There nothing like summertime in the Rio Grande Valley. The mosquitoes are buzzing, car windsheilds are hot enough to cook fajitas on and the air conditioner in your car doesn’t seem to ever be cool enough. It’s that time of year when you’re the most carefree, relaxed and ready to party it up.
You have your share of summer music festivals, barbecues and beach parties to attend, all of which consist of the right music to score your summer 2007 experience.
Instant classics like Van Morrison’s “Brown-eyed girl” and the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s “Summertime” come to mind when I think about the summer season. Those songs, like holiday music, never seem to grow old, because of their ability to instantly take you back to hotdogs on the grill and the smell of the ocean.
So, my question is, what are this year’s summer 2007 contenders?
* The Shop Boyz “Party like a Rock Star” has been climbing the charts this season.
The electric guitar-driven rap hit not only has the ability to fill dancefloors, but what better summer contender than a song that demands you to, well, party like a rock star? It doesn’t get any more fitting than that.
* Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah” is this decade’s “Time of Your Life” by Green Day. The emo rockers have hit it big with this breezy, acoustic ballad that has been taking up iPod space everywhere. It’s the perfect song for a cool sum-mer night on the porch swing.
* Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” has not only put her on the map, but it’s a song that transcends generations. The hit has my whole family loving the British soul singer’s tribute to motown. Her Etta James-like vocals cleverly contrast lyrics about everyone’s obsession with rehab. It’s like she wrote it for Lindsay Lohan.
* Rihanna’s “Umbrella” doesn’t seem to be leaving the number one spot on Billboard this year and with good reason. The hit is the best thing the Barbados-born vixen has done. How can you not sing the chorus after just one listen. It’s sugary goodness has the whole world singing “Umbrella-ella-ella-ay-ay-ay.”
But we’ve still got several weeks left. What do you think will be the song of summer 2007?
Crystal Olvera is a copy editor and music columnist for the Valley Morning Star. She also maintains a blog at www.intothegroove.freedomblogging.com. She can be reached at crystalo@valleystar.com
TOP SUMMER SONGS OF THIS DECADE
2000: “Try Again,” Aaliyah
2001: “Hanging by a Moment,” Lifehouse
2002: “Hot in Herre,” Nelly
2003: “Crazy in Love,” Beyonce, featuring Jay-Z
2004: “Confessions Part II,” Usher
2005: “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey
2006: “Promiscuous,” Nelly Furtado, featuring Tim-baland
Source: About.com, which compiled the Billboard charts for the months of June, July and August in each year.
