USA TODAY International Edition
Is it worth having the top summer song?
It’s a feat coveted by many musicians: Landing the title of song of the summer.
Getting there takes a little bit of luck, and a whole lot of fan support. It can be a blessing – or a curse. While Drake, Katy Perry and Beyonce and plenty of other well- established talents have taken top honors in recent years, there have also been several artists who never again saw similar success.
The leading song of the summer contender this year, based on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, is rapper DaBaby’s “Rockstar.” The collaboration with Roddy Ricch has been in the No. 1 spot for five straight weeks.
Other tracks burning up the charts include “Savage” from Megan Thee Stallion ( featuring Beyonce), The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” and “Say So” from Doja Cat ( featuring Nicki Minaj).
Rank on the Hot 100 chart is typically how the song of the summer is crowned. The winner is “inescapable,” Billboard senior director of music Jason Lipshutz told USA TODAY, dominating radio and streaming between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
“A lot of it has to do with launching the right type of song during a typical summer,” he said. “Something that’s uptempo and crowd- friendly.”
But this summer is anything but normal due to the coronavirus pandemic. The lack of parties, barbecues and other types of gatherings shouldn’t have much of an impact on the song of the summer though, Lipshutz says, because people are – perhaps more than ever – still streaming.
While DaBaby and this year’s other contenders have proven their staying power, that hasn’t always been the case. In past decades, the performers behind many songs of summer have never reached such heights again. Here are five examples:
2015: ‘ Cheerleader’
Who: Omi
Fast fact: The Jamaica- born singer hasn’t had a song land on the Billboard charts since “Cheerleader,” Lipshutz says.
Post- song of the summer: His debut studio album, “Me 4 U,” is his one and only to date. Rolling Stone gave the album two out of five stars, saying that, aside from ‘ Cheerleader,’ “the rest of the songs here show an artist who isn’t quite ready for primetime.”
“Cheerleader” was initially released in 2012, notes Lipshutz, but didn’t hit it big until it was remixed a few years later. “It was one of those things that just kind of went viral,” he said. “He’s truly a onehit wonder.”
1996: ‘ Macarena’
Who: Los Del Rio ( Bayside Boys remix)
Fast fact: This hit with hip- shaking beats quickly became an international dance craze.
Post- song of the summer: The Latin pop group has released variations of “Macarena” on five different albums. They’ve dropped more than 10 albums total, including their most recent one in 2012. Los Del Rio formed in 1962 featuring Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones more than three decades before they became a global sensation.
This is another hit, Lipshutz says, that peaked after a remix. “It’s a song from overseas that got a remix and just completely dominated,” he said. “The dance remix really took off in the US and was one of the longest- running singles of all time.”
2012: ‘ Call Me Maybe’
Who: Carly Rae Jepsen
Fast fact: “Call Me Maybe” was the year’s best- selling single and reached No. 1 in 18 different countries, according to Billboard.
Post- song of the summer: Jepsen continues to record music and has been more successful than many artists can ever hope to be, but she’s never managed to craft another hit of the same caliber as “Call Me Maybe.” Her latest album, “Dedicated Side B,” came out in May. Pitchfork gave it a 6.9 out of 10, saying it was “like a fizzy drink after some 9- 5 drudgery.”
Jepsen is no one- hit wonder. In fact, she teamed with Owl City for “Good Time,” Lipshutz points out. Still, “Call Me Maybe” was “by far her biggest hit,” he says.
2005: ‘ Don’t Cha’
Who: Pussycat Dolls
Fast fact: The group got its start as a Los Angeles burlesque troupe.
Post- song of the summer: Two more chart- topping singles, “Stickwitu” and “Buttons,” followed in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The group’s members, led by Nicole Scherzinger, went on hiatus in 2009 before internal conflicts ultimately led to the group disbanding in 2010. “‘ Don’t Cha’ has endured,” Lipshutz said. “Following Destiny’s Child, you really had this gap in popular girl groups and Pussycat Dolls filled that for a bit.”
2001: ‘ Hanging By A Moment’
Who: Lifehouse
Fast fact: Vocalist Jason Wade’s first tunes were written to help him cope with his parents’ divorce. He was just a teen.
Post- song of the summer: After delivering the Billboard Hot 100 Hot of the Year on their debut album, the band continued to churn out albums, most recently in 2015. Like Jepsen though, none have produced a single as successful as the song of the summer hit that helped put them on the map.
“They really just struck gold with ‘ Hanging By A Moment,’ “Lipshutz said. “It has really endured as a modern rock staple, as well as a karaoke jam. It’s definitely Lifehouse’s signature song.”