Summer song
`As It Was,' Harry Styles
The former One Direction star is no stranger to the Song of Summer race, having offered up a truly sensational seasonal selection with “Watermelon Sugar” in 2020.
“As It Was” has very little in common with that sunny, celebratory earlier number. It’s not a party tune, but rather a kind of meditation on what it’s like to reenter society in these late-pandemic times.
“In this world, it’s just us,” Styles sings repeatedly. “You know it’s not the same as it was.”
Despite the cold, detached vibe — or perhaps because of it — “As It Was” has struck a strong chord with the public and appears to be the tune to beat in the Song of Summer sweepstakes.
`Big Energy,' Latto
Here’s a more typical Song of Summer contender, selling big fun with the promise of big singalongs at big block parties throughout the season. The song seems to get better every time you push repeat — especially if you’re doing so with the volume up and the car window down — and millions will know every word of this number by the time school is back in session.
As a bonus, Tom Tom Club fans will applaud yet another use of that wacky cool rhythm from 1981’s “Genius of Love,” following earlier samples by Mariah Carey (“Fantasy”), Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (“It’s Nasty”) and many others.
“Big Energy” is a true star turn for this Georgia rapper, who follows up her full-length debut — 2020’s “Queen of da Souf” — with one of the best albums of this year, “777.”
`Heat Waves,' Glass Animals
It’s the song that simply won’t die. “Heat Waves” came out in 2020, but it’s still the most popular indie-rock tune on the planet. Just consider that the track hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March — after spending more than a year on the charts.
We get it. The silky, sultry song gets under the skin and stays there. In this fast-paced world, where last week’s top TikTok can feel oh so dated, it’s nice to see quality rewarded and a song like this exhibit real staying power.
`Woman,' Doja Cat
It’s surprising that it’s taken people as long as it has to grab hold of this top-notch number from Doja Cat’s third studio effort, “Planet Her.” Yet, sometimes slow and steady can win the race (see “Heat Waves”). And after several months of just hanging