With an infinite pool of songs to track, the data looks way different
October 7, 2024 9:17 AM Subscribe
The truth is that it’s likely a confusing combination of all three. Sabrina Carpenter is very popular. Shaboozey wrote the party song of the summer. Everyone knows what “Brat” green looks like. But there’s no magic formula or brilliant gimmick to make something popular. Just ask Billie Eilish. from What was the song of the summer? Nobody knows [Garbage Day on Sherwood]
The whole "song of the summer' thing used to be kind of organic, like one song above all others caught our attention and that was it. Seems like now it's just another "how do I make this go viral?" effort like everything else we deal with in pop culture. Sigh.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:26 AM on October 7 [7 favorites]
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:26 AM on October 7 [7 favorites]
The song of the summer was whatever you needed it to be!
posted by Kitteh at 9:27 AM on October 7 [1 favorite]
posted by Kitteh at 9:27 AM on October 7 [1 favorite]
I think it was 'Not Like Us.'
posted by box at 9:37 AM on October 7 [6 favorites]
posted by box at 9:37 AM on October 7 [6 favorites]
The whole "song of the summer' thing used to be kind of organic,
It used to feel that way, but nah. It was an engineered consensus thing.
posted by mhoye at 9:41 AM on October 7 [3 favorites]
It used to feel that way, but nah. It was an engineered consensus thing.
posted by mhoye at 9:41 AM on October 7 [3 favorites]
But there’s no magic formula or brilliant gimmick to make something popular
Well The Manual has produced at least one hit.
posted by aubilenon at 9:45 AM on October 7 [4 favorites]
Well The Manual has produced at least one hit.
posted by aubilenon at 9:45 AM on October 7 [4 favorites]
Here in the Wu household, the uncontested Song of the Summer is "The Way She Makes It Bounce" by Winfree.
It's about butts.
posted by Dr. Wu at 10:15 AM on October 7 [4 favorites]
It's about butts.
posted by Dr. Wu at 10:15 AM on October 7 [4 favorites]
Based on how much I heard it everywhere I went this summer, it was "Hot To Go," but that's of course anecdotal.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:27 AM on October 7 [8 favorites]
posted by Navelgazer at 10:27 AM on October 7 [8 favorites]
Look discussing the actual topic is fine and all, but I want to dive into the data display issues here. What madman thought it was a good idea to display 9 separate graph lines using only 5 colors? Not even considering use of a pattern to differentiate them? Monthly rankings, rather than cumulative stream counts over the course of the summer? Calling it an analysis of "song of the summer" then showing charts of popularity from July through September? (I don't care WHAT the calendar says, "summer" is Memorial Day through Labor Day, June through August)
How am I the only one outraged here? Where are the other data presentation nerds even at anyway
posted by caution live frogs at 11:14 AM on October 7 [11 favorites]
How am I the only one outraged here? Where are the other data presentation nerds even at anyway
posted by caution live frogs at 11:14 AM on October 7 [11 favorites]
I think we should repurpose this thread into each of of our songs of the summer regardless of what chart performance means today. Here's mine! Corridor - Jump Cut.
posted by eschatfische at 11:23 AM on October 7 [4 favorites]
posted by eschatfische at 11:23 AM on October 7 [4 favorites]
Out of the songs on the graphs "Lunch" is the only one I know and that is a great song, so for me that would be the song of the summer. The rest of the album is hit or miss.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:54 AM on October 7 [1 favorite]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:54 AM on October 7 [1 favorite]
Agree with caution live frogs. No doubt they spent hours tweaking the log-like scale on the y axis but reusing the same color on unlabeled series is a serious own-goal.
posted by simra at 11:57 AM on October 7 [1 favorite]
posted by simra at 11:57 AM on October 7 [1 favorite]
The only one of these I've heard regularly is the Tipsy song. The Hot to Go song made a Target tv ad, shown sparingly. Some Billy Eilish song was played every 5 minutes on the radio when I was in CA in the summer on vacation. It might have been Lunch, but it sounds like a bunch of other songs to me so I have no idea.
