Songs of the Summer

Does anyone have a nominee for official song of the summer? The closest I can come is that whistling song: (Although, WARNING: I find this video troubling for reminding me too much of SeaLab 2021)

My other favorite is a rap song in which two dudes brag about how great their bikes are (WARNING: not written by Pee Wee Herman)….. I would definitely join the Murder Club Dope Pedal Riders, except that I’m too afraid to bike in the city.

In the summer of 2005, though, I was traveling around Europe 3rd, or in the case of Turkish trains, 12th class. The songs of that summer:

1. “Puttin’ on the Ritz” Taco: Brashov, Romania. Playing in the car of international playboy Radu as he drove us to the train station. It’s ten euros to stay on his fold-out couch, including access to the only English-language book in his collection, The Rainmaker, which sadly I have still never read the end of.

2. “Could You be Loved?” Bob Marley: Marakesh, Morocco. Best of Bob Marley played by one of the food carts in the medina in an attempt to attract foreign tourists. Guess what, it worked. After an too-expensive meal there, we switched to the silent lentil soup cart, where somehow they knew we didn’t want any brain-looking tripe in ours.

3. “Gasolina” Daddy Yankee: Prague, Czech Republic. This song was really the song of the summer in ‘05–heard in almost every country I visited. However, I’ll always remember that it was always faintly heard playing through the ventilation shaft next to the bathroom in the apartment where we were staying.

But probably still the top summer hit of all time., from 2003….which was played twice an hour on every radio station all summer……which made me shake it like a polaroid picture the first time and every subsequent time I heard it:

Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbor.