Every song of the summer from the past 49 years

Callie Ahlgrim

3 September 2024 at 3:36 pm·10-min read

Every year, music fans wonder which song will be crowned the "song of the summer."
Business Insider uses Billboard charts and streaming stats to determine the season's defining hit.
This year, the title goes to Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)." Our list below goes back to 1975.

Anjelica Oswald contributed to a previous version of this article.

2024: "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey

shaboozey press photo — "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" was released on April 12, 2024.Daniel Prakopcyk

For the second year in a row, a country song ruled the summertime charts.

Virginia native Shaboozey burst onto the mainstream in March 2024, thanks to prominent features on Beyoncé's album "Cowboy Carter." (Shaboozey is credited as a featured artist on both "Spaghettii" and "Sweet Honey Buckiin.'")

Shortly after "Cowboy Carter" arrived, Shaboozey released "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," a classic foot-stopper that interpolates J. Kwon's 2004 club hit "Tipsy."

The single caught fire on country radio and racked up digital sales, leading to an eight-week reign on the Billboard Hot 100 — the year's longest streak at No. 1 as of Labor Day.

"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" even managed to hold the top spot when Sabrina Carpenter, arguably the biggest breakout star of 2024, unveiled her much-anticipated new album "Short n' Sweet." (That week, Carpenter took No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 on the Hot 100 with "Taste," "Please Please Please," and "Espresso," respectively, while "Short n' Sweet" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.)

Watch the official visualizer for "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" here.

2023: "Last Night" by Morgan Wallen

morgan wallen last night — "Last Night" was released as a single on February 6, 2023.Morgan Wallen/YouTube

In the midst of a cruel summer, largely defined by "Barbie" and Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, Morgan Wallen overcame a string of scandals to become 2023's most dominant chart presence.

His third studio album, "One Thing at a Time," spent 15 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1, surpassing Bad Bunny's "Un Verano Sin Ti" for the most weeks atop the Billboard 200 this decade.

The album's signature song, "Last Night," reigned atop the Hot 100 for 16 weeks, the most ever for a solo hit, and wrapped the season at No. 1 on Billboard's Songs of the Summer chart, which tracks performance from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

In fact, according to Billboard, "Last Night" is the first country song to lead the summertime tally since 1974.

You can watch the performance video on YouTube.

2022: "As It Was" by Harry Styles

harry styles as it was music video — "As It Was" was released on April 1, 2022.Harry Styles/YouTube

"As It Was" ruled the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, setting a new record for a British artist. It was released as the lead single from Styles' third solo album "Harry's House," which went on to win album of the year at the Grammy Awards.

You can read BI's music video breakdown here.

2021: "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo good 4 u — "Good 4 U" was released on May 14, 2021.Olivia Rodrigo/YouTube

Challengers include "Butter" by BTS and "Levitating" by Dua Lipa, but the domination of "Good 4 U" helped cement 2021 as the year of Olivia Rodrigo.

The punk-pop hit was named the most-streamed song of the summer on Spotify and reigned at No. 1 on the Rolling Stone Top 100 Songs chart for seven weeks. Additionally, throughout the summer, Rodrigo's album "Sour" regularly returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, spending five nonconsecutive weeks on top since its May release.

You can read BI's music video breakdown here.

2020: "Rockstar" by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch

rockstar dababy — "Rockstar" was released on April 17, 2020.DaBaby/YouTube

DaBaby's collaboration with Roddy Ricch swept the summer months, holding the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks.

Originally released in April, the song became an instant No. 1 after DaBaby released a Black Lives Matter remix to the song on June 12 that addressed police brutality and the George Floyd protests across the nation.

Other honorable mentions go to Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga's pop anthem "Rain On Me," Taylor Swift's "Cardigan," and Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar." "Cardigan" became Swift's second No. 1 debut after "Shake It Off." Though "Watermelon Sugar" was released in 2019, it returned to the Billboard charts after the music video's release in May and reached No. 1 in August.

You can watch the music video for "Rockstar" here.

2019: "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

old town road billy ray cyrus lil nas x — The "Old Town Road" remix was released on April 5, 2019.Columbia Records

The undisputed song of summer in 2019 was Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," which sat atop the Hot 100 Billboard chart for 19 weeks, beating the record set by Mariah Carey's 1996 hit "One Sweet Day."

The song's celebrity-filled music video features cameos from Chris Rock, Vince Staples, Haha Davis, and more.

2018: "In My Feelings" by Drake

drake in my feelings — "In My Feelings" was released on July 10, 2018.Young Money Entertainment/Cash Money Records/YouTube

"In My Feelings" inspired a viral Internet challenge and dethroned Drake's previous hit, "Nice For What," on the Billboard Hot 100. It reigned atop the chart for 10 weeks through July, August, and September.

Watch the music video on YouTube.

2017: "Despacito (Remix)" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber