The Best Summer Songs of 2018

We're always looking to the summer to bring us some of the most memorable tunes of the year. Across this year we've been looking back at those hits of recent years, to deliver a dose of nostalgia. Your memory will instantly click into gear once you remember these songs from 2018, which delivered plenty of hits.

 

The 1975- Love It If We Made It

The 1975 were at the peak of their powers in 2018, their album A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships produced hit after hit and Love It If We Made It was the pick of the bunch. The euphoric pop song saw Matty Healy almost spitting the lyrics out as they made some fantastic points about our seemingly crumbling planet.

 

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Ariana Grande- Thank U, Next

Ariana Grande simply didn't miss with this song about her exes. Being a pop star, your relationships are often in the public eye and this song saw her reclaim the narrative that surrounded her love life by tenderly describing what they'd offered to her life and why now was the time to move on with her life. 

 

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Travis Scott ft Drake- Sicko Mode

This is arguably Travis Scott's biggest hit to date and he enlisted the help of Drake in order to achieve it. Sicko Mode was such a hit that it seemed to even become a term for describing things. When things go a bit mad, it's probably "sicko mode". A team-up between two legends, their verses complement each other brilliantly.

 

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Calvin Harris ft Dua Lipa- One Kiss

We are still hearing this song every summer since it came out. It has also strangely become affiliated with Liverpool Football Club with the fans bringing it out to celebrate their recent successes. Calvin Harris even joined them on an open-top bus parade. There's no doubt that the chorus gets right in your head.

 

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George Ezra- Paradise

George Ezra has a knack for creating songs that dominate the summer. A festival favourite, he always has something up his sleeve to get the crowds going. Paradise is a song that bounces constantly with excitement as he describes being in paradise with someone. It'll have you crying out for a beach holiday.

 

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Dua Lipa- New Rules

This one may technically be cheating as it was first released in 2017, but it really took off in the summer of 2018. Everyone was obsessed with Dua's new rules that make sure that you don't go back to an ex and a lot of people found it empowering. Dua knows how to have a hit.

 

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Cardi B ft Bad Bunny & J Balvin- I Like It

Cardi B's biggest hit to date dominated 2018. Enlisting the help of Bad Bunny and J Balvin, two megastars in their own rights, it maybe wasn't a surprise that this became a hit. Cardi's flow is enough to draw you in and the way it brought in some influences from Latin music drew everything together perfectly.

 

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Peggy Gou- It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)

Peggy Gou's track may not have dominated the charts like some of the other songs in this list but there can be no doubt that this dance classic was loved by many. Peggy Gou has a huge following and there can be no surprise as to why, this song feels so tranquil and the beat is so satisfying, the production is wonderful.

 

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Kacey Musgraves- High Horse

Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour album produced some absolute gems. High Horse is a track that rallies against a guy who insists on only talking about himself and thinks he's the authority on everything. Well, with a psychedelic country shimmer, Kacey tells him to get gone and sends him on his way.

 

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Arctic Monkeys- Four Out Of Five

A few years ago, Arctic Monkeys ruined the hopes of parka monkeys across the UK. Rebranding their sound by creating an album of soft rock tunes packed more with orchestrals and the piano than huge riffs, Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino was a bold leap. Four Out Of Five is a song about a hotel on the moon that sees Alex Turner enter crooner mode and it's fantastic.

 

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Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.