It is no secret that 2017 has been a great year for music, and the songs that graced the airwaves this summer further reveal that.
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has been all over the radio with his song “Shape of You,” but it is “Galway Girl” that took the spotlight this summer with its catchy chorus and traditional Irish folk sounds that Sheeran has revamped for modern listeners.
“Galway Girl” was instantly a fan-favorite when Sheeran released his third studio album “Divide” in March. It makes sense that it became a hit once it was introduced to radio listeners.
“Body Like A Back Road” by country singer Sam Hunt broke records this summer by topping Billboard’s “Hot Country Songs” chart for 25 consecutive weeks. It also made the crossover to pop radio.
Simply put, “Body Like A Back Road” is one of those feel-good country songs that is easy to listen to any time of the day.
Demi Lovato released her new single “Sorry Not Sorry” in July, and it’s a song that will get stuck in your head for hours on end. Lovato has found her element with “Sorry Not Sorry,” and as someone known for empowering songs, this may be her best.
Someone who surprised a lot of people this summer was former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson with his single “Back to You” featuring Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals.
“Back to You” is quintessential 2017 pop music done well, and it easily trumps Tomlinson’s 2016 debut solo-single “Just Hold On.” Bebe Rexha and Tomlinson’s vocals mesh together perfectly, and it is clear the time Tomlinson spent working on his new music paid off.
British pop-punk band Neck Deep showed up at the end of summer with the new single “In Bloom” from its new album “The Peace and The Panic.”
Lead singer Ben Barlow has never sounded better on the angst-filled track that has already gotten continuous radio play. Neck Deep has contributed quite a bit to the current revival of pop-punk and “In Bloom” will be one of those songs that people take note of when they think of that revival.
While there are many more songs that took over summer 2017, there was only one that was inescapable.
According to Billboard, “Despacito” by Lusi Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber has spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the “Billboard Hot 100” chart and is “the longest-leading Hot 100 No. 1 of the 21st century.”
Aside from having big-name artists attached to it and a cool beat, what is most impressive about “Despacito” is that it is almost entirely sung in Spanish, yet it sits upon a Billboard chart full of songs in English and it gets played on Top 40 radio.
This summer offered one of the most diverse selections of music we have seen in a while and we can expect even more new music before the year is over. If that music is anything compared with what was released this summer, we are in for a treat.
