The Top 30 “Summer” Songs of All Time?

Billboard Magazine is considered the bible of the music industry as it counts down the top singles and albums of the week. They also love to compile lists spanning all different genres and their latest countdown focuses on the best summer music of all time! They’ve included not only songs with “summer” in the title, but songs that embody the essence of this wonderful time of year. It’s an interesting list heavy with songs from the 60’s and 70’s. Interestingly, the 90’s only produced one song on the list. I guess we were all too angsty or angry listening to rap and grundge at the time? The most recent decade is represented by 2 songs including the current # 1 smash “California Gurls” by Katy Perry. There are, of course, a host of songs that were ignored. I’d say the most glaring and upsetting omission is The GoGo’s “Vacation”. Other songs I would’ve liked to see included include Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita”, The Beach Boys’ “Kokomo” (strange since they’re all over the list), 2Pac & Dr. Dre’s “California Love” and heck even Miley Cyrus’s annoying but fitting “Party in the U.S.A.” Take a look at the list below and let me know if you agree with it or what songs they missed and get the full story at Billboard here.

Billboard Magazine’s Top 30 Summer Songs
1. “Summer in the City”- The Lovin’ Spoonful (1966)
2. “Wipeout”- The Surfaris (1962)
3. “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”- Bryan Hyland (1960)
4. “Surf City”- Jan & Dean (1963)
5. “Endless Summer Nights”- Richard Marx (1988)
6. “Summertime”- DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (1991)
7. “Hot Fun in the Summertime”- Sly & the Family Stone (1969)
8. “Surfin’ USA”- The Beach Boys (1963)
9. “Summer Nights”- John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John (1978)
10. “The Boys of Summer”- Don Henley (1984)
11. “In the Summertime”- Mungo Jerry (1970)
12. “Summer of ‘69”- Bryan Adams (1985)
13. “Under the Boardwalk”- The Drifters (1964)
14. “Summer”- War (1976)
15. “California Girls”- The Beach Boys (1965)
16. “Summer Girls”- LFO (1999)
17. “Saturday in the Park”- Chicago (1972)
18. “California Gurls”- Katy Perry w/ Snoop Dogg (2010)
19. “Summer Love”- Justin Timberlake (2007)
20. “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer”- Nat King Cole (1963)
21. “School’s Out”- Alice Cooper (1972)
22. “Summer Breeze”- Seals and Croft (1972)
23. “Surfer Girl”- The Beach Boys (1963)
24. “Suddenly Last Summer”- The Motels (1983)
25. “A Summer Song”- Chad & Jeremy (1964)
26. “Summertime Blues’- Eddie Cochrane (1958)
27. “Cruel Summer”- Bananarama (1983)
28 “Wipeout” -.Fat Boys & the Beach Boys (1987)
29. “Summertime”- Billy Stewart (1966)
30. “Surfin’ Safari”- The Beach Boys (1962)

And here are my faves from that list…. plus the GoGo’s!

Bananarama “Cruel Summer”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGYNvx9lqDQ

Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta “Summer Nights”

Richard Marx “Endless Summer Nights”

The Go Go’s “Vacation”

Tags: 2Pac, Bananarama, Billboard, Dr. Dre, Katy Perry, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Newton-John, Richard Marx, The Beach Boys, The GoGo's