Sound of summer: 40 great sunny anthems from past and present

There’s no getting away from it — we don’t get much in the way of summer in Ireland. Sure, there’s bound to be a heatwave sometime in the season to get us all scrambling for the sandals, but overall, the months of June, July and August are a mediocre mix of cloud, rain and the odd glimpse of sunshine. The barbecue and sun loungers we optimistically brought out of the shed at the end of May are looking rather forlorn under grey skies by the end of July, and the shorts and T-shirts we’ve pulled out of the cupboard in anticipation of sunny days are still lying there waiting to be worn. And this year there’s the added worry of whether we’ll even make it through Dublin Airport to catch our flight to the sun.

Perhaps it’s the dearth of real sun, but we also love a good summer anthem — it’s a bit of nostalgia for those summers past we never really had. Every time we hear Bryan Adams’s Summer of ‘69, we’re immediately brought back to summer 1985, when every day was a sunny day — at least on MTV. A good summer anthem will wash away all that rain, bathe you in ultraviolet rays, and leave nothing but blue skies.

But what makes a great summer anthem? Just as a good Christmas song should give you that Christmassy feeling, a good summer song should evoke that summertime feeling and trigger thoughts of long, lazy summer days by the beach, barbecues, driving with the top down, or sunbathing with the top off. It doesn’t have to have been released during the summer months — because as soon as the sun comes out, it’s sure to get heavy rotation on the car radio. It doesn’t even have to contain the words “summer” or “sunshine”, or even be about summer — although, just to save some time, I’m going to stick with lyrics of a vaguely summery bent, otherwise we could be here until September.

Heat Waves — Glass Animals

Talk about a slow burner. Heat Waves was released back in June 2020, and hit the UK top 10, but as a winter of Covid discontent set in, more people turned to the song to keep them feeling warm and fuzzy during lockdown. A year after it was released, Heat Waves topped the Billboard Hot 100, the longest-ever journey taken by a song to the US number one slot. Two years later, the song is still in Spotify’s Top 50 Global most-played songs, so that’s the third summer in a row it’s sticking to our psychs like a melted Solero.

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Mr Blue Sky — ELO

How do you perfectly encapsulate that feeling of unbridled joy when the rain lets up, the clouds disperse and the sun finally makes its long-delayed appearance? How about a baroque, Beatlesque mini-symphony that anthropomorphises a clear expanse of firmament? Mr Blue Sky was the fourth song of a suite entitled Rainy Day Concerto, which featured on the band’s 1977 album Out of the Blue, and for many it’s ELO’s finest moment. With a stomping refrain, a ringing cowbell (actually a fire extinguisher), a vocoder break and an operatic finale, Mr Blue Sky was a true climatic epic. It’s getting played a lot this summer thanks to the Lotto ad, but that doesn’t diminish its sheer solar power.

The Beatles — Here Comes the Sun

The Fab Four had no shortage of sunny tunes, but this song, written by George Harrison and featuring on the Abbey Road album, is a shining gem for all seasons. Harrison came up with the tune while hanging out at his mate Eric Clapton’s house in the spring of 1969, and finished it off while on holiday in Sardinia, so it came preloaded with copious quantities of vitamin D. After years in the shadow of John and Paul, this was truly George’s moment in the sun, and he made the most of it, even bringing in his latest toy — a Moog synthesiser — for the middle eight.

The B-52s — Rock Lobster

The party band from Athens, Georgia were — as their name suggested — unashamed retro-heads, and their debut single, released in 1978, was inspired by early-1960s surf music, and featured Farfisa organ and a 1950s Mosrite electric guitar. The lyrics were inspired by a beach party attended by singer Fred Schneider, and they list off a veritable menagerie of aquatic life — both human and piscine — including a narwhal, a dogfish and something called a bikini whale. The perfect song for Irish summers in the 1970s, before we heard of sunblock, when the lobster look was de rigueur.

July — Mundy

When Mundy was dropped by his record label after one album (and having his track To You I Bestow on Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet soundtrack), he simply started his own record label and release his second album, 24-Star Hotel, which featured this scorching summer tune, perfect for listening to while catching some rays in Stephen’s Green on your lunchbreak. With lyrics about gorgeous Levi asses, pocket trouts and greyhound skirts, the song was filled with more innuendo than a Benny Hill sketch, but it perfectly captured the feeling of being young and horny and having a touch of sunstroke.

