Dubai’s unforgiving afternoon heat is no joking matter. The temperatures are higher than the Burj Khalifa, and yes, sometimes it feels like you’re being smacked in the face with thick humidity, but tabloid! has just the thing to make those 40-degree days all the more bearable — the perfect summertime playlist. So, stock up your MP3 player and slather on some sun block — we’re going on an aural ride to the seaside.
1. 2Pac — California Love (1995)
Every once in a while, a song comes along that changes a generation — and 2Pac’s California Love did just that. Released in 1995, after Pac was released from prison, the song served as a love letter to one of the most-talked about cities on the West Coast. It made it to the Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time’, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s ‘Songs that Changed Rock and Roll’, as well as No 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Rap Singles and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. Needless to say, commercially or on the streets, it became an anthem best served with the sun roof down and your head held high.
2. Spiderbait — Calypso (1997)
Yes, this is the song that had you beaming while watching 10 Things I Hate About You, when Kat and Patrick finally got their messy romance together. In the same way that the film gained a cult following — raise your hand if you bought combat boots just because they looked hot on Heath Ledger — the song became a favourite among loyal fans. “Sunshine on my window makes me happy,” croon the Australian alt-rock band, and we’re helpless to do anything but agree; sunshine does make us happy, even when it’s 38 degrees out and our glasses fog up as soon as we step out the door.
3. The Beatles — Here Comes the Sun (1969)
The ultimate soul-soothing song, Here Comes the Sun, is one of George Harrison’s many understated Beatles’ masterpieces. In typical Harrison fashion, it isn’t an in-your-face summertime number, but a zen one. Harrison croons about snow melting away to make room for the incoming sun, and you can see the scene play out perfectly in your mind’s eye. Whether you take it literally and rejoice that winter is over and summer is here, or you read it metaphorically so that you can say goodbye to the bad days as you let the good times roll, Here Comes the Sun always ends a playlist on a positive note.
4. John Travolta & Olivia Newton John — Summer Nights (1978)
Who hasn’t been part of a Summer Nights sing-along at least once in their lifetime? Those things are viciously competitive. When the classic opening notes ring out, you can guarantee that everyone within a 100-meter radius is warming up their vocals and getting ready for a showdown. Naturally, you have to decide whether you’re more of a Travolta or a Newton John, and how high you’re going to go on the “oh oh oh” bits, but once the logistics are out of the way, nothing can stop you from trying to out-sing everyone and anyone around you.
5. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong — Summertime (1957)
Let’s face it: jazz is a tragically overlooked genre, especially in the summertime. You might imagine yourself escaping the winter chill by sneaking into the back of a smoky jazz bar, losing yourself to the crescendo of trumpet, saxophone and a warm voice, but the truth is, no matter the weather, jazz always has something to offer. Ella Fitzjerald and Louis Armstrong’s timeless tune Summertime sends us to a different era altogether, without ever asking us to leave our seats. And if one version isn’t enough, the song has been done again and again by Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke and Billy Stewart among others.
6. Bryan Adams — Summer of 69 (1985)
Have you ever attempted a power-slide worthy of rock star royalty in front of a full-length mirror? Well, have you done it while singing Summer of 69 at the top of your lungs? The good news is you’re probably not alone. Before Justin Bieber came along, Bryan Adams was one of Canada’s finest exports, and along with him came this magnum opus of a timeless tune. Like many a classic, it makes you feel both youthful and old at once, because wow, has it really been nearly three decades since it came out? Regardless, Adams takes us back to the glory days, all inclusive of bad haircuts and even worse leg-warmers.
7. Justin Timberlake — Summer Love (2006)
Sometimes it feels like pre-hiatus Justin Timberlake existed in an entirely different lifetime. But just eight years ago, we lived in a world where we could switch radio stations without landing on yet another exhausted and over-the-top 20/20 track. Summer Love was one of Timberlake’s more fun tunes, easy on the ears with its rhythmic claps and naively hopeful lyrics pulling you in. It did what a JT track does best and made you get off your seat and pretend to know how to dance. For that, we tip our hats, or, erm, fedoras to you, sir.
8. Sugar Ray — Fly (1997)
The reggae-infused brilliance of Fly stood out from the rest of Sugar Ray’s sophomore album and yes, critics dubbed them a one-hit-wonder because of it. Miraculously, however, they weren’t, and they went on to put out a hugely successful follow-up album. But the fact remains, Fly is Sugar Ray’s most popular hit to date, and its beach-ready appeal won’t be fading away anytime soon. Its airy sound encapsulates the feel of carefree summers, taking us back to the invincibility of our teenaged years.
9. The Beach Boys — Surfin’ USA (1963)
This juke-box favourite is the ultimate all-American pop tune, and not only because Brian Wilson manages to rhyme “U.S.A.” and “Californiyay” together without sounding obnoxious. Polished as an impeccably waxed surfboard, Surfin’ USA combines everything we love about 1960s rock ‘n roll, and, of course, surf rock, from the dreamy backing harmonies carrying the song along to the unabashedly minimalist lyrics that we can’t deny. Even a 1990s Aaron Carter cover couldn’t put us off this song, and that’s saying something.
10. Alanis Morisette — Hand in My Pocket (1995)
Summertime is all about looking at the bright side, and Hand in My Pocket is the ideal soundtrack for optimism. Once meant to be Dawson’s Creek theme song, the tune’s strength is in its simplicity. Morisette juxtaposes hardships with happier thoughts throughout the number, starting with the opening line “I’m broke but I’m happy, I’m poor but I’m kind, I’m short but I’m healthy, yeah.” It’s made all the more convincing when Morisette howls the song’s definitive lyric, “And what it all comes down to, my friends, is everything’s just fine, fine, fine.” We can’t help but believe her.