No Longer A 'Cruel Summer'—The Summer Anthem In The Social Media Era

It was 40 years ago this month that the British pop trio (now a duo) Bananarama released their hit single "Cruel Summer," a song that actually looked at the darker side of the season—noting the oppressive heat, and the loneliness that can come when your friends are away likely having a good time without you.

It has remained an ode to summer, and perhaps could have even been the theme song for the summer of 2020 when the pandemic likely derailed a lot of vacation plans.

History Of The Song Of Summer

Of course, the history of the summer song predated it only by about a century; as it was in 1883 that sheet music of popular songs of the era began to see an uptick in sales during the summer months. By the early 20th century, with the masses gradually adopting the phonograph, the "music industry" was essentially born.

The first true song of summer is arguably Irving Berlin's "My Wife's Gone to the Country—Hooray! Hooray!" Released in 1909, it was arguably as risqué for the day as the summer songs to come.

There have been countless summer anthems over the years, from Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind" to The Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer in the City" to Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" to "Hot Girl Summer" by Megan Thee Stallion ft. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign.

Tuning In During Summer

While there will likely always be a song for the season of carefree beach days, BBQs and the warm weather, what is increasingly changing is how new music is being discovered. Throughout much of the past century, the song of the summer was likely first heard on the radio.

"The torch has only been passed from traditional media to streaming and social media in recent years," explained Bruce Barber, professional in residence and general manager of 88.7 WNHU at the University of New Haven.

"There was a time when the song you'd associate with the summer was what you heard being played on the radio all summer long," Barber added. "That still exists, of course, but with the era of smart phones and social media, music discovery has really evolved."

In other words, YouTube, TikTok and even Twitter could play a role in crowning the song of summer as much as the largest top-40 radio stations.

"We've seen that those videos being watched by the masses on TikTok can help a song go viral in a way that wasn't possible with radio," said Barber. "It is the new platforms and apps on their smart phones where young people are finding the summer songs—as opposed to on the transistor radio."

International Songs And Smaller Artists Getting Noticed

There was also a time when established artists—like the aforementioned Frank Sinatra and Don Henley, not to mention the likes of Bryan Adams, Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks—may have had an unfair advantage when it came to releasing a summer anthem.

Though a few artists could use their summer song to break through, like Bananarama and DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, by releasing a summertime classic, smaller artists didn't stand a chance. Social media and the streaming platforms have leveled the playing field a bit.

"We are seeing that international music is reaching an audience thanks to social media," said Barber.

That helps explain how K-Pop from South Korea and various European artists are able to stand out. Decades ago, such music would be relegated to the "import" or worse, "world music," section of a record store. Today, such music can go viral thanks to one TikTok video.

"The world of music is getting smaller thanks to social media and smart phones, and we're still in the Wild West when it comes to music discovery," said Barber. "Today, it doesn't take much for a smaller artist you never heard of to go viral, and that could also mean we'll hear some great summer songs."