Song of the summer 2018

Song of the summer 2018 

Back on June 8th I asked you guys if Childish Gambino’s “This is America” is the song of the summer.  

Rosco got a Dog named “Linus” - Plus andrew has a dog — sooooo — we’re likely going to have our first dueling barking dogs on this podcast. 

You guys told me no then — and you were right - but Rosco had a great take on  Donald Glover - you said you think he might be an unprecedented artist. Huge music star, huge actor and created/writes a huge show which he also stars in. Dude is like a certified quadruple threat. 

Will you guys at least give me the take that Childish Gambino is the greatest actor/comdian to pop music transitions ever. Other examples, Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl and who can forget Eddie Murphy’s ironically amazing “My Girl Wants to Party all the time” collaboration w/ Rick James. 

At the time Rosco also said the song of the summer “might’ve been ‘Nice for what’ by Drake until Pusha T murdered Drake with at least 2 epic diss tracks. Totally agree with that take at the time. This song’s got nearly “half a billion” listens this summer on spotify alone. It’s got everything you need in a summer jam. Great beat, great hook, big star is the performer - i can see that song as perfect for the pool, the beach, the bar, a road trip, anywhere. 

Andrew Patterson is the guy who said to me in the year 2011- "We found love in a hopeless place is my official Jam!"

Back on June 8th - Andrew Patterson said the Camila Cabella’s “never be the same” was the run away winner. 

Apparently the "Never be the same" song is on the country charts and pop charts. 

Rosco said — at the time — “Just listed to Never be the same, probably one of the 5 worst songs i’ve ever heard.” What a hot take Rosco P !

It does have 348 million plays on spotify. I listened to yesterday. Here’s the problem, it’s wildly popular, but it’s way too slow to the the song of the summer, and the fact that i’ve never heard it in a bar, or in someone’s car, or during a baseball inning switch, etc… too slow. Also as Rosco pointed out — it’s not great. 

Worth noting that her smash hit “Havana” is quickly approaching 1 Billion listens on Spotify. 968 million listens. That song kind of took the baton from “Despacito” and ran with it. Latin influence, amazingly catchy chorus  — if that came out at the correct time it might be song of the summer. 

Rosco had another hot take - everybody who still likes country should be thrown in Jail immediately

Fast forward to Aug 2nd and where the heck are we with this "4th annual song of the summer podcast”

Well I agree that Pusha T seemed to have killed Drake’s album release - and Drake got punched by Kendrick Perkins during the Cavs - Raptors series. It was a tough spring for Drake (by Drake’s standards). 

But then - because it’s 2018 — Instagram became the source for the Song of the summer of 2018 — because instagram combined social media, with a challenge, and with a pop song. 

I speak of course of Drake’s “In My Feelings” aka the soundtrack to the viral internet sensation of 2018 the "Kiki Challenge”. Before I start, this song is like a throw away version of “Nice for What” — but then it crossed over on instagram as weird combo of “the harlem shake and the ice bucket challenge"  

Here’s my take on “In My Feelings”

Social media found a way to pull a Drake song off the scrap heap and overcome the fact that Pusha T chopped him off at the knees in late May.

A song literally was made popular and mainstream due to a not very well know comedian posting a video of him dancing to the beginning of this song outside of an open car door of a “parked car”. And a month or so later — we’ve got people doing the challenge in moving cars… we’ve got people making their dogs do the dance outside of moving cars and most importantly we’ve got people “FAILING” in epic fashion to perform the Kiki Challenge

I read this quote, “Many people attempting the viral dance have been injured in different countries, prompting police across the world to warn citizen against doing the Kiki Challenge.” Well, any time the cops tell people “don’t do it” — that’s gonna make even more people want to try it. 

The Trend allegedly began when comedian “Shiggy” post the first video of dancing. Only on 2018 would the most popular song be fueled by a 12 second instragram video, and people failing to do succeed at the challenge to the amusement of everyone and to the chagrin of the authorities. 

Pour yourself a cup of coffee, Google the term “Kiki Challenge Fail” and kick back and cringe — it’s amazing

Kiki Challenge Fails: 

Saw a girl fall of a horse in one

Saw a dude get hit by someone else’s volvo in one

One girl get’s out of the car and her dad yells “Eff the Kiki challenge” and drives away while she shrieks. 

Foo Fighters at Fenway was pretty badass — but the awkward bar at the Club Quarters hotel - might have been the highlight of the evening.

Tales from Newport Jazz fest w/ Rosco P

What’s your personal favorite song of the summer?  And what’s you least favorite song of the summer? 

My Fave: Lil Duval “Smile (Living My Best Life)” featuring Snoop Dogg and Ball Greezy (who sounds fake). The chorus contains language that some would call explicit — but it’s really really catchy and Snoop gives about 65% effort in this one — which is like 40% more than he’s given since 2003.

Least Fave: Camilla Cabello with Pharrell “Sangria Wine” — that’s a bad effort from Pharell and a bad effort from Camilla. They’ve both done great prior work — but this one is a stinker

The Middle - by Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey - approaching 450 million spotify listens —this song is likely one of the best examples of a song that actually is on the radio, on in bars, on at sporting event telecasts, on in dentist office waiting rooms, etc