25 sunny hits from around the world ranging from early 1970s up to some very recent 2019 premieres.
Summer has just started up in the North, but we belive the South could use some positive vibes even more on these first days of winter. Have a good summer/winter!
► PLAYLIST: Listen to all these songs on YouTube.
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JAPAN: The Boom – “Kaze ni Naritai: Samba Novo” (1995/2003)
THE BOOM often mixes Japanese folk songs with various foreign rhythms. This song is a Brazilian version of their popular hit number “Kaze ni Naritai” (風になりたい), which means” I Want to Be a wind”, released in 1995. Recently, young singer-songwriter Yuta Orisaka covered this song on his radio broadcast performance.
(Toyokazu Mori)
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PUERTO RICO: International Dub Ambassadors – “Cool Down” (2018)
True to their name, International Dub Ambassadors will represent Puerto Rico during this year’s Rototom Sunsplash European Reggae Festival – one of the top reggae festivals in the world. With “Cool Down” they’ve written a paean to the perfect summer treat (“You take the ice cream, you take a donut / You scoop the ice cream, put it in a donut”) by conjuring the sound of your local ice cream truck. Enjoy!
(Alfredo Richner)
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TURKEY: Melis Güven – “Kum” (2019)
That song is just about summer, one can feel it without knowing its name is Kum (Sand) then we should enjoy it before the summer ends.
(Emir Aksoy)
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PERU: Las Amigas de Nadie – “Clones de pan” (2011)
“Clones de pan” reminds me of the summers in the early 2010s. A very upbeat indie pop rock sound behind a very dramatic hate/love song.
(José Luis Mercado)
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SLOVAKIA: Le Payaco – “Dobrý večer priatelia” (1999)
It’s been 20 years since Slovaks learned this strange chorus about fields and harvest by heart. And they keep on singing it every summer – never mind its simplest of melodies. Because this is an ultimate summer tune and nothing else is important.
(Filip Olsovsky)
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GREECE: Nalyssa Green – “Κοκτέιλ” (2016)
Nalyssa Green released “Κοκτέιλ” in summer 2016, and it has become the ultimate summer anthem in Greece since then. The song is a catchy 70s influenced electro-pop hit, weird, melancholic and sweet at the same time, that definitely makes you feel dizzy!
(Ares Buras)
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INDIA: Ramya Pothuri – “Summer” (2019)
Ramya Pothuri’s slow-burner creeps up on you, and then entirely consumes you like the sweltering heat of Mumbai in the summers. Aptly titled “Summer”, Pothuri is a champion balance of minimal production, an angelic voice and a whole load of feels, making it an odd summer tune pick, trading in wavy soundscapes and bounce for something calm, even hypnotic.
(Naman Saraiya)
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POLAND: Rycerzyki – “Czerwiec” (2018)
Rycerzyki’s retro-tinged sound immediately transports the listener to a place where the sun is always shining and the water feels refreshingly cool. “Czerwiec,” meaning “June,” is a lighthearted and unapologetically melodic song with a slightly dreamy vibe. You cannot get more summery than that.
(Artur Szarecki)
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ECUADOR: La Máquina Camaleón – “Embajada” (2017)
Desde el momento, no te puedo olvidar
Pasa el tiempo, las olas, por supuesto las hay
Desde el momento, no te puedo olvidar
Pasa el tiempo, las olas, por supuesto las hay
(Martin Cordova)
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NEW ZEALAND: Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone” (2015)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s big summer jam from 2015. Who doesn’t enjoy a bit of psychedelic disco soul with a singalong chorus? As taken from the masterful album “Multi-Love”.
(Martyn Pepperell)
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SOUTH KOREA: Deux (듀스) – “In Summer” (여름 안에서) (1994)
DEUX (듀스), the duo of Lee Hyun Do and Kim Sung-jae, is recognized as one of the early pop pioneers in 90s. Only three studio albums and a remix album released, they broke the ground of South Korean hip-hop, and of course, K-Pop.
(Guwon Jeong)
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COLOMBIA: Crudo Means Raw – “María” (2018)
In Colombia we don’t have summer or any season, but “María” of Crudo Means Raw takes you into this mood, and brings you a landscape of cosmic feelings that makes you feel so chill, just like summer lives on your mind.
