Songs belted at the tops of our lungs, danced to with not a bit of shame, and shared with closest friends. Summer 2018 was a summer filled with a variety of lively, but sometimes melancholy, songs that will always remind us of long, hot summer days and wild, endless nights that defined the days of not waking up at seven in the morning.
While Spotify has calculated its most streamed summer songs of 2018, this article isn't about statistics; bops of the summer are the songs that we listened to on repeat and have some memory attached to it, whether that be a night drive with friends or a lonely night by yourself. These songs will soon be the nostalgic songs we tell our kids about when we're older. They’re the “Ain't no Mountain High Enough,” “Jessie´s Girl,” “Play that Funky Music,” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” of our generation that we will always have to reflect on our days being young, dumb, broke high schoolers.
Summer 2018 brought a lot of bops to the table, and the best is highly debatable. Here are a few of the contenders:
People either love him or hate him, but there is no way to deny that Drake produced straight bops this summer. “Nice for What” became an early hit summer song that uses energetic beats, intense 808s, fast hi hats, and samples the iconic Lauryn Hill,The highly anticipated album, “Scorpion,” did not disappoint with “In My Feelings,” the song that incited a viral dance movement and was stuck in everyone’s head all summer long. Teens posted videos all over the internet of them dancing while a car is moving to the song. It has a fun, upbeat, old school New Orleans bounce that keeps listeners heads nodding. Artists such as, City Girls, Magnolia, and Lil Wayne are sampled to create breaks in the song that get people hype.
The 2018 Song of the Summer at MTV’s 2018 Video Music Awards was “I Like It” by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin. This song exudes summer vibes and transports listeners to a hot, exotic island. The songs samples Pete Rodriguez’s “I Like It Like That,” that adds an old feel and compliments Cardi’s catchy, new lyrics to create the perfect summer song. Last summer, “Despacito” was a hit and since then Latin pop fusion music has become increasingly popular making its way on Top 100s and mainstream media. Cardi B was a breakout artist this year, and it isn't surprising that she continues to create bops.
Since there is no school to worry about, you can dedicate your emotional energy elsewhere. This can lead to the famous summer fling and that feeling of forever (until the summer ends and you're stuck suffering the loss of something that was only meant to be temporary). Here are songs for the lively summer flings of 2018: “Lucid Dreams,” “Better Now,” and “Boo’d Up.”
Juice WRLD’s “Lucid Dreams” is one of the catchiest songs for lovesick teens in the midst of a breakup. “And I cannot change you, so I must replace you, oh/Easier said than done, I thought you were the one/Listenin' to my heart instead of my head.” This lyric perfectly describes the loss of a summer fling and learning to move on from someone you were attached to.
“Boo’d Up” by Elle Mai was for the ladies. It also addresses wanting someone that made you feel some type of way, but it ended and now you're “deep in your feelings.” There is an eternal battle of listening to your heart, but also knowing in your mind that it isn’t right. The song has the perfect R&B vibe and made it a perfect summer song.
“Better Now” by Post Malone also fits in the breakup category but it makes you feel like you can flex on your ex and find someone better, but also still feel the repercussions of a relationship. “You prolly think that you are better now, better now You only say that 'cause I'm not around, not around.” These songs describe the loss of someone who was important, but knowing that life goes on past that one person that maybe could have been forever.
Vote for the song of the summer on the Gem’s Twitter!
By Maggie Pollard
While Spotify has calculated its most streamed summer songs of 2018, this article isn't about statistics; bops of the summer are the songs that we listened to on repeat and have some memory attached to it, whether that be a night drive with friends or a lonely night by yourself. These songs will soon be the nostalgic songs we tell our kids about when we're older. They’re the “Ain't no Mountain High Enough,” “Jessie´s Girl,” “Play that Funky Music,” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” of our generation that we will always have to reflect on our days being young, dumb, broke high schoolers.
Summer 2018 brought a lot of bops to the table, and the best is highly debatable. Here are a few of the contenders:
People either love him or hate him, but there is no way to deny that Drake produced straight bops this summer. “Nice for What” became an early hit summer song that uses energetic beats, intense 808s, fast hi hats, and samples the iconic Lauryn Hill,The highly anticipated album, “Scorpion,” did not disappoint with “In My Feelings,” the song that incited a viral dance movement and was stuck in everyone’s head all summer long. Teens posted videos all over the internet of them dancing while a car is moving to the song. It has a fun, upbeat, old school New Orleans bounce that keeps listeners heads nodding. Artists such as, City Girls, Magnolia, and Lil Wayne are sampled to create breaks in the song that get people hype.
The 2018 Song of the Summer at MTV’s 2018 Video Music Awards was “I Like It” by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin. This song exudes summer vibes and transports listeners to a hot, exotic island. The songs samples Pete Rodriguez’s “I Like It Like That,” that adds an old feel and compliments Cardi’s catchy, new lyrics to create the perfect summer song. Last summer, “Despacito” was a hit and since then Latin pop fusion music has become increasingly popular making its way on Top 100s and mainstream media. Cardi B was a breakout artist this year, and it isn't surprising that she continues to create bops.
Since there is no school to worry about, you can dedicate your emotional energy elsewhere. This can lead to the famous summer fling and that feeling of forever (until the summer ends and you're stuck suffering the loss of something that was only meant to be temporary). Here are songs for the lively summer flings of 2018: “Lucid Dreams,” “Better Now,” and “Boo’d Up.”
Juice WRLD’s “Lucid Dreams” is one of the catchiest songs for lovesick teens in the midst of a breakup. “And I cannot change you, so I must replace you, oh/Easier said than done, I thought you were the one/Listenin' to my heart instead of my head.” This lyric perfectly describes the loss of a summer fling and learning to move on from someone you were attached to.
“Boo’d Up” by Elle Mai was for the ladies. It also addresses wanting someone that made you feel some type of way, but it ended and now you're “deep in your feelings.” There is an eternal battle of listening to your heart, but also knowing in your mind that it isn’t right. The song has the perfect R&B vibe and made it a perfect summer song.
“Better Now” by Post Malone also fits in the breakup category but it makes you feel like you can flex on your ex and find someone better, but also still feel the repercussions of a relationship. “You prolly think that you are better now, better now You only say that 'cause I'm not around, not around.” These songs describe the loss of someone who was important, but knowing that life goes on past that one person that maybe could have been forever.
Vote for the song of the summer on the Gem’s Twitter!
By Maggie Pollard