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22 June 2020

Summer Jam 2020 Week 7: Third-way There Edition

Well folks we are getting deep into June, it's the 45th Anniversary of JAWS (1975) and the 40th Anniversary of The Blues Brothers (1980). All is right with the world. Things are starting to heat up - even the oceans are boiling! Or just increasing in acidity. We have an array of toasty sultry sexy summer jams for you to sink your earjaws into today!

Hot Jam of the Week: "Afterglow" by Taylor Swift ft. Ariana Grande



Ariana Grade seems to be showing up in a lot of songs that end up being total duds this summer. I think this is in line for more of that, but we'll see what happens. I like it a little better than that GaGa track. I think this summer is going to need something special to elevate above the normal status quo. Can pop catch up to world events in time and truly demonstrate the zeitgeist? We'll see. I do not think this is it.

"Supalonely" by BENEE ft. Gus Dapperton

This has definitely been hanging around for a little bit and we threw it back on this week. It's actually grown on me quite a lot and I dig it. I don't think it's totally getting its teeth into the mainstream jugular quite yet but it still has potential. For now it's a pretty pleasant track that I was happy to re-include this week.

"Kings & Queens" by Ava Max

I actually love this song. It's not really a chart factor but it was totally in my head this week. It's so wonderful and danceable! I love the quarantine spin. It's not really a factor in Summer Jam Coronation but I think it could continue to pop up here and there, especially as I continue to like it. That guitar! Hit that guitar, man!

"Roses (Imanbek Remix)" by SAINt JHN

As I've said before, I am extremely annoyed at typing out SAINt JHN. That capitalization is all over the place. I am, however, not sick of this track despite its incomprehensible lyrics. That beat is fire and has such an attitude to it. It again isn't tracking or charting well or anything. I suppose I just hate songs that are actually popular. That's always something I've considered secondary to devoting so much time and effort to a weekly Hot Jam Countdown.

"Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd

So, definitely dropped a little, but still hanging out, "Blinding Lights" is still really fun, even if it's time is pretty much over. I think. It's got those fresh but nostalgic synth vibes, bruh. I like it. It sounds like both vintage pop and vintage Weeknd while also new. Having said that, it just doesn't seem to be slaying any charts. I really don't get radio enough to stay up to date with new songs made by artists with numbers in their name.

"Break My Heart" by Dua Lipa

Not quite as strong this week, but still a good contender. I still enjoy this, but it's probably cresting already. For whatever reason Dua Lipa seems to struggle earning that final push to the top of Pop Diva Stardom. I think it's her inscrutably dead eyes and uninteresting beats. But that flow! I love this song. We'll see what happens with her.

"Rockstar" by DaBaby ft. Roddy Rich

This is again here by default - I live in an area that just doesn't play these jams unfortunately, but it's still slaughtering the charts. It's a good track. Is it THE jam of 2020? Maybe. What a weird year we have. DaBaby is a very modern artist and it feels like it's ahead right now. Without any other presumptive contender right now it might be leaning that way. We're a third of the way across this marathon with no real clear ubiquitous song. 2020 is fragmented and scary. This is a good track. You should totally click to listen to this track. Please click.

"Toosie Slide" by Drake

So, out of no where, Drake is back on top. I didn't hear any other song more this week and I was getting behind it, even singing along a bit. Drake broke my walls. Drake broke me. It's...fine. It's a fine song. It's doing okay chart-wise. I wouldn't call it dominating but it's still relevant enough to earn this position. This summer has turned over and over again upside-down so we'll see what happens next week...

Next week...

Oh, who knows. I haven't heard much from Doja Cat, she might be out. I might try a deep dive into the slew of hip hop tracks that are currently dominating pop music. That's very much a streaming-driven algorithm, and one that is a much better pulse of the country. That's unfortunately also one I have less access to on a regular basis. Hrmm - that's maybe the exact disconnect we have with this country's age gap in rewarding any music that's actually popular! Who knows anything anymore! We'll try to expand, because all these jams are stale af. Stay tuned!

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