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Summer is nearly upon us and as Music lovers there are many of us waiting on this year’s Song of the Summer to drop. Chances are it already exists and is out there in the world but is awaiting a spark to take over the airwaves.
Here I have ranked the best Songs of the Summer every year since 2010. The past 16 years have seen some insanely great Songs of the Summer, some of the best all time, which made ranking them quite difficult.
Ranking Every ‘Song of the Summer’ Since 2010 From Best to Worst
These Summer hits are ranked based on a combination of success at the time and enduring legacy. Some have truly stood the test of time and still deserve a spot on every Summer playlist while other have fizzled some throughout the years.
No. 16: 2022 – ‘As It Was’ by Harry Styles
Going back just a couple of years ago we have 2022’s Song of the Summer, ‘As It Was’ by Harry Styles. It is an earworm to be sure. You might find yourself singing along in your head without ever realizing you knew the lyrics in the first place.
But if we are being entirely honest, this song works best as the background song to a movie montage. This is not a mood setter for Summer.
No. 15: 2023 – ‘Last Night’ by Morgan Wallen
There is a case to be made that Morgan Wallen had the Song of the Summer for three years in a row. In fact, I am somewhat of a conspiracy theorist when it comes to this as Wallen appears to be annually releasing new music in the Spring and I suspect it is timed specifically to land Song of the Summer honors.
With that said, ‘Last Night’ by Morgan Wallen is an absolute banger within the Country Music genre. But that caveat is what puts it at 15th on this list. I love Country Music but recognize it isn’t for everyone and this song simply lacks the global reach of many other Songs of the Summer in the past fifteen years.
No. 14: 2024 – ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ by Shaboozey
Another Country Music Song of the Summer, ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ by Shaboozey, was played nonstop throughout 2024 and into last year. Heck, you could probably walk into any bar in Nashville still and there’s a 10% chance this song is playing. For a minute it seemed like Shaboozey was on every awards show in the land playing this song.
It’s catchy. It projects a fantastic mood. You can play it in the car, at the bar, on the beach, or during a house party. But will it have a lasting legacy? Only time will tell.
No. 13: 2016 – ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ by The Chainsmokers feat. Daya
‘Don’t Let Me Down’ by The Chainsmokers featured vocals from Daya and this song went off like an atomic bomb on the Summer of 2016. The Chainsmokers scored their only Billboard Hot 100 top-5 hit with this track, they won the Grammy Award for ‘Best Dance Recording,’ and this song made it to every single playlist that Summer.
No. 12: 2019 – ‘Bad Guy’ by Billie Eilish
In terms of legacy, ‘Bad Guy’ by Billie Eilish is up there with the best of them. This song has been featured in movies, a collaborative version was released with Justin Bieber, it went #1 on Billboard, the BBC, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and more charts.
Billie Eilish was already a star at this point, having risen to fame around 2015, but ‘Bad Guy’ made her one of the biggest names in the industry and it was one of the best Songs of the Summer in that span of years. It also scored her two Grammy Awards in 2020 for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
No. 11: 2010 – ‘Love The Way You Lie’ by Eminem and Rihanna
In terms of staying power this one is hard to top. ‘Love The Way You Lie’ by Eminem featuring Rihanna came from his 7th studio album, Recovery, and this song still gets constant airplay today. This song hit #1 on just about every English language chart worldwide and plenty of other non-English charts like Germany, Italy, Brazil, Austria, Belgium, and the list goes on and on.
It went 13x Platinum in the United States, 18x Platinum in Australia, 6x Platinum in the UK, and 7x Platinum in New Zealand. Eminem and Rihanna performed this together at the L.A.Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010 an the rest was history. It absolutely exploded in the Summer of 2010.
No. 10: 2021 – ‘Good 4 U’ by Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo seemed to come out of nowhere in the Summer of 2021. She arguably had multiple Songs of the Summer that yera but ‘Good 4 U’ was everywhere and the hook was so catchy. Blending angsty notes of Pop Punk with modern Pop Music worked perfectly here.
No. 9: 2018 – ‘I Like It’ by Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin
Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin won Song of the Summer honors in 2018 with ‘I Like It’ from Cardi B’s debut album Invasion Of Privacy. This was a lot of English speaker’s introduction to Bad Bunny who performed this year’s Super Bowl Half Time Show and is arguably one of the biggest pop stars on planet earth. Rolling Stone would later name this their 11th best Summer Song of All-Time.
One thing that always stuck out to me about this song is its versatility. I’d hear it at the gym constantly. On the radio. In stores. At the beach. It was everywhere. It could be played in all circumstances. And that really helped keep it going all Summer.
