My Summer Playlist has come from Unexpected Places!

I will die on this hill, “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, is not the song of the summer. Please someone do something to unseat it from the top of the Hot 100 because it must stop now. I was recently with a bunch of tourists in a Rock n’ Roll piano bar and when they started playing “Old Town Road” everybody groaned. I have been validated. Please consider these other titles for your listening pleasure.

Sampling Songs

Some of you may remember that last summer I struggled to find my jam. I had outright eliminated Cardi B’s “I Like It” for two reasons. One, it came from Cardi B and two, it sampled from another song, the 1967 hit “I Like it Like That” by Pete Rodriguez. This song had already had a second life in 1997 when Tito Nieves covered it. Normally I don’t love a song that heavily uses another, but I’m making an exception this summer. The Daddy Yankee, Katy Perry and Snow remix of “Con Calma” which uses Snow’s 1992 hit “Informer”, makes me dance every time I hear it. 

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The Jo Bros

When the Jonas Brothers became a hit with teen girls in 2005, I was 32 years old and completely disinterested in their music. Then they grew up and Joe started eating cake by the ocean and Nick got hot. Gentlemen, you have my attention!

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Their new collaboration, with other brother Kevin, has me car dancing (much to the embarrassment of my children). Both “Cool” and “Sucker” from the album Happiness Begins have turned me into something I never expected. Apparently I am a “Jonatic”.

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I Don’t Beliebe It!

I loath Justin Beiber, however, I like Ed Sheeran. So when I heard they had a collaboration I had to suck it up and listen. I like it. Damn it.

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The video is pretty hilarious (just wish Beibs would put his shirt back on) and the song is a bop (as the kids say). The pre chorus is a mood, my mood. Here’s the lyrics, “Don’t think I fit in as this party, everyone’s got so much to say. I always feel like I’m nobody, mm. Who wants to fit in anyway?” Thanks a lot Ed Sheeran, to enjoy you I have to listen to him. 

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Child’s Play

I have a 15 year old daughter and she listens to some crap music. I enjoy maybe 50% of her current playlist, and much of the 50% are Broadway Musicals. Thankfully, there is a standout among the angsty tunes, Billie Eilish. Her hit “Bad Guy” is getting a lot of radio play this summer.

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I actually prefer a different song by Billie, “You Should See me in a Crown”. I have included her live version from Ellen instead of the official video which is super spidery. All of Billie’s videos are kind of creepy actually. I am told by my child that each video for this album represents a specific fear. She’s dark, but her music is the most original I’ve heard in a long time.

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Big Names Fall Short

I have to say I had high hopes this spring when I heard there was a collaboration between Taylor Swift and Brendon Urie (Panic at the Disco). Instead of cool riffs and clever lyrics, their song “ME!” sounds like one of those horrible Kidz Bop remixes. 

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So that wraps up my list of standout songs for the summer but we officially have 6 weeks left. Maybe something unexpected will swoop in and take that played out horse to the “Old Town Road” and shoot it.

What are your songs of the summer?

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