What’s the song of the summer for 2022?
Summer has officially started in parts of the world, but the jury is still out on its official soundtrack.
The top of the charts is a grab bag, with Harry Styles’ subdued “As It Was” currently at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Further down is Kate Bush’s “Running up that Hill” (1985), which made and then climbed the charts after being featured in Netflix’s Stranger Things. Lizzo’s upbeat “About Damn Time,” a muse for TikTok choreographers, is also a favorite, as is Jack Harlow’s Fergie-sampling “First Class.” Beyonce’s new single “Break My Soul,” or anything from her forthcoming album Renaissance, could also be contenders.
But what if there is no song of summer? At least not in a traditional sense. Given larger shifts in music consumption, the top of the Billboard charts, which has historically kept the pulse of musical trends, may no longer be a good yardstick for a song’s success.
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