Song of the Summer 2014 Contender: Summer

Time is flying! Here's hoping I can crown a Song of the Summer before I wake up to find that it's Thanksgiving. Thankfully, today's contender is a gimme. How could a song named "Summer" not be in the running? It's performed by Calvin Harris, and I've been hearing a lot of it lately over loudspeakers at pools, ice cream shops, and other seasonal destinations. It sounds like it was practically created in a lab to win this contest. Have a listen:

There's really not much to this song beyond the word "summer" and a driving backbeat. In other words, it's a textbook example of a summer jam. Unlike a lot of other songs, though, I find it more difficult to get past how milquetoast it is and just enjoy the fizzy pop of it. In many ways, it's similar to "Get Lucky", but something important is missing. It's not a bad song, just shallow and forgettable. Entertainment Weekly put its odds at 12:1, and I find it difficult to disagree. I'm not ever sorry to encounter "Summer" in the wild, but I don't ever see myself seeking it out, either.

Song of the Summer Odds: 12:1