Summer 2026 has arrived, and with it a new bevy of summer anthems. Folks, it’s not 2022 anymore - the biggest names in music are dying to have the song of this summer, with more and more hot singles coming out every week. And while we won’t know the song of Summer ‘26 until well after the summer is over, it’s clear that a few key contenders have emerged.
Here are our top four picks!
An instant classic, fans worldwide have been captured by the thrilling tale of the king, his daughter Jane (or Janet depending on the version), and total dreamboat Willie of Winsbury. This song has become unavoidable in Summer ‘26, already becoming a mainstay of playlists at grocery stores and coffee shops. Nothing can stop the meteoric rise of “Willie O’ Winsbury” in the charts and in our hearts.
The Appeal
Scandal! Pregnancy! Love! We all love the crazy lives of the rich & famous, and the way Willie O’ Winsbury wins over his baby momma’s daddy (by being so ridiculously attractive the king can’t object to his daughter’s actions) will last long past summer 2026. Critics have objected to the song’s somewhat racy content, particularly the accidental pregnancy and homoerotic moment between the king and Willie, but for diehard fans that only seems to add to the appeal. Besides, who doesn’t love a hottie with a body?
Best Lyrics
“And it is no wonder,” said the king / “That my daughter’s love you did win / For if I was a woman, as I am a man / My bedfellow you would have been”
Listen
WOW! Forget Hot Girl Summer, Brat Summer, or White Boy Summer - this is shaping up to be a Scandal Summer. This ballad of a noblewoman’s tryst with a young man and their subsequent slaughter at the hands of her husband may date from the 17th century, but it’s taking 2026 by storm!
The Appeal
Five letters. D-R-A-M-A. Who needs Love Island when you have hit songs like these? And that’s before we get into what people are saying online! Already, this song has stirred up seemingly endless cycles of discourse. Was the noblewoman right to cheat on such a temperamental husband? Was the husband’s anger at all justified? Discuss in the comments!
Best Lyrics
And then up spoke his own dear wife / Never known to speak so free / “I’d rather kiss dead Matty’s lips / Than you or your finery”
Listen
Parents just don’t understand, do they? This cheery centuries-old ballad about a pair of doomed lovers certainly thinks so. Our male lead Willie is cursed by his own mother to die, the mother of our female lead Margaret lies to prevent Willie from joining her, so both drown themselves in the waters of the river Clyde. And, just like the roaring Clyde itself, “Clyde Water” has roared into summer 2026 with no signs of leaving.
The Appeal
At its core, “Clyde Water” is a testament to the power of love. Our protagonist Willie1 is willing to go beyond pissing off his mother; he literally puts his life on the line for his fair Margaret. How romantic! Plus, it’s a classic conundrum - if your parents have ever had issues with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you can relate to “Clyde Water.”
Best Lyrics
Roaring Clyde, you roar so loud / Your streams are wondrous strong / Make me a wreck as I come back / Spare me as I’m going
Listen
What a journey for this ballad! While the lyrics date from at least the 1780s, the original music to “Willie’s Lady” has been lost for centuries. Why, then, can you hear this song blaring out of every car and speaker on any city block? Because sometime in the 1970s, musician Ray Fisher set the lyrics to the raucous Breton folk tune “Son ar Chistr.” Fellow musician Martin Carthy then translated the original Scots lyrics into standard English, forever cementing this song as a party banger.
The Appeal
Hiding behind the bumpin’ beat is a tale of woe and betrayal. King Willie’s mother has cursed the king’s newlywed wife to indefinite pregnancy (not a girl’s girl!) forcing the king, his queen, and in some versions the helpful spirit Billy Blind to trick her into telling them how to undo the curse. And you thought your in-laws were difficult!
It also features several mentions of the number “fifty and ten,” a number you may know better as “sixty.”
Best Lyrics
Then sighing said this weary man / As back to his own true love he’s gone again / “I wish my life was at an end.”
Listen2
What do YOU think the song of the summer will be? Comment below and let us know!
All of these songs are Child ballads, and were collected by American folklorist Francis James Child in England and Scotland in the latter half of the 19th century. No, I don’t know why nearly all of the men in these ballads are named Willie.
My wife, upon reading a draft of this article: “All of these song titles sound like they could be euphemisms for genitals”
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