I have done a bunch of teen school events in the past few weeks, and none of them listen to any of these songs, which I personally find really odd. When I was a kid we all listened to the pop hits, even if we were more into other kinds of music..
All the teens in my circle listen to meme songs almost exclusively and meme dances, and older songs from the past few years. Like they all went crazy for Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus.
I wonder if Spotify even keeps track of how many times that a person listens to any particular song, like I wouldn't be surprised if the top hits are endlessly streamed into the void, ala (The Red Dwarf thread) the main guy being rich and buying 500,000 copies of his own song.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:24 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
I have done a bunch of teen school events in the past few weeks, and none of them listen to any of these songs, which I personally find really odd. When I was a kid we all listened to the pop hits, even if we were more into other kinds of music..
All the teens in my circle listen to meme songs almost exclusively and meme dances, and older songs from the past few years. Like they all went crazy for Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus.
I wonder if Spotify even keeps track of how many times that a person listens to any particular song, like I wouldn't be surprised if the top hits are endlessly streamed into the void, ala (The Red Dwarf thread) the main guy being rich and buying 500,000 copies of his own song.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:24 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
Man I'm just glad that fucking "lo lo lo lo lo lo lo" song went out of style before the summer started, preventing it from becoming the song of the summer.
What's Miley doing anyhow? Can't we get her back here to talk about buying herself flowers or some shit? Anything's beter than "lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo".
posted by panama joe at 12:39 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
What's Miley doing anyhow? Can't we get her back here to talk about buying herself flowers or some shit? Anything's beter than "lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo".
posted by panama joe at 12:39 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
Anything's beter than "lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo".
Oddly enough I couldn't recall which terrible "lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo" you were referring to. Yes that one, no not the older one. I think it's safe to say if you repeat "lo lo" in your song it's going to be bad.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:50 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
Oddly enough I couldn't recall which terrible "lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo" you were referring to. Yes that one, no not the older one. I think it's safe to say if you repeat "lo lo" in your song it's going to be bad.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:50 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
I don’t care what year it is, the song of the summer is Twin Shadow’s “Johnny & Jonnie”.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 2:03 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 2:03 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
The song of the summer was whatever you needed it to be!
In that case it was THIS IS MY SERMON!!! by Ed Schrader's Music Beat. This summer was evil.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:11 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
In that case it was THIS IS MY SERMON!!! by Ed Schrader's Music Beat. This summer was evil.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:11 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
The “song of the summer”, like lots of conventions related to old media and a culture of far more limited distribution, is an outdated concept. We’re all niche now. And what plays most often in your neck of the woods means nothing to others. It’s one of many changes we’re just going to have to get used to in this new age of plenty.
posted by lemonshush at 8:56 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
posted by lemonshush at 8:56 PM on October 7 [1 favorite]
Coming in to recommend Ryan Broderick’s Garbage Day newsletter! One of my favourites.
posted by ellieBOA at 1:46 AM on October 8 [1 favorite]
posted by ellieBOA at 1:46 AM on October 8 [1 favorite]
I think it's safe to say if you repeat "lo lo" in your song it's going to be bad.
Tongue Singing Choir has entered the chat
posted by oulipian at 9:29 AM on October 8 [1 favorite]
Tongue Singing Choir has entered the chat
posted by oulipian at 9:29 AM on October 8 [1 favorite]
Oddly enough I couldn't recall which terrible "lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo" you were referring to
Terrible nothing, that song is a stone cold club banger classic
posted by FatherDagon at 1:28 PM on October 8 [1 favorite]
Terrible nothing, that song is a stone cold club banger classic
posted by FatherDagon at 1:28 PM on October 8 [1 favorite]
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I know that in 2024 radio play is hardly the end all be all of measuring a song's impact but I thought I'd add my datum to the pool.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 9:23 AM on October 7 [1 favorite]