#1. "Into You"- Ariana Grande
I know. I've talked about this song millions of times, at least that's what it feels like. But I don't care. I think in the grand scheme of things, this is my favorite Ariana Grande song. More than any other song, it best shows Ari at her fullest potential as a pop queen and it's the first song to come to mind when I hear the phrase "pop perfection". Everything about it is so meticulously crafted, like they set out to make the best pop song of all time. I mean, just listen to the complexity in the backing vocal arrangements! Part of me feels like I should've selected "No Tears Left To Cry" for my Obligatory Ariana Grande Song™, but I couldn't for three reasons:
- "NTLTC" feels more like a spring song than a summer one to me. That sounds really weird but I interpret the song as being about rebirth and starting fresh, which are more spring sentiments to me.
- I'm still salty "Into You" was not the #1 Definitive Summer Song of the summer of 2016 ("One Dance" by Drake was, according to Billboard), so it will be the #1 Definitive Summer Song, more or less, for every other summer from now on.
- I just plain like it more, and I think it's more summery. It feels like the summer fling of my fantasies, somewhat short but utterly passionate.
#2. "So Good"- B.o.B.
My inclusion of a B.o.B. song may raise a few eyebrows considering his stance as a conspiracy theorist who believes the moon landing was staged, 9/11 was an inside job, and most famously (and bafflingly), the Earth is flat. But dammit, I've always liked this song. It's just a cute little pop-rap tune about how B.o.B. wants to use his fame and fortune to show his girl all the great things in the world. One of my favorite things about summer is getting to travel to various places, and this song (as well as a few others in this playlist) reminds me specifically of that aspect. However, B.o.B. mentions flying first class in this song, which brings up the question that if he's obviously been on countless planes, why does he believe the Earth is flat?
#3. "One Kiss"- Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa
So every year Billboard picks the Song of the Summer, the song that was the most successful from Memorial Day to Labor Day of a given year. Last year the winner of the prestigious title (it really isn't) was "Despacito", in case you were wondering. I'm not sure exactly what it will be this year, but if I had to guess, it would be this one. It's by Calvin Harris, who is one of the most successful producers of the decade, and it features Dua Lipa, who's been huge as of late with the worldwide smashes "New Rules" and "IDGAF", on vocals. It was a massive success in the UK, topping the charts for 7 weeks. Plus I just think it's a good song. It has a very 90s-dance vibe and Dua sounds great. It's really catchy too. This song's only peaked at #32 in the US, but I feel like its chart position will grow as the summer continues.
#4. "Slide"- Calvin Harris ft. Frank Ocean and Migos
I've heard five of the ten songs from Calvin Harris's most recent album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. Those songs are "Slide", "Heatstroke", "Rollin'", "Feels", and "Cash Out". If those five songs are representative of the album as a whole, then I feel comfortable in saying every song is summer-ready. All of those songs I listed have awesome funk and disco-inspired beats and tons of really famous singers and rappers providing guest contributions. I love pretty much all of those songs, but "Slide" will always be my favorite. I've had this song on repeat for over a year and I have yet to get sick of it. The combination of the disco beat, Frank Ocean's soulful vocals, and Migos's laid-back verses (I love when it switches from Quavo to Offset and it's like, "(OFFSET!) Good gra-cious!") just does it for me. Plus, I'm gonna link this video of Calvin Harris showing how he made "Slide" because I just think it's really cool. I've seen a few other videos of producers showing how they make their songs and I find the process fascinating.
#5. "Run Away With Me"- Carly Rae Jepsen
Stellar, you've slept on this song for way too long. I had heard it in various places, such as in memes and at a sporting goods store. However, I never really thought much of it. Then I got into Carly Rae Jepsen's other song "Cut to the Feeling" and decided, "Maybe I should give this one a try for real." And wow. I thought "Cut to the Feeling" was a perfect pop song, but "Run Away With Me" is even better. Like, dare I say this song is on the level of pop perfection as "Into You" or "Teenage Dream". Just everything about it, from that instantly iconic (and meme-able) sax riff to that jaw-dropping chorus to the gorgeous melodies to Carly's euphoric vocals, it's magical. This song is about escaping your problems and just running away with your lover, and it feels like wanderlust. I've only heard it a few times admittedly, but I want to listen to it forever.
