Objectively, there was a real song of the summer in 2026. Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” just became the longest-running number one song in the history of pop music. (So much for the death of the monoculture, huh?) But even if this was the summer that the radio chose Texas, we at The A.V. Club took a different approach to soundtracking our beach days, barbecues, and afternoons spent huddled by the air conditioner. With that in mind, news editor Drew Gillis asks: What’s your personal song of the summer?
As always, we invite you to contribute your own responses in the comments—and send in some prompts of your own! If you have a pop culture question you’d like us and fellow readers to answer, please email it to [email protected].
“what’s wrong with me,” Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith
Technically, Olivia Rodrigo’s entire third studio album is my personal song of the summer. The track I keep going back to the most, though, is the singer’s first-ever official duet—and it’s with The Cure’s Robert Smith, no less. Their distinct voices blend so smoothly in “what’s wrong with me” that it just scratches an itch in my brain. Sorry for the Taylor Swift comparison, but it also feels like a far more pop-oriented “exile,” another song I love. In Rodrigo’s case, the synth-pop beats are catchy, fun, and perfectly summery. But they also trick you into thinking this is a melodious love song, when in fact, both sides are ruminating over what depression looks like in a cursed relationship, and what it feels like to long for the good old days. I’m a sucker for deceptively simple lyrics, and this short and sweet song just hits the right spot. [Saloni Gajjar]
“CRANK,” Slayyyter
2026 has been a great summer for hedonistic and expertly executed pop music. Honorable mentions that I almost picked here will surprise no one: “Danceteria” by Madonna and “Camera” by Charli xcx could have slid into this spot on a different day. But today I am selecting the one that started the summer, one of the filthiest-sounding pop tracks in recent memory: “CRANK” by Slayyyter. The Missouri-born artist has been fighting her way up the pop food chain for the better part of a decade by now, and it makes total sense that this song and album heralded her actual breakthrough. This song makes me feel totally insane in the best way. The track is all wind-up and release with a highly quotable pre-chorus to scream along to. 2026 will be remembered as the summer of yelling “Richard, we should link later” and “I get so gay off that tequila” and, most importantly, “CRANK IT!” [Drew Gillis]
“Dancing On The Wall,” MUNA
Call it the song of the summer that wasn’t—when I first heard MUNA’s “Dancing On The Wall” (off the album of the same name) back in the spring, I looked forward to playing it while riding around with the car windows down and at garden parties. But summer 2026 in Chicago was hellish, even more so than in recent years, thanks to frequent (for us) tornado warnings, traveling wildfire smoke, and Blade-like hybrid mosquitoes that bite at night and during the day. (To say nothing of the State Of Things.) That might be the most appropriate backdrop for listening to this song (and the broader album), though, which swaps a more melancholy vibe for the queer joy fans might have come to expect after the group’s self-titled 2022 release. [Danette Chavez]
“Blue Lotus,” Tori Amos
If I’m honest, I’m still having an Oasis hangover after last summer’s reunion tour, but (sadly) I suspect “Don’t Look Back in Anger” is not the answer anyone wants to hear to this question. Still, it feels somehow fitting that the only album that’s managed to pull me out of my standard rotation of Be Here Now on repeat is the latest album from my other lifelong ’90s obsession: Tori Amos.“Blue Lotus” probably isn’t the buzziest track from In Times Of Dragons—and, to be fair, I did almost pick “Shush,” which is a close second—but it’s the song that feels the most like a modern spin on Amos’ previous work, a mix of Boys For Pele and The Beekeeper whose synth meets harpsichord vibes are an anchor in an occasionally unwieldy larger work wrestling with contemporary political themes. Plus, who doesn’t love a Tori Amos meditation on witch burnings? [Lacy Baugher Milas]
“Suped Up Coup,” Mopar Stars
My love for Philadelphia’s power-pop quartet Mopar Stars tipped into an outright obsession with the release of this summer’s Official Researchers Of The NJ Devil LP, which is, more or less, an album filled with my songs of the summer. But the laid-back “Suped Up Coupe” captures what makes the band so special, and the song a perfect needle drop for a Golden Hour drive. Marrying the gentle crooning of Nada Surf with the drunken romanticism and punk crunch of The Replacements, the track is an instant classic for the dog days of summer and the beloved genre of “songs about shitty cars.” Especially right now in LA, where temperatures have skyrocketed and the concrete is too hot for even a dog walk, “Suped Up Coup” is a cool breeze and a well-timed reminder that there’s air conditioning in my suped-up Honda Fit. Hop in, take a ride, and stay out late in “Suped Up Coup,” a song that’ll stay stuck in your head until next summer. [Matt Schimkowitz]
“Danceteria,” Madonna
Just when my workout playlist needed a little refreshing, Madonna surprised us all with an album full of catchy dance music. Confessions II was the perfect soundtrack to keep moving to at any time of day; energetic enough for both a morning run or to dance to at the club, which is really what it’s meant for. In this album, Madonna is looking back at her own past, channeling her musical legacy (Confessions II sounds heavily indebted to works like “Vogue” and Erotica), mixing in European dance influences, and collaborating with today’s stars like Sabrina Carpenter, Lola Leon, Feid, Martin Garrix, and Stromae. As one track blends into the next, the music subtly changes speed but not the intention to keep its listener grooving. It was hard to pick a favorite of the recent releases, because so often, I listened to the album in its entirety, but I love the playful nostalgia of “Danceteria,” and while the club in the song is long gone, the excitement of going out to dance still remains. [Monica Castillo]
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