Ask me my favorite types of summer songs and my memory likely won’t trace back to garagey deep cuts or indie gems, but rather to sugary pop anthems of yore. Something about the carefree attitudes of the season has always made the cheese of these radio bangers all the more appealing, even if only for a few months. So this summer, as you bask in the overplayed vibes of Iggy Azalea, remember a more innocent time called the late ’90s and early ’00s, when reality wasn’t a TV show, but a simple and curious place.
| 1. | OMC – “How Bizarre” |
Not only one of my favorite summer jams of all time, but one of my favorite songs. It doesn’t make much sense, the rap isn’t particularly good, and OMC was never heard of again (RIP Pauly Fuemana), but the mariachi samples and the catchy choruses made this one an unforgettable sunny gem.
| 2. | Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life” |
This is hard to even describe as a guilty pleasure because basically the entire Third Eye Blind self-titled is gold, but this one in particular received more than a healthy dose of exposure. It still holds up to this day.
| 3. | White Town – “Your Woman” |
This song used to confuse me, but mostly because I wasn’t listening to the lyrics very clearly. Regardless, it sounds completely outdated now, which is perfect for a throwback pop hit.
| 4. | Sugar Ray – “Fly” |
Mark McGrath isn’t much of a rock star, but back when he was sporting frosted tips, this was a good track to vibe to.
| 5. | Aaliyah – “Are You That Somebody” |
One that left us far too soon, Aaliyah nailed it with this summer hit, almost as much as producer Timbaland nailed it with the cooing baby sample.
| 6. | Nine Days – “Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)” |
This one is about as cheesy as they come, lyrically more than anything else. Luckily, it also contained one of the last great guitar breaks that mainstream pop music ever heard.
| 7. | Brandy & Monica – “The Boy is Mine” |
Don’t judge me please, this song was everywhere in 1998.
| 8. | blink-182 – “What’s My Age Again” |
Blink’s break into the mainstream couldn’t have come at a better time than when I reached that lame rebellious stage of my life.
| 9. | Notorious B.I.G. (feat. Puff Daddy and Mase) – “Mo Money, Mo Problems” |
Why not cap this things off with some hip-hop? Pretty sure everyone remembers Biggie’s verse on this track, which is good because Puff Daddy never really dropped anything hot anyway.