Summer hit

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A summer hit is a song which gains huge popularity during the summer and then almost completely disappears when the summer is over. Something that many summer hits have in common is that they are dance music with lyrics in a non-English language (e.g. Spanish).

Summer hits are quite cheerful and upbeat and their main success is due to the catchy rhyme and not the lyrics, which are sometimes repetitive, playful and generally hollow. The music is often criticised for being "forced" on the audience while lacking actual artistic value, talent or deeper meaning.

The term can be used with a negative connotation, where it implies temporal one-hit wonders without an actual significance. Fans of summer hits (who are by definition occasional) are 'accused' of lack of sophisticated musical taste with connotations of conformity, implying that those persons will listen to whatever is popular at the time rather than making their own choice.

Origin

This popularity usually comes from people hearing the song whilst clubbing in the Balearic Islands, where Spanish is widely spoken, and requesting them once they return home, usually to the UK or Germany. Once the song has received club and radio play there, it passes into other European countries.

Not all summer hits are from the European market however, as shown by the track Summer Jam by the Underdog Project.

A track can also be a summer hit solely in one country. In Ireland, the summer of 2000 had the track Maniac 2000 by Mark McCabe played almost constantly. This led to the track being requested in clubs in Spain by Irish tourists. This might have started the cycle by which it would become a hit across all of Europe, but licensing problems meant that the song was only available commercially in Ireland, and hence the returning clubbers could not purchase it or get it played on the radio.

Popular summer hits

1976: "Let's Stick Together" by Bryan Ferry

1980: "Many Kisses" by Krisma

1987: "Heart and Soul" by T'Pau; "Living in a Box" by Living In A Box

1989: "Lambada" by Kaoma

1991: "Rico Suave" by Gerardo; "Tender Kisses" by Tracie Spencer

1993: "Mr Vain" by Culture Beat

1994: "Saturday Night" by Whigfield

1995: "Corazón de Sandía" by Los Tetas

1996: "Macarena" by Los del Río

1997: "Bailando" by Paradisio

1998: "Push It" by Garbage

1999: "Steal My Sunshine" by Len; "Sun Is Shining" by Funkstar De Luxe vs. Bob Marley; "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin; "Bailamos" by Enrique Iglesias; Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega (Europe)

2000: "Purest of Pain" by Son By Four; "Thong Song" by Sisqó; "Vamos a Bailar" by Paola e Chiara; "Who Let The Dogs Out?" by Baha Men

2001: "Castles In The Sky" by Ian Van Dahl; "El Amor, La Vida" by Manuel Ortega

2002: "Aserejé", aka "The Ketchup Song" by Las Ketchup

2003: "Frontin" by Pharrell

2004: "Babycakes" by 3 Of A Kind; "Brizgalna Brizga" by Atomik Harmonik; "Dragostea din Tei" by O-Zone; "Freek-A-Leek" by Petey Pablo; "Lean Back" by Remy Ma; "Obsesion" by Aventura

2005: "Beijo" by Morandi; "Pelimies" by Martti Vainaa & Sallitut aineet (summer hit only in Finland)

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