Welcome to the ninth installment of 'Meet the Reporter,' brought to you by extensive Arizona heat...because it's summer.

Hot Heat Wave GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphy

As per usual, this is our monthly series where we here at ASU Odyssey want to give you a bit of insight into our lives. This month, I was asked to list some of my favorite summer songs because 'tis the season.

If we're being honest, I've always had mixed feelings on summer as a whole, specifically its music. When I was growing up and I was mostly exposed to radio and MTV programming, I just got accustomed to a lot of the stuff I would hear because it was popular. As my music taste expanded, some of those songs that I loved for so long started to get replaced by other artists that I just enjoyed listening to more.

That's not to say this list was easy, as I had to go back and double-check what have been some of the most notable summer catalogs over the last few decades, as well as what I personally have always come back to. Keep in mind, this is my own playlist and I'm almost certain that with only 10 slots there are going to be some notable absences (The Cars, Ice Cube, Katy Perry, etc.)
(Plus, if you like this, go check out another playlist article of mine where I rank some of my favorite songs from my middle school days).

So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite songs for the summer!

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1. Surfer Girl (1963) - The Beach Boys
(Expecting a summer playlist without The Beach Boys is like expecting flies to stay away from the food at your barbeque; you can hope, but in the end, nature has its way).

2. Brown-Eyed Girl (1967) - Van Morrison
(I mentioned this in a recent Instagram tag, but literally anytime I was at the pool, beach, or waterpark as a kid, this song would never go away. It's still excellent though)

3. School's Out (1972) - Alice Cooper
(For almost fifty years, the anthem of exhausted students everywhere and one of the only songs I could play successfully on 'Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock')

4. Blister in the Sun (1983) - Violent Femmes
(Another inclusion to the "you'd better clap at the clap part or else" Hall of Fame alongside the theme song from 'Friends')

5. Sunday Morning (1997) - No Doubt
(Never underestimate an Orange County kid's affinity for '90s third-wave ska, and trust me, there were a lot of contenders)

6. Walkin' On The Sun (1997) - Smash Mouth
(I imagine you have one of two reactions, either "But 'All-Star' though" or "Smash Mouth had other songs?" Go listen to 'Walkin' On The Sun' and get back to me on that)

7. Hips Don't Lie (2006) - Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean
(I don't have any jokes for this; everything about this song is awesome, from Shakira and Wyclef Jean's chemistry to the breakdowns to one of the best horn samples in modern pop).

8. Stereo Love (2009) - Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina
(We simply don't have enough infectiously catchy accordion riffs in EDM anymore, do we?)

9. Waves (Robin Schultz Remix) (2014) - Mr. Probz
(Of the early 2010's vibe-obsessed pop the radio became obsessed with, this is one of my favorites and, yes, the remix is better)

10. Wild Thoughts (2017) - DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller
(I didn't think we'd live in a world where DJ Khaled makes a Santana sample work, but here we are)

(Here's the playlist as well if you want to listen all the way through)

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