Here’s Every “Song of the Summer” for the Past 50 Years

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Every year, as the weather gets warmer, a brand new single comes out that you’ll proceed to hear everywhere you go. From gas stations to Starbucks to sports bars to TikTok—it becomes inescapable. A hit like that is soon dubbed the “song of the summer,” and whenever the season rolls back around again, the battle for that title begins anew. Using data from Billboard and the Recording Industry Association of America , we’ve compiled a list of the hottest track of the summer for each of the last 50 years, including this one. Read on to see how many you remember.

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Apple

After the Beatles split, Paul McCartney went on to form the band Wings. Their song “ Band on the Run ” became the song of the summer in 1974. It might even be the most popular non-Beatles song by McCartney; music magazine NME named “Band on the Run” the tenth best song of the entire decade.

A&M

MCA

“ Don’t Go Breaking My Heart ” was a one-off track recorded by Elton John and Kiki Dee that became the song of the summer in 1976. Released in June, it quickly topped charts in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, among other countries.

CBS

The Emotions managed to land the summer anthem of 1977 with their hit “ Best of My Love .” The song was so lastingly popular that it dominated the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 throughout August and into September.

RSO Records

Casablanca Records

The Donna Summer song “ Bad Girls ,” from the album of the same name, was, without a doubt, summer’s biggest jam in 1979. The song spent five weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 between July and August.

Columbia

RCA

“ Jessie’s Girl ,” a song about lusting after a friend’s girlfriend, spent months climbing up the charts in 1981, finally landing in the top spot on August 1st and making Rick Springfield a huge star.

EMI/Scotti Brothers

A&M

In 1983, the Police released “ Every Breath You Take ,” which quickly became a major hit that summer, dominating the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. But the tune’s success wasn’t relegated to the warmer months: “Every Breath You Take” was the bestselling U.S. single of 1983 in its entirety.

Warner Bros.

In 1984, “ When Doves Cry ,” off of the Purple Rain soundtrack, was the summer anthem. It was also Prince’s first single to hit No. 1 in the US.

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Phonogram/Mercury

“ Shout ” was released by Tears for Fears in the United Kingdom in 1984, but it really took off after its 1985 release in the United States. It was the No. 1 song for three weeks that summer.

Warner Bros.

This massive Madonna hit spent two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1986. “ Papa Don’t Preach ” became the pop star’s fourth song to hit No. 1, and its rebellious message—about a pregnant teen—caused tons of controversy.

Arista

In addition to being the 1987 song of the summer, topping charts in more than a dozen countries, “ I Wanna Dance With Somebody ” was also Whitney Houston’s fourth consecutive No. 1 hit.

Virgin

In July and August of 1988, you couldn’t escape Steve Winwood’s “ Roll With It ,” which spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

Virgin

Before she became known for her unique hosting style on American Idol , Paula Abdul was a pop princess and a dancing machine. She dominated the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1989 for two weeks with her hit single “ Forever Your Girl .”

Columbia

One of the biggest boy bands of the ’90s, the New Kids on the Block, had their second inescapable No. 1 hit in the summer of 1990. (The first was “Hangin’ Tough” in 1988.) “ Step by Step ” spent three weeks in the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 and brought countless screaming fans to their live shows.

A&M

There was no avoiding this song from the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves soundtrack in the summer of 1991. “ (Everything I Do) I Do It for You ” spent 16 weeks at the top of the U.K. Singles chart, the longest run in British chart history. Stateside, it reigned on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks, from July through September.

Def American/Reprise

Sir Mix-A-Lot exploded onto the scene in 1992 with his hit song “ Baby Got Back ,” which has since been sampled by Nicki Minaj in her song “Anaconda.” In July and August of that year, you couldn’t spend much time in a mall before hearing, “Oh my god, Becky…”

Virgin

In May, June, and July of 1993, this Janet Jackson slow jam was everywhere. “ That’s the Way Love Goes ” spent two whole months hanging out in the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100.

Atlantic/WEA

Though Ace of Base’s “The Sign” kicked off the summer of 1994, the rest of the season belonged to All-4-One’s iconic love song “ I Swear .” It spent an impressive 11 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and remained one of the biggest wedding songs for years to come.

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LaFace

In 1995, TLC found themselves with an unlikely summer jam—” Waterfalls “—released in May of that year. Thanks to the catchy chorus, the group’s song about the dangers of HIV and illicit substances made its mark, spending seven weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. “Waterfalls” went on to nab two Grammy nominations and earned the No. 10 spot on Billboard ‘s list of the 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time .

RCA

In 1996, the Bayside Boys remix of the Los Del Rio song “ Macarena ” was everywhere , including the Democratic National Convention. It spent 14 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and to this day, you’ll find people shameless enough to do the accompanying dance whenever it’s played.

Bad Boy/Arista

This song was released in 1997 as a tribute to Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace , who was murdered earlier that year, and samples the 1983 song of the summer, “Every Breath You Take” by the Police. Proving the original’s staying power, “ I”ll Be Missing You ” spent 11 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

Atlantic

This summer anthem from 1998, about two women dating the same man, was inspired by the Michael Jackson /Paul McCartney duet from 1982, “The Girl Is Mine.” The female-fronted version, “ The Boy Is Mine ,” spent 13 weeks at No. 1 and fueled a summer of rumors about these two pop stars.

Christina Aguilera self-titled album cover - 27

RCA

“ Genie in a Bottle ,” the 1999 song of the summer, is from Christina Aguilera’s debut album, which went platinum and helped place her on the pop music map.

Arista

Carlos Santana made a major mainstream comeback at the turn of the millennium with “Smooth,” his collaboration with Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas , and this song, produced by Wyclef Jean . “ Maria Maria ” spent a whopping 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Who could forget that guitar riff?

Interscope

Aguilera came back to nab another summer anthem in 2001—this time with Missy Elliott , Lil’ Kim , Mya , and P!nk . Their cover of the Patti LaBelle classic “ Lady Marmalade ” led the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack and was inescapable that summer.

Universal

The 2002 song of the summer was Nelly’s “ Hot in Herre ,” which spent seven weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to win a Grammy for Best Male Rap Solo Performance.

Columbia

You couldn’t go anywhere in the summer of 2003 without hearing “ Crazy in Love ,” the hit single off Beyoncé’s debut solo album. With then-boyfriend and future husband Jay-Z supporting her, the track will forever be associated with them going public with their relationship.

Arista

“ Yeah! ,” the 2004 song of the summer, held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks until it was bumped off by another single by Usher , “Burn.”

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Island Def Jam

The 2005 song of the summer, “ We Belong Together ,” from Mariah Carey’s album The Emancipation of Mimi , was considered by many to be her musical comeback. It became the second longest-running No. 1 song in U.S. chart history. Oh, and it also went triple platinum.

Geffen/MMG

Nelly Furtado switched things up after her hit track “I’m Like a Bird” with this R&B song featuring Timbaland . With her infectious vocals and the song’s catchy beats, “ Promiscuous ” quickly became the 2006 summer jam, topping the Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream 40, and Top 40.

Def Jam

The 2007 song of the summer was Rihanna’s “ Umbrella ,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and eventually won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Capitol

Katy Perry’s breakout hit “ I Kissed a Girl ” held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for seven weeks in 2008 and has sold over four million copies since.

Interscope

Nearly the entire year of 2009 belonged to the Black Eyed Peas. “Boom Boom Pow” was the top song on the Billboard Hot 1o0 for 12 weeks between April and July. Then “ I Gotta Feeling ” came around and finished out the summer, sitting at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks from July through October.

Capitol

In 2010, Perry gave us another summer jam with her catchy track “California Gurls,” which features a Snoop Dogg verse and spent six weeks at the top of the charts in June and July.

Interscope

The 2011 song of the summer, “ Party Rock Anthem ,” was released in January, but it stayed on the charts for a mind-boggling 68 weeks, peaking in July and August.

604/Schoolboy/Interscope

Carly Rae Jepsen released summer anthem “ Call Me Maybe ” in 2012 and subsequently rocketed to fame. The song prompted countless parodies and covers, including one famous video in which Justin Bieber , Selena Gomez , Ashley Tisdale , and other celebrities lip-sync the song.

Star Trak/Interscope

Robin Thicke’s problematic hit “ Blurred Lines ” was the song of the summer in 2013, selling more than 14 million singles before outrage over the offensive lyrics—and a widely publicized lawsuit on behalf of Marvin Gaye’s estate—derailed its success. Still, it definitely had its moment in the sun: “Blurred Lines” was the top Billboard Hot 100 hit for 12 weeks from June until Labor Day weekend.

Def Jam/Virgin EMI

Australian rapper Iggy Azalea burst onto the charts in 2014 with her song “ Fancy ,” which held the top Billboard Hot 100 spot for seven weeks. While she’s tried to recapture the magic of this peppy track, “Fancy” remains Azalea’s biggest hit.

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Big Machine/Republic Records

The 2015 song of the summer came from Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar , thanks in no small part to the very hyped-up music video that accompanied “ Bad Blood ” and the rumors it fueled about Swift’s biggest enemies.

Cash Money/Republic/Young Money

In addition to being the 2016 song of the summer, Canadian artist Drake ‘s “ One Dance ” also carried the distinction of being the most popular song on Spotify until Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” eventually overtook it.

Universal Latin

Even non-Spanish speakers were singing along to “ Despacito .” The Luis Fonsi track, featuring Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber, was literally the top Billboard Hot 100 song the entire summer of 2017, from May 27 to Sept. 9.

Cash Money/Republic/Young Money

Released shortly after the July 4th holiday weekend, “ In My Feelings ,” another single by Drake, set summer stereos ablaze. In addition to shattering the record for single-week streams ( 116 million ), it stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks.

Columbia

The song that put Lil Nas X on the map, “ Old Town Road ,” may not only be the song of the summer of 2019 but the song of all the summers. In August of 2019, it broke the record to become the longest-reigning Billboard No. 1 after topping the charts for 19 weeks. It’s also went to diamond-selling status faster than any song in history .

1501 Certified/300

Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion has put out hit after hit, but it was this collaboration with Beyoncé that ruled the summer of 2020. Amid the pandemic, “song of the summer” status wasn’t decided by beach vacations, road trips, and clubs; “ Savage ” blew up on TikTok, the social networking app that kept so many people entertained in quarantine.

Big Hit/Sony Music

The summer of 2021 belonged to K-Pop group BTS. Their second English-language single “ Butter ” topped charts in several countries, including the U.S. and South Korea, and the premiere of its music video was the most-watched ever in YouTube history.

Erskine/Columbia

“ As It Was ,” the first single from Harry Styles’ third album, Harry’s House , was released in April of 2022—just in time to run the charts all summer . It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 15 weeks and helped contribute to Styles’ Album of the Year Grammy win a few months later.

Big Loud/Republic/Mercury

At the end of the season, Billboard declared controversial country star Morgan Wallen’s hit “ Last Night ” to be 2023’s “ Song of the Summer .” The track went 7x platinum in the U.S. and even topped the year-end Hot 100. Luke Combs’ cover of “Fast Car” was the second most popular song during the hottest days of last year, so country was really having a mainstream moment.

Island

The summer of 2024 is still rocking, but there’s no doubt that pop star Sabrina Carpenter came in hot out of the gate with her steamy, singable bop, “ Espresso .” Accompanied by a sun-soaked music video, the single introduced the former Disney star to a new audience and has already gone platinum.

This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copy-editing.

Here’s Every “Song of the Summer” for the Past 50 Years#

Here’s Every “Song of the Summer” for the Past 50 Years