Every year there is at least one song which provides the soundtrack to summer.
They’re the summer anthems which fill the floor at a party, rattle the door of passing cars and drift endlessly out from under teenage bedroom doors.
These are the songs you hear playing in the background under sporting montages on TV and you hear them in shops while you’re buying your holiday essentials.
Summer Anthems soundtrack good times with friends at weddings, birthday celebrations, beach parties, graduation balls, back garden BBQs, music festivals and after work drinks in packed bars.
So can we have a summer anthem if none of these collective shared moments happen?
Because perfect summer anthems are more than just the music.
They’re about where we hear them and who we hear them with.
Shared Experiences Create Summer Anthems
There is a strong chance this summer will not be defined by any one song.
While the pubs, bars and restaurants have re-opened for socially distanced drinks revelry is off the cards.
Radio and streaming services boast increased listening figures as people work from home and have the freedom to listen more.
But who wants to be reminded about the summer they missed their family, friends and so much social life?
Summer Defining Anthems
Here is a list of some of the biggest summer anthems of the century.
Scroll down and see how many remind you of a positive time and place.
2000 Spiller Feat. Sophie Ellis Bextor – Groovejet
2001 Shaggy – It Wasn’t Me
2002 Daniel Beddingfield – Gotta Get Through This
2003 R Kelly – Ignition (The Remix)
2004 The Killers – Mr Brightside
2005 Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes – Don’t Cha
2006 Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean – Hips Don’t Lie
2007 Rihanna – Umbrella
2008 Flo Rida – Low
2009 Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
2010 Rihanna – Only Girl The World
2011 Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer – Give Me Everything
2012 Nicki Minaj – Starships
2013 Daft Punk – Get lucky
2014 Pharrell Williams – Happy
2015 Mark Ronson / Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk
2016 Drake Feat. Wizkid & Kyla – One Dance
2017 Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Feat. Justin Bieber – Despacito
2018 Calvin Harris Feat. Dua Lipa – One Kiss
2019 Calvin Harris Feat. Rag & Bone Man – Giant
The Summer Anthem Of 2020
Without lockdown we know Nathan Dawes “Flowers” would be a contender to be the summer anthem of 2020.
The original garage anthem from 20 years ago has instant familiarity for graduating teenagers and 30 something wedding guests who partied with the Sweet Female Attitude version first time around.
This isn’t the only early 00’s throwback breaking through as Jubel breathe new life into Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader and cheese fans will delight in the Romeo Classic‘s reworking of S Club 7’s Don’t Stop Movin‘.
Popular Culture Influences
ITV2’s Love Island has become a big influence on our summer soundtrack. It’s another shared experience missing from this year.
If it was on our screens songs like Head & Heart by Joel Corry x MNEK would undoubtedly be contenders for the summer anthem of 2020.
Another contender for the title arrived in the last fortnight.
Savage Love by JAWSH 685 and Jason Derulo has just hit number 1 thanks to exposure by TikTok.
It has the potential to be 2020’s “Despacito” with its infectious vibe.
But while we might hear these songs playing on our social media feeds we’re unlikely to remember those moments in years to come.
Memories are defined by the songs we experienced collectively they have the ability to turn each of us into time travellers within a few notes.
Hopefully we won’t have too long to wait until those good times return.
When they do we’ll be ready to party!
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