Billboard has ended the warmest season of the year by naming one track the official "Song of The Summer." They crunch numbers from the Hot 100 every summer and follow Labor Day with the formal announcement of the winner. The 29-year tradition led to the creation of a strictly "Songs of The Summer" chart for tracking what's hot in the heat. This year's winner was easy to track for those who kept an eye on the chart: "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea topped the list every week, along with plenty of time atop the Hot 100.
So how does Azalea's hit single match up to the rest of this summer's biggest hits? Billboard provided a Top 10 and Music Times checked their work to determine what songs of the summer were actually the best. Love our decisions or hate them, make sure to give your own thoughts at the bottom.
The number in parentheses indicates where the song actually charted based on Hot 100 appearances. Our rankings are based strictly on perceived quality.
10) "Wiggle" by Jason Derulo ft. Snoop Dogg (07)
There is many a place for butt-shaking in the Songs of Summer category, but unfortunately we caught the tail end of it (pun intended) from Derulo. His initial single from Talk Dirty, bearing the same title, was much more satisfying and just as kinky. Unfortunately that track dropped way too early to stick around for Billboard's Songs of Summer list and we were left with the over-the-top "Wiggle." No thank you.
09) "All of Me" by John Legend (06)
"All of Me" suffers on our list only because it was so successful during 2014. It's been one of the most downloaded tracks of the year, which allowed it to remain on the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 almost from its release during August of 2013 all the way through the Summer of 2014. Legend is as soulful and sincere as ever on this track, which explains its appeal and sales but that doesn't mean it was meant for summer.
08) "Am I Wrong" by Nico & Vinz (05)
Another track that suffers despite being a great song. Nico & Vinz deliver one of the best pop songs thus far from 2014 but it's at least 95 percent heartbreak, and we don't celebrate days at the beach by lingering upon emotionally crushing scenarios. A great song that has sold well but just doesn't fit the mold for "Songs of Summer," hence its low ranking on this list.
07) "Rude" by MAGIC! (02)
MAGIC! should be a band that dominates the summer music scene. After all, reggae—both real and imitated by Canadian nationals—is a genre defined by islands and beaches. But that's all this track is going to get from us. The hook is far from catchy and if he can't think of anything better to say "why you gotta be so rude" when his non-father-in-law turns down his request to marry the man's daughter, we're not sure we'd want him marrying our daughter either. Laid back works for summer, but this is under-the-top.
06) "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith (04)
Smith is another victim of dabbling in a genre that doesn't lend itself to summer jams. "Stay With Me" is a beautiful ode to one-night-stands but like Legend, the song packs the warmth of summer without the brightness. This track might top an Autumn playlist however.
05) "Summer" by Calvin Harris (08)
Harris kind of cheats by naming his song "Summer," which automatically gives it some warm weather qualifications. Overall it's a rather boring piece of house, the kind that underground electronic music fans are always pointing to when criticizing EDM's $67 million man. If he wants to place higher next Summer he should consider taking page from David Guetta's book and have stars like Sia sing his hooks rather than handle his own vocals.
04) "Happy" by Pharrell Williams (09)
"Happy," much like "All of Me," is a carryover from much earlier...as in from 2013. However this song dominated the Hot 100, becoming the most downloaded track by far during 2014. The reason why it places so high on this chart is that the subject matter does seem formatted for a warm weather audience. Happiness is scientifically proven to be higher during summer so it makes sense that Williams' ode to the emotion should rank highly.
03) "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea (01)
There's no denying that this track is a summer smash as we witnessed at Lollapalooza when thousands of fans loudly sang every hook for the rapper. Many parents were confused at the level of obscenity throughout the rest of Azalea's set and may have regretted bringing their children over to see the Hot 100 topper. The truth that hurts Azalea's cause for best song of the summer: She actually brings this song down, if anything. Charlie XCX's hook, which the pop star also wrote, is superb and makes big moments such as the one at Lollapalooza. The Invisible Men's minimalistic hook is equally great. Azalea's verses are less so.
02) "Turn Down For What" by DJ Snake ft. Lil Jon (10)
EDM tracks belong near the top of Songs of The Summer lists: Lyrics that total two repeated lines make it easy for everyone to sing along by the second chorus, even if they've never heard the song before. That doesn't mean the beats need to repeat on loop as well, as certain aforementioned house DJs are guilty of doing. Hence the promise for trap, an electronic genre that takes pleasure in mixing it up from "verse" to verse, without ever diminishing its audience will to dance.
01) "Problem" by Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea (03)
Let's give a rundown for all the factors we look for when we want a "Summer song": upbeat, a catchy chorus, both of which tend to result in a danceable number when those features are combined. Enter the first single from Ariana Grande's My Everything, which features a hopping horn line and the headliner with her (vocal) pipes blazing before breaking down into the grooving "one less problem without you." The only problem we can think of in this track is, again, Azalea's guest verse.