(Sebastian Narváez Núñez)
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UKRAINE: Океан Ельзи — “Бодегіта” (2013)
I like the way the song changes every now and then – from relaxed and slow to upbeat and careless mood. And also it’s all about the topic – easy-going summer love, cocktails and warm nights.
(Dartsya Tarkovska)
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CANADA: Lydia Képinski – “Premier Juin” CRi remix (2019)
On paper, it might seem like a strange match to pair Képinski’s folkish pop with Cri’s deep house, but your ears will probably disagree once you hear how awesome the end result sounds.
(Pierre-Alexandre Buisson)
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BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Elvis J.Kurtović – “Surfing At Bembasha” (1985)
It’s self ironic, funny song within it’s lyrics, and is one of the of the songs that comes from what were the beginnings of later very popular, Sarajevo’s original movement and/or genre of “new primitivism”.
(Samir Čulić)
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ARGENTINA: Los abuelos de la nada – “Así es el calor” (1983)
“Así es el calor” is included in “Vasos y besos”, Los abuelos de la nada’s second album published in 1983 (the year marked by the democracy return to Argentina). Here, they sing about the relentless heat of summers and the feelings of no worries it gives that season. We don’t want to be bothered, we just want to relax and have some fun.
(Rodrigo Piedra)
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GERMANY: Die Ärzte – “Sommer, Palmen, Sonnenschein” (1984)
There is without a doubt no German-language song more apt to convey summery joy than rock legends Die Ärzte’s “Sommer, Palmen, Sonnenschein”. And no walkman-beach-milkshake-disco summer is perfect without a tinge of melancholia : it’s nice, but “only with you could it be more beautiful”.
(Philipp Fischer)
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DOMINICAN REP.: Monkey Black – “El Sol y La Playa” (2009)
Me and my crew from Discolai, we have days choosing the song make us thinking about summer, in DR Summer is everyday, but this song was a HIT in 2009 you like or not, a song about Sun and Beach, ahhh and the sunscreen, Monkey Black (RIP) was a rapper from the hoods, who make himself famous with this song.
(Max Cueto)
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CROATIA: TBF – “Alles gut” (2004)
This is song with really relaxing vibe and text that describe summer mood on the Croatia shore. And then refrain: “Nothing will ruin this day for me / No bad and ugly things / Nothing will ruin this day for me / No thiefs, barbarians nor stupid politicians.”
(Siniša Miklaužić)
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LITHUANIA: Hiperbolė – “Vasara” (1997)
We all have our best memories about the summer season, many stories happen then. Many feelings are left there. The song “Vasara” (eng. “Summer”) of Hiperbolė is a reflection of how most of us feel about this season. For Lithuanians in their 20s 30s and even 40s it’s a sentimental summer hymn.
(Giedre Nalivaikaitė)
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MALAYSIA: Couple – “Now That I Can See” (2007)
This punchy Couple cut remains as radiant as a ray of sunshine as much as it did when it was released more than a decade ago. Just meat and potatoes power pop done properly and most importantly, joyfully.
(Adrian Yap)
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NORTH MACEDONIA: ZeeBomb – “Laganini” (2019)
Released about three months ago, “Laganini” brings chill and funky sound which presents the new generation of Macedonian hip hop.
(Elena Peljhan)
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TAIWAN: TOLAKU (脫拉庫) – “Wo Ai Xia Tian” (1999)
“Wo Ai Xia Tian” (我愛夏天), which means “I Love Summer”, is a summer anthem from the epic pop rock band TOLAKU. After 20 years, it is still a catchy golden classic.
(Cheng-Chung Tsai)
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LATVIA: EOLIKA – “Zemeņu lauks” (1985)
One of the ultimate Latvian summer songs performed by Latvian soviet Abba – band Eolika “Zemeņu lauks” (Strawberry field) from 1985. The song is not a cover of The Beatles song.
(Raivis Spalvēns)
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BELGIUM: Rocco Granata – “Zomersproetjes” (1972)
Rocco Granata, born in Italy and grown up in Belgium, had global success with “Marina” in 1959. He also recorded songs in Dutch, of which “Zomersproetjes” from 1972 is arguably the best Belgian summer song ever.
(Brett Summers)
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