The practices of listening to music and going to the seaside each date again centuries. No marvel they work so nicely collectively.
And whether or not you reside on a coast or journey miles every year simply to dip your toes within the ocean, it goes with out saying: Any profitable seaside outing is non-negotiably accompanied by an ideal waterside playlist, normally full of vibe-y classics from generations previous alongside whichever hits are at the moment in competitors for the title of track of the summer season. The new season has proved to be an plentiful supply of inspiration for musicians over time, who’ve penned homages to every thing from the nice and cozy climate it guarantees to the alternatives it provides for holidays, outside journeys, events and cookouts — but when there’s one summer season staple that seems probably the most fondly in such seasonal tracks, it’s undoubtedly the seaside.
That’s why Billboard has rounded up the ten greatest songs the previous century of music has to supply on the subject, that includes modern pop stars similar to Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry to visionary teams like The Drifters and, in fact, the Seaside Boys. A few of them are precisely as enjoyable and free as they appear on the floor, whereas others had been written with deeper metaphors impressed by the ocean’s many mysteries in thoughts. No matter floats your boat, as they are saying. (All puns meant.)
With out additional adieu, seize your umbrellas, towels and sun shades, stake your declare on a spot on the shore and dive into the next songs about solar, sand and surf — ranked in reverse order beneath.
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Rupert Holmes, “Escape (The Piña Colada Tune)”
Holmes’ oft-quoted, coconut-flavored basic reached No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100 in 1979.
Beachiest lyric: “You want piña coladas/ And gettin’ caught within the rain
And the texture of the ocean/ And the style of champagne/ Should you like making love at midnight/ Within the dunes on the cape/ You’re the woman I’ve seemed for/ Include me and escape.” -
Social Home feat. Lil Yachty, “Magic within the Hamptons”
Social Home’s 2018 hit is the sonic equal of heat sunshine hitting your face. It reached No. 25 on the Effervescent Beneath Sizzling 100 in 2020, largely due to a resurgence on TikTok.
Beachiest lyric: “And also you look so elegant/ Come via with that magic/ You understand that I’m ’bout to smash it, it’s true/ I can take to the room, I can take you to the seaside…”
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Miley Cyrus, “Malibu”
Cyrus peaked at No. 10 on the Sizzling 100 with this breezy love track, which stays probably the most easy and dreamy tracks in her complete catalog.
Beachiest lyric: “I by no means got here to the seaside or stood by the ocean/ I by no means sat by the shore below the solar with my ft within the sand/ However you introduced me right here and I’m completely satisfied that you simply did.”
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Jimmy Buffett, “Oldest Surfer on the Seaside”
This easy-going observe is greatest loved with a Hawaiian shirt on and a Corona beer in hand.
Beachiest lyric: “I ended trying to find perfection many waves in the past/ What actually issues is the right here and now and that’s about all I do know/ Gonna catch me an enormous ol’ curler, solar setting on the ocean/ Using in on her glassy shoulder, the water going grey like me.”
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Lorde, “Photo voltaic Energy”
Gen Z’s moody queen supreme did a full 180 in 2021 by releasing “Photo voltaic Energy,” the lead single off her equally summery third studio album of the identical title. The observe reached No. 64 on the Sizzling 100.
Beachiest lyric: “Acid inexperienced, aquamarine/ The ladies are dancing within the sand/ And I throw my mobile gadget within the water/ Are you able to attain me? No, you possibly can’t.”
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Weezer, “Island Within the Solar”
The idyllic “Island within the Solar” has confirmed to be one among Weezer’s most enduring hits, reaching No. 11 on the Various Airplay chart in 2001.
Beachiest lyric: “If you’re on a golden sea/ You don’t want no reminiscence/ Only a place to name your personal/ As we drift into the zone.”
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Ziggy Marley, “Seaside in Hawaii”
Ziggy channeled all the good vibes he inherited from his dad, Bob Marley, into this serene composition.
Beachiest lyric: “I want you had been right here with me/ Strolling on the seaside in Hawaii/ Enjoying on the golden sand/ Wanting on the ocean now I perceive.”
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Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg, “California Gurls”
Technically, this 2010s smash is in regards to the Golden State’s feminine inhabitants at massive — however in keeping with Katy Perry, that demographic’s major exercise goes to the seaside (together with carrying daisy dukes and bikinis on prime). The pop star spent six weeks atop the Sizzling 100 with this observe, one among 5 historic No. 1s from her Teenage Dream album.
Beachiest lyric: “Intercourse on the seaside/ We don’t thoughts sand in our stilettos.”
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The Drifters, “Beneath the Boardwalk”
This iconic 1964 observe by The Drifters wraps all of the attraction of a teen retro summer season rom-com right into a two-and-a-half-minute soul-pop basic, reaching the highest 5 of the Sizzling 100 the yr it was launched.
Beachiest lyric: “Yeah, below the boardwalk, down by the ocean/ On a blanket with my child is the place I’ll be.”
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Seaside Boys, “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
No seaside record could be full with out the band who helped outline surf rock within the early ’60s. The Seaside Boys reached No. 3 on the Sizzling 100 with this everlasting 1963 ode to catching waves.
Beachiest lyric: “If everyone had an ocean throughout the united statesA./ Then everyone’d be surfin’ like Californi-a.”
