Unforgettable Summers of Music

Over a week ago, The Guardian ran the headline 'The song of the summer... is no song. Why is the 2025 chart so old?'.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John make Summer Nights a classic summer hit

The article also cited Shaboozey's A Bar Song (Tipsy) as a "haunting ghost" because the hit was released last summer.

This year has produced the fewest new hits ever, experts say, which could signal the end of single seasonal hits.

MV Summer Nights

This summer is different

There seems to be a segment of the music industry and the general public that is still obsessed with these types of charts.

Like last year, it was a battle between Sabrina Carpenter's Espresso and Benson Boone's Beautiful Things . In 2023, it was Olivia Rodrigo's Vampire ; the year before that, it was Harry Styles' As It Was .

But this summer is different. It’s “peak fragmentation,” as music business analytics firm MIDiA calls it. Our attention to all forms of entertainment has become segmented, stratified, compartmentalized, and personalized down to the second.

On July 21, YouTube also had to "kill" the Trending section, replacing it with YouTube Charts to personalize by field.

We will listen to what/when we want, wherever and on whatever device we have, regardless of trends.

And contemporary artists aren't just competing with their peers for attention; they're also competing with names from the past, songs that have stood the test of time.

The song Cruel Summer is on Taylor Swift's album Lover (2019) - Photo: Reuters

Intimate songs

Speaking of which, I remember that my music library is full of beloved summer songs, our own hits, songs that used to be so intimate.

In 1978, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John took the world by storm with Summer Nights . It was named one of the best summer songs of all time by Billboard in 2010.

Until now, every time I listen to it, I still want to dance like crazy. Bryan Adam also captivated the audience with Summer of '69. More than 40 years have passed, the nostalgic lyrics about youth and love and the guitar riff still make listeners feel connected.

On the artist's YouTube channel, audiences continue to express their emotions when listening to this hit again.

Some people even say that when you feel a nostalgia you've never experienced yourself, it's a classic song. Summer of '69 is like that.

Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff - Photo: Vida Press.

Regarding Will Smith, we cannot fail to mention Summertime , which won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1992 Grammys.

Will Smith - then The Fresh Prince - teamed up with DJ Jazzy Jeff to create a summery vibe, combining hip hop and RnB, evoking outdoor parties, outings and free spirit.

The song's friendly rap lyrics opened up a new perspective: rap/hip hop can be chill and approachable to the masses.

There are countless summer songs that have stirred up the soul: When Doves Cry (Prince) Dancing in the Street (Martha and The Vandellas), California Girls (The Beach Boys), I Like It (Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin)... Summers when I just want to pack my backpack and go.

Sly Stone, frontman of Sly & the Family Stone, wrote Hot Fun in the Summertime against a backdrop of turmoil in America.

In 1969, against the backdrop of a turbulent America, Sly Stone wrote Hot Fun in the Summertime , a funk-soul song. Stone said he wanted to write an energetic song about summer, where people could forget their troubles and enjoy the moment.

As in Superchunk's This Summer (2012), singer and guitarist Mac McCaughan sings "I feel young again when I'm with you/So let's make this summer go away" over a blistering guitar.

Or Taylor Swift also had a cruel summer in the song Cruel Summer a few years ago, telling about a love that cannot be made public. The girl in the song sneaks out on a secret date and then gets drunk and cries like a child in the back of the car.

Ha Tran is like a "fire phoenix" when singing Duc Huy's The Most Beautiful Summer - Photo: FBNV

Vietnamese music also has many good songs about summer. I remember Nguyen Chanh Tin slowly and passionately when the notes of Vinh Biet Tinh Ha (the song from the movie of the same name) were played.

"Summer is over, I'm so lonely", decades have passed but I still can't forget Huyen Anh's haunting notes.

Le Huu Ha's "Voi ha" performed by the Phoenix band is a different color.

The song was influenced by Western pop and rock in the 1970s but showed the movement of Vietnamese youth music at that time, of which Phuong Hoang with its liberal spirit was a typical example.

Musician Duc Huy also had his own most beautiful Summer.

Ha Tran, like the "fire phoenix" of Vietnamese music, has expressed in a romantic, magical, and delicate way those glorious and painful days.

Do Bao also managed to "pocket" a song for the summer: June Song . Ha Tran sang slowly, like telling a story, evoking a quiet but also unforgettable summer, the summer of adults.

Summer is over, and summer will return with our own dreams and songs.

Listen to That Summer Feeling by Jonathan Richman

Feeling summer?

In the indie rock song That Summer Feeling (1983), Jonathan Richman - former member of Modern Lover - once picked up his guitar and sang sadly and full of emotion while remembering the summers that had passed in his memory.

He views summer through a skeptical and emotional lens, highlighting the complexities of memory and time. The song both makes the listener yearn for the summers of youth and questions whether those days were really as special as we thought.

There are countless summer songs that have stirred up the heart: Cruel Summer (Chic), When Doves Cry (Prince), Dancing in the Street (Martha and The Vandellas), California Girls (The Beach Boys), I Like It (Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin)... Summers when I just want to pack my backpack and go.

BEANS

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhung-mua-he-am-nhac-khong-the-nao-quen-20250728091307195.htm