Discover the tunes candidates for the title of 2024's summer hit. Vote for your preferred melody!
The tune that pulls you from the sidelines to the dancefloor. A tune that resonates best when sung by those you adore, drinks in hand, in sweaty heat. It burrows its way into your mind and lingers, transporting you back to the summer you first heard it, even years later.
Summer anthems, at their peak, are audio depictions of the hottest months of the year, according to Mike Errico, a songwriter and instructor at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.
“They’re cheerful, extroverted, bright and fun, with a massive, repeatable chorus that even the musically challenged can join in on,” Errico tells CNN. “Being danceable is a significant advantage, as it can work on the beach during the day or in the clubs at night.”
Fascinatingly, most of these songs were released weeks or months prior to the first day of summer. And more than a few of them received a significant boost from TikTok, where their catchiest 15 to 30 seconds found a sizable (and influential) audience.
It was simpler even a decade ago to determine the song of the summer. “Blurred Lines” was everywhere in 2013; the same was true for “Call Me Maybe” the year before. However, fewer and fewer hits like these are emerging as monoculture decreases — now, TikTok might be the most influential factor in a song’s success, and with its swiftly moving trend cycle, it’s easy for even songs by significant artists to get lost in the shuffle.
Despite this, some hits have broken through. The contenders for this year’s song of the summer are climbing Billboard’s Hot 100, providing the soundtrack for online videos and inspiring us to break a sweat offline. With summer officially here, sample these musical treats and decide for yourself — which one is destined to become the summer hit of 2024?
‘Espresso,’ Sabrina Carpenter
Espresso, Sabrina Carpenter
Credit: Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carpenter’s sugary sweet single sounds like a summer romance feels: Brief, lacking depth and sheer fun. The majority of the lyrics are sugary nonsense —“I know I Mountain Dew it for ya” and “My ‘give-a-f**ks’ are on vacation,” for example — only adds to its lighthearted charm. It all works, though, because Carpenter is in on the joke, playing the part of a reluctant love interest who’s putting up with a man’s attention only because it boosts her own ego. “Isn’t that sweet? I guess so!”
‘Lunch,’ Billie Eilish
Lunch, Billie Eilish
Credit: Darkroom/Interscope Records
This culinary-themed track from the young Grammy winner’s latest album is energetic, buoyant, and subtly sexual — clearly the closest to summer that Eilish’s sound has ever come. She’s downright eager with desire on “Lunch,” a song that flirts between heavy bass and delicate piano as though it’s riding the peaks and valleys of passion. It’s a song that feels destined to end in a mosh pit, bodies jumping and writhing to Eilish’s version of lovestruck pop.
‘Nasty,’ Tinashe
Nasty, Tinashe
Credit: Tinashe Music Inc., under exclusive license to Nice Life Recording Company
After years of producing reliably dancey R&B hits, Tinashe’s viral moment has finally arrived — with a major assist from a British TikTok dancer. Crafty TikTok users layered Tinashe’s new single on top of a video of a dancer named Nate thrusting and grinding in a soca dance class.
Even without the meme treatment, though, Tinashe’s latest seems tailor-made for shaking it in the summer — Janet Jackson proved as much when she blended the new “Nasty” with her own track of the same name at a recent live show. Over a clean, sophisticated beat, Tinashe matter-of-factly asserts her badness. And its suggestive, quotable refrain is meant to last beyond TikTok: “Is somebody gonna match my freak?”
‘Good Luck, Babe!’ Chappell Roan
Good Luck, Babe!, Chappell Roan
Credit: Amusement Records; ℗ KRA International Inc., under exclusive license to Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Unlike previous entries in this list, Roan’s anthem is this summer’s heart on its sleeve. “Good Luck, Babe!” showcases the theatrics of Kate Bush, ‘80s synths reminiscent of Cyndi Lauper’s catalog, and a queer perspective all Roan’s own.
In its most thrilling moment, Roan imagines the woman she loves waking up in the future next to a man she despises: “You know I hate to say, but, I told you so,” she sings, suddenly breaking into a high belt. If summer is about taking it easy, Roan didn’t get the memo: She’s doing vocal gymnastics here. (And at Roan’s increasingly popular live shows, thousands of people are belting along with her.)
‘Million Dollar Baby,’ Tommy Richman
Million Dollar Baby, Tommy Richman
This ubiquitous TikTok banger skyrocketed to fame surprisingly quick. Yet, from the first listen, it's an instant hit, with its captivating falsetto chorus, trap-funk vibe, and general lyrics about striving to succeed.
This song serves as a self-fulfilling prophecy for Richman, perhaps. He was hardly recognized before it blew up on TikTok (with at least five million videos using the song) and streaming platforms. Here, he incorporates sounds reminiscent of more famous artists like Sampha and Brockhampton, creating a track that brings to mind sweaty, persevering summer nights.
‘Not Like Us,’ Kendrick Lamar
Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar
Credit: Kendrick Lamar, under exclusive license to Interscope Records
Here's a summer anthem that flouts the rules. At 4:33, it's the lengthiest track in the list by a minute. The song doesn't have a chorus as such, and the closest thing, Lamar repeatedly chanting the title, only appears two minutes in. It's got three verses that, characteristic of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lamar, are crammed with intricate slant rhymes. And yet, the latest of Lamar's diss tracks against Drake, himself a longtime contributor to song of the summer, has become a massive hit (albeit a somewhat verbose one).
This track dissects Drake, the man behind “One Dance” and “Hotline Bling,” with surgical precision. Listeners must concentrate throughout its duration. Even without a hook, it's a song meant to be rapped along to with a crowd — that's why Lamar performed it five times at his Juneteenth show in LA. His audience knew every word.
‘A Bar Song (Tipsy),’ Shaboozey
A Bar Song (Tipsy), Shaboozey
Credit: American Dogwood/EMPIRE
Following a recent collaboration with Beyoncé on “Cowboy Carter,” Shaboozey's summer hit is a country-style take on J-Kwon's timeless club hit “Tipsy.” Unlike J-Kwon's celebration of the club from 2004, Shaboozey adopts a more gloomy tone on his post-workday drinking spree. “Everyone at the bar getting tipsy," he laments.
Nonetheless, lyrics about wandering from bar to bar, attempting to shake off the daily grind, are not uncommon. It might not be as light-hearted as “Espresso” or as danceable as “Nasty,” but “A Bar Song” has an easy-to-sing hook that's bound to play at closing time at a Nashville honky tonk.
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The summer hit of 2024 could potentially include an upbeat, danceable tune with a massive chorus, allowing even the musically challenged to join in, as per Mike Errico's definition. Such a song could be boosted by the popularity of TikTok, like many preceding summer hits.
As the summer officially begins, people are eagerly awaiting these new musical treats, hoping to find their 2024 summer anthem. The song climbs the Billboard Hot 100, providing the soundtrack for online videos and motivating us to break a sweat offline.
