A song that captured the essence of summer was Carly Rae Jepsen's "Shy Boy."It felt like constant, ongoing fun, the music a sweet release from anything holding it back. The slower electronic beats of the song made it feel laid-back, without any stress. The lyrics also emphasized this, which can be seen with lyrics such as "I don't care what they say about you/So sick of everybody tellin' me what to do." Jepsen's character was free from any shackles, and so was the song, which often flowed with the lyrics to create a feeling of blissful independence to do what they felt was right for them. In that vein, it very much encapsulated part of what made summer what it truly is at times: A fun release from things keeping you down. - Antoine Powell

Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken,” was a standout track from director Great Gerwig’s Barbie this summer. The over-the-top 80’s inspired power ballad is hilarious and heartfelt. Combining riffs from legendary Guns N Roses guitarist Slash, with the film’s on-the-nose satirical writing. What starts out as immature and entitled with lines like “Where I see love she sees a friend,” evolves when Ken finds his own self-worth, realizing that he can’t rely on the external validation that he seeks from both Barbie and a patriarchal society to give him a sense of identity. The lyric “I’m just Ken (And I’m enough),” encapsulates the song’s campy presentation, while presenting a genuine message of self love. - Eamon Corbo

Barbie, released this past July, not only swept the nation through its all-star cast, like Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, but through its music. Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night”, was the movie’s anthem, being a part of the movie’s main dance number. This upbeat, soft-pop song embraces the idea that though life brings obstacles, one can still enjoy themselves in the moment. Dua Lipa’s crisp yet smooth vocals capture the essence of fun and freedom. Surpassing 300 million views on Spotify, “Dance the Night” is an absolute hit not only in the Barbie World, but in real life too. - Kate Lee

Did you have a cruel summer? “The Eras Tour” was a show-stopping performance with a high demand in tickets. Many people were not able to attend however Taylor Swift gave a piece of her show to all of her Swifties, with the song “Cruel Summer” from her setlist becoming a hit just as big as the concert, if not bigger. One billion streams later, “Cruel Summer” becomes a single from it’s original album. Don’t be fooled by the title, this song contains an uplifting, fun, spunky, and free living tone that helps capture a summer vibe. Whether you heard this tune on the radio, TikTok, or even from somebody walking by and humming it, the song has stuck with you, as there is a compulsive pull to the song. People just love this song and as many have labeled it “The Tune of The Summer”. -Summer Lamont

The Death of God’s Will is a song made for the video game Ultrakill. Opening with introspection, we hear the words of the angel Gabriel, recounting the journey through hell. His voice builds, as he recounts the actions of our player character with perfect hatred. The drawl of pipe organs slowly rises as Gabriel's righteous fury burns, until it stops. “My hands shall relish, ending you, here and now!” Then, metal cuts in as the rugged fury of guitars mixes with the tranquil rage of the pipe organ, as synths blend it together. When Gabriel speaks, the instruments fall into discord. The choir enters, cementing this song as Argent Waltz instead of Argent Metal, due to vocalizations in Latin rather than Sumerian. The instruments get more intense as the choir is replaced with synths. Then the track glitches, symbolizing Gabriel being cut down, before ending with a final blast of the pipe organ. Gabriel delivers his Act 2 monologue, before departing. The rest is reflective piano, slowly descending into nothing. -Bram Cass

While the rest of the country has been experiencing heat waves this summer, Nick Minaj has found a way to cool it down with Ice Spice on their new song. These two women created a rap song from Aqua’s famous song “Barbie Girl”. A hit song that basically tells women that they can be their own Barbie which means to be confident and not be afraid to express your feelings. Barbie herself inspires so many young girls to chase after what they want, and that you can do anything you put your mind to. Minaj says in this song that, “ I'm bad like the Barbie (Barbie) I'm a doll, but I still wanna party (party), pink 'Vette like I'm ready to bend (bend), I'm a ten, so I pull in a Ken, like Jazzie, Stacie, Nicki (grrah), all of the Barbies is pretty…”. She explains to her audience that like Barbie, she can do as she pleases and feels secure in herself, while also uplifting other “Barbies” by saying how they are all attractive. “Barbie World”, an uplifting song for women who may not feel self-sufficient to hype themselves up is what the song of the summer is to me. (We couldn't share the video for this one.) - Heidy Castellanos

Electric Light Orchestra released their hit song in 1977 called, “Mr. Blue Sky” ; this track is on the album Out of the Blue, songwriting by Jeff Lynne. The progressive pop and classic rock song had been voted ‘happiest song of all time’ with the creative criterias these artists used to build this upbeat feel-good song about nature's beautiful days surrounding them assembling the way that they would feel. Lynne expressed in his lyrics admiring nature's beauty as he says “It's a beautiful new day? Hey/Runnin’ down the avenue/See how the sun shines brightly in the city/On the streets where once was pity,” Warm weather wandering out from behind the clouds after gloomy times implying that summer is finally here, “Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why/You had to hide away for so long (so long)/Where did we go wrong?” This cheerful, feel-good song is still drawing in listeners today to this 70s Summer Hit. - Sadie Driscoll