Crawling up Billboard’s Hot 100, reaching its peak position (so far) at #4, is Major Lazer’s ‘Lean On.’ My family was introduced to this track several months ago by the soft-spoken 13-year-old son of a friend.
Major Lazer (a trio currently made up of popular DJ Diplo along with lesser-known DJs Jillionaire and Walshy Fire) enlisted Danish singer MØ to handle lead vocals on this song. She also contributed Gwen Stefani-esque dance moves to the colorful video below.
‘Watch Me’ by Silento sits at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. The track is an extended invitation for the audience to watch Silento (a 17-year-old hip hop artist hailing from Atlanta) perform various dance moves — whip, nae nae, bop, stanky leg, you get the picture.
This song is borderline tuneless and devoid of any lyrical merit whatsoever, but the video has its charms.
Sitting at #2 on the latest Billboard chart, The Weeknd’s ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ is another contender for Song of the Summer. It had a brief stint at #1, replacing ‘Cheerleader’ before being overtaken by OMI’s hit again this week.
‘Can’t Feel My Face’ is both a commercial and a critical hit, with music critics going ga-ga over its Michael Jackson-esque R&B sound. Tom Cruise even took a turn at lip-synching the track on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show.
After a few weeks in 1982, I’m bringing things back to 2015, taking a look at the Billboard charts as summer wraps up and makes way for fall.
The battle for Song of the Summer has no clear winner this year. My vote goes to Walk the Moon’s ‘Shut Up and Dance,’ which had a strong Billboard run and embodies the spirit a Song of the Summer should exhibit.
Shakira writes the oddest lyrics. Her left-field sensibility is refreshing given her sexpot persona — you’d expect the lyrical complexity of a Britney Spears song from a woman whose stomach is the featured performer in every one of her videos.
Shakira is relatively new to the English language, and I’m guessing that’s the source of some of her weirder turns of phrase.
