WHEN THE HITS STOPPED COMING
Looking for lasting value in a “song of the summer” is like hoping for epic romance in a fling. It’s no surprise the term entered the lexicon in reference to a onehit wonder: The Knack, whose “My Sharona” was described by Toronto critic Liam Lacey, back in 1981, as “the runaway song of the summer” from two years prior. By the end of 1979, Lacey wrote, “the backlash set in with a vengeance.”
There were all- conquering summer songs well before then that ruled airwaves and invaded brainwaves; among them were Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and The Rolling Stones’ “( I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” But over the course of the MTV era – which also began in 1981 – they’ve become more standardized.
Nowadays, the platonic ideal of the summer hit single is an uber- catchy, throwaway track that references the season, sun, partying and non- committal liaisons, combined with nostalgia for all of these things: “Those were the best days of my life,” as Bryan Adams would have it. They’re also accompanied by light- hearted, colourful videos – the visual equivalent of cotton candy. Increasingly rare exceptions – The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” Prince’s “When Doves Cry” – only prove the rule.
Today’s summer hits sound current but hark back to simpler times, just as the music industry tries to resurrect a monoculture that no longer exists. In 2017, the idea that a song of the summer can achieve cultural dominance is losing hold. The way we listen to music is more fragmented: Drake made no music video for “One Dance,” Billboard’s # 1 of summer ’ 16, and the prevalence of streaming services gated off from one another makes it unlikely one song will be heard literally everywhere. What’s more, musicians are hedging their bets: The video for one of this year’s songof- summer contenders, DJ Khaled’s party- people posse cut “I’m the One,” features ridiculously rampant product placement, from alcohol to headphones to vaporizers. “The money never lie, no,” sings Justin Bieber on the hook, highlighting the cynicism inherent in a genetically engineered summer song.
Bieber also featured on the remix of Despacito, by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, which has also scaled charts this summer. One thing is for sure: Canadians are inordinately good at delivering summer hits. We clutch our few months of relative warmth so tightly, we won’t let anyone steal our sunshine.