Why Aren't Gay Bops Taking Over the Charts?

At a time we needed them most... the pop bops vanished.

It's safe to say the current songs charting on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 aren't being blasted at gay clubs or beach parties.

In the past decade or so, usually a few pop bangers rule the summer and everyone can't get the popular melodies out of their heads. This year? That just doesn't seem to be the case.

The Hot 100 chart dated July 29, 2023 currently features three country songs that take up the top five slots. BTS' Jung Kook's debut solo single "Seven (feat. Latto)" snatched the top spot right as it was released.

Although there are a few pop girlies that have songs in the top 10 like Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Olivia Rodrigo, would anyone argue that any of these songs are the definite song of the summer?

While this summer doesn't seem to have a song that everyone is listening to, it's even more tragic when this year's chart is compared to the early 2010's.

Thanks to Billboard, the top songs of the summer in 2012 were really blasting on everyone's speakers from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Some would argue these singles are still considered summer essential tracks all these years later.

Just a few of the top singles from that epic summer include "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen, "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry, "Lights" by Ellie Goulding, "Where Have You Been" by Rihanna, "Titanium" by David Guetta and Sia, "We Are Young" by Fun and Janelle Monae, and "Starships" by Nicki Minaj. All of these bangers came out all in one summer!

There's a ton of other bops that didn't crack the end of the year top 10, but a simple Google search will show just good how that year was in music.

Just a couple years prior, Katy Perry was securing her status as a pop queen with "California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)" becoming the top summer track of 2010, which still captures the warm weather vibes to this day.

Other songs that made 2010 rule include "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem and Rihanna, "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz, and "I Like It" by Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull.

2011 also blessed everyone's eardrums with tons of iconic summertime anthems including "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)" by Katy Perry, "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj, "The Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga, "Tonight Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae, and "E.T." by Katy Perry and Kanye West.

Katy Perry's impact is truly undeniable.

As the 2010's progressed, so many songs take music fans back in time to each legendary era.

There's no way that anybody was escaping Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" or "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke in 2013, especially after that infamous VMA's performance.

Plus, nobody will forget Iggy Azalea making history with her smash collaborations with Charli XCX on "Fancy" and Ariana Grande on "Problem" during the summer of 2014.

2014 actually had a wide range of repeatable songs, including a couple ballads like "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith and "All of Me" by John Legend, along with quintessential pop bops like "Summer" by Calvin Harris, "Happy" by Pharrell Williams, and "Rude" by MAGIC!

Once 2017 rolled around, it felt like the music industry wanted to focus on just one song that would rule the summer as opposed to multiple songs that captured the summer vibe. Plus, hip-hop really started dominating the charts around this time.

In 2017, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber was one of the most repeatable songs of the year by spending 16 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, which tied Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's record with their iconic song "One Sweet Day" for the most weeks spent on top of the chart.

The following year, Drake's hit "In My Feelings" ruled the streaming game with it spending ten weeks at number one on the Hot 100.

Then, history was made in 2019 when Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus broke the record made by "Despacito" and "One Sweet Day" as "Old Town Road" spent 19 weeks on top of the Hot 100. To this day, no other song has broken that record.

Once the new decade rolled around, gay bops really stopped appearing on the Hot 100 summer charts. TikTok came onto the scene and streaming numbers reached all-new heights that drastically differentiated to what people were listening on the radio.

Sure, a couple songs became mainstream and landed in the top 10 on the 2020 summer charts, like "Savage" by Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé, "Say So" by Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj, and "WAP" by Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B.

Olivia Rodrigo made a huge debut in 2021 with a couple of her songs playing throughout the summer like "Good 4 U" and "Deja Vu." However, nobody was coming close to BTS' "Butter" which topped the Hot 100 chart for ten weeks.

Last year, Harry Styles' "As It Was" spent 15 weeks on top of Hot 100, completely dominating the summer charts.

As opposed to multiple summer bangers taking over the charts ten years ago, the industry is just seeing one song take over summer playlists each year.

Up until Jung Kook's debut this week on the Hot 100, Morgan Wallen's single "Last Night" had spent 14 total weeks at the top spot on the chart this year.

It's honestly a bit sad seeing how many timeless tracks would capture the thrill of summer ten years ago as opposed to today. Will gay anthems like "Padam Padam" by Kylie Minogue or "Rush" by Troye Sivan crack the top ten this year? Only time will tell.

Until then, music lovers can reminisce on the good old days by playing the early 2010 hits from the comfort of their living room or at their summer soirées.