Every year at least since the birth of the internet, people have come together to decide which bop deserves the title “Song of the Summer.” But 2024 has given us an abundance of options to choose from.
Remember when you couldn’t turn on the radio (remember radios?) without hearing “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado, in 2006, or “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk and Pharrell, in 2013? Even the fever dream of a year that was 2020 still provided earworm anthems in the form of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” and “Say So” by Doja Cat. Summer 2022, by contrast, was more about albums, belonging to the entirety of Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, as well as Beyoncé’s Renaissance.
And summer 2024 has blessed our ears with a robust offering from a surprising selection of pop underdogs, like Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli XCX—although heavy hitters like Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish would also like a word. Because it’s simply too hard to pick just one, Harper’s Bazaar editors share their personal favorite songs of summer below. Happy listening!
“Nasty” by Tinashe
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Tinashe – Nasty (Official Video)
There’s no debating that the existential question of 2024 is simply this: Is somebody gonna match my freak? Pop connoisseurs know Tinashe has always been capable of producing bops, but “Nasty” is much more than a song—it’s an accumulation of all the energy, tension, and chaos encompassed by an ideal sexy summer. —Bianca Betancourt, culture editor
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“Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter
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Sabrina Carpenter – Please Please Please (Official Video)
This is the kind of lighthearted song you can expect to be replayed over and over this summer and for summers to come. Sabrina Carpenter has perfected the pop anthem formula: witty lyrics combined with her syrupy voice, plus a dash of sparkly, saccharine synth. What’s not to love? —Chelsey Sanchez, associate editor
“Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan
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Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe! (Official Lyric Video)
One day back in 2021, my Spotify played me Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” and blew my mind. Who was this highly theatrical person singing her heart out about how great it is to run away from your small town and find freedom in the big city? She had the politics of the queer and feminist punk singers I grew up listening to, but the packaging was pure pop cabaret. I hit like and forgot all about it until May, when Roan was suddenly everywhere. It’s hard to pick one track from her 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, but in terms of sheer ubiquity, this year’s follow-up single “Good Luck, Babe!” is my choice for song of the summer. —Izzy Grinspan, digital director
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“Apple” by Charli XCX
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Charli xcx – Apple (official lyric video)
In case you haven’t heard, it’s a brat girl summer. It’s hard to choose just one song off of Charli XCX’s Brat that encapsulates my summer soundtrack, but if I have to pick, I’ll go with “Apple.” It’s upbeat, catchy, makes you want to dance, and has that addictive quality all summer songs should have. My neighbors might start to wonder why I’m singing the words “the airport” so repetitively, but the vibes are too good! —Olivia Alchek, senior designer
“360” by Charli XCX
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Charli xcx – 360 (official video)
“360” by Charli XCX is the ultimate It girl anthem of the summer—especially for all the Julias out there! It’s also catchy with a fun beat that I’ll dance to any chance I can get, whether I’m at a summer party or simply commuting. —Jaclyn Alexandra Cohen, senior fashion and accessories editor
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It’s Charli’s Brat summer, and we’re just living in it. I’ve been listening to “Apple” and “360” on repeat. While I may be blasting the tracks as I strut around the city or sit at my desk, they allow me to imagine I’m a messy party girl who straddles the line between fun and slightly unhinged—or just myself, but having a wild European summer. But really, any song from the album conjures this feeling, and I’ll be playing it well into the fall. —Katie Intner, associate beauty editor
“TGIF” by GloRilla
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GloRilla – TGIF (Official Music Video)
I’ve been playing “TGIF” nonstop—on the train to work, mid-flight, when I’m just lying down in my apartment to reset. The heavy beat mixed with GloRilla’s husky rap adds up to a feel-good anthem that makes me feel confident and sexy while getting me in mindset to do what needs to be done. —Michella Ore, fashion commerce editor
“Heat” by Tove Lo and SG Lewis
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Tove Lo & SG Lewis – HEAT (Official Music Video)
