A new study has revealed the top songs featured in summer playlists on Spotify, with Calvin Harris’s Summer coming out on top.
The research, conducted by sweepstake casino, Vegas Gems, used the Spotify playlist tool, Playlist Miner to find all public playlists that contain the words ‘summer songs’ in the title. The 970 playlists found were then analysed and placed in order from most to least occurring songs overall.
This study revealed Summer by Calvin Harris is the most in demand song on Spotify included in a summer playlist, with 182 features and 1.485 billion streams worldwide. The 2014 hit continues to be the most popular summer song even a decade after its release. The Scottish EDM DJ has 11 number ones, Summer being his sixth record-breaking track.
Brazil, by Declan McKenna is the second most popular summer song with 168 features in “summer songs” playlists. The song reached number one on Sirius XM Radio’s ALT 18 Countdown in January 2016 and held the top spot for three weeks. Since its release in 2015 when McKenna was just 16, Brazil has 546.2 million Spotify streams worldwide.
The third most played summer song is 2024’s Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter with 138 playlist features. The pop star’s hit song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Carpenter’s first top ten single on the chart. Outside the US, the newcomer has topped the charts in Australia, Singapore, the UK, and many others. The song currently has 442.7 million streams on Spotify.
|
Rank |
Song |
Artist |
Number of times featured in playlists |
|
1 |
Summer |
Calvin Harris |
182 |
|
2 |
Brazil |
Declan McKenna |
168 |
|
3 |
Espresso |
Sabrina Carpenter |
138 |
|
4 |
Tongue Tied |
GROUPLOVE |
118 |
|
5 |
Safe and Sound |
Capital Cities |
102 |
|
6 |
Feel So Close – Radio Edit |
Calvin Harris |
99 |
|
7 |
I Ain’t Worried |
OneRepublic |
98 |
|
8 |
Time of Our Lives |
Pitbull |
97 |
|
9 |
Could You Be Loved |
Bob Marley & The Wailers |
96 |
|
10 |
Cruel Summer |
Taylor Swift |
95 |
Taking four place is GROUPLOVE’s Tongue Tied, featuring in 118 summer playlists. Released in 2011, the hit single made it to number-one position on the Billboard Alternative Song chart, making it the groups very first number one. The song currently has 916.6 million streams worldwide on Spotify.
In fifth place is Safe and Sound by Capital Cities, with 102 features on Spotify playlists. Since its release in 2011, the song has peaked at number eight on the billboard Hot 100 and sold over two million copies in the U.S come January 2024. The song has managed to achieve almost 1.279 billion streams on Spotify.
Calvin Harris snatches another top ten spot with Feel So Close – Radio Edit placing as the sixth most in-demand summer song. The song features in 99 summer playlists and rakes in a total of 952.2 million Spotify streams worldwide.
I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic places seventh, with 98 features in Spotify playlists. The song was a soundtrack smash written specifically for Top Gun Maverick in which it won Oscar for Sound in 2023. Due to its movie success, the song has achieved 1.592 billion streams on Spotify since its release.
Pitbull’s Time of Our Lives places eighth, with 97 Spotify playlist features. Mr Worldwide’s 2014 hit fell off the charts the same year but re-entered in 2015 and after three months of climbing the charts, landed at number nine in the US Billboard Hot 100. The dance-pop song has raked in an impressive 1.273 billion streams on Spotify over the past decade.
In ninth place is Could You Be Loved by Bob Marley & The Wailers, who have 96 appearances in Spotify Playlists. The 916 million streamed song peaked on the Billboard US Hot Club Play charts at number six in 1980 and continues to be extremely popular over 40 years later.
Taylor Swift’s Cruel Summer squeezes in at tenth with 95 features in ‘summer songs’ playlists. Achieving a very impressive 2.156 billion streams in five years since its release in 2019, Cruel Summer re-peaked in the charts on U.S Spotify with 2.853 million plays.
Josh Lingenfelter from Vegas Gems has commented on the findings:
“Music can have an immediate positive impact on our mental state and with summer just around the corner, these songs are perfect for a good dose of dopamine for the summer season. Whether you are excited for some sunshine at home or you are jetting off on vacation, these songs are sure to put you in a summer like mood.
“Some summer songs can be chilled and laid back, creating a more peaceful atmosphere while other summer anthems, like the majority in the top ten, are upbeat and fast-paced. Songs with a quicker tempo are directly associated with more energy, engagement, and dancing, which are typically linked to being in a happier state.
