The unofficial title awarded every year and the seasonal accolade only one song can win - The Sound of the Summer. Although millions of songs are released each year, only one can be named as the undisputed soundtrack to that wonderful end of May to late August period, full of summer festivals, beach holidays, sweaty club nights and messy house parties with friends. But what are the characteristics that define a song that earns the distinction as The Sound of the Summer?
Well, the main thing is the song must define that summer in some way. Whether it’s a huge festival anthem, an inescapable chart-topping goliath or simply a song that just captures the summer mood, in one way or another it must instantly transport you back to that moment in time. After that, the characteristics of the song can fluctuate greatly, be it a dance banger, a pop hit or an indie classic – it just needs to have that distinct sultry nature about it.
With all this in mind, we thought we’d have a go at picking what we think is The Sound of the Summer for every single year for the last 20 years, reminding you of the bangers to include on your August playlists. Without further ado, here’s our selections:
2002: A Little Less Conversation by Elvis & JXL
Taking you all the way back to near the start of the millennium and we’re kicking things off with The King of Rock & Roll himself. In 2002, Dutch composer and DJ Junkie XL crafted an electric remix of this classic Elvis song, implementing some dance production along with additional drums and horns. It instantly transformed the rocky 60s track into a 00s summer bop, gifting it some newfound commercial success. Arriving at the end of June, it would spend four weeks at number one in the UK, going on to be the fifth biggest selling single of the year too.
2003: Crazy In Love by Beyoncé
It’s amazing to think that back in 2003 that there was initially some concern for Beyoncé’s post-Destiny’s Child career. With bandmate Kelly Rowland having already seen success with songs like Dilemma and Stole the year prior, the pressure was on Queen B to come out strong on her debut single. Thankfully she did, with Crazy In Love hitting the top spot here in the UK in mid-July, before remaining in the Top 10 for six more weeks. With a brilliant 70s sample for those instantly recognisable horns and an iconic guest verse from rap legend and her future husband Jay-Z, it was seemingly destined to be a summer classic.
2004: Everytime by Britney Spears
2004 was definitely the summer of heartbreak. Mario Winans (remember him?), Usher and even The Streets all hit number one with tales of lost love, whilst Eamon & Frankee had two of the most hilariously memorable one hit wonders for their very public and very explicit break-up singles, Fuck It (Don’t Want You Back) and F.U.R.B (Fuck You Right Back). However, the most timeless of all these summer heartbreak tunes was from none other than Britney Spears, whose beautifully ambient piano ballad blew all the rest away. Hitting number one at the end of June, it would then stay in the charts for pretty much the rest of the summer. Almost a decade later, director Harmony Korine would then reaffirm the song’s Sound of the Summer status thanks to that utterly iconic scene from his wild 2013 movie, Spring Breakers.
2005: Hate It or Love It by The Game featuring 50 Cent
Although Crazy Frog and James Blunt may have spent the summer of ’05 on top of the UK charts, there is nothing that captures the spirit of blissful sunny days quite like some West Coast Hip Hop. With a glorious sample of The Trammps’ song Rubber Band from 1972 and two of the decade’s most prolific rap artists going bar-for-bar, this one still sounds great 17 years later – not sure we can say the same about the other two!
2006: Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean
Rightfully dubbed The Queen of Latin Music, Colombian singer Shakira was seemingly destined to deliver The Sound of the Summer at one point in her career. This Wyclef Jean collaboration arrived in late June 2006, channelling all the joyous exotic flair of her homeland. Going on to be the third biggest selling single of the year, it also achieved two separate stints at number one during the summer and remained locked in the UK Top 10 for an impressive 16 weeks.
2007: Umbrella by Rihanna
Although there can be a debate had for most of the selections on this list, there is no denying that Rihanna’s Umbrella was the Sound of the Summer back in 2007. One of the longest reigning number ones in recent memory, the song took the top spot on the 26th May and remained there until it was eventually unseated on the 4th August by Timbaland’s The Way I Are (also a great summer tune!). Also let’s face it, if there was ever a song that perfectly encapsulated British summertime, it is a song about showing your love for someone by sharing your brolly with them!
