Is there a standout summer anthem for this season?
As the summer of 2025 draws to a close, the music industry is observing a unique trend, with no single track emerging as the definitive "Song of the Summer." This situation marks a departure from previous years, where a culturally impactful and widely embraced track dominated the airwaves.
The absence of a clear-cut summer anthem is evident in Billboard's Songs of the Summer chart. Although Alex Warren's "Ordinary" leads numerically, the summer of 2025 lacks the ubiquitous summer anthem that has characterized past seasons.
This year's chart reflects a more fragmented or underwhelming trend, with no standout hit. The lack of a true summer banger has drawn commentary, as the chart typically showcases a dominant track widely played on radio, streaming, and social settings.
Billboard compiles the Songs of the Summer list retrospectively, considering factors like radio airplay, sales, streaming, and cultural significance throughout the summer months (June to August). However, as of late August 2025, no song has clearly emerged as the definitive anthem of the season.
In 2024, songs like Post Malone's "I Had Some Help (feat. Morgan Wallen)" and Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" triumphed over pop bangers in the country music scene. Sabrina Carpenter's "Manchild" is currently at No. 8 on this year's chart, while Ravyn Lenae's "Love Me Not" is at No. 9.
The K-pop scene has also made its mark, with Saja Boys' song "Your Idol" from KPop Demon Hunters climbing to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and HUNTR/X's song "Golden" from the same series currently at No. 2.
Meanwhile, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" and Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" emanated from loudspeakers during the summer of 2012. Justin Bieber's "Daisies," though not yet on the Songs of the Summer chart, is gaining popularity and could potentially become a contender for the title.
In the albums chart, Morgan Wallen's "I'm the Problem" remains at No. 1 for its ninth nonconsecutive week, while Tyler, The Creator's album "Don't Tap the Glass" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart last week. Singer-songwriter Tyler Childers' album "Snipe Hunter" and the K-pop group Tomorrow X Together's album "The Star Chapter: TOGETHER" also debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Despite the lack of a clear "Song of the Summer," the music industry continues to thrive, with diverse genres and artists keeping listeners engaged. As we move towards autumn, it will be interesting to see if a standout track emerges to close the summer of 2025.
- Investors in the entertainment sector might be looking for alternative ESG-focused assets to invest in, as the summer anthem phenomenon seems to have waned this year.
- In the case of credit ratings for music index funds, the lack of a significant summer hit could potentially impact the overall performance of these funds.
- If a standout track doesn't materialize in the remaining weeks of the summer, gold-backed assets could become an attractive choice for those seeking stability in their entertainment-related investments.
