Kandi Crush Battle: Summer Songs That Feel Like Sunshine

Listen… summer songs are a genre all by themselves. There are songs you hear in December and songs you only truly understand with the windows down, the sun out and somebody grilling in the backyard. That’s exactly what this Kandi Crush Battle felt like. Today we took six songs with SUMMER in the title and let Houston decide which one really captures the feeling of the season.

Right out the gate, J.T. Taylor’s “Long Hot Summer Nights” brought smooth grown-and-sexy energy. Carl Thomas followed with “Summer Rain” and immediately changed the temperature in the room because if you know R&B, then you know that song is emotional, nostalgic and feels like memories. Beyoncé had to show up because “Summertime” carries that effortless cool that she does so well, while The Isley Brothers gave us “Summer Breeze,” which honestly might be one of the smoothest records ever recorded.

Then Kool & The Gang came through with “Summer Madness,” and whew… that record still feels futuristic decades later. But when DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince dropped “Summertime,” the room shifted. That record is summer. Barbecues. Family reunions. Water balloons. Folding chairs. Somebody uncle dancing too hard.

For me? This battle wasn’t just about which song is best. It was about which song feels like June. Which one feels like Houston heat mixed with good memories. This one was close, but I think “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince takes it. Some songs age. That one lives forever.