10 Sweet Summer Jams

(image: Ayesha Photography)

Spring and summer 2023 got off to a fairly slow and tepid start, but better late than never and once the good weather finally hit in mid-late May we haven't looked back. Our weekends have been packed with sun-kissed weddings up and down the country, each one reverberating to the sound of summery tunes and the wonderful sight of hot, happy and sweaty faces. We wouldn't have it any other way!

So with that in mind, and the sun showing no sign of relenting, we thought we'd put together 10 of the finest summer jams around. Enjoy!

Netsky (feat. Chantal Kashala & Daddy Waku) - Everybody Loves the Sunshine

Now this is a jam. The original, by The Roy Ayers Ubiquity, is arguably the quintessential sweet summer tune - but this remix by Belgian d'n'b producer Netsky hits the same spot. It captures the very essence of summer - barbecues, garden vibes, beach days...and 'just bees and things and flowers'. These vibes are all you need - a banging remix of a summertime masterpiece.

Sly & The Family Stone - Hot Fun in the Summertime

If ever a song encapsulated that uniquely summery feeling of lazing around without a single care in the world, this is it. With a groove so in the pocket it's physically impossible to not bop along while you bake, Sly's summer classic is cooked in funk, grilled in soul and seasoned in the sun. So tasty.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Summertime

We tried to ignore this one, you know. We did! But it is impossible. Sometimes cliches become cliches because they are true, and this is true. A true summer bop, the perfect soundtrack to a hazy summer's day and despite being over 30 years old, still sounds and feels as fresh as that freshly-cut lawn next door. An elite summertime jam!

Noname - Diddy Bop

Somehow when we were kids, the summer seemed to go on forever - long, hot and never-ending days, with nothing to do but to simply bask in it with your pals until it went dark. This delightful, warm summer bop from 2016, by US rapper Noname, reminisces on the protagonists' childhood, and those endless hot days of her youth.

This sound like growing out my clothes
This sound like every place I would go if I could fly
This feel like every summertime
Fall asleep dreaming 'bout all the places I could go
And every one of them feels so close, still chasing time

Perfect!

Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze

Like so many 70s summertime classics, this utter gem effortlessly captures that sense of summery nostalgia with just a tinge of melancholy. While Seals & Crofts were more of an AM radio / soft rock duo than a soul band, the purest sunshine and soul pours out of every delicious harmony, and not a single second is wasted during its 3 magical minutes.

The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys made a whole slew of summer bops, particularly in their early days - despite not really being surfers at all. But there was nothing gimmicky about this masterpiece. It's difficult to comprehend the level of genius it takes to make something so complex - with its mad time-signature shifts, key changes and complicated but oh-so-sweet harmonies - sound so simple and so accessible.

Bananarama - Cruel Summer

Good grief, this is fresh! With its killer bassline, New Jack Swing flavour, and those ice-cool guitars in the chorus, it belies its deeply unfair reputation as a piece of pop fluff. A faultless slice of early-80s pop, fit for any summer occasion!

Fela Kuti - Water Get No Enemy

Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti was a master of his craft, churning out masses of sun-flecked grooves and vibes straight out of Lagos, and this 9 minute-plus Afrofunk odyssey is one hell of a ride. It might be almost 10 minutes long, but its explosion of joy, infectious rhythms and uplifting horns flies by and you never want it to end.

Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan

Dialling it back a little, we move from Nigeria to Cuba, another country rich in incredible musical heritage. Not necessarily an overtly summertime song, the song does, however, revolve around a couple who are building a house, and they head to the beach to gather some sand. Tenuous? Maybe, but its sun-drenched vibes screams summer to us. And what about that trumpet solo!

Snoop Dogg - Gin & Juice

Ploughing a faintly similar furrow to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's classic, this G-funk gem still hits the spot nigh-on 30 years after its release. It oozes summer warmth as Snoop raps about a party that, frankly, sounds absolutely ace. Laid back!

And there we have it! !0 sweet, sweet summer jams. Grab a drink and dig in to our Spotify playlist, including bonus tracks!