Every week, Billboard updates its Hot 100 chart, revealing what songs are most popular in the United States based on sales, radio play, and online streams. As we enter the summer and the search for the “song of the summer” begins, this week’s top 10 songs on the chart are most likely on your teen’s radar. We broke them down here so they can be on your radar too!
Butter – BTS
Following the same formula from their 2020 song “Dynamite,” K-Pop boyband BTS wrote and performed this song entirely in English, possibly to connect with a wider American audience. Filled with pop culture references and rhymes like “smooth like butter,” “hot like summer,” and “ain’t no bummer,” this song is all about being so cool and so smooth that the person you like can’t resist you. Though it’s a little hard to understand what they are saying at times with their accents, the message is overall pretty innocent and fun. All 7 members of BTS get their chance to sing or rap, making the dance-pop song well rounded and very, very catchy.
good 4 u – Olivia Rodrigo (Explicit)
Teen sensation Olivia Rodrigo has two songs on the top 10 currently (actually, all 11 of the songs from her debut album SOUR are within the top 52 spots on the chart). “good 4 u” is a sarcastic mic drop in reference to her breakup with High School Musical: The Musical: The Series co-star Joshua Bassett. In the chorus, Rodrigo yells “Well good for you, you look healthy and happy. Not me, if you ever cared to ask,” as she’s “spent the night cryin’ on the floor of [her] bathroom.” Breakups are always hard to go through, especially as a teenager, and Rodrigo has no problem being authentic about hers for teens to relate to.
Levitating – Dua Lipa Featuring DaBaby
This song has been on the charts for a whole 35 weeks, and has been performed at the Grammys, AMAs, and on SNL, so it’s safe to say this one is already pretty familiar for many. Another upbeat, catchy pop song that got a boost on the charts with this remix featuring rapper DaBaby, “Levitating” is about dancing the night away with your “sugar boo” (love interest). Other songs from Dua Lipa’s 2020 album Future Nostalgia were about having a good time with someone you’re interested in, but delved into some occasionally risqué territory. This song focuses more on the dancing and fun, less on the lovey details.
Leave The Door Open – Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak)
Bruno Mars announced his surprise collaboration with drummer and singer Anderson .Paak at the end of February 2021. But, listening to their first single “Leave The Door Open,” you’d think they made the announcement during the 1970s. The song, featuring elements of soul and R&B led by Mars and .Paak’s strong vocals, is all about “leaving the door open” for any ladies looking for a little bit of love. The lyrics get pretty sensual as the singers try and convince their love interests to come over by any means necessary (flattery, hospitality, and good sex), but the song is impressive in the way it nails the vintage soul sound.
Save Your Tears (Remix) – The Weeknd & Ariana Grande
This song had the biggest gain in sales and streaming on the chart this week, most likely thanks to Ariana Grande adding her vocals to the remix (a remix can make a song stay on the charts longer since the new sales and streams count toward the original song). The lyrics detail a couple who can’t decide whether they want to be together or stay away from each other. It’s pretty depressing stuff, which is on brand when compared to the majority of the Weeknd’s discography. We hope teens listening to the song may opt for better communication in whatever relationships they may be pursuing.
Peaches – Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & GIVĒON (Explicit)
Justin Bieber has been making love songs for years, and “Peaches” is no exception. With a breezy, summery instrumental, Justin sings about the tender love he has for his wife, model Hailey Baldwin, and how she’s all he wants forever (featuring artists Daniel Caesar and GIVĒON sing about loving someone special too). The song does takes a bit of a questionable turn in the chorus, where Bieber talks about where he gets his weed, and calls his wife a “bad*ss b*tch.” But, in the same chorus, Justin talks about getting his “light right from the source,” referencing his Christian faith.
Kiss Me More – Doja Cat Featuring SZA (Explicit)
The music video for this song contains sexual content, so we’ve decided not to include it*
Even though it’s catchy, there’s not much redeemable about this song. The lyrics are sexually explicit from start to finish, and both Doja Cat and SZA seem content with having intense sexual experiences that are casual with no plans for deeper connection. This view of intimacy is conveyed as normal in the song with lines like, “we’re so young boy, we ain’t got nothing to lose” from the chorus. The overall theme of the song is a desire for more kisses, but there’s apparently a lot that goes into that besides a simple peck. God created things like kissing and sex with a special purpose, but this song emphatically throws that sacredness out the window.
deja vu – Olivia Rodrigo (Explicit)
This is another song from Rodrigo about her breakup with Joshua Bassett (a large part of her album SOUR is about this breakup). The song details the assumptions Rodrigo has that all of the things she and her ex used to do, he’s doing with his new girl. The new girl thinks it’s special between them, but Rodrigo knows her ex is feeling deja vu. Similar to “good 4 u,” the entire song is Rodrigo feeling bitter while assuming that her ex is doing fine without her. As teens enter and exit their first big relationships we encourage intentional communication for closure that might save them from feeling as negatively about a breakup.
Astronaut In The Ocean – Masked Wolf (Explicit)
This song came out in 2019, but was rereleased when Australian rapper Masked Wolf signed to a bigger label. The rerelease under new management pushed this otherwise obscure artist into the top of the Hot 100 chart. The song showcases Masked Wolf’s talent as a vocalist, and lyrically details his experience working hard to be a great artist and not having anybody seem to notice or care. At this point, it’s tough to say whether this is song will be a one hit wonder or if Masked Wolf will grow to be a popular artist. Not many people know anything about Masked Wolf, so only time will tell.
Montero (Call Me By Your Name) – Lil Nas X (Explicit)
The music video for this song contains sexual content, so we’ve decided not to include it*
Lil Nas X got a LOT of backlash when this song first came out, particularly for its music video in which he descends to hell on a stripper pole and gives the Devil a lap dance. But, maybe with the aid of controversy, it had no issue topping the charts. There are lots of explicit sex, drug, and alcohol lyrics throughout the song, but the artist also revealed a deeper meaning about the shame and guilt he felt being gay growing up in church. Lil Nas X is known for being a master of trolling, and this song is a prime example of his knowledge that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Discussion Questions
Here are some discussion questions to spark conversation:
- Do you like any of these songs? Why or why not?
- Do you relate to the lyrics of any of these songs? In what way?
- What do you think makes a good song?
- What do you think about curse words or sexual lyrics in songs? Do you notice them or is it hard to catch if the beat is good?
- Would you ever consider reading and reflecting on the lyrics of a song before choosing to listen to it? Why or why not?