Song of the Summer? Here Are the Contenders

What makes a great song of the summer? Is it an up-tempo pop banger? Something with an earworm chorus? Does it need to feature the words "summer," "sunshine," or another synonym—"California"—in the title? It very well may be subject to the eye (well, ear) of the beholder, but the Associated Press views the song of the summer as the one that takes over those warm months between June and August, the kind that blasts out of car speakers and at beach barbecues in equal measure. And that means many different things for many kinds of listeners. So here are AP's 2025 song of the summer predictions across categories:

• The TikTok-approved, blast-of-dopamine song of the summer: "Boots on the Ground," 803Fresh
• Song of the summer for it girls: "Fame Is A Gun," Addison Rae
• Song of the summer for the chronically online: "Tonight," PinkPantheress
• Breakup song of the summer: "What Was That," Lorde
• Song of the summer for the girls and all those who love them: "Gnarly," KATSEYE
• Song for singles ready to mingle this summer: "WASSUP," Young Miko
• Song of the summer for those who love British boy ballads performed by an American: "Ordinary," Alex Warren
• Song of the summer for when you lose the beef but still have fight left in ya: "Nokia," Drake
• Song of the summer of revenge: "Manchild," Sabrina Carpenter
• Biggest song of the year, and therefore the default song of the summer: "Luther," Kendrick Lamar and SZA
• Country crossover song of the summer: "What I Want," Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae
• Song of the summer with a canine-themed title: "Mutt," Leon Thomas
• Song of the summer that inexplicably came out in January: "NUEVAYoL," Bad Bunny