Songs of the Summer, Vol. III
Welcome, fellow summerphiles! I love every season of the year, but there is just something about the sweet, sweet summertime that makes me especially joyous. I love nothing more than to kick off my shoes, grab an icy cocktail, and run around in a bathing suit with a sick soundtrack behind me. Hence, my newest Saturday series, “Songs of the Summer.” Don’t we all secretly wish that we had a movie score playing behind us at the most poignant and pivotal parts of our lives? Well, consider me your personal Danny Elfman, here to give you the soundtrack to summer 2k17.
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1. Me You, Russ
“Mmmmm yeah, there’s a difference.” God, this song just grabs me from the very first seconds. Very few tracks can make me involuntarily bob the head, and Russ’ song is one of them. I am also in awe of the crazy awesome hustle that Russ has put into his music—he produces, mixes, masters, and writes everything himself. The premise behind this song is just that—Russ is in a league of his own because of all the heart and discipline he brings to his craft. Plus, the beat is just super sick. Put this on your summer motivation playlist.
Best Lyric:
Me, still right here with who I came with
Me, self-made, my circles on the same shit
You, got a new crew every weekend
You, don't want it that bad, keep sleeping
Recommended for: those who love the hustle, grinders, reminding yourself what you are working for
2. Sorry for Now, Linkin Park
I haven’t thought of Linkin Park since Hybrid Theory in 2000, when I was wearing studded belts and green Converse sneakers while simultaneously sneaking into punk rock concerts held in church basements. This song really hits me, both melodically and lyrically. It’s light and breezy—and I feel the brutal honesty of an apology for something that cannot change. I appreciate the idea of being sorry, yet unapologetic in the face of necessary action. I mean, just listen to the song, and you’ll get what I’m saying. It’s super earnest, and it makes me excited to bump the rest of the One More Light album ASAP.
Best Lyric:
So I'll be sorry for now
That I couldn't be around
Sometimes things refuse
To go the way we planned
Recommended for: breakups, quitting jobs, having to make the hard choices in life
3. All the Pretty Girls, Kenny Chesney
Another country song that reminds me of being back home in Indiana…what’s new? But this one—-oh, this one. It really reminds me of coming back to the Midwest for a night or two after moving out West. Kenny does a great job of wrapping that “anywhere but here” mentality that everyone in the Midwest seems to have at one time or another into a very poppy country song that isn’t too depressing. Bottom line? Super catchy country bopper—put this one on your playlist for the barefoot backyard BBQ times this summer.
Best Lyric:
All the pretty girls said pick me up at eight
All the pretty girls said I'm going to L.A
All the pretty girls said I hate my hair
Talking to the mirror in their underwear
Recommended for: cruisin’ your hometown, drinking a whiskey neat, talking to the mirror (in your underwear)
4. Say Less, Dillon Francis feat. G-Eazy
I love Dillon Francis. I love G-Eazy. This is clearly a doubly perfect collaboration. I’ve invented no less than three dance moves to this song, and I’m not even upset about it. Couple those “sick beats” with G-Eazy’s sultry scratch of a lyrical voice—and I’m obsessed. Like the song says, I’mma say less. Just go listen. Thank me later.
Best Lyric:
Look baby, pass the Stella
Don’t spill on me, that’s Margiela
(Lyrics aren’t deep, true, but I love the idea of G-Eazy being irked at a girl spilling a beer on his fancy jacket)
Recommended for: dance parties (either solo, or with others—pick your poison), Vegas pools, Festival Pre-party
5. Begin Again, Dispatch
Who didn’t have Dispatch on heavy rotation in college? I know that my dorm room was always mashing up some combination of Dispatch’s Bang Bang, Snow Patrol’s Eyes Open, and James Blunt’s Back to Bedlam (added for extra emo-ness, of course). I was completely surprised when I ran across this track on Spotify’s New Music Friday. It didn’t sound like the Dispatch from my youth, yet the lyrics resonated with me in a way much deeper than anything on Bang Bang did. I highly recommend checking out the entirety of the new album—America, Location 12, but this is my song du jour.
Best Lyric:
You can begin again
Honey, you can begin again.
Recommended for: laying in the grass and staring at the trees, background jams for drinking tea and talking philosophy, driving with all the windows down