Image Credit: Robin Wong/PR Photos; Matt Sayles/AP Images; Robb D. Cohen/Retna Ltd; Jay Valena/Retna Ltd.Signs that summer is, alas, nearly over: back-to-school ads are running high; the humidity index is running low; sunset happens just a little earlier every evening. And of course, out on the road today, you saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac.
But that doesn’t mean this season’s soundtrack is all wrapped up—not, at least, until you all weigh in and vote for your own supreme, summer-owning jam. Only then can we can shut the door on beach vibes 2010, and start talking Halloween costumes. (Oh, the Snookis we’ll see!)
Late-game addition of Cee-Lo’s delightful f-bomb aside, the poll below primarily covers the songs considered the most commercially successful and sonically unavoidable of the last several months. We encourage you, though, to leave your own highly subjective choices in the comments section below.
To inspire-slash-provoke you, here are a few personal picks from EW’s own music staffers: Janelle Monae’s “Tightrope”; Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own”; the Black Keys’ “Tighten Up”; Big Boi’s “Shutterbug,” Arcade Fire’s “Sprawl II”; Sky Ferreira’s “One”; Sugarland’s “Stuck Like Glue”; Against Me’s “I Was a Teenage Anarchist”; and Gyptian’s urban-irie “Hold Yuh.”
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)
More news from EW.com’s Music Mix:
‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ soundtrack to be released September 1: Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da-daah-daah-daah…
Usher to perform at MTV Video Music Awards
Eminem leads Billboard Hot 100 chart again
Wyclef Jean records song to protest Haiti presidency disqualification
Russell Simmons speaks out in support of ‘Ground Zero mosque’
The Major Lazer Robin S sampling remix of Gyptian’s “Hold Yuh” has been one constant on my iPod ALL summer! Can’t believe it hasn’t become THE pop/reggae radio song of the summer…
Favorite summer songs this year are “Drunk Girls” by LCD Soundsystem, “Bottled in Cork” by Ted Leo & the Pharmacists and “Hurricane J” by The Hold Steady.
“Drunk Girls” is amazing…so is “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” from LCD…that might not be from this summer, but my radio station plays it a lot.
My vote is for the new band Foster the People and their song, “Pumped Up Kicks.” Check it out at their website http://www.fosterthepeople.com. Well worth your time.
and seriously Leah we went back & forth about this in may….omitting Enrique & Pitbull’s “I Like It” when it reached a new peak of #4 today on the Billboard Hot 100!? SERIOUSLY!? And I brought this up last summer when y’all gave little to no love to Pitbull…he also got Usher back into the top 10 with “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love”…he is the male equivalent of Rihanna as far as pop radio goes come summertime. Show them some love, even if the song is tied to the Jersey Shore!
Pitbull did it last year with last summer’s I Know You Want Me, so that he can be on three hits within 12 months is remarkable. I think that Enrique’s song should have been No. 2 late July after California Gurls–it just took a slow build to catch on with listeners until mid August.
“I Like It” by Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull is the summer song!
pitbull has ruined so many songs
75 Brazil street- sampled into I know you want me
Calabria- sampled into hotel room service
Armada Latina, I Like It, and many others
edrianquintos on November 22, 2010 how much is the casinore? how many bat life does it have? coz im using the vitality and as you know 16 hrs charing si good for 20min..
“The Suburbs”
absolutley ARCADE FIRE !!!
YUSS
Well, it’s a great song, but I wouldn’t neccesarily call it a ‘summer song’ or ‘song of the summer’
If it’s a song you sing along to and listen to obsessively all summer, then it’s a summer song!
Katie Perry? Seriously PEOPLE!!! Make this no-talent hack (and her over-exposed um, “dirty pillows”) go away!!!
I completely agree…damn she’s annoying
Second that!
Haters! Katy Parry is awesome!
She rocks my socks =]
Oh, and she’s winning so, yeah, the people have spoken ;]
“Right On” by The Roots.
oh and Arcade Fire’s entire album “The Suburbs”.
Agreed.
Agreed.
Good call on “Personal Pick” for Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own”…the best and most underrated song of the summer…make that of the year.
Hear hear!
Unfortunately the poll only offered us the choice between Katy Perry, Usher whoring himself, and a couple soon-to-be-one-hit-wonders.
Praise the Lord for Cee-Lo! F U for the win!!
LOVE the Robyn song. Should have been on the list fo sho!!!
yep, robyn is the bomb…love that song
Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” love this song, it should have made it way bigger!!!
also Eminems ” love the way you lie”
Airplanes- B.O.B
^this.
Agreed. As much as I am sick of this song because it got so overplayed, it will forever remind me of summer.
‘Twas a good song, indeed. A million times better than the irksome “California Gurls”.
Totally agree.
Airplanes Part II – BOB feat. Hayley Williams and Eminem
Great choice
100% agree w/you!
WHy put eminem in the picture then not offer one of his songs as the choice?
Seriously! “Love The Way You Lie” was everywhere this summer! That’s my pick.
That’s true. It’s already bigger than the Mike Pos(n)er and Taio Cruz tracks.
I love that song
Definately Tighten Up by The Black Keys! The whole CD is awesome!
I second Tighten Up. The whole cd was legendary
Such a great choice! I love that song and that whole album. The cd is the only thing I’ve been listening to in my car.
Killer song. I was addicted at first listen. The whole album is awesome.
Not only song of the summer & album of the summer. Has to be up there for Album of the year, along w/ Arcade Fire “The Suburbs”.
Tighten Up was definitely the song of the summer for me.
Tighten Up was the first song that came to mind also! BLACK KEYS!!!!!!!!!!!
Send in the Clowns from A Little Night Music by Bernadette Peters.
+1!
alright! way to class up the joint.
It has to be Enrique & Pitbull’s I Like It. Such a summer song.
“Tightrope” and “Stuck Like Glue”!
The Cave- Mumford & Sons
its songs that were released this summer.
i hate most of these.katy perry,usher,and taio cruz are just so talentless.
Usher is talentless? What are you smoking?
where’s your #1 hit?
I have to echo Sam on this. Usher is talentless? I disagree. If you think he lacks talent, I’m extremely curious as to who your number one contender is.
undo it – carrie underwood. totally awesome and catchy and a #1 hit to boot! but if i was picking just from pop/top 40 songs, it would have to be either airplanes, cooler than me, or billionaire.
california girls is horrific. just another really bland pop song. and there’s a video on youtube that shows how it’s almost the exact same song as kesha’s tik tok.
Anyone with a functioning pair of ears and good short-term memory knows that it is a rip-off of “Tik Tok”.
Well they waited until Tik Tok left the charts until they put California Gurls out. Max Martin, Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco tend to crank out nearly the same kinds of pop songs for artists, but they have these catchy hooks that radio just loves. Gurls works for Katy, but for Kesha? No!
“Undo It” is worst country #1 song of year. Really horrible..melody, lyrics, vocals everything.
Carrie’s song sounds more of a spring record than summer. I’m not feeling it as much in that season like when I heard it in the winter or spring.