Summer in Dublin — Bagatelle

Ireland seldom gets much of a summer, but we do have a few good summer anthems we can call our own, and this 1980 song is one Dubs could really relate to. Yes, during our rare summer heatwaves, the Liffey really did stink like hell, and in our fevered state, the young people walking down Grafton Street really looked like they’d stepped straight off Malibu Beach. By rights, this song should have topped charts around the world, but it remains a purely local pleasure, and no less of a classic for that.

Good Vibrations — The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys pretty much invented the summer anthem, scoring a string of hits with songs about surfing, cars and girls, and turning early 1960s radio into a sunny vibe zone. Brian Wilson had the knack of knocking off such sun-drenched megahits as Surfin’ USA, Fun, Fun, Fun and California Girls and still have time to work on his tan. But these were mere pop confections in comparison with what came later: Wilson’s melancholy ode to lost summers, Surf’s Up, and this, his stone classic summer anthem that really says it all about that summertime feeling.

Watermelon Sugar — Harry Styles

When the ex-One Directioner released his 2019 hit, it seems the only one who didn’t know its double meaning was actor Katherine Heigl. She apparently posted a video of her kids dancing to it, and then was shocked when someone pointed out what watermelon sugar was really about. Still, the kids don’t need to know, do they? What — they already know?!

In the Summertime — Mungo Jerry/Shaggy

In the summer of 1970 Mungo Jerry shone some much-needed sunshine on an economically depressed England with this stomping skiffle ode to carefree summer holidays spent drinking, driving and chasing girls. Written by the band’s singer Ray Dorset in just 10 minutes while he was on a break during his day job, the song went on to top charts around the world, and had young fans trying gamely to grow sideboards as big as Dorset’s. Twenty-five years later, reggae artist Shaggy took the song to the top of the charts again.

Hot in Herre — Nelly

When the mercury goes through the roof, what are you gonna do? Nelly has the answer — just take your clothes off. And there was me about to spend a fortune on air conditioning when all I had to do to cool down was disrobe. Thank you, Nelly. We’re still waiting for the follow-up song for winter, Cold Out Therre, in which Nelly advises us to put our big woolly jumpers on.

Summertime — DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

Will Smith aka The Fresh Prince and his sidekick DJ Jazzy Jeff caught the summer vibe in 1991 with this sunny R&B anthem, all about poolside parties, cruising, cookouts and clambakes, a million miles away from the mean streets of da hood.

California Dreaming — The Mamas and the Papas

This tune from 1966 became a summer anthem for the love generation — even though it was really about winter. With lyrics about brown leaves and grey skies, the song — released in the middle of November — conveyed a melancholy longing for those lazy, hazy days hanging out in Laurel Canyon. And we’ve all been tempted to stop off in a church and pray for the sun to come out.

Sheryl Crow — Soak Up the Sun

When the going gets tough, the tough get out the flip flops and head straight for the beach. In 2002, Crow was recovering from surgery and wanted to write a tune to cheer herself up, and what better way to lift your mood than a day lounging in the sun? The tune became a bit of musical balm for an America in the post-9/11 doldrums, and duly became a smash hit.

California Gurls — Katy Perry

Not to be confused with the correctly spelt California Girls by The Beach Boys, this tune had all the sugar-coating of a summer anthem, but with Perry posing nearly naked and Snoop Dogg throwing in a few double entendres, this was a far cry from the innocence of 60s surf music.

Summer in the City — Lovin’ Spoonful

Summer isn’t always about tropical beaches and poolside parties. For people stuck in the city, it can be sticky, sweaty and uncomfortable, with seemingly no respite from the searing concrete heat. But this song, released in July 1966, had a suggested solution: wait until nightfall when everything cools down and you can really get down and party without worrying about BO.

Long Hot Summer — Style Council

When Paul Weller and Mick Talbot wanted to capture the vibe of a long, languid summer floating by, they came up with this long, languid tune that floated nicely on a bassy synth line and a slow-clapping beat.

Steal My Sunshine — Len

This Canadian band were fronted by siblings Marc and Sharon Costanzo, and this song was probably the first smash hit by a brother-sister duo since The Carpenters. The song was inspired by 1970s disco and The Human League’s Don’t You Want Me, but became a summer anthem for slackers and grungeheads.

