RETRO & RHYTHM

The Top Songs of Summer 2022 Reveal a Return to Dance and Nostalgia

August 31, 2022

Summer 2022 is coming to an end, but the music that soundtracked the past few months of longer days, road trips, festivals, and pool parties is sure to reverberate into the rest of the year. So before you toss those flip-flops to the back of the closet, let’s celebrate the listening trends that brought the heat this summer.

Top Songs of Summer

Back in June, Spotify predicted some of the songs that would soundtrack the summer months to come. Now it’s time to reveal what listeners were blasting between May 29 and August 29, 2022.

Topping the global list with more than 610M streams over the last three months alone is none other than Harry Styles’ hit “As It Was.” It also claimed the top spot in 24 countries around the world including Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates.

The global runner-up and top track in the U.S. this summer is Kate Bush’s now-viral song from 1985, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God),” which became popularized after being featured prominently in the latest season of Netflix’s Stranger Things. It’s one of the most retro tracks to make it onto Spotify’s Songs of Summer list—37 years after its release. Fans born after the song was originally released are discovering it, with first-time streams from U.S. Gen Zs (aka listeners aged 24 and under) increasing over 7,800% since being featured on the show.

Bad Bunny dominated both the top global and U.S. Songs of Summer lists with tracks like “Me Porto Bonito,” “Tití Me Preguntó,” “Ojitos Lindos,” and “Efecto” off his latest album, Un Verano Sin Ti. “Me Porto Bonito,” in particular, is the Song of the Summer in 14 Latin American countries including Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and the Dominican Republic.

It wouldn’t be summer without some brand-new hot girl anthems like Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” and Doja Cat’s “Vegas (From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ELVIS),” which both landed in the U.S. Top 20 Songs of Summer list. And around the globe, “About Damn Time” and “Vegas” were the top two tracks most frequently added to user-generated hot girl summer playlists on Spotify.

Like what you hear? From sped-up songs to country classics, even more trends have made summer 2022 musically unique, and Spotify’s music editors are tracking their ebbs and flows across genres. Check out what trends our editors across Pop, Dance, Indie, and U.S. Latin had to say.

If you’re looking for more where that came from, check out our editor-curated Summer Hits, Summer Dance Hits, Indie Sunshine, and Verano Forever playlists—plus stream our Songs of Summer playlist below.

Hot Podcasts of Summer

Whether it was superhero stories, throwback TV commentary, behind-the-scenes anime, or your daily dose of the news, Spotify listeners also tuned into podcasts to stay entertained and in the know this summer. Listeners dove into . . .

Batman Unburied. The early-summer sensation from Spotify, Warner Bros., and DC is a psychologically thrilling take on the Caped Crusader that took the world by storm. The series, which was adapted into multiple languages, was a hit around the globe and rose to the top of Spotify’s podcast charts in 17 markets worldwide.
TV Nostalgia. This summer, the cast of Pod Meets World took fans back in time by rewatching episodes of Boy Meets World and sharing memories and behind-the-scenes moments from the iconic series. Meanwhile, on Back to the Beach with Kristin and Stephen, Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Coletti rewatch Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County for the first time in 18 years. The former sweethearts relive their high school experiences, break down the truth of what happened on and off camera, and share what really happened in Cabo. Both shows have found places at the top of the trending podcasts on Spotify’s summer charts.
SPYxFAMILY. A breakout Spotify Original that came out of Japan, the podcast was released alongside SPYxFAMILY Anime, the anime adaptation of the popular Japanese manga series of the same name. The podcast series, hosted by one of the show’s voice actors, takes fans behind the scenes of SPYxFAMILY, going in-depth on the anime’s backstory and giving insights into each episode. The series has topped the podcast charts in Japan, holding the number one spot for more than a month.
The Journal. Every day of the summer (and throughout the year, for that matter), Kate Linebaugh, Ryan Knutson, and the team at The Wall Street Journal take you inside the most important stories, explained through the lens of business. In for a special summer treat? Make sure to check out The Journal’s special three-part series, Hack Me If You Can, published in June.