2008: Electric Feel by MGMT
You could probably choose any of the singles off MGMT’s majestic debut album Oracular Spectacular as the Sound of the Summer for 2008 and no-one would argue. With the album released a few months earlier towards the end of 2007, MGMT’s music had been absorbed into the collective musical consciousness by the time the summer festival season had arrived. Adding to this, the release of Electric Feel as a single was perfectly timed at the end of June, with everything about this song just oozing the tranquil energy gained from long days by the beach. Built on an infectious funk groove, a big singalong chorus and some hypnotic synths, it’s also aged like a fine wine.
2009: Fire by Kasabian
The following year it was another big festival anthem that took the title, this time in the form of Kasabian’s gargantuan single - Fire. Tailor-made for causing mosh-pit chaos, it was released mid-June to earn the band their highest charting single to date, landing at number 3 and spending 2 weeks inside the top 10. I also remember being on the coach down to Glastonbury that year and the other punters had already started singing and chanting this before we had even got to Worthy Farm. Then when they played before Bruce Springsteen on the Pyramid Stage, the scenes that ensued were nothing short of biblical. With similar scenes again this festival season when the song’s been played, this one is another timeless Sound of the Summer.
2010: We Speak No Americano by Yolanda Be Cool & DCup
Another song that is a bit of a given, this salsa and jazz-infused banger hit the top spot towards the end of July and remained in the Top 10 for the next nine weeks, becoming one of the biggest selling singles of the whole year. A year later, it would be further immortalised as the soundtrack to awkward summer holiday jiving thanks to that now legendary scene in The Inbetweeners Movie.
2011: Louder by DJ Fresh featuring Sian Evans
Anyone remember the Dubstep craze? It almost seems like a lifetime ago now but in 2011 the EDM sub-genre hit its peak, with artists like Skrillex and Nero all seeing chart triumphs along with other dance acts like David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Avicii also riding the wave of popularity to further commercial success. As a result, 2011 wasn’t short of absolute bangers to choose from for this particular entry, however DJ Fresh’s song Louder seems the perfect fit as the 2011 Sound of the Summer. Hitting the number one spot in mid-July, it was a landmark moment as the song became the first Dubstep track to reach the chart summit. It’s also everything you could want from a big summer dance tune, playing out almost like a soulful, dubby remix of Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.
2012: Spectrum (Calvin Harris Remix) by Florence + The Machine
First featured on her second album Ceremonials, Florence’s track Spectrum was already a glistening slice of soaring orchestral disco. However in 2012, the Scottish wizard that is Calvin Harris worked his magic on the track and helped to unlock its full potential, transforming it into a colossal summer club anthem. Anchored by Florence Welch’s powerful vocal performance, the song went on to spend three weeks at number one during July and August.
2013: Get Lucky by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers
If you follow Scottish comedian and Twitch streamer Limmy, he has a running joke about Get Lucky by Daft Punk being the Sound of the Summer that he Tweets out every few weeks – sometimes even out of season! Although it has turned into a bit of a meme, you could also seriously argue that Get Lucky has been the Sound of the Summer every year since its initial release. With Nile Rodgers’ rocking that disco, Chic-style guitar groove, Pharrell lending his smooth vocal tones and the Daft Punk robots exquisitely pulling it altogether as only they can, it remains a classic to this day.
2014: Cut Your Teeth by Kyla La Grange
As I mentioned at the start, not every Sound of the Summer has to be a chart monster and this single from English synth-pop sensation Kyla La Grange is the perfect example of how a song can just capture a particular summer feeling in a track. Although it was originally released as a single at the start of the year, this was the title track to La Grange’s second album that came out at the beginning of June, giving the song a new lease of life at a time of year more suited to its atmospheric electronic textures. With a gorgeous ambient melody along with La Grange’s own haunting vocals, it is the perfect end-of-the-party song for those hazy summer nights.
2015: Lean On by Major Lazer & DJ Snake featuring MØ
Another track that feels like the ultimate summer anthem, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that Major Lazer’s collaboration with DJ Snake and MØ is actually one of the biggest selling singles of all time. Every inch of this song just exudes having the time of your life beneath the hot sunshine, with relatable lyrics like “But the night was warm, we were bold and young.” Although it never quite reached the number one spot in the UK, in 2015 it spent 12 weeks in the UK Top 10, peaking at the number two spot towards the end of June.
2016: One Dance by Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla
Much like Rihanna in 2007, this was another behemoth of a summer hit that was just impossible to ignore. Hitting number one in mid-April, it would spend a mind-boggling 15 weeks at the top spot, making it the second longest consecutive number one in UK chart history. Remaining one of Drake’s better post-2013 songs, it wonderfully combines elements of dancehall, afrobeats, R&B and pop into one highly addictive club anthem.
2017: Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean & Migos
This is the second time Calvin Harris has featured on this list, but in all honesty, he probably could have a separate list all to himself. The man has well and truly mastered the art of the summer dance track, and for my money this may just be the best of the lot. With an ultra-smooth, piano-driven beat, Frank Ocean’s soulful vocals and some welcome Trap energy courtesy of Migos, there’s plenty to love about this one. If it needed any further validation as the 2017 Sound of the Summer, it received it from Stormzy who closed his Glastonbury set that year by simply pumping this through the speakers and dancing with the crowd.
2018: Shotgun by George Ezra
I know what you’re thinking. Surely in a World Cup year, Baddiel & Skinner’s Three Lions should be the Sound of the Summer, especially when England actually did alright for once by reaching the Semi Final? We take the argument on board, especially with the track returning to number one in July as well. However, nice guy George Ezra singing about time flying in the yellow and green, whilst riding shotgun beneath the hot sun, just about edges it on the summery factor. Entering the chart in mid-June, it would remain in the Top 10 for a whopping 16 weeks, including four weeks at number one.
2019: In Degrees by Foals
Although Oxford outfit Foals have always been more of an “albums band”, it still seems hugely unjust that this sun-drenched, indie-disco belter only managed to peak at a disappointing 82 in the UK singles chart. With a big bassline, glossy synths, plenty of tropical splendour and some hugely catchy refrains, you will struggle to find a track released in 2019 that embodies the summer spirit quite like this song. Thankfully now that live music and festivals have returned, this song has finally been let loose into its natural habitat, causing limbs galore all over the UK the past few months.
2020: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
Into the COVID years now and this song wasn’t just the soundtrack of the summer, but really for all seasons in what was a strange, anxiety-stricken year. In 2020, people needed an escape and there was arguably no world more fascinating to escape to than Abel’s world of heartbreak and hedonism, with Blinding Lights the crowning achievement from his hugely popular fourth album, After Hours. Built around that infectious 80s-style synth beat, it was an instant classic and somehow still sounds amazing countless plays later. Although released in January, Blinded Lights would remain in the Top 10 for 22 weeks, spending eight of those weeks in the top spot. Even after leaving the Top 10, the song would remain in the charts pretty much all year, going on to be the biggest single of 2020.
2021: James by Oscar and The Wolf
Much like the Kyla La Grange pick for 2014, this is another song that, although lesser known, seems to capture the mood of summer 2021 better than any other track released that year. Although the world had started to open up somewhat post-COVID, there was still a lack of summer festivals and live music, with only a few in August able to go ahead. There is a sadness to that and the song James by Belgian indie-pop superstar Max Colombie, AKA Oscar and The Wolf, captures the sound of a melancholy-tinged summer perfectly. With dazzling harmonies, stunning vocal ad-libs, pounding drums and a shimmering central guitar riff, it all eventually transcends into a dreamy, psychedelic guitar solo in the song’s epic climax.
2022: Running Up The Hill by Kate Bush
Although there is still a month to go, I think we can safely say that Running Up That Hill’s glorious resurgence thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things has helped lead the legendary Kate Bush to be the official soundtrack to Summer 2022. Impressively, Kate has already broken three Guinness World Records: Longest time for a track to reach number one, longest gap for an artist between their number one hit singles and the oldest female artist to reach the top of the charts. The fact the song is an even bigger hit now than it was 37 years ago, is a testament to both its timelessness and Kate’s lasting influence on modern pop music in general. Of course, whilst Running Up That Hill has always been one of the greatest art-pop tracks ever written to anyone that knew it before Stranger Things, it’s great to see Kate finally get the additional commercial success for her music that she’s long since deserved. Better late than never!
