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Home > Sangre Celestial > Why is there no song of the summer for 2025?
Podcast: Sangre Celestial
Episode:

Why is there no song of the summer for 2025?
Category: Arts
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2025-09-08 19:00:00
Description: Now in September, it’s becoming clear that no candidate exists for 2025’s “song of the summer.” This year has produced the fewest new hit songs in the history of the U.S., according to chart experts . Nate Sloan, assistant professor of musicology at USC and co-host of the podcast Switched on Pop , breaks down the elements of a song of the summer: It’s in a major key, is massively popular, and has a fast tempo and catchy lyrics. One example is The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which Sloan says became a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic and “instantly gets stuck in your head.” However, this year feels like Groundhog Day, Sloan says, with folks waking up and hearing the same song from a year ago. He explains it’s partly because media consumption in general is fragmented — people are not all listening to the same songs, and it’s tough to have a song that reaches across different demographics. Plus, with streaming, people are listening to songs for longer than before, so the same songs keep staying on the charts. That brings a concern for those working in the music industry, including executives and marketers: Who is the next big star? In this age of streaming, algorithms, and TikTok, more artists are competing for attention, he points out. One who’s taking advantage of social media is Luke Holloway — he turns awkward dating app conversations into TikTok songs. “There's something about taking language that sounds so conversational and transforming it into music that … remains so satisfying,” Sloan says of Holloway’s “I Have One Daughter.” What does Sloan consider the all-time best song of the summer? “Dancing in the Street” by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. “This song not only is just so musically infectious, has this incredible beat, it also has this hidden message. It became adopted as a political anthem of the civil rights movement.” He adds, “Late 50s, 1960s, this is when we get these things that are now familiar to us, like the top 40. And so once we start measuring songs a little more, and they start to become part of this national conversation, I think that's when people start to get more invested in this question of ‘what is our summer song this year?’” As for Sloan’s playlist of his favorite songs of the summer: “ Golden ” - KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix) soundtrack “ Good Vibrations ” - the Beach Boys “ Dance to the Music ” - Sly and the Family Stone “ Kiss ” - Prince
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