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KANSAN.COM
BEAK THE HEAT
Kansan staff picks: Songs of the summer
KANSAN STAFF
@KansanNews
Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen performs at the Granada on March 8,2016, during her Gimmie Love Tour.
CHRISTIAN HARDY, EDITOR IN CHIEF
No Matter Where We Go - Whitney
Christian Hardy/KANSAN
I'm not sure if it's only me, but there is a deep association with summer and road trips. Whitney's debut album, Light Upon the Lake, as a whole, feels like a soundtrack for a roadtrip. That's most apparent on this track, when lead singer Julien Ehrlich sings in his falsetto on the chorus, "I can take you out / I wanna drive around / With you with the windows down." It's the most romantic ballad on the ten-track album, which is otherwise full of gut-punching realities of relationships among smooth and glossy instrumentals.
Cut to the Feeling- Carly Rae Jepsen
This track was Best New Music on Pitchfork at the beginning of the summer for a reason - it's an excellent display of Jepsen's 1980s pop sound and an entirely bright and joyous song. Though this song didn't make the cut for Jepsen's 2015 album "Emotion", it absolutely has to be in your summer playlist.
MISSY MINEAR
EXECUTIVE
MANAGING EDITOR
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere - Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet
This is song is literally about drinking in the summer. It's a jam.
BRENDAN
DZWIERZYNSKI,
DEPUTY MANAGING
EDITOR
West Coast-FIDLAR
I'm not sure anything epitomizes summertime more than dropping everything, shirking your responsibilities and driving for the coast.
ROXY TOWNSEND
CHIEF DESIGNER
Despacito - Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber
I love a song with Latin influence, and having Bieber on the track makes it mainstream enough to play at the club.
Something Like That-
Tim McGraw
CHANDLER BOESE NEWS EDITOR
It's a summer classic that tells a fun story with a great rhythm. You can sing and dance along to it after one listen, I swear.
BRIANNA CHILDERS, WRITER
American Pie-Don McLean
I think this is a really good summer song and if you know the story behind it — it's about Buddy Holly — then that makes it an even better song. It has a good rhythm and beat to it. It's a really long song but then again, you don't find many songs like that anymore.
BRITTANIE SMITH ARTS WRITER
It's about having a good time and it has a great beat, and that's what summer is all about — grinding through the week day to make it to the weekend. Plus, having DJ Khaled and Drake on one song makes it an automatic banger.
To the Max - DJ Khaled
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RACHEL GAYLOR ARTS WRITER
Down River- The Temper Trap
It has a great beat and is a song that I love listening to while driving down to the beach. It's up beat and fun and not too complicated, but a great listen.
CAL BUTCHER JOURNALISM PROFESSOR
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
If you want to go old school for the faculty, Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys is No. 1. No matter where you are, this song takes you to the beach and you just can't help but sing along.