2008:
Actually, rethinking this, MIA's "Paper Planes" is reeeeally picking up steam lately.
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Imaginary Shrie said on May 19, 2008:
I've been listening to the crap out of the Beach Boys' "Wild Honey" and "Smiley Smile". It's not all about Kokomo, you know. They are one of the greatest bands of all time, summery and dark at the same damn time.
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katie marc said on May 19, 2008:
I know it isn't top 40 material, but have you heard of Adam and the Amethysts? They're from montreal, their album Amethyst Amulet comes out the 10th of next month, and they're really fun.
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Jon Harthun said on May 19, 2008:
Beach Boys has been summer music since I was so little. Years and years ago I recall playing their album outside in the sun on my parents turntable and it literally melted.
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tomo said on May 19, 2008:
i'd let the triple door shower my head with broken glass every time, so long as i get to see lykke li perform. summer jams.
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Tim Hanken said on May 19, 2008:
I haven't heard any of the record but based on reviews, hype, and word of mouth, my guess is it’ll end up being something off that Santagold album.
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ChrisB said on May 19, 2008:
Oh my, I didn't realize you got showered in broken glass, Tomo. I was wondering what happened but I thought someone just broke a carafe of water at your table. I was busy watching El Perro Del Mar so I didn't see what had occurred. :-|
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John in Ballard said on June 1, 2008:
I'm thinking "Paper Planes" by M.I.A....especially since the song was almost inescapable at Sasquatch last weekend.
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JessicaSeattle said on June 2, 2008:
Here are a few to making my summer sing:
The Futureheads
"Radio Heart"
Attic Lights
"God", "Never Sick of the Sea"
(all you Pet Sounds devotees will definitely want to check out Attic Lights)
Supergrass
"Rebel In You"
We Were Promised Jetpacks
"Quiet Little Ones"
Elbow
"One Day Like This"
-Anything from the new James album
-I second Erik's vote for Sam Sparro -- 'Black & Gold' will always be January to me, but I just heard the album's soon out in the UK; so no doubt a ton of cool tracks on there
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Jon Harthun said on June 2, 2008:
Usher's "Love in this Club" is working it's way up.
and I saw this track on Living Lohan (yes, I just admitted that) which I see going big: Jeremy Greene's "Not My Fault"
Hahaha....
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Jon Harthun said on June 24, 2008:
Thought I'd stir the pot on this discussion again.
The new Lily Allen - "Guess Who Batman" is catchy and political, in a pretty obvious way.
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ChrisB said on June 24, 2008:
I LOVE Lily Allen and don't think she can do anything wrong. I really like what I heard of "GWB", but at the time she only had an excerpt on her MySpace.
That being said, readers of Idolator voted for Tyga's "Coconut Juice" as The Official Summer Jam of 2008.
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Chris Estey said on June 24, 2008:
Team Gina, "Mixtape"
Tilly And The Wall, "I Found You"
Baskervilles, "Caught In A Crosswalk"
The Bell Rays, "One Big Party"
Mudhoney, "Touch Me I'm Sick"
Tim Fite, "Big Mistake"
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Erik Gonzalez said on June 24, 2008:
I've already decided my summer album is Girl Talk's Feed the Animals.
And no, I still don't understand why people like Lily Allen. If she was a he, she'd be Jack Penate and we'd all be dissing her. Hot (to some people) girls get a lot of slack, eh?
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Jon Harthun said on August 7, 2008:
not to toot my own horn, but I soooooo called MIA being the "song of the summer"...
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Reviews
Jon Harthun said on May 19, 2008:
My bet's on either something Timbaland or Neptunes produced, or some girl pop-rock gem in the vain of Sara Bareilles.