#6. "Bonfire"- Childish Gambino
I discovered this song from Childish Flamingo. What is Childish Flamingo, you ask? So, there's this one meme song my brother showed me called "Flamingo" by Kero Kero Bonito. I thought this song was really weird but I couldn't get it out of my head so I looked it up on YouTube and found Childish Flamingo. I was expecting it to be a mashup of "Flamingo" and some Childish Gambino song, namely "Redbone" or "3005". Nope, "Bonfire" was the other song in question. I listened to this stupid, stupid mashup so many times that I eventually memorized the first verse to "Bonfire" and can rap it perfectly, if needed. It's pretty vulgar, but most of Gambino's bars are hilarious and clever and it's one of my favorite songs to rap along to. Plus bonfires are just a staple part of summer, so it fits in to the playlist in that way.
#7. "Paradise"- Coldplay
A common theme in this playlist is that I discovered a bunch of these songs in weird, interesting ways. This one I discovered in a Mexican tourism ad my Spanish teacher made me watch in middle school. Immediately I was smitten by the beautiful, sweeping instrumentals of "Paradise", which were the perfect accompaniment to the gorgeous scenery in the ad. For a while, "Paradise" was my favorite song. It's not anymore, but I still love it. It speaks to my wanderlust better than any other song, and those violins are just so pretty! I'm now realizing how pretentious I sound in this part, but I don't really care.
#8. "Nice For What"- Drake
Drake is generally hit-or-miss for me. He has his good songs like "Forever" and my favorite "Hold On, We're Going Home", but at times he can just be really boring. However, I liked "Nice For What" instantly and it's only grown on me since. It's kind of a mess, but it makes me happy every time I hear it. The "you said you'd care for me, care for me" part in the chorus was taken from the song "Ex-Factor" by Lauryn Hill, and even if I don't really know the original song, I feel confident in saying it's a great use of the sample. It just makes me smile! Plus the lyrics are basically Drake saying "Hey ladies, you don't have to let any of these dudes take advantage of you because you're your own woman and you are awesome!" I appreciate that. This is my Song of the Year™ thus far, but that'll probably change soon.
#9. "The Last of the Real Ones"- Fall Out Boy
I discovered this one from my last post, where I listened to every song Fall Out Boy has released as a single and ranked each one depending on how much I liked them. I had never heard "The Last of the Real Ones" before writing and once I did, I fell in love. It's just a jam. It's got a fantastic piano line and some killer melodies. That chorus has so much intensity and gusto in it, and the lyrics are pretty solid too. I still am of the opinion that Fall Out Boy's peak was with the album Folie a Deux, but it's nice to see they can still make awesome music this late into their career.
#10. "Uma Thurman"- Fall Out Boy
If you saw the post I did last week, you pretty much get the gist of why I love "Uma Thurman". Aside from the fact that it's just a fantastic pop-rock song, I mainly like it because of 2015 nostalgia, specifically nostalgia for the summer of that year. I spent the summer writing (and eventually giving up on) a story of the Uma Hermans, a rollerblading team whose name was inspired by the song and one of my friends' failed attempts to pronounce it. Every time we would hang out that summer, we would blast it, although I'm willing to bet only half of us actually loved it and the others just went along because of the inside jokes we had. One thing I've never really talked about with Fall Out Boy that I really love is how their music can take me to a specific place in time. For example, "Light Em Up" takes me to watching fireworks after a football game and "Alone Together" takes me to singing it in the car on the way to Thanksgiving. "Uma" takes me to hanging out with my friends in the summer of 2015, and that's why I have to mention it on my summer playlist.