Boys of Summer — Don Henley/DJ Sammy

When The Eagles broke up in 1980 (spoiler alert: they got back together), the scene was set for a summer anthem showdown between two of the band’s main men, Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Frey had The Heat Is On, from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack in 1984, but that same year Henley hit the sweet spot with this tune that tapped into everyone’s secret dream of getting things back to the way they were during that perfect summer long gone. DJ Sammy released a new version of it in 2002, and it hit number two on the Irish dance charts.

Island in the Sun — Weezer

Rivers Cuomo and his band were experts in turning simple four-chord riffs into ridiculously catchy songs, and Island in the Sun was as infectious as you get, evoking visions of lounging on your own private paradise, probably with a hash pipe by your side.

Vacation — The Go-Gos

The LA girl band spent about 50 grand making the video for this top 10 hit in 1982 — and it was worth every cent, featuring an memorable segment in which the girls appear to be waterskiing in formation. Even though it was filmed in a studio, the girls looked wobbly on their skis — possibly because they were pretty tipsy on champagne. The song was reintroduced to fans via the 2019 movie Spider-Man: Far from Home.

Cruel Summer — Bananarama

Bananarama weren’t the types to pose around in bikinis like other girlbands, and in the video for this 1983 tune about long, uncomfortable summer with no respite from the heat, they chose baggy dungarees and billowy shirts. No wonder they were hot and bothered. The song hit big when it was included in the soundtrack for The Karate Kid, but don’t mix it up with Taylor Swift’s 2019 song of the same name.

Sun Is Shining — Bob Marley

Sun is Shining was an obscure 1971 track by the reggae god, until Danish house producer Funkstar De Luxe turned it into an Ibiza club banger, sealing its place in Marley’s canon forever more. Apparently, this was the first time the estate of the late, great Jamaican star gave clearance for one of his songs to be remixed. Needless to say, most of Marley’s other classic hits need no remixing to get the party started.

Despacito — Luis Fonsi, Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee

Summer isn’t really here until you start hearing a Spanish-language banger wafting from the beachside speakers, but who wants to hear Macarena or La Bamba every flipping summer? This tune by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee set the tone for a more seductive style of Spanish anthem, and Justin Bieber saw the potential for this song to propel him into a more grown-up space. The remix version featuring the Bieb duly became a smash hit.

Summerlove Sensation — Bay City Rollers

For guys growing up in the 1970s, nothing was more annoying than your little sister hogging the stereogram to play her Bay City Rollers records, or putting her posters of the tartan-wearing boyband over your Pink Floyd poster. And hearing Summerlove Sensation coming on the radio when all you wanted to hear was Bowie or Roxy Music added to the summer misery.

Summer Nights — John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John

From the soundtrack of the movie Grease, here’s John and Olivia looking at the same summer from two very different perspectives. You know the story: she’s all drippy and romantic, he’s all macho and priapic. Like ice lollies, the song became a bit cloying after a zillion weeks at number one, and there was relief all round when Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats’ toppled it from the top spot and the band tore up pictures of John and Olivia on Top of the Pops.

Bryan Adams — Summer of 69

In summer 1991, Bryan Adams’s Everything I Do (I Do It for You) clung like a limpet to the number one slot, pretty much ruining everyone’s holidays. But six years previously, he made summer fun with this rollicking slice of summer nostalgia. Apparently, it’s not about the year 1969 (Adams would have been just 10), but about sexual awakening. Whatever, it’s still a popular poolside anthem, and almost makes up for that bloody Robin Hood song.

Undertones — Here Comes the Summer

The Sex Pistols may have wanted anarchy, and the Clash wanted a white riot, but all Derry band The Undertones wanted was to hang out on the beach with all the pretty girls. You had to admire the optimism of these pasty-faced punk lads — sure God loves a trier. Here Comes the Summer made Teenage Kicks seem like Bohemian Rhapsody, but it was an example of The Undertones’ refreshing ability not to take themselves too seriously.

The Thrills — Santa Cruz

The Thrills hailed from the South Dublin suburb of Blackrock, but their hearts were in sunny California, and they honed their vibey west coast sound while spending a few months living in San Diego. Their 2002 debut single packed all their influences in, from The Beach Boys to Big Star, and proved a great calling card for their debut album So Much for the City. Sadly, the appeal of The Thrills wore off faster than a holiday tan, but Santa Cruz still holds a lingering aftersun flavour.