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Throughout this blisteringly hot season, I—like all the girls and gays—have been streaming Charli, Sabrina, and Chappell nonstop. However, if I have to pick one track for 2024’s song of the summer, I have to choose “Heat.” No matter how sweaty or exhausted I am, this track immediately pulls me to my feet and get my booty shaking. When I close my eyes, it instantly transports me to the club, even if I’m actually just dancing around in my kitchen or the shower. Tove Lo has always been a master of pulsing earworms, and this latest single does not disappoint. Honorable mentions go to “Sympathy Is a Knife” by Charli XCX, “Spite” by Omar Apollo, and “Howdy” by Astrid S. —Joel Calfee, editorial assistant
“Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
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Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
While I count myself a Drake fan, this list would not be complete without Kendrick Lamar’s viral hit “Not Like Us,” which has reigned over the Billboard charts and streaming platforms for weeks. The song’s popularity only continued to grow after Kendrick hosted one-off concert “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends” in June in Inglewood, California, and even more so once the official music video was released. —Tiffany Dodson, associate beauty commerce editor
The entirety of Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eilish
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Billie Eilish – BIRDS OF A FEATHER (Official Lyric Video)
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The summer belongs to Billie. It’s impossible for me to just pick one song off of her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft. I oscillate every morning between “Birds of a Feather,” “Chihiro,” and “L’Amour de Ma Vie,” but also: special shout-out to “Wildflower” and “The Greatest” (and “Bittersuite” and “Blue”). I’m telling you, this album has no skips! I love it with all my heart, and unlike every other music I have ever heard in my life, I have yet to get sick of it. —Faith Brown, senior social media editor
“Protector” by Beyoncé
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Beyoncé, Rumi Carter – PROTECTOR (Official Lyric Video)
This track might not induce the same urge to hit the dance floor as other Cowboy Carter tracks, like “Ya Ya” and “Riiverdance,” but it’s still just as infectious. After a sweet intro by now-seven-year-old Rumi Carter, Beyoncé sings “Protector” as an ode to her children. You don’t need to be a parent to feel stirred by lines like “I first saw your face in your father’s gaze / There’s a long line of hands carryin’ your name.” The song is also a poignant evocation of late summer days. Its verses are imbued with pastoral descriptions (“Hummin’ low as the garden river flows / While the August light becomes a golden evenin’ ”) that remind me of quintessential seasonal activities, like going on road trips or floating on a still lake. —Chelsey Sanchez, associate editor
“Yeah x10” by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Challengers (Original Score)
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Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Yeah x10 | Challengers (Original Score)
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If Chappell, Charli, and Sabrina are on the Mount Rushmore of this summer’s musical mothers, my vote for the fourth spot may be a bit unconventional: Mariqueen Maandig, the singer who lent her voice to husband Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for their soundtrack to sexy tennis drama Challengers. That’s because the album’s third track, “Yeah x10,” is the purest distillation of what I want in an anthem. A woman’s voice (reportedly Maandig’s, uncredited) delivers the word “yeah” over and over with cool indifference over a grinding bass, drum beat, and electronic backing. A friend called it her “hot girl walk” song. It turns any walk into a strut, and that’s the only way to walk through life. —Nojan Aminosharei, special projects editor
“Tough” by Quavo, Lana Del Rey
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Quavo, Lana Del Rey – Tough (Official Video)
I know everyone is having a Brat summer (and as a longtime fan of Charli XCX, I am too), but there is just something about listening to Lana Del Rey that transports me to this season, even when we’re in the dead of winter. I’ve had her new song with Quavo, “Tough,” on repeat since it came out. It makes me somehow deeply nostalgic, like if I close my eyes and listen to it enough, it’s 2012 again and everything is mostly right in the world. —Tara Gonzalez, senior fashion editor
“No Machine” by Adrianne Lenker
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adrianne lenker – no machine (official lyric video)
Lenker, front woman of the indie-folk band Big Thief, released a new solo album, Bright Future, in March, and I haven’t stopped listening to its fourth track, “No Machine,” since. It’s a gorgeous folky love song backed by sparse acoustic guitar and featuring tender lyrics that draw parallels between love and elements of nature—perfect for lazy days in the sun with the people you love. —Ariana Marsh, senior features editor
“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” by Taylor Swift
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Taylor Swift – I Can Do It With a Broken Heart (Official Lyric Video)
This bop is classic Taylor: deep, emotional lyrics set to a poppy tune. And for me, it’s just a happy reminder that it’s summer and everything will turn out okay if you just keep dancing. —Rosa Sanchez, senior news editor