#11. "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)"- Jamie xx ft. Young Thug and Popcaan
Fun fact: NBA 2K games are a great place to discover new music! I don't play the games myself but my brother does, and I hear songs from the soundtrack whenever I happen to be in his gaming area. The most notable song I've discovered from one of these games is "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay because it was what made me a Coldplay fan, but "Good Times" is a close second. It's one of my go-to happy songs that can put a smile on my face instantly. It's quirky, fun to sing along to (that is, if you can actually understand what Young Thug is saying) and has a dancehall-meets-soul vibe that's perfect for summer. This is the song I listen to while chilling on the beach in my fantasies...because I live in the Midwest where there really aren't any beaches. Also one last thing: you may recognize this song from a Coca Cola commercial from last year. My brother and I saw the commercial and we're just like "AYYY that's a good song!"
#12. "Make Me Feel"- Janelle Monae
I didn't know what to think of this song at first, but I kept hearing it in various places and I realized that it was amazing. It's sort of a throwback to the music of the 70s and 80s, specifically that of Prince. I love the funky disco production and how well it complements Janelle's slinky, breathy vocal style. If you're into Bruno Mars's throwback jams like "Uptown Funk" or "Treasure", you'll probably love this song. It's just really catchy, sexy, and fun, which means it's perfect for my summer playlist. Also, this song only peaked at #99 on the Billboard Hot 100, which is really disappointing to me. Like, come on, people! Do you really think that, like, XXXTentacion is better than this? Janelle deserves better.
#13. "King's Dead"- Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and James Blake
It feels like every time I do a list of my current favorite songs, I have another Kendrick song to talk about. In February, I had "LOVE." and "DNA.", and in March I had "Pray For Me". Now we have "King's Dead", which is from the Black Panther soundtrack like "Pray For Me". I've actually only heard a few Kendrick Lamar songs, but I love pretty much all of them. "King's Dead" is one of my favorites. Jay Rock's verse is pretty cool, Future's part is hilarious (the "ladidadida, slob on me knob" part is a meme for a reason), and James Blake's part is really short but sounds cool, but the song belongs to Kendrick. His chorus is really quotable and his verse might be my favorite one I've heard from him. He has the final verse, and like on "DNA.", the beat switches up and Kendrick starts spitting fire. Genius says his verse is from the point of view of Killmonger, the villain of Black Panther, and between the intensity and the lyrics it's just...whoa. (Infinity War spoilers, even though I haven't seen it) I know Black Panther dies in Infinity War, but I hope they bring him back to life just so they can make a Black Panther 2 and we can get another Kendrick-curated soundtrack :)
#14. "Guillotine"- Jon Bellion ft. Travis Mendes
Like a lot of these songs, I have an interesting story as to how I found it. Sometimes when I'm bored and want to find new music, I'll watch videos of random vloggers showing you their playlist by playing snippets of songs. Most of the time, they're titled "My Current Favorite Songs" or "Songs You Need In Your Life" or something like that. I can't remember which video I found "Guillotine" in, and I'm too lazy to try to find it, but it was in one of those videos. I decided to give it a try because I thought it sounded cool and I fell in love with it. The bassline kind of reminds me of "Attention" by Charlie Puth, but I think I like this song more. It's just super-catchy and I love the vibe. My favorite part is the bridge, where featured guest Travis Mendes takes the mic. It has a really soulful and infectious melody and I really like Travis Mendes's voice.
#15. "Teenage Dream"- Katy Perry
A good portion of this blog, namely this post, this post, and especially this post, are dedicated to bashing Katy Perry. I think she's incredibly hit or miss. She has a really cringey, problematic personality and she makes some terrible music from time to time. But damn, when she hits, she hits hard. "Teenage Dream" reminds me of "Into You" in the sense that I can make a good case for it being a perfect pop song. It's Katy at her most real, stripping away the corny lyrics and cheesy gimmicks and just making a great pop song. It's also similar to "Into You" in that it feels like the perfect summer love song: effervescent, sweet without being too saccharine, and effortlessly catchy. It's nearly perfect melodically and has one of the most exhilarating hooks of the decade, possibly ever. Literally the only reason why I prefer "Into You" is because "Into You" wasn't produced by a rapist (Dr. Luke). But still, "Teenage Dream" is a killer pop song.