No. 8: 2015 – ‘Trap Queen’ by Fetty Wap
Okay so in an alternate university I would have ‘Trap Queen’ by Fetty Wap, 2015’s Song of the Summer, at #1 here on the list of the greatest Songs of the Summer of all-time. But I understand this isn’t for everyone. That said, Fetty Wap’s ‘Trap Queen’ is the #1 Song of the Summer for a lot of people. Anyone in college back then, or recently graduated, will certainly agree with that sentiment. This song captured that era unlike any others on this list.
No. 7: 2020 – ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd
2020’s Song of the Summer was ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd. This song still goes so hard. It makes it on my ‘Most Played’ playlist every year on Spotify because it’s on my gym playlist.
But really all I can think about right now is how The Weeknd fell off hard, didn’t he? He went from the Song of the Summer in 2020 to performing the Super Bowl Half Time Show in February 2021 to…what? Where’s he been? Why isn’t he cooking up heat in the studio like this anymore? What happened? Let’s forget about that failed HBO TV show experiment and get back to Songs of the Summer.
No. 6: 2011 – ‘Party Rock Anthem’ by LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock
‘Party Rock Anthem’ by LMFAO, the 2011 Song of the Summer, needs no introduction. This was a true Song of the Summer through and through. Those hot summer days out at Rockaway Beach, getting out of Manhattan for the day, and this blasting on speakers everywhere, it doesn’t seem like that long ago…
This was such a major hit that at one point it was the third-best selling digital single of all time. And that was at a time when people really weren’t buying music like they used to. ‘Party Rock Anthem’ is due for a revival, right?
No. 5: 2017 – ‘Despacito’ by Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee
‘Despacito’ hit #1 in 47 countries. Let that sink in for a minute. There were forty-seven countries around the globe that were like ‘yup, this is it.’
I’d argue that ‘Despacito’ is the biggest Song of the Summer of all-time but not necessarily the best, as it’s ranked #5 here. It spent 16 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Justin Bieber hopped on a remix. It took over airwaves for the entire Summer of 2017. Those were great times.
No. 4: 2014 – ‘Turn Down For What’ Lil Jon and DJ Snake
‘Turn Down For What’ Lil Jon and DJ Snake was 2014’s Song of the Summer and it actually debuted on the Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack which makes it the only Song of the Summer on this list to debut on a movie soundtrack. It has lived multiple lives thanks to memes over the years and honestly, there’s nothing I can say about this song that hasn’t been said before. It’s magical.
Lil Jon was batting a thousand with this one. It has over a billion views and counting on YouTube and continues to be a staple on every proper Summer playlist.
No. 3: 2013 – ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke and Pharrell
The 2013 Song of the Summer, ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke and Pharrell, spent 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that Summer. It sold 14.8 million copies in the US which makes it one of the best-selling singles in history in this country. It went #1 in 25 countries around the world as well.
Anyone else remember that music video which launched Emily Ratajkowski’s modeling career into the stratosphere? Of course, this song led to a lawsuit with Marvin Gaye’s estate and the legal fallout marred it’s legacy but when this song hit in the Summer of 2013 it was cosmic.
No. 2: 2012 – ‘Call Me Maybe’ by Carly Rae Jepsen
Looking back at the few entries above this one we finish off an incredible stretch of Songs of the Summer here with 2012’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ by Carly Rae Jepsen. Who I’d just like to point out once stepped on my brand new white shoes at brunch at Balthazar and never apologized. I mention this from time to time mostly because it was so long ago it feels like a fever dream at this point, but I digress.
‘Call Me Maybe’ was everywhere. It was playing in your head on repeat 24/7. You couldn’t walk into anywhere with music without hearing this track. ‘Call Me Maybe’ went #1 in 15 countries and was named as one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone.
No. 1: 2025 – ‘Pink Pony Club’ by Chappell Roan
Is this recency bias? I’d argue not. ‘Pink Pony Club’ wasn’t just the Song of the Summer for 2025 it seemed to take over the entire music industry for the whole year. Chappell Roan went from a relatively unknown musician to one of the biggest names in the industry nearly overnight, headlining festivals with tens and tens of thousands of fans worldwide singing their lungs out to this song.
The song itself was released in 2020 but found success years later after the stars aligned. It led to her winning Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, she performed it side-by-side with Elton John, and if Chappell Roan disappeared forever after this song she would still be an industry legend based off the success of this 2025 Song of the Summer alone.
Which Songs of the Summer did we miss? How would you re-order the list? Let me know down in the new BroBible comments section below!