As fall begins this week, Billboard released its 2020 Songs of the Summer chart, which is the top 20 most streamed, played and sold songs on the Billboard Hot 100 from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
According to the chart, the top five songs of the summer were “Rockstar” by DaBaby and Roddy Ricch, “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, “Whats Poppin” by Jack Harlow featuring DaBaby, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne, “Savage Remix” by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé and “Roses” by SAINt JHN.
Although these songs were popular on the charts, some students’ tastes in music aren’t mainstream. Sophomore psychology major.Caroline Craig said she listens to the genres of hard rock, indie and metal.
She said she first heard most of these songs through TikToks and had to look up some of them because she had never heard of them before. Craig said some of her favorite artists from the summer are Deal Casino, Dead Poet Society, Nothing More, The Front Bottoms and I Prevail.
As for the 2020 Songs of the Summer Chart, Craig said she agrees that “Rockstar” was the song of the summer for the general population. However, she said that her song of the summer was “Level of Concern” by Twenty One Pilots. She noted that her favorite line from the song is “Would you be my little quarantine?”
Another popular song from the summer mentioned by Billboard is “Rain on Me” by popstars Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande.
Brianna Rios, a junior finance major, said she likes this song because it has a message, whereas “Rockstar” and “Savage” are more for fun.
“The lyrics ‘I’d rather be dry but at least I’m alive’ really stick out to me because they’re saying that they’d rather not have things to cry about, but are still grateful for the lives they have,” Rios said. “I think it’s an important message that even though things can get tough, we still have things to be grateful for.”
Rios said she wishes that “Stuck With U,” Grande’s duet with Justin Bieber, was included on The Songs of the Summer chart because it was “comforting during these difficult times.”
Daniel Dalbey, a sophomore communications major, said he is a fan of TikTok, the popular social media app full of dance challenges linked to many of the songs on Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart. He said he had heard many of the songs through the app first.
Dalbey is against the general consensus, as he is not a fan of “Rockstar.”
“I actually hated ‘Rockstar’ when I first heard it and still do,” Dalbey said. “It’s catchy, but really boring.”
Last summer, Dalbey said he listened to artists like Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Harry Styles. One artist that Dalbey wishes got more recognition this summer was Conan Gray, who has hits such as “Maniac” and “Wish You Were Sober.”
“Both of those songs scream summer for me,” Dalbey said. “And he’s an up and coming talented artist that should have been featured.”
Victoria Rossi can be reached at victoria.rossi@student.shu.edu.
