There’s nothing better than seeing the flowers bloom, feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin and blasting feel-good music all day, every day. As the temperatures continue to rise, so does my mood and my music rotation clearly reflects as it includes many lively, upbeat songs. Over the course of May, I’ve adjusted my music rotation to prepare me for summer, car rides to the beach, lunch trips after football practice and everything in between. Based on my music listening experience this past month, here are some of my top songs from May that I highly recommend.
Five: “From The Fall” by Bailey Zimmerman
Since the start of the new year, I’ve made it my mission to expand my music taste and listen to more genres. Initially, I thought this would be a challenging task due to my previous disliking for rock and especially country music. However, once I began listening to Morgan Wallen, I was quickly introduced to Bailey Zimmerman since he has opened up for Wallen on his most recent tour. I’m very thankful that I was introduced to Zimmerman’s music, as his lyrical focus covers topics that I can relate to such as relationships, life struggles and religion. His emotional vocal delivery paired with slow guitar-based instrumentals makes every one of his songs an enjoyable listening experience, which is especially shown in “From The Fall” as Zimmerman addresses his emotions after a breakup.
Four: “Grand Slam” by ian
The month of May was massive for ian as he saw himself skyrocket into the spotlight after his songs “Grand Slam”, “Figure it out”, “Magic Johnson” and “Never Stop” gained traction on TikTok. Despite his songs being two minutes or less in length, ian makes up for it with his selection of instrumentals. On “Grand Slam”, the bass-filled electronic instrumental can leave any listener with a “stank face.” This instrumental paired with his witty lyrics creates an atmosphere around “Grand Slam” that can get anyone energized.
Three: “Panama” by Van Halen
In my quest to expand my music taste, rock has been one of the easiest genres to get into. There are some many styles and subgenres that have peaked my interest as I’ve dug deeper with Van Halen being one of them. I’m an absolute sucker for great guitar performances, so what better band to get into than a band with one of the greatest guitarists ever, (Eddie) Van Halen. The abrasively passionate guitar play and vocals from the band make “Panama” such an enjoyable listening experience. Paired with the nostalgia of listening to Van Halen with my dad in the car, I haven’t been able to get enough of this song, especially when I have the windows down on a beautiful day.
Two: “misses” by Dominic Fike
Prior to the release of the next song on this list, I thought “misses” by Dominic Fike would be the song of the summer. Somehow, this song encapsulates the feeling of driving around town with the windows down on a summer day without a care in the world. Normally, I would have a problem with a song being only a minute long but with “misses” I think its run time is perfect for the message and feeling Fike intends to convey. The song itself focuses on Fike’s feelings toward a previous love interest, and despite his vocals being slightly overpowered by the tranquil yet lively instrumental they are a perfect match for every aspect of the song.
One: “I Had Some Help (feat. Morgan Wallen)” by Post Malone
Tentatively, “I Had Some Help” is my pick for this year’s song of the summer. As previously mentioned, I have a soft spot for guitar-based instrumentals, and the one found on “I Had Some Help” certainly hits the spot. Usually on a country song the guitar in the instrumental has a slower tempo with less “energy” to it, but the opposite is the case for this song as the guitar in the instrumental is extremely upbeat and with varying intensity to match the vocals of Post Malone and Morgan Wallen. Despite the lack of verses from Wallen and Malone, their chemistry is evident throughout the song as they cruise over the instrumental with energy and passion. I wonder if anything can or will top “I Had Some Help” for the song of the summer.
I hope my selections can help expand and diversify your music taste, or possibly remind you of songs you’ve once enjoyed. Sadly, this will be the last edition in my Monthly Tunes series until next school year, but I am excited to listen to more music as the year progresses and report give my recommendations once again next September.
