song of the summer

Song of the Summer: Let the Games Begin!

As with drinking, we like to start summer early — and so, bless it, does popular music. The songs that will be boomin’ out of Jeeps, other vehicles, apartment dwellings, and cheap white headphones throughout the hot months are limbering up now, but just one will peak as the jam of our collective conscious (only, quite possibly, to become completely intolerable by August). That joint will be the Song of the Summer, 2009. With this list, we begin our pursuit of this magical and, most likely, frankly sexual few minutes of recorded sound. Once you’ve all weighed in, commenters, with your characteristic mix of incredulity and disdain, we will begin tracking the new entries and biggest gainers, and telling you a little something about the songs in the process. So please, read the list and tell us what we’re missing — or which single you’re banking on to take it all.

In alphabetical order. Highlighting denotes editors’ early favorites.

1. Asher Roth, “I Love College”

2. Beyoncé, “Halo”

3. Black Eyed Peas, “Boom Boom Pow”

4. Britney Spears, “If You Seek Amy”

5. Cam’ron “Cookies and Apple Juice”

6. Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake, “Love Sex Magic”

7. Drake, “Best I Ever Had”

8. The-Dream, “Rockin That Thang”

9. Elephant Man, “Nuh Linga”

10. Eminem, “We Made You”

11. Flo Rida, “Right Round”

12. Green Day, “Know Your Enemy”

13. Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain, “Blame It”

14. Jeremih, “Birthday Sex”

15. Jesse McCartney feat. Ludacris, “How Do You Sleep?”

16. Kanye West, “Heartless”

17. Kelly Clarkson, “I Do Not Hook Up”

20. Kid Cudi, “Day ‘N’ Night”

21. Lady Gaga, “Just Dance”

22. Passion Pit, “The Reeling”

23. Phoenix, “1901”

24. Pitbull, “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”

25. Rick Ross, “Magnificent”

26. Royskopp feat. Robyn, “The Girl and the Robot”

27. T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake, “Dead and Gone”

Song of the Summer: Let the Games Begin!