The 40 greatest summer songs of all time

What is a summer song? Is it a song about the season itself or is it a song that played in the background during all the good times in the sun? The answer, of course, is that a summer song can be both or it can be any number of other things. They’re songs that hint at long afternoons at the beach, campfires and cookouts, late nights filled with dancing and lazy days in the sun. Some of the songs we now think of as summer perennials were released in other seasons, a seeming disconnect that only underscores how summer songs can come from any time, place or era.

What follows are 40 songs, listed in alphabetical order, that capture the spirit and sound of summer. Some are about the season itself, while others are an inescapable part of summer the year of their release. Each of these tracks has proven over the years to be a vital part of the soundtrack to summer. And, of course, they make for a breezy backdrop to any 4th of July playlist.

This article originally published on May 17, 2023.

“California Girls” (The Beach Boys)

The Beach Boys practically invented the sounds of summer with their string of massive hits in the early 1960s. Where earlier odes to the sun and surf were filled with youthful exuberance, “California Girls” benefits from a slower rhythm and meticulous studio craft, where the harmonies are woven in a tapestry where both the beginning and end are hard to discern. There’s a slightly wistful air in the track’s romanticism, a longing for sun-kissed girls that can easily be seen as a yearning for the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.