Welcome back, everyone! Today I will be wrapping up the summer anthem series by discussing what I think are the summer anthems for 2008 – present. I will also be including what some readers and I consider to be the “all-time” summer anthems.

Let’s rewind to the summer of 2008. There is one song that definitely sticks out in my mind as 2008’s summer anthem, and that would be Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long”. I remember working at my part-time job while I was out of school for the summer and we would have the doors open to let the breeze come in because it was so hot outside. The next thing I know, I am hearing Kid Rock’s song coming through the speakers and it really summed up the mood of every summer. His lyrics say, “Splashing through the sand bar, talking by the campfire…” and is that not what many of us think about and do over the summer? It also crossed over into country music radio which shows us that everyone was listening to this song. I would also say that I consider this Kid Rock’s biggest hit since “Bawitdaba”. Wikipedia lists this song as the biggest hit of his career (See: Wikipedia article about “All Summer Long”).

Now we are going to think back a year ago to summer 2009. The Black Eyed Peas released their hit “I Gotta Feeling” on May 21 and they could not have had better timing on the date of their release. This song had everyone dancing in the clubs and bouncing their heads while listening to their radios and iPods. It has been one of the biggest summer anthems in the last ten years and “I Gotta Feeling” continues to be played on radio stations today. It has gone five-times platinum and The Black Eyed Pea’s front man will.i.am said this about the song on the social network Dipdive, “This song is dedicated to everyone who is getting ready to go out. It’s the song to listen to when you drive to the club or party. It’s the song to listen to after a long day or week at work.” It is no surprise that this song is still a favorite among many and it is even occasionally played at New York Mets games.

All of this correlates and brings us to now, 2010. I am so excited to finally talk about what I believe is the summer anthem that will take the credit for this season. Are you ready for it (drum roll please)…? The song I pick to be the summer anthem for 2010 is Nickelback’s “This Afternoon”! Before some of you start debating with me, let me explain why I chose this song. I heard it for the first time when I was still living in Tennessee. I was working at my job one night, getting ready to close the store, and this song came on. I immediately recognized Chad Kroeger’s voice and when I listened to the lyrics of the song, I knew it was going to be a smash. It was released in March and it is still gaining momentum as the summer starts to unfold. It has already peaked at position number 10 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs chart and it still has much more potential to gain its rightful status as 2010’s summer anthem. Even the video is a representation of having a good summer party with all your friends. Many people are not fans of Nickelback but I think this song has enough edginess mixed with a laid-back country sound and a feel-good mood to draw those people in.

I would like to wrap up this series by including a few songs that many people consider to be some of the greatest summer anthems of all-time. One that definitely sticks out is Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville”. The song even has a restaurant named after it! This list also includes a favorite of students across the country – “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper. Every time I hear this song it reminds me of the big doors swinging open on the last day of class and all the students rushing home to begin their summer activities. Lastly, I would like to mention Sheryl Crow’s hit “Soak Up the Sun” which peaked at number one on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart in 2002. I love this song and I love the “lazy summer day” feel it has with the guitar instrumental and the easygoing lyrics.

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read my thoughts. Please feel free to post what you think are the summer hits for 2008, 2009, and especially what you think is going to be the big hit for this summer.

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Since summer is right around the corner (the first official day of summer is June 21 – 27 days away!!), I thought writing about summer anthems would be a great way to start off the week.

We all know what it feels like to drive in the car on a hot, sunny day with the windows rolled down and the breeze and heat blowing in your face. Then all of sudden, that one song that sums up the whole summer comes on and you cannot help but blare your radio as you hit the open road. I know we have all had those summers. For the past five years, there have been songs that have defined the meaning of each summer, so keep reading part one of my summer anthem series to find out what I thought were the big hits for 2005 – 2007.

In the year 2005, there were actually several songs that could be classified as the summer anthem. When I was reading through message boards from 2005, people had diverse opinions about what they thought were the big hits. The Pussycat Dolls released “Don’t Cha” that year and I remember hearing that on the radio every five minutes. Also, Black Eyed Peas came out with “Don’t Phunk With My Heart” and some people were feeling it and some were not. This was also a big year for Gwen Stefani because in November 2004 she started her solo career. She released “Hollaback Girl” in March 2005 and many people would consider that the hit of the summer.

That leads us into summer 2006 and I believe this is when songs began to filter out and people started to recognize only one or two songs, at most, as big summer hits. Shakira’s smash single “Hips Don’t Lie” featuring Wyclef Jean takes all the credit for the summer 2006. I was in Guatemala for part of the summer and “Hips Don’t Lie” was everywhere. I would walk by a market in Antigua and hear the shop owner with his radio turned up to full volume while playing the song. It makes sense because Shakira is a huge sensation in Latin America, but I never thought I would hear the song blasting in the open market. I remember when I came back to the United States and it was like the song’s success had reached new heights during the two weeks I was gone.

A year later we reach the summer of 2007 and as most of you remember, Rihanna released her momentous debut “Umbrella” featuring Jay-Z from her third album Good Girl Gone Bad. This song has gone triple platinum and is still considered one of the biggest hits, if not the biggest hit, of 2007. This song ended up breaking records all over the world and in the United States it went from position 42 to number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 in one week. Rihanna has had continued success after “Umbrella”, but I will always remember it tearing up the charts in 2007.

That completes my blog for today, ladies and gentlemen! I will finish part two containing summer anthems from 2008 to today, so check back tomorrow to see what I have to say! Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think about the summer anthems for 2005 – 2007.

Photo courtesy of fineartamerica

Janelle Monáe is getting some much deserved attention lately for her new album, The ArchAndroid, which was released on Tuesday. I had been hearing about her and this album all week – seeing her name on music blogs across the web, and seeing “The ArchAndroid” advertised everywhere. After listening to the record, I have a better understanding of why she is getting such great reviews.

A little background on Janelle Monáe: she wanted to sing on Broadway but decided to change direction and enter the world of pop music. Thankfully for us, Diddy signed her on his Bad Boy label by the end of 2007.

The ArchAndroid is a breath of fresh air from some of the other albums being released right now. It is definitely a CD you could put on shuffle and enjoy every minute of it. There is so much diversity from one song to the next, but Monáe’s biggest attribute is that she can create upbeat tempos for everyone to enjoy.

As previously stated, the diversity throughout the entire album is something that will surprise even the most avid music listener. The track “Oh, Maker” has a soulful edge and Monáe wonderfully lets her vocal cords soar through each range. It is a beautiful sound that just electrifies your earphones. If you go to the track immediately following called “Come Alive (War Of The Roses)”, she takes you into a world of mash-up rock when you are least expecting it.

This album also features sounds of psychedelic, R&B, and funk tones. Monáe does a fantastic job of bringing favorite sounds of the past into her retro style of the present and future. The creativity positively shows throughout the 70-minute work. I would definitely recommend this album to anyone who is looking for a mixture of sounds and beats to take them through the day.

Janelle Monáe is currently touring. For a list of her upcoming tour dates, click here. And don’t forget to check in with SeatGeek for forecasted ticket prices.

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