The It List song of summer heat check: How contenders for the 2024 season's most popular track are doing
Days into August, the competition for “song of summer” is at its peak. The title goes to the most popular song between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to data from radio stations, streaming services and music sales.
In May, Yahoo Entertainment predicted which songs the honor might go to. In years past, the distinction has gone to “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen (2023), “As It Was” by Harry Styles (2022) and “Butter” by BTS (2021).
Let’s look at how things are shaping up now that we’ve reached the final few weeks of competition.
??Pop girl summer?
Though Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande all released No. 1 albums in the spring, none of them have had breakout hits big enough to top the charts in the summer.
Taylor Swift might technically have the album of the summer. The Tortured Poets Department spent 13 non-consecutive weeks at No.1, but the lead single “Fortnight,” which features Post Malone, peaked in early May.
Billie Eilish released her new album Hit Me Hard and Soft in May, but her two most popular singles, “Lunch” and “Birds of a Feather,” didn’t crack the top 4 of the Billboard Hot 100 and then lost steam.
?? 'Middle-class' stars get a promotion
Three up-and-coming pop singers with devoted followings, known as “middle-class” artists, might have finally had their breakout moments.
We thought Sabrina Carpenter might have a No. 1 hit with her breezy song “Espresso,” but it was her latest single, “Please Please Please,” that became her first chart-topper. Her music is everywhere still: Spotify’s editors placed “Espresso” at the top of their song of summer predictions, and her new album, Short n' Sweet, comes out Aug. 23.
Chappell Roan officially has her first top 10 hit with “Good Luck, Babe!,” which has been steadily gaining traction since its April release. Crowd sizes aren’t something the race for song of summer takes into consideration, but if they were, Roan would be dominating.
Charli XCX’s new album, Brat, also deserves a mention. It hasn’t hit No. 1 or had a breakout single yet — ”360” peaked at No. 44 — but there’s no denying that she has ushered in a mood for the season: “Brat summer. When Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, Charli XCX tweeted, “kamala IS brat,” cementing her place in history.
?? Gone country
Beyoncé’s country crossover Cowboy Carter hasn’t seen a resurgence since it was released in March, but other artists have achieved massive success by capitalizing on the country music moment.
Post Malone’s country album doesn’t come out until Aug. 16, but his song “I Had Some Help,” with Morgan Wallen, has pretty much clinched the song of summer title. I was No. 1 for several weeks, and now it’s holding strong at No. 2.
Giving that song a run for its money, though, is Shaboozey’s No. 1 hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” It was the No. 1 requested song in May and June on TouchTunes, an app that allows patrons to select the music that plays in venues from their phones, according to data the company shared with Yahoo Entertainment.
Morgan Wallen, 2023’s song of summer winner, is credited on four songs currently on the Hot 100. He hasn’t announced a new album yet, but he clearly knows how to capture the summer vibe. He was the most-requested artist on TouchTunes in May and June.
Zach Bryan has five songs on the Hot 100 right now, including “Pink Skies,” but he hasn’t had a huge mainstream breakout moment.
Also gaining steam is “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” by Luke Combs from the Twisters soundtrack, which saw a spike after the movie was released in theaters.
?? So close, but yet so far
It’s not possible for any of the following songs to technically be crowned the song of summer, but depending on your music taste, they might have helped define the season’s overall vibe.
The late-spring feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake seems to have a winner as far is data is concerned: Lamar’s searing “Not Like Us” hit No. 1 and has stayed within the top 10 for months.
It hasn’t been a huge year for rap, but Eminem’s comeback single “Houdini” peaked at No. 2 and hasn’t totally gone away, and Tommy Richman’s breakout TikTok smash “Million Dollar Baby” is still in the top 10.
“Too Sweet” by Hozier, “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims and “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone — all soulful, radio hits — have steadily held attention, but not quite enough to top the charts.
Until it's time to finally declare a winner, reminisce on summers past with this songs of summer playlist from Yahoo Entertainment:
