Hey y'all, and welcome to another edition of What I'm Listening To. I thought that with July upon us, it would be good to look back on some songs that were deemed "Songs of the Summer" when they came out. Some of the ones I found both amused and surprised me, such as "Macarena", however I could only choose five. With that said, let's get into it!
"Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster)
I will admit, when Lady Gaga first came out, I was not high on her at all. Over time, I've come to love her catchy beats. "Bad Romance" was just one of her hits on this album, including "Alejandro". Even typing this out, I have Bad Romance's chorus stuck in my head. Thanks again, Lady Gaga.
"Gangnam Style" - Psy
Korean Pop, or as it's more commonly known as K-Pop, is much more prevalent in the United State today than it was in 2013 when this song came out. Psy brought this absolute banger to the United States and it became a mega-hit. When I say mega-hit, I mean until a couple years ago, it was the most watched Youtube clip of all time. This song ushered in a cultural phenomenon that had all ages dancing to this techno-pop track. Psy's influence ushered in K-Pop to the mainstream, and more recent groups like BTS has Psy to thank.
"As It Was" - Harry Styles (Harry's House)
Harry Styles has really come into his own after leaving the mega band One Direction. He consistently puts out hits, such as this one when it came out in 2022. My personal favorite of his is actually "Watermelon Sugar", which came out in 2019. Do not sleep on this one though, as it is a nice light tone to it, along with a good beat to compliment the lyrics.
"Dancing in the Street" - Martha and the Vandellas (Dance Party)
I love, love, love Motown music! I grew up on it through my parents, and if you go to any Detroit sporting event, you will most likely hear some at some point. Martha and the Vandellas knocked this album out of the park when they came out with Dance Party in 1965. The record is mostly dancing music, but this song is their most well known. Iconic singing by Martha, this song is still played today throughout the US. I personally enjoy "Nowhere to Run" more on this album, but either way, this is most definitely a "Song of the Summer".
"Livin' La Vida Loca" - Ricky Martin (Now That's What I Call 90s Pop)
Ricky Martin came onto the United States scene with a big splash in 1999 with his debut English self-titled album Ricky Martin. You couldn't get this song off the radio, nor off of MTV's TRL hot music video list. This song made Ricky a megastar in America. I love the horns, the beat, and definitely the electric bass line in this track. Ricky's career would be up and down in the following years, with hits every so often, but he remains a permanent spot in popular culture to this day.
