Top Eight Summer Tunes of 2017

Hello everyone! My summer has been officially kicked off for a while now, and I've been so busy with so many fun things! I'm making the most of my free time and trying not to spend so much time on my phone or laptop.... so far so good! I am in the process of writing a post that details my summer so far, so look for that soon! 

Anyway, let's talk about music.

Summer is all about good music. It's the season when huge music festivals come to town, the season when you're never without a radio blaring the hits on the side of your pool party, and the season when artists release their hottest new jams for people to soak up while out in the sun.
As many of you probably know, I really love music -- listening to it, playing it, dancing to it. I went through a weird phase where I just couldn't find any good songs so I stopped listening to any new stuff besides the songs I already knew, but lately, I have rediscovered my passion for discovering new songs. Whether they be popular hits on the radio or obscure artists with no following on Spotify, I've been enjoying lots of new stuff.
And now I want to share my Top Eight Summer Tunes of 2017 with you! These are of various genres by various artists of various time periods, so hopefully there's a little something for everybody to enjoy in here, and hopefully at least some of these are new to you too!

Picture edited from my trip to Mexico last summer!

1-800-273-8255

by Logic 

Saying that I really love this song is an understatement. The artist, Logic, decided to write his most recent album because he realized that he wanted to get out of his comfort zone and use his platform to talk about things that really matter, from race and justice issues in the United States to suicide prevention and more. This particular song is about suicide prevention, and you may be wondering why the title is a phone number. It's actually the phone number for the suicide prevention hotline in the US. The first verse of the song is in the perspective of somebody calling the suicide hotline, and the second verse is from the perspective of the person answering the phone. This song is a powerful reminder of the mental battles the people struggling with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts go through every day, but it also offers reminders of all the beautiful reasons people have to stay alive. I think this song is a huge beacon of hope for those who are in darkness. As Logic puts it, "What's the day without a little night?"

Listen HERE!

Despacito Remix

by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber 

Two of my guilty pleasures in the music world are listening to Justin Bieber and any type of latin pop music... so when you put the two of them together in a super hot summer song... I go a little bit crazy. I think Despacito is fun, catchy, and has a really cool background track. And I really love how Justin Bieber also gets in on the Spanish lyrics because not many artists are comfortable enough to take that risk and cross genres and languages that much. I love this song because not only do we get to hear JB, but we also get introduced to Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, who are extremely popular in Central and South America, but aren't super popular in the US. This song is different and a breath of fresh air from all of the similar sounding pop songs that we hear every day on the radio. 

Listen HERE!

How Far I'll Go

by Auli'i Cravalho  

So obviously this song is from the new Disney movie Moana (if you haven't seen it you should definitely do so soon!) and it's been out for quite a while, but I only recently got around to seeing the movie. I thought the movie was good, but the sound track was even better. Honestly, each and every song in the movie had its own style and distinction which made them each interesting in their own way. However, the song "How Far I'll Go" really caught my attention. Not only do I love the singer's voice (she's only 16!!!!!), but I also loved the message of the song. It's adventurous, but also portrays a girl struggling to find her place in the community and be content there (which is something I think we all can relate to in one way or another).
Listen HERE! 

Galway Girl
by Ed Sheeran 

It's no secret that I love Ed Sheeran and his music. When his Divide album was released this past spring, one of the songs that really stood out to me was this one. Not only does it have a generally different vibe from the rest of his music, it has a unique rhythm and beat (definitely Irish) that sets it apart from his other songs. I love that it tells a story and I love that it is focused around a specific place in Ireland. So if you're looking for a fun, upbeat song that pretty much everybody will appreciate, turn Galway Girl on! 

Listen HERE! 

My Shot 
from Hamilton

If you haven't heard, Hamilton is a Broadway musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda that focuses on the United States of America's birth and early development, with a specific lens on the life and accomplishments of Alexander Hamilton. I love the Hamilton music because it is FULL of history and has a HUGE variety of musical genres within itself. Honestly, almost any song from Hamilton could have been featured on this post, but My Shot is one of my very favorites (probably because it was the first Hamilton song I'd ever heard... the one that got me hooked, lol). Just a warning though... if you start listening to Hamilton music, prepare to potentially become obsessed with it haha.
Listen HERE!

Undeniable You
by Jukebox the Ghost

Here's one that you may not have heard before... A long time ago, I discovered Jukebox the Ghost when they came up on my Pandora, but I promptly forgot about them until I heard this song for the first time on Spotify a couple weeks back. Since then, I haven't been able to stop listening to it! In my opinion, it's one of those rare songs that is 100% genuine, real, and flowing with raw emotions. And their flawless vocal layering gets me every time and never fails to send shivers down my spine. I hope you love this song as much as I do!
Listen HERE! 

Piano Man 
by Billy Joel 

Why do I like this song? It's just a classic. There isn't much more to it than that honestly haha. You all probably know by now that I like songs with stories that make you think and this song is a story about a bar filled with all different kinds of people just trying to survive and make the best of the life they're in. I also love the theme in the last verse that shows everybody uniting around a common music experience. Piano Man comes highly recommended from me!!
Listen HERE! 

Abide With Me 
(please actually listen to this one for real!)
by Matt Maher

Out of all the songs, this one definitely means the most to me. It's actually my graduating class of high school's class song, but that is only a small part of why it's so important. Every single time I hear it, I get goosebumps all over and my eyes fill with tears. Why? Well, that's a long story... but I'll give you the short version. The very first time I ever heard this song was at a funeral for one of my teachers who tragically and suddenly died in a freak accident leaving behind his wife, three young kids, and his entire student community at school. However, through the pain and grief, this song gave my school community hope and bonded us together. And even though my small community suffered through five deaths of students and two of teachers in this past year alone, this song reminded us of the powerful hope we have in God who loves us and will never let us go.
Listen HERE!
So sorry to end of a downer, but honestly I'd love if you would listen to this song. It is so powerful and so filled with hope that I can say that it changed my life. And if you're interested, I'd love to share more of the story with you about how my life was changed for the better through this tragedy! (Contact me HERE if you want to hear about it). Also please know that I am not putting this here to try to shove my religion on you...that is not my intent at all. I just feel compelled to share this song because it has had such a big impact on my life throughout this past school year and I want you all to hear it if you haven't before!

***

Okay, congrats if you made it through!! It was so hard to just pick a few of my favorite songs... I have many more great songs that rank right up there with these, so maybe I'll have to do a post with some more of those later. Would you be interested in reading a post where I share my favorite songs from more obscure artists?

Anyway, give the songs above a listen if you haven't already, and let me know what you think of them. Also, I love checking out music I haven't heard before, so if you have any music suggestions for me, let me know! 

Mischief Managed,