song of the summer

Song of the Summer Says Good-bye, ‘Boom Boom Pow,’ Hello, Pearl Jam

As we head into the last month of this meteorologically challenged summer (guess what — it’s gonna rain tonight!), we witness a development we feared would never come: “Boom Boom Pow,” a song once so snoozily dominant we compared it to the 2003–2007 San Antonio Spurs, is now utterly, completely, and wondrously absent from the Song of the Summer Power Rankings. The song’s still in the Hot 100 top ten, but the follow-up single, “I Gotta Feeling,” now officially dominates.

Meanwhile, Pearl Jam’s awesome new single, “The Fixer” — the track that inspired us to love the band again — makes its entrance into the top ten as this week’s Biggest Gainer. It made its Billboard Rock Chart debut in the No. 2 spot, but for our money, it should take 1 through 50, because, well, have you seen the Billboard Rock Chart recently? Yech.

1. Jeremih, “Birthday Sex”: We’ve said it before, but we’re going to be more blunt this time in hopes of getting a real reaction: Aspiring viral-video makers of the world, the world needs your contrived, quirky “Birthday Sex” covers!

4. Mariah Carey, “Obsessed”: So Eminem shot back in scathing fashion, making “Obsessed” now much more interesting than your standard Mariah Carey chart-topper: It’s a Mariah Carey chart-topper that is also her first volley in what we hope will be a long, fruitful, and bizarre battle.

3. Black Eyed Peas, “I Gotta Feeling,”: We’ve seen the stats, but we’re not granting it our top slot just yet &mdash isn’t this song just a touch too down-tempo to really compete in the replayability category?

5. Pearl Jam, “The Fixer”: We know — Pearl Jam? But just listen: Eddie Vedder sounds so full of joy here, he fits right into the Power Rankings. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

5. Pearl Jam, “The Fixer”: We know — Pearl Jam? But just listen: Eddie Vedder sounds so full of joy here, he fits right into the Power Rankings. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

5. Pearl Jam, “The Fixer”: We know — Pearl Jam? But just listen: Eddie Vedder sounds so full of joy here, he fits right into the Power Rankings. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

9. Shakira, “She Wolf”: We still haven’t figured this thing out — the frighteningly detached vocals on the chorus are both deeply unsettling and, somehow, irresistible. The video doesn’t hurt, though.

7. Young Money feat. Lil Wayne, “Every Girl”: Commenter DasBruce looks into his or her crystal ball, and sees good things ahead for Young Money’s banger — “‘Every Girl’ is on an unstoppable course toward Song of the Summer world domination. By mid-August, you won’t be able to say ‘we like her’ without the whole block yelling ‘we like her, too!’”

9. Shakira, “She Wolf”: We still haven’t figured this thing out — the frighteningly detached vocals on the chorus are both deeply unsettling and, somehow, irresistible. The video doesn’t hurt, though.

10. Delorean, “Seasun”: Barcelona’s Delorean (great name, by the way) is apparently part of some tiny subgenre known as “glo-fi,” but don’t hold that against them: This spacey, mostly instrumental track packs a rare kind of shoulder-shrugging uplift quality. Our new wake-up anthem.

Song of the Summer Says Good-bye, ‘Boom Boom Pow,’ Hello, Pearl Jam