Songs that give us serious summer vibes ☀️

Turn up the tunes

Summer Hits and Throwbacks Day
Author: Anna Sky MagliolaPublished 17th Jul 2020
Last updated 17th Jul 2020

Up and down the country there will be many people having BBQs with friends - all socially distanced of course - and this is the perfect opportunity get all the summer vibes by listening to Hits Radio. We have the best summer songs around, so turn us on for the soundtrack to your summer.

Make sure you don't miss our Throwback Weekend!

Whether it's Katy Perry's 'California Gurls' that brings the sun into your life, or Nelly's 'Hot In Herre' that gets you dancing around your BBQ, we'll have the tunes ready to go...

Here are just a few songs you can expect to hear on Hits Radio's:

2Pac - California Love feat. Dr. Dre

Originally released in 1995, it's become one of the most iconic Summer throwbacks, bringing the vibes every time you hear it.
You can watch the music video on YouTube

Avicii - Levels

The late, great Avicii had a summer smash hit with Levels back in 2011 and the track still lives on as a huge throwback to this day!
Watch the music video on YouTube

Bob Marley vs Funkstar Deluxe - 'Sun Is Shining'

What a classic! Funkstar Deluxe's remix of the Bob Marley tune 'Sun Is Shining' was a massive hit in 1999 and gives us serious summer vibes.
You can watch the music video on YouTube

Calvin Harris - 'Summer'

Released in 2014, Calvin Harris' 'Summer' became the superstar DJ's fourth Number 1 in the UK and we still love it to this day. It's time to turn up the tunes!
Watch the music video on YouTube

Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug - Havana

Latino vibes and summer sass - it couldn't be more perfect! First released in 2018, 'Havana' quickly became a summertime classic.
Watch now on YouTube

Dario G - Sunchyme

Unbelievably first released way back in 1997, 'Sunchyme' is a truly euphoric summer throwback, bringing back all the incredible memories of summer's gone by and soundtracking all the new memories too.
Watch the music video on YouTube.

DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince - Summertime

Hailing from the iconic TV show and featuring a very fresh faced Will Smith, Summertime is definitely one of the biggest summer throwbacks of all time.
Watch the video on YouTube

DJ Sammy - The Boys Of Summer

From the album that also featured the smash hit 'Heaven', DJ Sammy really is the king of early 00s eurodance - the perfect summer throwbacks!
Watch now on YouTube

Edward Maya - 'Stereo Love'

Recorded by Edward Maya, a Romanian DJ, with Moldavan-Romanian musician Vika Jigulina, 'Stereo Love' was a hit in 2004 reaching Number 4 in the UK.
You can watch the music video on YouTube

George Ezra - Shotgun

Shotgun was one of George's earliest hits and it's made him a UK festival essential booking. The catchy chorus and brass-filled melody makes 'Shotgun' one of the catchiest summer throwbacks.
You can watch the video on YouTube

Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg - 'California Gurls'

Co-written by Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg, this summer tune was a big hit a decade ago. According to Katy, the song was written as an answer song to Jay-Z and Alicia Key's 'Empire State of Mind' which is all about New York.
Katy, who lives in California wanted a song about the state saying, "(California girls) are different. That's why there needed to be a song about them. I felt like there's something in the water. Like, you know the boys always dream about maybe dating a California girl, just because we've got the sun shining through 365 days a year."
You can watch the music video on YouTube

LMC vs. U2 - Take Me To The Clouds Above

First released in 2004 and now a summer staple, this track is guaranteed to bring the summer feeling whenever you hear it!
Watch the music video on YouTube

Mr. Probz - 'Waves'

After the original version of the song was remixed by Robin Schulz, 'Waves' became a massive hit, making it the fourth best-selling song of 2014 in the UK.
You can watch the music video on YouTube

Nelly - 'Hot In Herre'

Nelly's 'Hot In Herre' wasn't just a hit, it was a GRAMMY Award-winning hit, picking up the first ever Best Male Rap Solo Performance in 2003.
You can watch the music video on YouTube

Omi - Cheerleader

Omi's 2014 hit made waves around the world that summer, with a euphoric global anthem that still sounds as fresh as ever today!
Watch now on YouTube

Pitbull - I Know You Want Me

The 2009 Miami-esque throwback has been the summer soundtrack to a generation and continues to live on today!
Watch now on YouTube

Rudimental featuring James Arthur - 'Sun Comes Up'

James Arthur featured on Rudimental's song 'Sun Comes Up' back in 2017, and we love this summery tune on Hits Radio.
You can watch the music video on YouTube

Sean Paul - Temperature

He's had a mountain of hits and this one is surely the hottest!
Watch the video on YouTube

York - OTB (On The Beach)

From the debut album for German electronic act York, OTB quickly became a huge summer throwback, after being first released in 1999.
Watch the music video on YouTube

Make sure you don't miss our Throwback Weekend!

Now read:

12 superb songs with 'Summer' in the title

Successful songs you totally forgot about

Take our ultimate Summer quiz

Unusual but totally delicious things to cook on a BBQ

Turn it up with Hits Radio! Home of Fleur East, Sam Thompson and Gemma Atkinson playing the biggest hits and the biggest throwbacks, alongside the biggest laughs and life-changing competitions. Tune in on FM, DAB, online or ask your Smart Speaker to 'Play Hits Radio'.