That song, that summer …

By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
August 17, 2004

This summer has been ruled by the house of Usher.

With his hits “Burn” and “Confessions Part II,” the sultry R&B singer with the rock-hard abs turned his breakup with TLC’s Chili into chart-topping success.

But are these semiconfessional songs the stuff of great summer songs?

In the summer of 1966, we had the Lovin’ Spoonful singing, “Hot town, summer in the in the city/Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty.” Not exactly earth-shattering stuff, but the lyrics drove home the primal heat of summer and were perfect to sing along to as you drove down Lake Shore Drive. During the summer on 1977, thousands of teenyboppers were singing along to Shaun Cassidy’s nonsensical version of “Da Doo Ron Ron.”Today we have Usher singing, “Just when I thought I said all I can say/My chick on the side said she got one on the way.”

Ay carumba. This isn’t exactly the toe-tapping mindless stuff we’re used to listening to as we bake in the sun.

” ‘Confessions’ is a huge song, but it’s not a party summer record like some of the songs from past years,” says Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 chart manager. “Last year Beyonce’s ‘Crazy in Love’ was the big record. Two year’s ago it was Nelly’s ‘Hot in Herre.’ ‘Confessions’ has been everywhere this summer, but it’s not the type of song you think about when you think of summer songs.”

The biggest summer song of the year actually peaked this winter. Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” has summer written all over it. Silly, fun and impossible to shake, “Hey Ya!” embodies all the joyful aspects of a perfect summer day.

“There was no one big novelty song this summer,” says Erik Bradley, WBBM-FM (96.3) music director. “Usher definitely has the album of the summer — and probably the year — but there’s not really one song this summer that everyone is playing.”

Or sick of. Yet.

As anyone who lived through the summer of the “Macarena” eight years ago can attest, a summer without one dominant song also means less chance of overkill. So while Usher has gotten more than his share of airplay, it’s been offset by Kevin Lyttle’s “Turn Me On,” a catchy ditty with a touch of soul and calypso, and “Cold Hard Bitch” by Aussie rockers Jet.

“It’s not just one genre of music that’s doing really well this summer,” Pietroluongo says. “You’ve got Nina Sky’s uptempo ‘Move Your Body.’ Ashlee Simpson is doing really well with pure pop — ‘Pieces of Me.’ And Mis-Teeq’s ‘Scandalous’ has been out since late May, but it’s still doing pretty well.”

We have a few more weeks left before summer disappears and a chance to see if anyone can knock Usher off his pedestal.

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Dialing for songs of the seasonWhat’s popular on one radio station doesn’t always translate across the board. Take a look at the 10 biggest summer songs at three local stations.  Notice anything? There’s very little crossover.

WGCI-FM (107.5)
1. “Lean Back” by Terror Squad
2. “Slow Jams” by Twista and Kanye West with Jamie Foxx
3. “Confessions Part II” by Usher
4. “Tipsy” by J-Kwon
5. “Yeah!” by Usher featuring Ludacis and Lil John
6. “Slow Motion” by Juvenile
7. Move Ya Body” by Nina Sky
8. “On Fire” by Lloyd Banks of G-Unit
9. “No More Drama” by 8Ball and MJG
10. “Headsprung” by LL Cool J

WBBM-FM (96.3)
1. “I Like That” by Houston
2. “Turn Me On” by Kevin Lyttle
3. “Slow Motion” by Juvenile
4. “Dip It Low” by Christina Milian
5. “Sunshine” by Lil’ Flip featuring Lea
6. “Goodies” by Ciara featuring Petey Pablo
7. “My Place” by Nelly featuring Jaheim
8. “Move Ya Body” by Nina Sky
9. “Lean Back” by Terror Squad
10.”Where are You?” by J Roman

WKQX-FM (101.1)
1. Lying From You” by Linkin Park
2. “Cold Hard Bitch” by Jet
3. “Ch-Check It Out” by Beastie Boys
4. “Slither” by Velvet Revolver
5. “Float On” by Modest Mouse
6. “Duality” by Slipknot
7. California Songs” by Local H
8. “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand
9. “Breaking the Habit” by Linkin Park
10.”45″ by Shinedown

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AUGUST AIRWAVES

Summer songs aren’t always care-free and frothy. For every “My Sharona” and “Jessie’s Girl,” there are little ditties about about stalkers (“Every Breath You Take”), teenage pregnancy (“Papa Don’t Preach”) and childbirth (“(You’re) Having My Baby”). We took a look at some No. 1 songs over the past 30 years — all were hits in August. How many of them can you still hum?

August 1974: “(You’re) Having My Baby” — Paul Anka with Odia Coates
August 1975: “Jive Talkin'” — the Bee Gees
August 1976: “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” — Elton John & Kiki Dee
August 1977: “I Just Want to Be Your Everything” — Andy Gibb
August 1978: “Miss You” — Rolling Stones
August 1979: “My Sharona” — the Knack
August 1980: “Magic” — Olivia Newton-John
August 1981: “Jessie’s Girl” — Rick Springfield
August 1982: “Eye Of The Tiger” — Survivor
August 1983: “Every Breath You Take” — the Police
August 1984: “Ghostbusters” — Ray Parker Jr.
August 1985: “The Power of Love” — Huey Lewis & the News
August 1986: “Papa Don’t Preach” — Madonna
August 1987: “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” — U2
August 1988: “Roll With It” — Steve Winwood
August 1989: “Right Here Waiting” — Richard Marx
August 1990: “Vision of Love” — Mariah Carey
August 1991: “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” — Bryan Adams
August 1992: “Baby Got Back” — Sir Mix-A-Lot
August 1993: “(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love With You –UB40
August 1994: “Stay (I Missed You)” — Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
August 1995: “Waterfalls” — TLC
August 1996: “Macarena” — Los Del Rio
August 1997: “I’ll Be Missing You” — Puff Daddy & Faith Evans
August 1998: “The Boy Is Mine” — Brandy & Monica
August 1999: “Genie in a Bottle” — Christina Aguilera
August 2000: “It’s Gonna Be Me” — ‘N Sync
August 2001: “Bootylicious” — Destiny’s Child
August 2002: “Hot In Herre” — Nelly
August 2003: “Crazy In Love — Beyonce featuring Jay-Z
August 2004: “Confessions Part II” — Usher