10. "Uma Thurman" by Fall Out Boy
When Fall Out Boy released the track listing for their newest album, American Beauty / American Psycho, one track name stood out and made fans scratch their heads –“Uma Thurman.” Why would the world’s premier alternative rock band have a song about one of America’s most-beloved actresses? It’s simple, really: Fall Out Boy “want to dance like Uma Thurman,” or, more so, like her character in Pulp Fiction. And the song will make you dance, albeit in that strange, mosh pit fashion that leaves you sweaty, happy, and with a headache. This song rocks from beginning to end, and that sample of The Munsters theme song gets us every time. Ever since the boys reunited a couple years ago, they’ve been on a roll, and this track just keeps rolling.
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9. "Kick the Dust Up" by Luke Bryan
Country and summer go hand in hand; however, this year, “Kick the Dust Up” is the only country song to make our Top Ten because there’s only one thing you really need to make the perfect country summer: Luke Bryan. Oh yeah, and a brand new Luke Bryan single to shake it to. Over the past couple years Luke Bryan has ascended to country royalty, and he’s done it using a tried and true formula of getting the country girls to dance and drink, enticing the good ol’ country boys to do the same. This track manages to kick the volume and the dust up as it reflects the slight hip hop flare Luke has been adding to his hit singles lately but also manages to reflect his Georgia-brand country twang that drives the ladies wild – well, that and his jeans.
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8. "Ghost town" by Adam Lambert
Rumors of new Adam Lambert music have been swirling for a while now, and finally we have been blessed with a new single from the Queen front man himself. It’s not that we don’t love Adam as the lead singer for Queen, but we have been going crazy waiting for a new single from the man who made glam cool again. “Ghost Town,” however, is not glam – it showcases the glam man who has matured and grown since his days on American Idol by letting his subtle rock growl roll over the somber tune effortlessly. The song mixes a bit of electronic club, a bit of alternative rock, and a helping of eighties pop to create a truly unique hit. Glamberts have been waiting anxiously for a new album and this first single is a good sign of what’s to come.
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7. "American Oxygen" by Rihanna
We’ve been praying for and dreaming of R8 for what feels like forever. Then, right before this year’s Grammys, bam, Rihanna drops a new single with Kanye West and Paul freaking McCartney – talk about life goals. Since then she’s dropped two more singles, the deliciously trap “Bitch Better Have My Money” and the more subtle “American Oxygen.” “American Oxygen” is a risky choice as a single, especially from someone like Rihanna who specializes in club bangers and doesn’t speak too much about her personal politics, and yet the song is a great cut. Its powerful message is expertly woven into a pounding beat with RiRi’s smooth, maturing vocals delivering every ounce of emotion the lyrics contain. Breathe it in; Rihanna has returned.
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6. "Pretty Girls" by Britney Spears featuring Iggy Azalea
Britney Spears has been ruling her pop kingdom from her current throne room, Vegas, for over a year now. During that time, she’s been relatively MIA from the music scene. After all, the woman is a mom, performer, and entrepreneur – she deserves a break. Lucky for us, that break has ended with the release of the brand new summer banger “Pretty Girls.” The single is a great girl-power anthem with a tempting dance beat and a feature from one of the biggest up and coming female rappers, Iggy Azalea. The collaboration has been a work in progress for some time, and it was well worth the wait. Whether Britney is giving fans a “Piece of Me” in Vegas or calling out to her pretty girls “all around the world,” she is still a pop princess to be reckoned with.
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5. "Fun" by Pitbull featuring Chris Brown
Pitbull and Chris Brown hit #13 with their first collaboration, “International Love,” back in 2011. Now they are together again, bringing the sexy and a good time with a little bit of “Fun.” The single is the perfect mixture of the two artists – it contains an exotic, island vibe, a techno-infused beat, and lyrics that are sure to make you dance and sing along. When the beat drops, no matter where we are, no matter what we are doing, we simply cannot contain ourselves – we must try to dance like these two stars and bust out our best salsa moves (of course, we fail miserably). The single, like many Pitbull singles, is a shout out to the rapper’s lifestyle, an ode to live life to the fullest, and is, quite simply, a damn good time. Turn it up, have some fun this summer, dale.
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4. "Good THing" by Sage the Gemini featuring Nick Jonas
What happens when you take two artists that are hot, talented, and on the rise and put them on a killer track together? Well, besides having to fan yourself off, you get a really “Good Thing.” Sage the Gemini takes a casual relationship and makes it sound so delightfully sexy that you cannot help but be drawn in by his smooth flow, husky tone, and gorgeous eyes (but seriously though, those eyes). As if the single and rapper aren’t hot enough on their own, Nick Jonas jumps on the track and brings that falsetto and newly found bad boy vibe he’s been rocking over the past year, taking the track to a whole new level of steamy. These guys are red hot, their song is a scorcher, and [distracted by the tropical music video] is it just us or is it getting hot in here?
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3. "This Summer's Gonna Hurt..." by Maroon 5
Honestly, as soon as Maroon 5 announced that they would be releasing a new song just in time for summer, we knew, without ever hearing it, that the song would probably be making this list. Then the band announced that the song would actually be titled “This Summer’s Gonna Hurt Like a Motherfucker” and the cover art would be a wave. Seriously? How could this song be anymore perfect as a summer jam? Oh yeah, because it is catchy as hell. The hit is about a vapid summer fling that you just cannot shake even though you know she has nothing going for her and cannot offer you anything real. Translation: The song is perfect for all those long days at the beach, daydreaming about and praying for that perfect summer crush, then reapplying sunscreen.
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2. "The Night is Still Young" by Nicki Minaj
She’s a "Barbie Girl" in a Barbie world and she is straight up painting the world pink this year. Nicki Minaj has dropped several singles off The Pinkprint and they have shown just how well-rounded her style has become – she is comfortable being a tough-as-nails thug, an introspective dreamer, and being a pretty pink princess. “The Night is Still Young” goes for a more subdued Nicki than her current urban single, “Feeling Myself” with Beyoncé herself. However, don’t let the pop anthem fool you; with lines like “My only motto in my life is don't lose,” Nicki Minaj is still the queen of rap. And the queen wants us to seize the day, ending the song with a final ruling: “How dare we sit quietly and watch the world pass us by.” Seize the day, seize the summer.
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1. "Bad Blood" (Remix) by Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
Taylor Swift teased her “Bad Blood” music video for weeks and then astounded us all by not only premiering the video full of world-class guest stars at the Billboard Music Awards but revealing that the music video is for the remix – oh yeah, and it features Kendrick Lamar. The song was already set to be big due to its background (the song is supposedly about Katy Perry), but the remix, video, and Taylor Swift’s major wins at the BBMAs that night pushed the song straight to #1. Kendrick Lamar perfectly captures the rise and domination of Taylor Swift over the past couple years: “It was my season for battle wounds, battle scars…Still, all my life, I got money and power and you gotta live with the bad blood now.” All hail Catastrophe!
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