So was there no song of the summer this year?

cloud_loud
2025-08-22T16:29:53Z

The concept of song of the summer is something I’ve only recently learned about but looking back I can definitely see how that concept influenced radio play when I was younger.

Even as the radio started declining songs were still being deemed “song of the summer.”

2024: Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter

2023: Flowers - Miley Cyrus

2022: As it Was - Harry Styles

2021: Butter - BTS

2020: Levitating - Dua Lipa

There’s for sure secondary songs you can choose (Good Luck Babe by Chappelle Roan for 2024 and Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles for 2020 as examples). But generally something broke out and became cultural moments.

It appears that Alex Warren’s Ordinary and three Morgan Wallen’s songs topped the charts this summer. Not the pop infused dance music “song of the summer” is usually referring to. It did seem like people were looking at Just Keep Watching by Tate McRae or Fame is a Gun by Addison Rae but they never really took off. It seems like Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter was the highest charting pop song but did not reach the heights of Espresso last year.

Looking at music subreddits people seem in agreement that the charts this year have been a mess, muted, with new music not breaking through. Also appears that Americans are leaning into country and/or Christian music.

Comments URL: https://tildes.net/~music/1prm/so_was_there_no_song_of_the_summer_this_year

Votes: 22

Comments: 23