You flip on the radio and it’s playing. You’re at a the club on a Saturday night—or perhaps somewhere more low key, like a friend’s barbecue—and it’s there. Stroll down the aisles of Best Buy and it’s blaring out of multiple speakers. It’s the inescapable Song Of Summer, and your life has been riddled with them—from “Waterfalls and “Macarena” to “We Belong Together” and “I Kissed A Girl.” It’s not necessarily your favorite jam from the sunny stretch of the year, but it’s one that saturates your consciousness enough to conjure up memories of those fleeting months when you hear it long after.
So what has been the defining tune of this particular summer? You’ll no doubt read several writeups telling you what it is, but we want to let you have your say. Check out the seven contenders we rounded up after the jump, and vote for which you think is the official Song Of Summer 2010.
SONG OF SUMMER 2010: THE CONTENDERS
“Airplanes” — B.o.B feat. Hayley Williams
THE PLAYERS: Twenty-one-year-old B.o.B teamed up with Bruno Mars and sideswiped radio this past spring with #1 single “Nothin’ On You.” Here Bobby Ray snags Paramore frontchick Hayley Williams for an equally hook-laden jam.
MOST INFECTIOUS LINE: “I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now.”
PEAK CHART POSITION (SO FAR): #2
“Billionaire” — Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars
THE PLAYERS: Gym Class Heroes singer Travie struck gold with this breezy summer track—his first single off his debut solo album—by teaming up with in-demand singer-songwriter Bruno Mars (see: B.o.B’s “Nothin’ On You”).
MOST INFECTIOUS LINE: “Every time I close my eyes, I see my name in shining lights.”
PEAK CHART POSITION (SO FAR): #4
“California Gurls” — Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg
THE PLAYERS: Cotton candy nudist Katy Perry is no stranger to cranking out defining summer singles—two years ago she spent seven weeks atop the Hot 100 with “I Kissed A Girl.” She returned in May with (naturally) West Coast rap heavyweight Snoop Dogg and writer-producers Max Martin and Dr. Luke in tow for this undeniable piece of bubblegum.
MOST INFECTIOUS LINE: “We freak in my jeep, Snoop Doggy Dogg on the stereo.”
PEAK CHART POSITION (SO FAR): #1
“Dynamite” — Taio Cruz
THE PLAYERS: Katy Perry wasn’t the only Song Of Summer contender to get a Max Martin/Dr. Luke jam. Twenty-eight-year-old British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz followed up his #1 U.S. single “Break Your Heart” with this shameless ode to clubbing and lighting it up like it’s dy-no-mite.
MOST INFECTIOUS LINE: “I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, sayin’ ay-yo, gotta let go.”
PEAK CHART POSITION (SO FAR): #4
“I Like It” — Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull
THE PLAYERS: Latin heartthrob Enrique Iglesias heated up the campaign for his lead single off ninth album Euophoria by enlisting rapper Pitbull, tying the song in with hit MTV series Jersey Shore and promising to water ski naked off the coast of Miami if Spain won the World Cup. This led America to wait—and download—with bated breath. The Lionel Richie sample didn’t hurt, either.
MOST INFECTIOUS LINE: “Baby, I like it, the way you move on the floor/Baby, I like it, come on and give me some more.”
PEAK CHART POSITION (SO FAR): #8
“Love The Way You Lie” — Eminem feat. Rihanna
THE PLAYERS: Detroit MC Marshall Mathers offered up his second LP in just over a year this summer, and it’s gone on to spend four weeks at #1 on the Top 200 and spawn two chart-topping singles. The second of which, “Love The Way You Lie,” employs sometimes-chorus-girl Rihanna, who is no stranger to being queen of the Hot 100.
MOST INFECTIOUS LINE: “Just gonna stand there and watch me burn, that’s okay because I like the way it hurts.”
PEAK CHART POSITION (SO FAR): #1
“Your Love” — Nicki Minaj
THE PLAYERS: Possibly the only Young Money artist more prolific and collaborative than Lil Wayne in 2010 is Nicki Minaj. On her second single “Your Love”—a song she never planned to release—the NYC MC shines on her own over a sample of Annie Lennox’s version of “No More ‘I Love You’s’.”
MOST INFECTIOUS LINE: “You’re like a candy store and I’m a todd-lor, you got me wanting more and m-m-more.”
PEAK CHART POSITION (SO FAR): #18
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i Like ‘So Happy i could die by Lady Gaga’ im not sure if its an released single by her, but i Like it, and its not like a Dance/electro song its like Slow, and Pop/R&B Song, that anytime someone Plays it in the Song People go Woah..
I like margo she is an artist from Canada http://www.margoworld.com she has a song called “cover of a magazine” I like that song by Gaga too!
Rhianna and Enimem ‘Love the way you lie’ tie with my favorite B.o.B and Haley with ‘Airplanes’
Those two songs impact your life with reason instead of makng you want to shoot yourself in the head with some stupid candy filled gun. Not only does she look like a cartoon she seems to sing and act like one as well. I can NOT stand to listen to Perry’s voice as well as this song being horrendous.
My vote goes to Something Bout Love by David Archuleta! Should hit the Billboards this next week!!!!! The vocals are killler and it just makes you want to dance!!!! Definately going to be a big hit!!!!
My vote goes to Em & Ri
but truely, I prefer Take it off by Ke$ha
i hate lady gaga a little but she just too much!! did u see the news with lady gaga with her bikini one at a ball game now why would she have a bikini on at a ball game thats what i mean by too much ugh i just hate her!!!!!! ugh
Is this even up for contention? It’s “California Gurls” whether you like it or not, because it was engineered to be that way. And there’s no point getting mad at Katy Perry et al for that… blame the sheep.