Top Five Summer Hits (That I Can Remember)

My car doesn't have a CD player-- it only plays audio cassettes. For the past year or so, I've pledged to get a CD/Radio adaptor, but I have yet to put together the effort to actually get one.

However, yesterday I was presented with what seemed like a perfect opportunity. At my town library's annual sale, there were loads of audio cassettes, and each was selling for just 50 cents! It seemed like a perfect scenario.

I ended up getting four tapes--some classical, jazz, and MC Hammer (the last one was the big find of the day.)

Yet I now realize that I'm not going to be playing those tapes too much, at least for now. It's the summer, and that means its time to listen to the radio.

Each summer, there are a handful of songs that define the season. Each time I enter the car during the summer, I scan the airwaves, looking for these few, special songs that are deemed Summer Hits. When I find one, I can turn up the volume, clear out my throat, and start singing along to the song I have heard twenty times before. It's beautiful.

It is with this is mind that I have decided to list the top five Summer Hits that I can remember. I'm positive that I have forgotten some , and it is up to you to comment and tell me what I've missed.

Wikipedia defines a Summer hit as "a song which gains huge popularity during the summer and then almost completely disappears when the summer is over."

My definition is simpler--a summer hit is a song that you would definitely hear if you listened to Hot 97.1 New York for an hour during the summer in which the song came out.

Here are the top five Summer Hits that I can remember:

5. Rehab, Amy Winehouse ft. Jay-Z
This is the only Summer Hit on the list from the current summer. I was tempted to list the lip gloss song, but Rehab has just a bit more substance (not to mention Jay-Z). This song meets one of the most important aspects of a great Summer Hit--I can sing to it.

4. Number One, by Pharrell ft. Kanye West
This excellent single prompted me to buy Pharrell's debut album--"In my Mind." The album sucked, but this oft forgotten song is a great one. Kayne steals the show in a big way, eh eh eh, but Pharrell holds his own throughout.

3. Deja Vu, Beyonce
The start of this song is so money. When I heard the bass begin to beat on the radio, I got so antsy. Summer hits are often accompanied by great music videos, and this song has one of the best videos ever.

2. Give it Up to Me, Sean Paul
Sean Paul, Keyshia Cole, Don Corleone! This song is the definition of a summer hit. Last year, you could not listen to the radio for more than 20 minutes without hearing it. If only I could understand what the heck Sean Paul was trying to say.

1. Hollaback Girl, by Gwen Stefani:
This song forever changed the way I look at the word Bananas (B-A-N-A-N-A-S). If I were driving on a hot, sweaty, summer day, this is the number one song I would want to hear.

In the comment section, please list your favorite summer hits. Maybe I forgot some, or maybe you just have bad taste.

(Note: I did not forget Promiscuous Girl. I just don't like that song.)