Topline
Critics, charts and even former President Barack Obama have weighed in on their picks for this year’s song of the summer, with Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Beyonce’s “Break My Soul,” Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” and several Bad Bunny songs all standing as leading contenders.
Beyonce appears at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021.
Key Facts
Billboard’s 2022 Songs Of The Summer chart—which tracks the commercial success of songs from Memorial Day to Labor Day—has been led by “As It Was” for all eight weeks, as the track has sat near the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for months.
Other frontrunners on Billboard’s list have included Jack Harlow’s “First Class,” Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” Future, Drake and Tems’ “Wait For U” and “Running Up That Hill.”
Esquire’s list of the best songs of the season included “As It Was,” “Break My Soul,” Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó,” Charlie Puth and Jungkook’s “Left and Right,” Kendrick Lamar, Blxst’s and Amanda Reifer’s “Die Hard” and Drake’s “Massive.”
Obama recently released his annual summer playlist, which highlighted newer songs like Doechii and SZA’s “Persuasive,” Styles’ “Music For a Sushi Restaurant,” “Break My Soul,” and Bad Bunny and Bomba Estéreo’s “Ojitos Lindos.”
Pitchfork selected “Running Up That Hill,” “Ojitos Lindos,” “Break My Soul” and “As It Was” as “bonafide contenders” for the song-of-the-summer honor.
The Guardian’s critics included Cardi B, Kanye West’s and Lil Durk’s “Hot S–t,” “Break My Soul,” Sky Ferreria’s “Don’t Forget” and another Bad Bunny track, “Yo No Soy Celoso” among their favorites.
Key Background
Bad Bunny’s newly-released album Un Verano Sin Ti has topped the Billboard 200 for seven weeks, while “As It Was” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks since its April release. “Break My Soul” has reached a peak of No. 6 on the Hot 100, but that’s expected to change now that Beyoncé’s album Renaissance was released last week. Contenders for last year’s song of the summer included Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U,” BTS’ “Butter” and Dua Lipa’s “Levitating.”
Big Number
Five. That’s how many weeks are left until Labor Day, the unofficial end of the summer season.
Further Reading
Lizzo Tops Hot 100 Again As Glass Animals’ ‘Heat Waves’ Breaks Chart Record (Forbes)
Harry Styles’ Hit ‘As It Was’ Tops Billboard Chart For 10th Time—Tying Adele And BTS (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/01/top-song-of-the-summer-contenders-as-it-was-break-my-soul-running-up-that-hill/