Songs of the Summer | American Experience | PBS (original) (raw)

poster image

It’s that song. When it comes on the radio, you roll down the windows, turn up the volume, and sing along. Because whether you want to or not, you know all the words. It’s the song of the summer. And it’s stuck in your head.

In 1958, Billboard launched its Hot 100, chronicling the songs that were flying off record store shelves, playing non-stop on juke boxes, and blaring through radio speakers. Almost sixty years on, how we listen to music and how we track a song’s success may have changed, but music remains a powerful force in our culture.

We asked some of our favorite music writers to pick a year and a song from that summer’s top ten, and tell us what that song — and the top ten in general — show us about ourselves. What cultural shifts do the songs reflect? What musical trends? Or were they just catchy?

Take a listen and read through our historical mixtape.

Published June 1, 2017.

Features

What’s in a Chart?

The Billboard Hot 100 has been around since 1958. What can we learn from it?

1958 | Volare by Domenico Modugno

A song inspired by a Marc Chagall painting and sung by an Italian actor ruled the American airwaves the summer of ‘58.

1963 | Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto

The Japanese-language chart-topper has seemingly sparked a thousand covers — but most obscure the song’s complex geopolitical history.

1967 | San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) by Scott McKenzie

How a commercial became an anthem during the Summer of Love.

1968 | This Guy’s In Love With You by Herb Alpert

Some songs perfectly capture their moment. We’re not here to talk about one of those songs.

1974 | Rock Your Baby by George McCrae

How a little label in Hialeah, Florida became a disco powerhouse.

1979 | Ring My Bell by Anita Ward

School is out. Studio 54 is in session.

1981 | Elvira by The Oak Ridge Boys

A song that says nothing is on everyone's lips.

1986 | Papa Don't Preach by Madonna

The Material Girl pulled off one of the greatest bait and switches in all of pop music history.

1995 | Waterfalls by TLC

Swimming upstream in mid-90s America

1996 | Atlanta Summer Olympics

The summer anthems that lit up the Atlanta Olympic games.

1997 | Mo Money Mo Problems by Notorious B.I.G.

No song announced hip-hop’s entry into the mainstream louder.

1999 | I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys

What a girl wants (is a good boy band).

2007 | Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’) by T-Pain Featuring Yung Joc

Southern hip hop takes center-stage

2017 | Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber

A Latin hit crosses over... or is the other way around?