The Culture

MUSIC

Chart Heat

As music fans know, there’s no perfect approach when it comes to declaring a Song of the Summer: Is it chart performance? Seeming ubiquity? Or just how summery a song feels? For our roundup, we tallied the combined number, in millions, of Spotify streams and YouTube video plays of tunes vying for this year’s title–and mapped how they’re all connected.

[The following text appears within a diagram. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual diagram.]

311

“SUMMER”

CALVIN HARRIS

The title may be shameless, but the Scottish DJ nailed a warm-weather vibe with this house hit

The two have said they want to collaborate

The artists share the same record label, Capitol

All three acts hail from Australia

CALVIN HARRIS

Nasri helped helm a song on Azalea’s debut album as well

121

“STAY WITH ME”

SAM SMITH

Smith can sing, but “Stay” may be too sad for a true summer anthem

114

“SHE LOOKS SO PERFECT”

5 SECONDS OF SUMMER

This boy-band sensation is more punk than One Direction

179

“CHANDELIER”

SIA

It’s the catchiest song about a drinking problem since “Rehab”

IGGY AZALEA & CHARLI XCX

184

“AM I WRONG”

NICO & VINZ

Topping charts in six countries, this Norwegian duo got it right

154

“RUDE”

MAGIC!

A Canadian reggae band? The concept is dubious, but the hook is undeniable

321

“FANCY”

IGGY AZALEA & CHARLI XCX

Aussie femcee Azalea makes good on her promise to “let the whole world feel it”

Magic! front man Nasri is also a rap producer who has worked with Derulo

177

“TURN DOWN FOR WHAT”

DJ SNAKE & LIL JON

To “turn down” is to stop the party–and this song has no reason to quit

Crunk pioneer Lil Jon has worked with Snoop Dogg many times

282

“WIGGLE”

JASON DERULO & SNOOP DOGG

Only in the hotter months could Derulo get away with comparing a derriere to “two planets”

Grande says she’s a fan of this ode to butt shaking

184

“PROBLEM”

ARIANA GRANDE & IGGY AZALEA

The sax-inflected beat might signal the end of pop’s love affair with house

Between these two songs, Azalea is ruling the summer

SNOOP DOGG & JASON DERULO

‘WHEN I FINALLY CAME OUT IN MY LATE 60S, I WAS DETERMINED TO FULLY BE OUT.’

PAGE 50

THE WEEK

TRUE BLOOD IS LAID TO REST