Billboard has a ranking of the top 10 Songs of the Summer for every year going back to 1958, the year the Billboard Hot 100 was introduced. Boxofficemojo.com doesn’t go that far back, but the site does have a listing of the top-grossing movie for each summer season since 1975. That was the year that Jaws more or less introduced the phenomenon of the summer blockbuster.
So, which captured each summer better – the top song or the top-grossing movie? That’s really up to each individual music fan and moviegoer to decide. But in this summery summary — to borrow the inimitable phrase of Billboard‘s Gary Trust — we show the summer champ for both songs and movies for each year since 1975, discuss their historical importance and suggest what we think. You’re free to agree or disagree.
As you’ll see as you comb through this opus, some names just keep popping up. Andy Gibb, Mariah Carey, Usher, Katy Perry and Drake have all been the lead artist on a Song of the Summer twice. Jay-Z has been the featured artist on a Song of the Summer twice.
Gibb, the youngest brother of Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb (Bee Gees), is the only artist to have the Song of the Summer in back-to-back years. Three actors – Will Smith, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Pratt – have starred in films that reigned at the box-office in successive summers.
Billboard’s Songs of the Summer list measures performance on the Hot 100 in the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The boxofficemojo.com chart measures from the first Friday in May through Labor Day weekend. A little different, but close enough.
So, imagine it’s 1975. You’re in your car, with the Eagles on the radio. You’re rushing to catch Jaws at your local theater. That’s a good place to begin. We’ll take you all the way to the present day.
