Where’s all the Music?: Song of Summer ’22

Song of The Summer…What’s it going to be? It's almost July and the fact that this is even a question at this point is weird. Some of the biggest artists have already released their projects for the year and we don’t seem to have a definitive answer yet. 

When thinking about Song of The Summer, I couldn’t come up with one definitive answer. I decided to get some professional insight, so I asked DJ Matt Murdock what he thinks. He says, “I don’t think Song of the Summer is out yet. I think it will be something from Calvin Harris’ new album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 [which releases Aug. 5]. I think it will for sure be something from that album.”
 
I agree with Matt in that we don’t really have a song of the summer yet, and I think Song of The Summer is up for grabs right now. Here are a few of my predictions and why:

Kathrine Kiersted and Anna Galan are enjoying a nice day listening to some of their favorite music. (Photo: Raigan Clay)

Tek It by Cafuné: This is taking TikTok by storm right now and is my personal favorite of my picks. 

Music For a Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles: I love this song; it’s one of the best album openers I’ve heard. I think Harry Styles created the Album of the Summer.

Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush: This song was released in 1985 and has resurfaced because it was featured in a noteworthy scene from Stranger Things. Gen Z is notorious for bringing the past back and reliving trends just for the fun of it. (We’re not very original in that way). In general, I’m finding that through TikTok, a lot of older songs are resurfacing and becoming popular again, especially with the release of Stranger Things’ season 3 on Netflix. The show is ’80s based and so a lot of music from the ’80s is becoming popular again. 

Silent Hill by Kendrick Lamar featuring Kodak Black: The catchy hook draws you in and is a fan favorite from Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers (aka, Album of the year).

A Keeper by Drake: This is my favorite song from Honestly, Nevermind and I don’t really understand all the hate from Drake fans. This is not a far-left direction for Drake to go in; he’s always been on this house/Caribbean wave. He decided to make a project full of it, and people don’t know what to do. I think he’s flexing his diversity muscles and fans that only listen to rap music are the ones that aren’t receptive of the project.
 

Tulsi Parikh is listening to Music For A Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles on a scenic trail in Hermann Park. (Photo: Raigan Clay)

I asked others at The Buzz office what they thought. Here are thoughts from fellow Buzz summer interns: 
 
Tulsi Parikh, a rising senior at Memorial High School, says “Song of The Summer is going to be from Harry’s House [album by Harry Styles]. Late Night Talking and Music for a Sushi Restaurant could definitely be Song of the Summer.”
 
A rising senior at Incarnate Word Academy, Anna Galan gave me an answer I was waiting to hear – she thinks Song of The Summer will be “that song from Stranger Things and Scooby Doo, it’s called Pass the Dutchie by Musical Youth.” This song from the Stranger Things soundtrack was originally released in 1982.
 
Jenna Baer, a student at George Washington University, gave me an answer I hadn’t thought about. She says, “I think it’s Vegas by Doja Cat because it’s part of the soundtrack for the new Elvis movie. I do my ‘hot girl walks’ listening to it.”
 

Buzz summer interns Anna Galan, Tulsi Parikh, and Kathrine Keirsted relaxing and listening to summer’s new music together. (Photo: Raigan Clay)

Kathrine Kiersted, a rising sophomore at Wake Forest University, says, “Stir Fry by the Migos; it came out a couple years ago, but I just found it [due to TikTok].”
 
Buzz editor-in-chief Joni Hoffman says, “I have no idea what will be Song of the Summer and I just can’t wait to crank it up! I hope it will be something fun and happy because we all need it!”
 
Summer is not over yet and there’s still time for the Song of The Summer to emerge. While I don’t have a definitive pick, I’m happy with my predictions. Now we wait and see!

Chime in on the comments below and let us know what you think. In the meantime, listen to all of these songs - tune in to this playlist Raigan created.

Editor's note: For more summer jams, see this 2020 Fourth of July Patriotic Playlist and 2019 Songs of the Summer.