Picture House — Sunburst

The Dublin band were dab hands at writing catchy if slightly cheesy songs, and Sunburst was a joyous burst of summer vibes that did the business for the band back in 1998. And thanks to its use by a big retailer in its advertising campaign, the song was inescapable, but hopefully it made a few bob for the band, since they never really topped that song’s success.

Lana Del Rey vs Cedric Gervais — Summertime Sadness

This tune was one of many languid, melancholy tunes on Del Rey’s Born to Die album, but when French DJ Cedric Gervais matched it with some insistent Ibiza beats, the song became a worldwide smash, soundtracking many a cruel summer for millennials.

Rockaway Beach — Ramones

Spring, summer, autumn, winter ... whatever the season, one thing that never changed was The Ramones’ power-punk formula, and Rockaway Beach sticks resolutely to the band’s quick-fire three-chord template and simple, snappy lyrics. This one is from their third album, Rocket to Russia, and eulogises the public beach in Queens, New York, near where the band members grew up, making it seem, frankly, like paradise on earth. It’s a bit like Fontaines DC writing a summer anthem called Dollymount Strand and putting it in a whole new light.

Echo Beach — Martha & the Muffins

As soon as you hear the insistent opening guitar lick for this 1980 hit by Canadian combo Martha and the Muffins, you can feel the prickly heat rising in the back of your neck. The band’s guitarist, Mark Gane, wrote the song while working in a wallpaper factory, and fantasying about escaping his mundane job and fetching up at a seaside idyll. If you’re wondering where the real Echo Beach is, Gane says he just made up the name because it sounded cool.

That Summer Feeling — Jonathan Richman

Don’t go chasing waterfalls, warned TLC, but back in 1978, in this languid six-minute mini-epic, Jonathan Richman warned against chasing after that elusive summer vibe from your youth. Why? Because “that summer feeling is gonna haunt you one day in your life” until you become a sad, somewhat pitiful old person skulking around on beaches creeping people out.

Summertime — Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

“Summertime and the living is easy ...” This instantly recognisable jazz standard by George Gershwin has been covered by many artists over the past 80 years, so whatever version you choose, you can be sure the fish will be jumping, the cotton will be high and your parents won’t be short on looks or money.

Jan & Dean — Surf City

The Beach Boys were the kings of early 1960s surf pop, but before they hit big with such tunes as Surfin’ USA and California Girls, Brian Wilson co-wrote this tune with his pal Jan Berry, and it became a smash hit in summer 1963 for Berry and his musical partner Dean Torrence, much to the annoyance of Wilson’s dad and Beach Boys manager Murry Wilson.

Summertime Blues — Eddie Cochran

In 1958, rocker Eddie Cochran knew exactly what the kids wanted, and it wasn’t a sappy tune about summer romance or seaside outings. They wanted a song that captured that teenage boredom of being broke and stuck in a summer job while everyone else was whooping it up in the sun, and that told the unvarnished truth: “There ain’t no cure for the summertime blues.”

Summer Holiday — Cliff Richard and The Shadows

When your parents were kids, their favourite movie was Summer Holiday, in which Cliff and his pals board a double-decker bus and set off for sunny Greece in search of good times and romance. The lead track was this jolly little ditty that contained absolutely no double meanings or sexual references of any kind — a big feat for a summer anthem.

Seals & Crofts: Summer Breeze

This 1972 soft-rock hit was so simpering and innocuous, it should have been renamed Summer Cheese. The perpetrators of this piece of mellow middle-of-the-road melange were a Texan duo, Jim Seals and Dash Crofts, and this tune propelled them into the big-time. The Isley Brothers’s 1974 version is probably better-known on this side of the pond, but they’re way too cool — you just gotta stick with the pungent original.

Club Tropicana — Wham!

This 1983 tune was meant to satirise the rise of the Club 18-30 package holiday set, but ended up becoming their theme tune. Anyone who was surprised when George Michael came out as gay in 1997 obviously hadn’t seen the video for this song, a sun-drenched homoerotic dream.

Sunshine Reggae — Laid Back

No cheesy summer playlist is complete without this tune by Danish electropop duo Laid Back, replete with ersatz dubby sounds and a singer who sounds like Goldmember from Austin Powers. It reached number one in Germany and Austria in 1983, and charting in some Benelux countries and even parts of South America.