#16. "Stir Fry"- Migos
Migos are something of a problematic fave for me. Like, yeah, they're homophobic, and I'm pretty sure Offset cheated on Cardi B, but I like a couple of their songs. "Stir Fry" is unlike any Migos song I've heard, and I think it's because of the beat. Most Migos songs have very minimalist beats but "Stir Fry" has a weird, complex instrumental that was actually produced by Pharrell Williams. The beat kind of reminds me of "Lemon", by N.E.R.D. and Rihanna, which makes sense because they were both produced by Pharrell. The song is overall pretty weird, but I can dig it. Plus, there's another Animoji commercial featuring this song, which makes me like it that much more.
#17. "Psycho"- Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign
Guys...I finally figured out why I like Post Malone even though I feel like a Basic White Girl™ every time I listen to his music! That reason is, of course, that I think it's scientifically impossible for the dude to make a song that isn't ungodly-catchy! I mean, "Rockstar", "Congratulations", "Candy Paint", every song I've heard gets stuck in my head all the time. Hell, "I Fall Apart", which is his Depressing Breakup Song™, is an earworm for me! But all of those songs pale in comparison to the earworm that is "Psycho" with Ty Dolla $ign. The hook on this one is mind-numbingly catchy and hearing just a snippet of it will leave it in my head for the rest of that week. It's not even an upbeat song, there's just something about that chorus that is insanely catchy. Also fun fact: one time I was waiting for my dad to get in the car so I could practice driving and this song came on the radio and I was jamming so hard I accidentally turned on the windshield wipers. Nice job, Stellar.
#18. "Riptide"- Vance Joy
I made a list of my favorite songs of 2015 on my old blog, which you can read here (but you probably shouldn't because it sucks). While I've outgrown a few of those tunes, some of them I still really love, like "Riptide". I had somewhat ignored or forgotten about "Riptide" for some time, but I randomly decided to add it back to my playlist on the way to a forensics competition. That was a good decision, because it's such a good song. It's so chill, laid-back, and just kind of pretty. It's like a lazy summer day. I think the only reason why it's on this specific playlist is because it prominently features a ukulele and ukuleles will always scream "summer" to me for whatever reason.
#19. "Obsession" by Vice ft. Jon Bellion
I know I put this song on my March playlist, but when it's this perfect for summer, how could I leave it off? I discovered this one from when I did my First Impressions #5 post in January. I discovered a lot of songs I love in that post, such as "Cut to the Feeling", "LOVE.", and "Quit" by Cashmere Cat and Ariana Grande, but "Obsession" trumps them all. One of the things I said when talking about "Obsession" was that I was mad I didn't discover it in summer because it just sounded like a summer song to me. Luckily, I haven't gotten sick of this song yet (even though I've had it on my playlist since January), so it can be my summer jam too. For whatever reason, this song reminds me of waterparks, even though I've never heard this song at a waterpark. I don't get it either.
#20. "pick up the phone"- Young Thug and Travis Scott ft. Quavo
Besides NBA 2K video games, you know what else is a good way to discover new music? "Try Not To Sing (or rap) Along Challenge" videos! I watch these types of videos all the time when I'm home alone, and there are a surprising amount of songs I've discovered from them. "pick up the phone" (yes, it's supposed to be all lowercase) is one of those songs, and I enjoy it for the same reasons I like most trap-rap songs. It's catchy and it's got a cool beat. Like most rap songs I talk about here, I can understand if you wouldn't be into the style but I like it. I like when Young Thug says "Never will I treat on you, never will I commit treason" because he's saying he loves his girl so much that even suggesting cheating on her would be like committing a capital offense, and come on. That's just cute.
That's all I have for today. I've already started working on next week's post, which is about songs you may have forgotten. Unless something happens, I'll have it ready next Wednesday. I'm Stellar in Neverland, and hopefully I'll see you then. Peace!
Stellar
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