Every single year, the summer flashes by alarmingly quickly, and summer 2026 is no exception. At the time I’m writing this, we have under a month left until September hits and cottage season is behind us. (Yes, I know, my Canadian is showing.)
But every year around this time, I start thinking of a very important question: What’s the song of the summer? You know, the one track that has defined the season — the one we’ll hear in the future and think, Oh wow, that brings me back to summer 2026. Today, we’re gonna determine exactly that.
Previous iconic “songs of the summer” include “Call Me Maybe” in 2012, “As It Was” in 2022, and my most-recent fave, “Espresso” in 2024 (which, by the way, won my BuzzFeed poll by a landslide).
Fortunately, our options this summer are significantly better than last summer, which virtually had no great options (sorry, but I’ll never claim “Ordinary” by Alex Warren as my song of the summer, and “Manchild” is no “Espresso”). This year, we’ve got a ton of contenders, starting with “drop dead” by Olivia Rodrigo, a banger if I’ve ever seen one.
And don’t forget about “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley, a name that I’ve seen everywhere lately. Or perhaps you’re more of a rap person and firmly think Drake has it in the bag, with “Janice STFU.”
But who would I be if I didn’t mention Taylor Swift’s country anthem “I Knew It, I Knew You,” or my personal top song of the month, “hate that i made you love me” by Ariana Grande? And don’t disregard the older songs that have made a comeback, because those count, too — yes, I’m talking about “Babydoll” by Dominic Fike, among others.
I could go on, explaining each of these options in-depth, but I think it’s time to let you vote. I’ve tried to include every sensical option, but please, feel free to add more in the comments below. And also, you should defend your choice in the comments.
Hard decision, I know. Again, please defend your choice in the comments — seriously, I wanna hear it!
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