The Soundtrack to Your Summer

There are still Summer days to come and a lot of memories to be made. But if you want your Summer to be like a Movie you have to invest in scenery and soundtrack. I cannot offer much help when it comes to scenery. I can only say: chase beauty. There’s nature even in a city, and the sun still sets everywhere so there is no excuse to close your eyes to the beauty around you.

It's important to remember the good days and take some memories with you to use as happy pills during wintertime or sadder days. But to keep Summer memories alive for the rest of your life, or at least until next year, you will need help and this is why having a soundtrack to your Summer is so important. A song can make a moment much more enjoyable and meaningful and it works like a box you can open on a rainy day to let a bit of sunshine in.

So, what makes a soundtrack good, and how to choose your songs. I cannot choose songs for anybody but I will still make some recommendations and use songs as examples. But before that, I will just list two golden rules!

Rule Number 1: Choose recent songs: I am not saying all songs must be from 2021 but if most of them are it is easier for you to store them in the "brain box" of 2021 memories. We don't want to repeat songs from the year before and risk losing a good memory we had attached to a certain song

Number 2: Let the majority of songs be happy or peaceful. Here again, I am not saying that you shouldn't listen to sad songs because they are part of our stories too and are full of beauty. But we all know that Summer is not the time to be gloomy, especially after a year that was so hard on all of us.

TYPES OF SONGS TO INCLUDE IN A PLAYLIST

Intros; Songs to walk; Songs to dance; Songs to drive; Songs to dream; Indie Songs; Love songs; Young and Beautiful; Dramatic songs; "Vibey" songs; Summer Aesthetic.

Extra: Teenage Feeling; Summer in the city; Credits rolling.

Intro- You know how every movie has that first song. You must have those songs too. I love Interludes. Just that small track everyone needs in their playlist. Other times I hear a song and think this is the perfect track to start an episode of some cool series ( Seriously Netflix, hire me I got a gift)

Interludes:

Impalas & Air Force Ones - Mariah the Scientist (2021)

I am obsessed with this interlude. The Space Vibes. Vibes of summer nights sleeping with the window opened and some alien landing on the backyard, or cornfield behind your house.

Skiterlude - Kiana Ledé (2020)- Modern Interlude with cool sound effects and production, there’s voice, a phone ringing, voicemail message. and a cool little song

Other Artists: Victoria Monet always has these super cool super sweet intros, so does Ariana but a bit more on the pop side. Sza and Frank Ocean are Masters when it comes to interluding). Just look for the song on the album with less than 2 minutes.

Songs that are not Interludes but have that “ beginning of a movie” vibe:

Ivy- Frank Ocean (2016) - Especially the beginning! This song starts and I feel like my life is about to start too!

Songs to Walk: There are songs we hear that demand us to move at a certain pace. “Walking to the beat of the drums”. The key word here is “beat”. Chose a higher BPM (beat per minute), above the average 120. Not to slow, not to fast. Remember: This is not your workout playlist.

You can search for a song’s BPM on google.

Songs I recommend:

Pessimist by Julia Michaels. (2021) - 137 BPM

Easy- Troye Sivan and Kacey Musgraves (2020)- 143 BPM

A little faster than Julia’s, hurry up! Troye Sivan is just “ Soundtrack Material”. The lyrics, the production. There are such beauty and youth to his songs, even the sad ones, it’s that “sad” beautiful.

Songs to Dance: Have songs to dance. Even if you don't like to dance in front of anybody. Or even if you only move your feet to the sound of the beat. Danceable songs are mandatory. And if you wanna go one step further you can add “Go Crazy” Songs: You know, “spend that cash, shake that butt, party all night”. It doesn't matter if you don't have much money or confidence or energy…I sure don’t.

Here are two completely different songs:

In my bag- Justin Skye (2021) ("go crazy song")

Psycho - Maisie Peters (2021) ( This one checks all the boxes, danceable, teenage feeling, drama…)

Another one ( Dj Khaled's voice): Photo ID- Remi Wolf and Dominic Fyke (2021)

More on the mainstream side (not every movie is “Sundance material”, some are just “Dance material” ) :

Kesi - Camilo ft Shawn Mendes (2021)

Kiss my (uh oh) - Anne-Marie ft Little Mix (2021)

Songs to Dream: Let’s face it 2021 was a pretty crappy year in general and we don't want any more of that. So summer is the perfect time to reset, dream a little, make new goals and be excited about our future to come and yes, it is going to be better because it cannot possibly be worst, I guess…

My future- Billie Eilish (2021) - This song is my goal. I want to be in this state of mind forever!

New Normal- Khalid (2021)

Sweet Dream - Alessia Cara (2021) - Do I need to say any more?

Indie songs: Summer needs that Indie ingredient to make our movie “independent”. Just like an Indie movie, summer does not need to be full of stuff and events to be good! We also don't need others to get it because we see the beauty of it. Sometimes it’s the beauty of the ordinary things that makes a movie great. Still, you need a soundtrack to take it to the “Cannes” level. You can search on Spotify for indie playlists or you can even search for the soundtrack of a good Indie movie.

