Music Sound

A summer hit is a song which gains huge popularity during the summer and then almost completely disappears when the summer is over. Some things that many summer hits have in common is that they are dance music with lyrics in some 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 talent or deeper meaning.

The term is typically used with a negative connotation, where it implies temporal one-hit wonders without an actual value. 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

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
1996
"Macarena" by Los del Río
1997
"Bailando" by Paradisio
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
2000
"Purest of Pain" by Son By Four
"Thong Song" by Sisqó
"Who Let The Dogs Out? by Baha Men
2002
"The Ketchup Song" by Las Ketchup
2004
"Babycakes" by Three of a Kind
"Dragostea din Tei" by O-Zone
"Obsesion" by Aventura