Song of the Summer!

It's almost Memorial Day and there's nothing I love more than musing and gazing into the future RE: What will be THE song of the summer. We already know what songs are at the top of the charts right now, but it's fun to try to put a finger on what will be clearly defined as the 2018 Song of the Summer in September. FYI: Summer 2017 could be defined by "Despacito," "Wild Thoughts," "One Last Time," "That's What I Like," or even "Shape of You." I would argue that the Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee (sometimes with Justin Bieber) smash is the clear winner - there are over five BILLION views on the YouTube video at the moment.

SO! What are the 2018 candidates? Here's my roundup. Janelle Monae - "Make Me Feel"

A handful of other tracks from Dirty Computer could be considered contenders, too: I love "Pynk" but it's a little too chill for S.O.S. status, and a couple friends have identified "Crazy, Classic, Life" and "Screwed" as favorites. But it's the unbridled funk of "Make Me Feel" that I believe has the legs. We know that the late, great Prince was Monae's mentor and muse (and we know that the Purple One wrote the synth track for this bop). Have you read the Times Magazine profile of her? She's queer! Jenna Wortham did am amazing job with this profile (the details!) and, if you're a podcast listener and you're not listening to Still Processing, give it a shot. It's a delightful idea that Monae is tired of the patriarchy and has had enough homophobia, so she's using her voice like she knows how, and THAT's the vibe of the summer. YQY!

Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin - "I Like It"

I love this woman. It brings me into the crosshairs of Cardi stans when I admit... I wasn't so sure about Invasion of Privacy. But it is DAMN good! It truly is. Did you see the video for "Careful"? I love that single and it's such a jam but "I Like It" has such universal appeal - it's so suited for S.O.S. supremacy. Open windows, beachside bevs, late night living room jams, etc. ALSO: did you see her Saturday Night Live performances? They were fire! It's worth nothing that "Bodak Yellow" hit airwaves in June of 2017 - this is the second summer folks'll be blasting it. She has the performance skills and I'm not alone in wondering if she's almost kind of catching up with the fame machine that has catapulted her into the zeitgeist.

Childish Gambino - "This Is America"

Now, initially, I just kind of assumed that this was more of a video phenomenon and a track that was being carried by its buzz. But with a click on that Billboard Hot 100 link up top, you can see that it currently sits at the top of the charts. So people are lovin' it. Also, again on the SNL tip, did you see his performance of this one? It is absolutely electric. It's hypnotic. He starts James Brown-screaming. He spins and twists in holographic and mesmerizing lighting. In fact, NPR ranked SNL performances for the year and named this one the best. I agree. I am admittedly surprised that this track has so much traction on the charts - it's kind of a simple song without a ton of lyrics. Maybe that's its appeal. The chorus is euphoric and, even in its ceaseless investigation into the heart of a currently-dizzyingly-chaotic "America," has a kind of sing-along appeal. Again, doesn't this song's appeal speak to a moment of utter and complete political hellfire we're living through?

Christina Aguilera - "Accelerate"

I freakin' love this song. I think about it a lot. Why isn't it taking off? I'll admit to being a sort of fair-weather Christina fan. By that I mean, I've never been an Xtina stan and there are other pop stars who I just love more: Beyonce, Rihanna, Kylie, Mariah, etc. BUT THIS ONE. I love the weird guest presences of Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz. I love what they bring to the track. Furthermore, I would argue that "Fall In Line" (featuring Demi Lovato) has real S.O.S. power potential, too. Hey, quick Q: when was the last time you listened to "Telepathy" from The Get Down (featuring Nile Rodgers)? It's such a jam - why isn't it a key entry in the dancefloor canon? It's almost two years old but I would love to listen to this song on repeat all summer, too.

Ariana Grande - "No Tears Left To Cry"

This song makes me feel gay (gayer than usual). It has that alchemy. It's emotional and dramatic but also playful musically and it's got a strong dancefloor beat. Also, she just clapped back at an idiot on Twitter this week about her split with Mac Miller and it feels iconic to me. The song's got good car-driving energy. It's also #7 on the Hot 100 and climbing. Dangerous Woman is a really strong record - there are a ton of S.O.S.-type tracks and it's two years old, so clearly a new album is coming. This song also very obviously has emotional ramifications following the Manchester terrorist attacks, which happened almost exactly a year ago this week. Even though my patience with Jimmy Fallon is wearing thin, and I don't always care for this series, the vid they did for "No Tears" with video game "instruments" is cute and it puts Ariana's pipes ON DISPLAY.

Drake - "Nice For What"

I guess this one's a given. It's a chart scorcher and it's in heavy rotation already. It has summer juju and all the feminist intentions that I enjoy from a straight male gaze. At least the video is full-on women-being-bosses. This one and "God's Plan" are Top Three according to Billboard. I guess I just don't really feel Drake like so many people do. SO MANY PEOPLE. He just feels corny to me. Is "Nice" virtue signaling? Is Drake a legitimate feminist? Or is it all part and parcel to the packaging that Aubrey carefully procures? His body's looking cute these days, though.

Nicki Minaj - "Chun Li"

Yeah, I know. Bigtime problematic with the heavy Asian iconography. She seemed to have doubled down on it for her SNL performance. But also, I grew up playing A LOT of Street Fighter II. I played with Chun Li often. And there's a big part of me, as a longtime fan, that wants to give her credit for playing a part, embodying a character with all of its trappings. And hip-hop has a long, rich, and storied history of riffing off of Chinese and Japanese culture. That doesn't make it all okay. It's a trifle annoying so I guess she's my problematic summer fave. "Barbie Tingz" hits hard, too! I can't wait for Queen - I'm hoping there are a couple more S.O.S. candidates ready to be unleashed. It's set for release June 15th, so there's a great deal of potential for more distinct summer jams on the horizon. I will say, though, that I believe doing "Poke It Out" with Playboy Carti on SNL was a big mistake. HUGE. Why?

A quick and hearty NO to Dua Lipa (she doesn't have the range) and Maren Morris with Zed and Grey (LOL GREY!?). But just this week, we got a new low-key sizzling summer submission from Diplo's Silk City featuring Daniel Merriweather. You may remember Merriweather's voice from a delicious old Mark Ronson jam called "Stop Me." This one doesn't have the steam to claim Song of the Summer but I'm gonna do my best to try to force it on everyone I know for the next few months.