'80s Summer Music Mix

Indie music helps you focus while studying, R&B makes you hit the dance floor and punk/metal pumps you up. But for some reason no music says SUMMER VACATION like ’80s music. Here’s some ’80s summer classics and the situations they best complement.

“Panama” by Van Halen for summer sports
Sure, you tripped up the stairs almost every day at school. Still, at some point this summer you’ll probably find yourself winding a bandana around your head, putting on your grimiest shorts and getting ready for a friendly/competitive/vicious game of football or basketball with friends.

And nothing speaks to your victory-hungry soul under the hot summer sun quite like the masters of ’80s guitar riffage, Van Halen. Sure, Bon Jovi might have had bigger hair, Mötley Crüe might have been more hardcore, but this track is truly timeless hard rock that pumps you up to be your best.

“Purple Rain” by Prince for making-out
Why does it seem that the best romantic songs are always the sad ones? Yeah, the lyrics are about a ruined friendship, but the soft guitar strumming and echo-y vocals make guys and girls alike melt under its influence. And just like a classy make-out session, this one takes its time—it works up to the gorgeous “woo-oo” vocals and soft strings that carry you away to blissful oblivion.

Even better—use the last half of the Purple Rain album for a parked make-out session: “When Doves Cry” while you’re driving to a good spot, “I Would Die 4 U” for the sweet talk and then the bouncy “Baby I’m a Star” to get things started right before “Purple Rain” magically connects your souls.

“Shake It” MC Shy-D for the pool or beach
Old school hip-hop belongs in your ears when the hot sun beats down and a cool lake or pool envelopes your body. Anything on Run-D.M.C.’s Greatest Hits would do as well, but this pop-rap gem is great for a pool party or goofing around at the beach. The chorus is “Go on, shake shake it!” over and over… not too likely Jay-Z was taking notes from this guy, but it fits the summer mood perfectly.

“Take on Me” by a-ha for sing-along driving
There’s a huge list of ’80s songs that were created expressly to be shouted by a group of teenagers zipping down the highway late at night. “Livin’ On a Prayer,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” or “Hey Mickey” sound just as good when your friends sing them as they do on the radio. But “Take On Me” by a-ha takes the cake for this one: Not only do you end up singing the keyboard part, but no one—no matter how deep your voice is—can resist trying to hit that falsetto at the end of the chorus. And hearing your pals creaking out the word “taaaaaaake” to one of the cheesiest songs ever is the best way to end a summer night.

“99 Red Balloons” by Nena for BBQ madness
A song about nuclear Armageddon? Exactly what you want to listen to while cooking dead meat.

“I Ran (So Far Away)” by A Flock of Seagulls for air-conditioned vegging out
In spite of the fact that this song is ABOUT running, the atmospheric guitars and airy synths are the perfect accompaniment to collapsing face-first on a couch in a cool, air-conditioned house and waiting for the searing heat to pass. Also, if the characters of “That ’70s Show” zipped ahead to the ’80s, you know this is what they would have listened to while vegging out in the Forman basement.

What ’80s jams get your summer rolling? Or are you more partial to 1920s party jamz?