Sunny, frothy fun. That’s what the song of summer is.

Drive around with the stereo blasting that song. Stand face to face with your bestie, belting that bop at the top of your lungs. Make a super-fun TikTok video of that tune.

Before the concept of the song of summer became institutionalized as a Billboard chart in 2010 and an MTV Music Video Award in 2014, music lovers just knew what favorite song dominated the radio and their listening habits in those out-of-school months.

However, in 2025, music lovers seem to be confused when it comes to the song of summer. Why?

Because it’s been a cruel summer. Layoffs, tariffs, price increases, never-ending wars, lawmaker assassinations, AI ickiness, all kinds of cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill. A preponderance of negativity.

Music reflects the times. This summer’s big hits have been mostly downbeat in content or sound — or both.

“Ordinary” by Californian Alex Warren has been atop Billboard’s Hot 100 for more than two months. It’s a slightly religious, maximalist love ballad that is destined to become associated with weddings, not summer.

The fast-sprouting “Daisies,” currently No. 3, is a surprisingly appealing effort by reformed bad boy Justin Bieber, but it’s a chill, spare ballad.

Nashville champion Morgan Wallen — who sits in both the Nos. 4 and 5 slots in Billboard with “What I Want” (featuring Tate McRae) and “Just in Case” — just drones on; he’s popular but too polarizing.

Here is a look at some potential candidates for the song of summer and my top three nominees:

Versatile U.K. superstar Ed Sheeran’s Persian-flavored “Azizam” brings the dance floor energy but none of the necessary effervescence.

Chicago R&B songbird Ravyn Lenae’s “Love Me Not” has a good beat, singsongy vocals and lyrics that play off an old childhood game. Like a relationship, Billboard’s No. 6 hit could grow on you, but Lenae is no Sabrina Carpenter.

TikTok megastar Addison Rae has a massive following, so there was hope for her vibey “Headphones On.” But her vocals are just too detached, and this song hasn’t taken off.

Widely respected sister trio Haim’s “Relationships” is an alluring pop bop with striking harmonies, but there’s too much guilt in the lyrics.

Benson Boone has the internet atwitter over his line “moonbeam ice cream, taking off your blue jeans” in “Mystical Magical.” It’s goofy, it’s mysterious, he’s goofy, he thinks he’s mystical, but this isn’t as magical as last year’s “Beautiful Things.”

Cheery Chappell Roan’s “The Giver,” from a purported forthcoming country album, is certainly peppy, but this cheeky fiddle-fueled hoedown is better suited for line dancing than getting down at the club.

“Blue Strips” by 20-year-old Southern soul singer Jessie Murph is one of the summer’s most irresistible and unusual tunes with her woozy vocals and distorted bass, but a revenge song isn’t anybody’s idea of sunny.

Let’s be real: There’s no “Espresso” or “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” or “360” like last summer. Or “Get Lucky,” “Despacito,” “Butter,” “Hot to Go” or other previous songs of summer.

To show you how meh this summer has been musically, Billboard’s current Top 10 includes four songs that have been around for more than a year (“A Bar Song [Tipsy],” “Luther,” “Die with a Smile”) or two (“Lose Control”).

We need some fresh fun. After hours of listening to Top 40 radio, Hits 1 on SirirusXM and Spotify, we’ve landed at three leading candidates for the song of summer, coincidentally all by all-women groups.

The Beaches’ “The Last Girls at the Party.” Poppy, punky, perfect, this rockin’ bop from the Canadian quartet hasn’t gained much attention beyond airplay on Triple-A or adult rock radio stations. A left-field choice, this song is fun, fun, fun, though.

Katseye, “Gnarly.” The L.A.-based K-pop sextet, with members coming from five continents, has found an audience via reality TV and a Netflix documentary. In the spirit of the Pussycat Dolls comes this electro pop banger with nonsense lyrics but oodles of attitude.

Huntr/X, “Golden.” This tune arrives via a summer movie, though not a biggie like “Superman” or “F1: The Movie.” It’s from Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” an animated film about a female K-pop trio. Like the fictional Archies of “Sugar Sugar” fame back in 1969, there are real singers behind this animated — dare we say AI? — trio. With ABBA-like catchiness combined with Disney-ish soaring vocals, this frothy pop bop with an upfront beat is on fire, jumping to No. 2 this week on Billboard’s Hot 100.

We’ll see what emerges as the official Song of Summer on the MTV VMAs on Sept. 7. What would it be like if an animated group accepted the trophy?

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