AILSA CHANG, HOST:
All right. We're a week into August, so maybe it's a good time to ask, what is this year's song of the summer? Well, according to NPR's Stephen Thompson, the answer is complicated.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: The idea of a song of the summer dates back generations. Think of it as a way of giving our memories a shared soundtrack. Last year, we had strong contenders that conjured joy, defiance or just simple catchy hooks. If you like country...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I HAD SOME HELP")
POST MALONE: (Singing) I had some help. It ain't like I can make this kind of mess all by myself.
THOMPSON: ...Or pop...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ESPRESSO")
SABRINA CARPENTER: (Singing) Now he's thinking about me every night. Oh, is it that sweet? I guess so.
THOMPSON: ...Or hip-hop...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NOT LIKE US")
KENDRICK LAMAR: (Rapping) They not like us. They not like us. They not like us.
THOMPSON: ...You had a song that sounded like summer. But what about this summer? If you scan the Billboard charts, it's a little grim. Using chart data alone, the song of this summer belongs to Alex Warren. His song "Ordinary" has the uplift of Coldplay and the devotion of praise music in a song that'll play at weddings until the end of time.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ORDINARY")
ALEX WARREN: (Singing) You're taking me out of the ordinary. I want you laying me down till we're dead and buried.
THOMPSON: "Ordinary" has topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 9 of the last 10 weeks, but it's not a windows-down beach banger. Elsewhere on the charts, the country star Morgan Wallen has multiple songs in the top five, led by "What I Want" featuring Tate McRae.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHAT I WANT")
MORGAN WALLEN: (Singing) That's what I want. That's what I want. That's what I want.
THOMPSON: It's the summer's biggest country hit, but Morgan Wallen doesn't seem to be having half the fun he was having with Post Malone at this time a year ago. This year, the most intriguing contenders didn't pop up until summer was well underway. Justin Bieber's "Daisies" is elevated by the guitars of rising star Mk.gee.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DAISIES")
JUSTIN BIEBER: (Singing) Way you got me all in my head.
THOMPSON: Sabrina Carpenter has a strong new song in "Manchild."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MANCHILD")
CARPENTER: (Singing) Manchild, why you always...
THOMPSON: And the soundtrack to "KPop Demon Hunters" has lit up streaming playlists.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOLDEN")
EJAE: (As Rumi, singing) We're going up, up, up. It's our moment. You know together we're glowing. Going to be, going to be golden. Ohhh.
THOMPSON: Any of these songs could come to dominate our shared cultural memory of the past few months, which would be nice because when we look back on the songs of this summer, it'd be fun to hear something that's anything but ordinary.
Stephen Thompson, NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOLDEN")
EJAE: (As Rumi, singing) Oh, our time. No fears, no lies. That's who we're born to be. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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