Stoned at the Nail Salon- Lorde (2021)

Young and Beautiful: This is a mandatory category. It doesn't matter how old we are, being young is a state of mind. We all need to feel that much-needed energy after an exhausting year.

Orange Magic - Julia Michaels (2021)

This is the perfect soundtrack song. I just imagine myself in the car, top-down ( I don’t even have a car), hand feeling the wind, sunglasses staring at my lover from the passenger seat, orange sunset…you know all that.

Tattoos Together- Lauv (2020)

Songs to drive: If a song passes the “ car test” ( if you can picture yourself driving while listening to it” then you should add it to your playlist!

Last Train Home- John Mayer (2021)

This is one has that “route 66 ( or some highway ) vibe”. Just driving an old car. Alone, looking cool. Cactus and motel neon lights. This song has a lot of 80s production elements. And there are a lot of other artists that are bringing the 80s back ( Dua Lipa and The Weekend, among others)

“Vibey" songs: You know what it is...you better do because I don't know how to explain the word "vibe", is just too millenial. It's that feel-good type of music...

Coastin' - Victoria Monét ( 2021)- This one is fresh ( new release). The smooth voice of Victoria and the vibe reminds me of a summer breeze on my face by the seaside. Or anywhere a breeze may be.

Mother - Umi (2020) - This one is more of a "chill mood". Different vibe but still a vibe.

Extra: Here are another two songs that are the perfect definition of "feel-good", laid back, chill summer:

Sweet Life- Frank Ocean (2012)

Super Rich Kids- Frank Ocean (2012)

Love Songs: It doesn't matter if you‘re single and not looking for commitment. You can still appreciate a good love song. For this purpose, R&B is my genre of choice.

Nevermind- Tayla Parx (2020)- This one has so much soundtrack potential. Imagine intense gazing before a kissing scene. It can also be used on some retrospective scene!

Ur Best Friend- Kehlani and Kiana Ledé (2021)

Can We Talk - Kenyon Dixon and Will Gittens (2021) -This one is a cover!!

24hrs- Savannah Ré (2021)

Sunset mood:

Escape- Kenyon Dixon and Pj Morton (2021) " Something's telling me we're gonna be alright"

Good Days -SZA (2021) - No need to share this one I guess

Dramatic Songs: If there’s not drama then it’s not a movie. We don't need big scenes and drama queens, we just need something to happen or at least to feel like something is happening.

Plenty More- Kiana Ledé (2020)

" I threw your "stuff" out the window, I made a mess of your condo" - It is that dramatic. If you don't know this song, take a listen!

La Memoria - Jessie Reyes (2020)

This one has so much hurt and anger at the same time, it is perfect! She says- "Te hace falta enamorarte de una perra, te hace falta perder una guerra" - It's something like You should go and fall in love with a B***h, you should go and loose a war, I hope you find a "twin" that breaks your heart...."

Another one: Beetlejuice- Mariah the Scientist (2019)

Summer Aesthetic: Here you can fit everything that sounds like summer to you. These songs to me sound like rollerskating near the beach, palm trees, pink skies, hot nights, fairs, and cotton candy. It’s the picture in my mind from my previous summers and from the movies I’ve watched my all life. You can also add songs with good storytelling to feel your Summer with the stories of others. Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift are both extremely gifted storytellers and both have recent albums! Here are some songs:

Movin’On - India Shawn ft Anderson Park (2020)

Experience - Victoria Monet ft. Khalid (2020) - Watch the music video and you'll get the vibe

Skate- Bruno Mars, Anderson Paak, Silk sonic (2021) - No need to share, same rollerskating vibe to it

Cool - Dua Lipa (2021) (also, no need to share)

Extra Categories

Summer in the city: Hip hop and urban styles give the perfect background here. References to cities also make us feel that we are not alone in our concrete jungles. Cities have their own lives and some even come alive in the summer!

SORRY NOT SORRY- Dj Khaled ft Nas, JAY-Z and James Fauntleroy (2021)

Maybe- Mariah the Scientist (2021) - "Laid up in LA next to some city girls"

Teenage Feelings - If you are a teenager I do not have to tell you anything. If you are not, pretend you are. There are a lot of amazing young artists at the moment, just look at Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Conan Gray, and so many others. Chose a teenage anthem to add to your playlist. For this, I recommend the Spotify Playlist Pop Sauce. Here are some known songs that fit this category (no need to share):

Happier than ever- Billie Eilish (2021)

Traitor - Olivia Rodrigo (2021)

Bitch - Lennon Stella (2019)

Fake - Lauv & Conan Gray (2020)

People Watching- Conan Gray (2021)

Kissing other people - Lennon Stella (2020)

Let the credits roll: I don't know to explain this category but I am sure you’ll understand that there are songs that sound like the end of a movie. And these ones do that for me. Just hear me out or in this case, hear these songs!

August - Taylor Swift (2020) - "But I can see us lost in the memory/ August slipped away into a moment in time/ 'Cause it was never mine"

Godspeed- Frank Ocean (2016)

Strawberries and Cigarettes -Troye Sivan (2018)