Songs of the Summer, Vol. IV
Welcome, fellow summerphiles! I love every season of the year, but there is just something about the sweet, sweet summertime that makes me especially joyous. I love nothing more than to kick off my shoes, grab an icy cocktail, and run around in a bathing suit with a sick soundtrack behind me. Hence, my newest Saturday series, “Songs of the Summer.” Don’t we all secretly wish that we had a movie score playing behind us at the most poignant and pivotal parts of our lives? Well, consider me your personal Danny Elfman, here to give you the soundtrack to summer 2k17.
Listen to the playlist here (Make sure to follow on Spotify to get the updates each week)
1. Fool, Fitz and the Tantrums
I stumbled upon this song, like most songs I highlight, on complete accident. I knew not of Mr. Fitz or the fits and tantrums he seems to be known for…no, I just became immediately enamored with the blend of old-school tambourine/honky tonk piano and new-school electronic in this song. It made me feel as though I belonged in a honky tonk rave. That is where this jam goes, in terms of genre. Now, the lyrics aren’t super deep, but they also take me back in their own right—the divas of the 70’s and 80’s would agree. This song truly does defy categorization, which is what makes it so damn fun. Your pool party needs this jam. You’ll love it.
Best Lyric:
I don't hate the player, oh, I sure don't hate the game
But I'm 'bout to make a movie and I need you out the frame
Recommended for: high-energy breakup dance parties, honky tonk raves, singing into your hairbrush
2. Caskets, Party Favor x Njomza feat. FKi 1st
This little club banger, right here…we are following the trend of my first highlighted song—that being, I have also never heard of any of the artists on this track. And, it is another very catchy tune. After some VERY basic research (looking at the “about” section on Spotify) I have discovered that Party Favor is “the pseudonym of DJ and producer Dylan Raglan.” There you go. A Party Favor=DJ. I think every perfect summer playlist requires a song you can play near the end of the night that is energetic, hopeful, but still conveys the message of needing everyone to get the hell out of the party. Closing Time is NOT that song. Neither is God Bless the USA. I’m looking at you, Linebacker Lounge. This song is my recommendation for a replacement. Bury all the caskets. Go to sleep. See you tomorrow.
Best Lyric:
I don’t have all the answers
But I know there’s a reason
All the places I’ve been
All the people I’ve seen
Recommended for: the last song on your playlist, people who love the Chainsmokers, burying your regrets
3. Reverse, Sage the Gemini
There’s something in the water Mr. Sage the Gemini drinks, I think. This man is incapable of creating a song that doesn’t cause me to stop and drop it low. Most of myall-time favorite booty shaking songs have been penned by this Bay Area native. In fact, most/all of my favorite songs from Sage the Gemini are thematically exactly the same—girl dances vigorously, shakes booty wildly and Mr. Gemini loves it. So? He sings about how much he enjoys it. This formula is all I need. Stay cool, Sage. BRB—I’m going to go throw it in reverse.
Best Lyric:
Heyyyyy….throw it in reverse
(I just like to scream this part, full disclosure)
Recommended for: a Fitness Marshall video (I’m calling it/tagging him/requesting this), booty popping in a handstand, an “it’s my favorite song” squeal then all-girls dance circle at the club
4. Only the Wild Ones, Dispatch
I warned you guys! America, Location 12 might just be my ultimate soundtrack to the summer. I thought nothing could really top the way I felt about Begin Again on this album, but then I started to spin Only the Wild Ones on repeat yesterday, and I felt it singing to my soul. These lyrics. THESE LYRICS. These lyrics. If I were still really emo and still getting tattoos like it was the summer of ’06, I would take the whole song and get it plastered on my rib cage. I love to listen to this song, with my eyes closed, and smile. It’s good, guys. Real good.
Best Lyric:
only the wild ones, give you something and never want it back
oh, the riot and the rush of the warm night air
only the wild ones, are the ones you can never catch
stars are up now, no place to go but everywhere
Recommended for: your best friend anthem, riding in a convertible with the top down, late night summertime adventures
5. Giants, Lights
This Canadian songstress and I became friends in 2009—right at the transition between college and the real-world. She is a magical musical fairy, my friends. If you have never heard of her, I’m telling you…you are missing out. I’ve been missing out, actually, because I was unaware that she had released two albums since 2014’s Siberia. Lights is prolific. Her newest single gives me Lorde-vibes, but not lyrically or vocally. The two artists aren’t necessarily that comparable, but the weird, jerky transitions that you hear in Green Light are also very much present in Giants. It works so well, because the swell of the music and the changing beat happens at the exact time the lyrics request it. Ugh. So good.
Best Lyric:
We could be giants
Bigger than the walls that hide us
Breaking all the laws of science
Looking at the sea of diamonds
Recommended for: an addition to your pump-up songs playlist (we all have one), fans of Green Light, anyone who hasn’t been touched by the magic Lights makes with her music
BONUS: Wild Thoughts, DJ Khaled, Rihanna, Bryson Tiller
I’m fairly certain this song will not just be an Allie S.o.S., but it will be the nationwide song of the summer—I’m calling it, guys. I’m not even going to sugarcoat it—most of my rationale is that Santana sample. Anyways, anytime I hear this (which is ALL the time, because I play it on repeat every day), I immediately feel transported back to Miami. Specifically, walking down Ocean Drive and seeing the joyous reverie in the art deco clubs on one side of the street, and the dark allure of the ocean on the other. I mean, I clearly have some romantic thoughts for Miami. This song helps me process through that.
Best Lyric: I know you want to see me naked, naked, naked
(You have to do the Rihanna dance move along with the lyric, guys)
Recommended for: walking Ocean Drive, drinking a Cuba Libre, a hot and humid summer party