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Every year, a handful of songs vibe for an unofficial honorific song of the summer.

They're the songs we hear out of car windows, on TikTok, on the radio, and at parties over and over and over again.

Last year was Brat Summer and saw the rise of Chaparhone, Shibuzi, and Sabrina Carpenter.

But is there a song of the summer for 2025?

I'm Stephen Thompson.

And I'm Aisha Harris.

Today we're talking about the songs of the summer on Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR.

It is just the two of us today, so let's get right into it.

Stephen, so last year we had basically an embarrassment of riches

when it came to trying to decide what the song of the summer was going to be,

you know, Charlie XX, Chappell Rhone, Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter.

They were all competing for Song of the Summer last year. And you closely

follow the billboard charts for NPR, which is just one of the factors in determining this

very specific category. But I'm curious, like, what is different about the Song of the Summer competition

if there is a competition this year? Yeah, and it's worth noting up front that this is entirely theoretical.

This is 100% unofficial.

There is not a trophy given out.

Chart-wise, there is absolutely no argument that the song of the summer is ordinary by Alex Warren.

...