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Music artists fight for the opportunity to be a summer hit each year, but what makes certain songs stand out?
Have you ever heard a song and just knew that it would hit in the summertime? Most likely, your answer is yes.
Every year, during the early months of spring, people anticipating summer break start to curate their summer playlists with the newest hit songs and old classics that keep the good vibes rolling. You can probably name a few songs right now that you would classify as summer hits. While everyone's music taste is very different, certain songs go viral or have an “it” factor.
But what makes a song popular? What does it mean to be a song of the summer?
A song of the summer can be defined as “the unofficial name for the track that becomes inescapable between Memorial Day and Labor Day”(How the ‘song of the summer’ became a cultural phenomenon | CNN). The ‘song of the summer’ is known as both a category of music through Billboard and a generalized trend given by the people. Most of the time, these songs become very mainstream because they are catchy and easily remembered by listeners. A song’s popularity and virality can be measured by its awareness and, most importantly, streams.
It‘s up to the people to decide what the next song of the summer is. Numbers don’t lie. Whatever is glued to the top of the Billboard 100 charts from May through September claims a spot of consideration.
When you are making your poolside playlist, you want the vibes up and the music to feel upbeat. Most popular songs during the summertime consist of a catchy melody and funky beats in the background. Last year, “Million Dollar Baby” by Tommy Richman took off from TikTok because it was super danceable and easy to recognize. It even sat at number 5 on the Billboard 100 for those last months of the summer, according to Billboard’s 2024 charts. But that is only one of the million examples that could be given. Everyone knows that popular songs get more airtime, which in turn makes people remember them.
But what makes a song catchy?
A song‘s ability to be catchy has been a strong topic of discussion amongst many. Scientists and researchers have even dipped their toes into this phenomenon and tried to find data supporting what makes songs catchy.
“Catchiness refers to the degree to which a melody, rhythm or musical fragment is memorable over a period of time after the song has stopped playing,” Tibi Puiu wrote in ZME Science.
Puiu’s article goes to explain the very question of what makes songs catchy, providing research from Musicologist Dr. Alison Pawley and psychologist Dr. Daniel Mullensiefen from the University of London. Their research claims that there are four traits that can boost the catchiness of a song:
- Longer and more detailed musical phrases
- A higher number of pitches in the chorus hook
- Male vocalists
- Higher male voices with noticeable vocal effort
Now, to have a catchy song, you don‘t need to incorporate all of these traits; simply having one could be enough to set your song up for success. This data, however, is a little outdated since the article was published in 2010. Since then, female artists have taken over the pop scene in recent years, and specifically last year, 2024 summer was the summer of female pop music. Artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, and more came out with new music that gained great popularity.
According to Music Consultant, the summer months are the best times for songs to gain traction because everyone has more time on their hands and is constantly playing music. Tons of artists try to pump out new stuff during the beginning of the year so that by the time summer hits, their songs are already engraved into our heads.
The months leading up to summer are crucial for music artists trying to establish their place, and even popular artists, too. This year, we have already seen new releases by Drake, Mac Miller, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, and many more. Will their releases earlier in the year bump them into the summer rotation?
Whatever vibe you create this summer, notice if you’ve added newer releases or popular songs that can’t get out of your head. Most of the time at least a few catchy songs slip their way in.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, here‘s my personal “songs of the summer” playlist with a blend of new releases and classics: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/47wkIUEWZXjhDbW2xFyqgw?si=72efa0b17efa45b2
