“Summertime and the livin’ is easy…”

That’s according to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, as they warble on their 1958 jazz classic, “Summertime.” The song captures the very essence of the season — warm and enchanting. Every year, artists try to bottle that same summertime feeling into one song, and fans and news outlets scramble to name one of these entries as the prevailing “song of the summer.” But it seems that, in recent years, this title has been more heavily disputed than ever. 

The term “song of the summer” has permeated the pop culture sphere for decades. A 1995 New York Magazine article outlines what sets a true summer song apart from the rest. According to author Mim Udovitch, three requirements must be met for a song to be eligible for the elusive “song of the summer” title — it’s released in summer, it’s simplistic and it’s impossible to forget.

It’s true that not every song released between May and August is a rosy-cheeked, cheerful crowd-pleaser, but when it comes to the song of the summer, it typically checks all three boxes. The song of the summer is intoxicating, with glistening production and a hook that’s stickier than the season’s humidity. It’s a reflection of summer itself, a refreshing escape from the monotony of the rest of the year. But above all else, the song of the summer is absolutely everywhere…. and before long, the song that once provided a sense of escapism becomes completely inescapable. 

Oftentimes, the esteemed song of the summer title is contested by several hits with the competition being bolstered by news outlets. For example, a 2013 Wall Street Journal article by John Jurgensen pits Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” against Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” But can there only be one song of the summer?

According to Billboard’s chart data, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” is summer 2024’s winner. Released in spring, it remained in the top three of the Global 200 chart for all 14 weeks of Billboard’s tracking span for summer — but statistics aside, “Espresso” holds its own as the quintessential summer song, bubbly and effervescent with an earworm of a chorus.

The lyrics range from witty (“My give-a-fucks are on vacation”) to downright nonsensical (“Move it up, down, left, right, oh / Switch it up like Nintendo”). The song is so catchy, one can’t help but nod along. Carpenter’s whimsical pop anthem drips with charisma, and to many, no song encapsulates summer 2024 as well as it does.

But it’s not that simple. “Espresso” might be the perfect song of the summer on paper, but it wasn’t the only defining moment in music. One would be remiss to forget about “Brat.”

If “Espresso” is a day at the beach, Charli XCX’s internet-shattering album “Brat,” is an alien spaceship descending upon said beach and turning everything neon green. “Espresso” is the biggest song of the summer, but the fact remains that this summer still belonged to Charli XCX. 

WSUM’s Music Director Claire Borgelt highlighted the impact of “Brat.” According to Borgelt, this year’s song of the summer must be something by Charli XCX. 

“‘Brat’ has been such a big buzzword and social phenomenon,” Borgelt said.

Borgelt said the album’s campy marketing was a factor in its massive success, as well as the constant repetition of the phrase “Brat Summer” in the media and by Charli herself — “The more you heard it, the more you almost felt like it was true.” 

Likewise, WSUM’s Talk Director Ray Kirsch named two tracks from “Brat,” “Von Dutch” and “Apple,” as contenders for song of the summer — as well as “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan and “Espresso.”

“There’s a common theme between Sabrina, Chappell and Charli,” Kirsch said. “And it’s that they’re just making fun music.”

Borgelt said they drew comparisons between the three popstars’ tracks and the bombastic pop music of the late 2000s, dubbed “recession pop.” Maybe Chappell Roan and Charli XCX’s tracks did not chart as high as songs like “Espresso,” but they still fit Udovitch’s requirements for song of the summer — simple, fun and catchy.

Although they acknowledged the role of popularity in choosing a song of the summer, Borgelt said they would define the song of the summer as “whatever song you feel defines that period of your life the most.”

To many, songs off “Brat” defined their summer better than “Espresso” or any other top-10 hit ever could, despite charting lower and getting less radio play.

“[The music industry] is so individualized now,” Borgelt said. “Although I love radio, I know a lot of people don’t tune in to it on a daily basis.” 

Spotify algorithms may have a larger impact on what’s popular than radio play. Now, Borgelt said, the channels of music consumption are so diversified that new artists are constantly emerging, and dozens of songs gain enough traction to take the crown.

Perhaps the meaning of “song of the summer” has changed. With the fragmentation of the music industry, the days of crowning one winning track may be over. The mad dash to declare a song of the summer might make for some passionate, sometimes disturbing social media discourse between devoted popstar fanbases, but in the age of streaming, there’s not much more to it than that. This wasn’t just the summer of Sabrina Carpenter — it also belonged to Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar.

The song of the summer isn’t as indisputable as it used to be, but maybe that’s okay. And besides, in an era of music that’s so obsessed with streaming numbers and charts, maybe it’s time to throw in the towel and just call it a tie.