With summer arriving we at Elite begin to ask ourselves the question that every DJ should be asking this time of year: What song will be the Summer Anthem of 2014? To be sure, every summer has one. The song that will stamp itself in our collective memory and become the sound that reminds everyone, for ever and always of that one particular summer.
Last year, despite a brave fight by Daft Punk with “Get Lucky” Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” won the day (feel free to click on that link, it’s the PG version of the video). vTen years from now when you hear that song you’ll harken back (hopefully with good memories) to the summer of 2013. The same goes for “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO which will always bring us back to the summer of 2011. And if you wanna go back even further, we’re sure you’ll recall the great Summer Anthem from 2002, Nelly’s “Hot in Herre“. Or how about “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot which had us all singing “My anaconda don’t want none unless you’ve got buns, hun” in the summer of 1992.So here are the early contenders for the Summer Anthem of 2014. Let us know in the comment section of this blog what your prediction is.
- “Sing” by Ed Sheeran. It’s upbeat and has a fun video to go along with it. Plus it’s written and produced by Pharrell who’s got the Midas Touch lately.
- “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea. It’s been a few years since a hip-hop song won the title of Summer Anthem but if any song can do it, it’s this “girl power” rap song.
- “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith. This one will be high up the charts all summer and we’ll certainly be playing it when we slow things down at most events but ballads rarely take the title of Summer Anthem.
- “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. This one peaked too early. While it definitely has legs and will be a popular dance floor filler all year, it’s hard for a song that was number one all winter to be consisted for Summer Anthem.
- “Beachin” by Jake Owen. Normally we wouldn’t even consider a mellow country song, but wow, this one has all the right elements: a Jimmy Buffet vibe, an ode to coronas and margaritas and a “Don’t Worry Be Happy” reference.
- “Summer” by Calvin Harris. Could a song with the word “Summer” in the title be the next Summer Anthem? After years of writing and producing for other arists, Haris wrote produced and sang on this track (like he did with his previous hit, “Feels So Close”) This one is catchy enough to be a dancefloor mainstay all summer.
- “Problem” by Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea. Like an answer to Jay Z’s “99 Problems” 10 years later this dance song features a rap by Australian hip-hopper Iggy Azalea, meaning Azalea could be like Pharrell last summer, featured on two of the top summer’s hits.
- “Love Runs Out” by OneRepublic. Like almost everything OneRepublic releases this pop song has a solid beat and catchy enough lyrics to stay in the Top 40 for a while. Is it strong enough to be Summer Anthem material? Guess we’ll have to wait to find out.
- “Come Get It Bae” by Pharrell Williams featuring Miley Cyrus. What a perfect follow up to “Happy!” Pharrell offers a stripped down song with a hand clap beat and a chicken scratch guitar. As we’ve said, this guy has the Midas Touch so we wouldn’t bet against him.
- “Birthday” by Katy Perry. Katy Perry is no stranger to Summer Anthems. She’s given us “I Kissed a Girl” in 2008 and “California Girl” in 2010 and who doesn’t love a song that name checks birthdays (we all have one after all).
- “Love Never Felt So Good” by Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. This song has that throwback dance floor vibe all over it and if last summer taught us anything, that’s a pretty good formula for success.
- “Wiggle” by Jason Derulo featuring Snoop Dogg. Any song that honors women’s derrières, features a rap by Snoop Dogg and has whistling in it is alright by us.
Whichever of these songs rules the airwaves and rocks the dance floors this summer, one thing’s for sure: There are some great new songs out this year. So make your selection in the comments section and then check back in September to see if your prediction was good. What Will the Summer Anthem of 2014 Be?
