Songs of the summer you probably forgot about

Every now and again, a foreign band comes along to produce the song of the summer, and in 2014, that band hailed from Australia. 5 Seconds of Summer had us all jamming to this pop-punk hit, and we were just as curious to know about the guys behind the song. 

If there’s one thing Lil Wayne knows how to do, it’s make a hit. “Lollipop” is one of those songs that’s instantly recognizable, and it’ll always sound new and fresh. It might’ve been on your summer playlist in the mid-aughts, but it’s just as worthy of your summer playlist today. 

A bit of a one-hit wonder, Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” had everyone in America belting out the chorus, whether we were emotionally stable or not. It was a unique sound that some couldn’t stand, but you sang along no matter your opinion. It was catchy as hell. 

“Cruise” wasn’t the first instance of a collaboration between a country act and a rapper (lest we forget another one of Nelly’s best collabs, “Over and Over” with Tim McGraw), but it was one of the best. It’s commonplace now to hear such opposing genres on one song, but in 2012, it was still new and exciting, making this hit a smash. 

Ariana Grande has amassed such a long list of hits that it’s hard to remember all of them, while Iggy Azalea has had so few that it’s hard to remember them. This song falls somewhere in the middle. It’s not especially memorable now, but you couldn't escape it in the summer of 2014. 

One of the biggest hits of her career, “Lights” by Ellie Goulding provides the perfect backdrop to any club rave to this day. It’s already over 10 years old, but its progressive beat and bell-like tones will always keep it sounding futuristic. If it comes on, you’ll find yourself nodding along. 

Long before a mass conspiracy that Avril Lavigne was dead had flooded the internet, she was just a Canadian emo girl singing songs in a necktie. And “Complicated” had us all in a chokehold. The sentiment rings true today: things don’t have to be so complicated. 

Fergie didn’t record much without the Black Eyed Peas, but the hits that spawned from her 2006 album The Dutchess were massive. “Big Girls Don’t Cry” was the fourth single she released from that album, and it’s got the most plays on Spotify of any song off the record to this day. 

Long before we were bumping to “Dynamite” by BTS, there was “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz. Cruz didn’t release much else of note, but his “Dynamite” was a bona fide banger. It even garnered a Kidz Bop cover, which, if we’re being honest, is a true sign of a hit. 

In the 2000s, if Timbaland was involved in a track, it was certain to do well. Nelly Furtado had a bit of a renaissance in 2006 thanks to her album Loose, which Timbaland produced, and “Promiscuous” was the most successful track off the album, not to mention one of the most successful of the summer that year. 

“Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley is one of those songs that are simultaneously good and surprising that people like. But what was truly crazy was discovering that Gnarls Barkley isn’t a singular person but is actually a duo, including Cee Lo Green.

No matter how long ago you last heard “Slow Motion,” if someone says “uhh,” your automatic response is probably “I like it like that.” This song had everybody following Juvenile’s instructions to move in slow motion, and it was that kind of easy listening that made this song so popular the summer it was released. 

Usher is no stranger to having the song of the summer. And as good as “OMG” is, it still fades into the background of his dizzyingly long and outstanding list of singles. He collaborated with will.i.am when the rapper couldn’t be hotter, and they created a banger that still goes just as hard. 

Lil’ Kim and 50 Cent collaborating in 2003 was like Nicki Minaj and Drake collaborating in 2012. The two rappers were at the top of their game, and this song is quintessential early 2000s rap. The pluck of the guitar over the trap beat was a major earworm, but nobody was complaining. 

Gwen Stefani was always cool, but she has Eve to thank for upping her street cred. “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” wasn’t their only song together, but it’s by far the best. Over 20 years later, it’s just as good a summer jam as it was the day it was released. 

One-hit wonders are really in the business of making inadvertent summer anthems. “Rude” by MAGIC! cast a spell on Americans the year it came out, and it stayed popular beyond the summer. Its music video has over two billion views on YouTube, and we’ll probably never stop singing its hook. 

Nico & Vinz had a short-lived time in the sun with their 2013 summer hit “Am I Wrong.” They capitalized on the period’s frenzy of alternative pop, and they haven’t released nearly as big a hit since. But that summer, their song was one of the first to be played whenever someone was handed the aux. 

According to Google, Mike Posner is an American rapper. Anyone who’s heard “Cooler Than Me,” which is most people who lived in America in 2010, might be surprised to learn that since Posner does not rap on the track. Google semantics aside, “Cooler Than Me” still has a great summer vibe to it. It’s clear why it was so popular that year.

The acoustic version of “Latch” by Sam Smith is a stunning ballad, but Disclosure remixed it into a hit summer song. Smith has the voice of an angel, and Disclosure highlighted all the best parts of it. Turning a ballad into a club banger is no easy feat, and “Latch” is a shining example of how well it can be done. 

By the time “Talk Dirty” came out, we were already well acquainted with his name being stated at the beginning of all of his songs. But we didn’t expect to become so obsessed with a song featuring so much saxophone. It’s still a little shocking, but it’s overridden by the nostalgia it brings for the summer of 2013.