song of the summer 2025
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Song of the Summer 2025: What Should It Be? And Where Did Things Go Wrong?

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I think I speak for most Song of the Summer enthusiasts when I say, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED THIS YEAR???

Look, I get 2024 was a tough year to follow. We had multiple mega-hits from popping off pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX and Chappell Roan. We had catchy country-adjacent radio-smashes with “Tipsy” and “I Had Some Help” – but when I look at the crop of Song of the Summer contenders for 2025…I’m saying Oh MY…good LORD…WE NEED SOME HELP.

Since 2019 I have held an official vote for Song of the Summer amongst my Instagram followers where we take a massive poll of submissions, narrow it down to a few finalists, and then decide the official Song of the Summer from there. Here’s a list of previous winners:

  • 2019: “Truth Hurts” – Lizzo
  • 2020: “Watermelon Sugar” – Harry Styles
  • 2021: “Good 4 U” – Olivia Rodrigo
  • 2022: “About Damn Time” – Lizzo
  • 2023: “Cruel Summer” – Taylor Swift
  • 2024: “Espresso” – Sabrina Carpenter

To be fair, that list is a mixed bag. Songs like “Espresso” and “Good 4 U” launched new artists into the stratosphere of fame, while songs like “Cruel Summer” (a re-release) and “About Damn Time” felt a bit more like we enjoyed them, but they didn’t make as much of a cultural impact. It goes to show that not every year is going to have a bountiful assortment of bangers to choose from – but summers are a LOT more fun when they do.

As a reminder, the criteria for a Song of the Summer is:

  1. Fun Vibes
  2. Widely Known
  3. Peaked in Popularity This Summer

I don’t think 2025 has been a bad year for music at all! Personally I’ve been loving the new albums from Djo and Sam Fender from earlier in the year, loved the singles we’ve got from Olivia Dean and Geese ahead of their fall album releases, and the new Sabrina Carpenter album that came out last week is an absolute blast. But whether it was the vibes, the timing, or how big the song got…I just don’t think we had the best options for an ideal Song of the Summer this year.

But a winner must be declared regardless! So let’s get into who could be the Song of the Summer for 2025

Honorable Mentions for Song of the Summer

The following songs were submitted, but didn’t earn the spot in the finals for various reasons.

  • “Victory Lap” – Skepta & Fred Again: I think this is catching more steam now than in it was at peak summer time, and the vibes may be a little too “dark” for a classic SOTS. But still a great song I’ve had on repeat recently (and great for letting out the frustration of a weak summer of fun songs).
  • “Love Me Not” – Ravyn Lenae: I didn’t know this song until like a week ago, very good! But I think it doesn’t have the necessary popularity to become a finalist.
  • “Takin It to the Streets” – The Doobie Brothers: I will never say a bad word against Michael McDonald. I guess the reason I would say it’s not a finalist this year is because it should be every year?
  • “Sucka Free” – Tyler, the Creator: This Tyler album dropped a bit too late to really catch the steam it needed to if it wanted to secure a spot in the SOTS finals. Which is a shame! It seems like there’s a few on here like “Ring Ring Ring” that are starting to pop off on social media, just coming a bit too late.
  • “Nothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday”: If this was a “Sound of the Summer” competition, we wouldn’t even need to do a poll. This would have it on lock. But unfortunately given the nature of this audio, it wasn’t reaching the top of the charts this summer.
  • “Man I Need” – Olivia Dean: WHY DID THIS COME OUT IN LATE AUGUST??? It’s got that positive, fun, cheery sound you look for in a SOTS! It seems to be blowing up pretty fast! It’s from an exciting artist! And yet…it simply could not peak over the summer. If this came out by Fourth of July? Would’ve been game over.
  • “Came Here for Love” – Sigala & Ella Eyre: If this season of Love Island USA was better this could’ve taken it. You can blame Huda for this one not securing a spot in the finals.
  • “Chains & Whips” – Clipse feat. Kendrick Lamar: This was submitted in a kind of joking way, but I don’t hate it! I think this album had a great press run and great songs, just a bit too “ominous” (as was mentioned in the submission) to be a real answer.
  • “Married in a Year” – Brandon Abernathy: This one was FULLY submitted in a joking way.
  • “Vodka Cranberry” – Conan Gray: I didn’t know this song but it really does not sound like the title would make you think?
  • “Pink Pony Club” – Chappell Roan: You might say “this song is too old!”, but I’ll allow it! I heard multiple live bands cover this this summer and places went NUTS. Think it caught a second wind from local acts learning it to get people going – but I do think Chappell Roan can’t compare this summer to last.

Alright with that being said, let’s get into the 4 Finalists.

Song of the Summer 2025 Finalists

“Sally When the Wine Runs Out” – Role Model

I love this song. Super fun, super catchy, an incredible bridge and from an exciting new rising star. I think my biggest knock against it is…I had this on repeat in like April. That might be because my sister is a big Role Model fan and put me onto it (shoutout Grace), so maybe I’m not the best judge of when it peaked. I did see him perform on Good Morning America last week and Al Roker came out as the “Sally” – so maybe it really was popping all summer! As a big fan of this song in general, certainly wouldn’t be mad if it won.

“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter

I don’t think anyone is having more fun making music right now than Sabrina Carpenter – and that’s a damn good trait to have when you’re gunning for the Song of the Summer. I think at first people weren’t as hyped about this simply because it was being compared to “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” from last summer, but after a bit people started to realize this IS a great tune. Sabrina knows how to create a song with a great chorus, an interesting structure, and gorgeous production and this is a great example. Another good contender here, despite not reaching the same heights as her hits from 2024.

“Daisies” – Justin Bieber

Alright, this one absolutely caught steam on social media. From a huge artists so of course it became widely known, and definitely peaked in the midst of summer…but is it too mellow? No offense but “produced by Mk.Gee” doesn’t really scream “FUN SUMMER VIBES” to me! I think there’s fun aspects to the plucky guitar riff and the lyrics, but I don’t think this packed the punch that I would come to expect from an SOTS. Just my opinion though, so if you disagree make your voice heard and give it a vote!

“No Broke Boys” – Disco Lines & Tinashe

This one is so fun. Reminds of the kind of EDM music that had a vice grip on society when I was in college. Super catchy hook, booming beat you gotta bang your head to, and perfect for putting behind a tik tok/instagram…but was it TOO social media-centric? The widely known/popular aspect is really important and I think if I played this for my Mom for example, she’d have zero clue what this is. I still think it’s a totally viable submission this year, but strongest winners from the past like “Espresso” or “Good 4 U” are recognized across the board by people everywhere.

So there we have it! Our 4 finalists! If you’re reading this right now then the poll is LIVE on my instagram story! So VOTE HERE for your favorite and I’ll update this post when a winner is decided!

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