Every summer season has at least one song that seems to be the soundtrack for every barbecue, beach party or road trip, no matter where you are in the nation. It's actually often more than one, but this list is about the tracks that dominated both culturally and on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart during the summer months. So far for 2014, Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" from her album "The New Classic" is the winner. 
Despite many having issues with its lyrics, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" grooved its way to No. 1 and went on to rule the summer, along with Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" and Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop." 
Gotye and Kimbra were set to continue their unbeatable success with "Somebody That I Used To Know" last summer ... but then Carly Rae Jepsen showed up with "Call Me Maybe." With a song so catchy that you knew the lyrics even if you didn't want to, the star-in-the-making took her Justin Bieber-endorsed track all the way to No. 1. 
LMFAO didn't need to do more than name their January 2011 release "Party Rock Anthem" to ensure it was still relevant when summer rolled around, but we're happy they did. With its mix of pop, EDM and hip-hop plus optimistic, devil-may-care lyrics, summer listeners were more than willing to "just have a good time" with the No. 1 single. 
Katy Perry's 2010 album "Teenage Dream" might as well have been titled "Summertime." Between the title track, the effervescent "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" and the salacious, candy-coated No. 1 hit "California Gurls," Perry was everyone's go-to for the season. 
In 2009, The Black Eyed Peas were poised to provide a single for all seasons. Their album "The E.N.D." had two perfect tracks for long summer nights: "Boom Boom Pow" and its lighter, more sentimental companion, "I Gotta Feeling." 
Katy Perry's controversial "I Kissed A Girl" was as beloved as it was ballyhooed, but one place it didn't ride the fence in 2008 was on the Hot 100. Staying at No. 1 for seven weeks, the summer single helped turned Perry into a global pop star. 
Whether you love the hook on "Umbrella" or hate it, Rihanna's single from her "Good Girl Gone Bad" album was the summer of 2007's banner song. The singer had issued beach-friendly hits in the past, such as 2005's burner "Pon De Replay," but the slightly darker "Umbrella" reached farther by going all the way to No. 1 -- and staying there for seven weeks. 
With an assist from Timbaland, Nelly Furtado put out the 2006 season's favored pop sound with "Promiscuous." She held on to her position for six weeks before succumbing to a takeover from Fergie's "London Bridge." 
Mariah Carey was the comeback star of the year with 2005's "We Belong Together" from the fan-and-critic adored "The Emancipation of Mimi." Made for summer's slower moments, "We Belong Together" was No. 1 for 14 nonconsecutive weeks. 
Usher's "Confessions" album gave a steady supply of hits throughout 2004, starting with the ubiquitous "Yeah!" with Lil Jon. That single was still playing well into the summer, but one of Usher's more intimate songs, "Burn," had replaced "Yeah!" at the top of the Hot 100 by that point. The R&B singer ended up competing with himself once again when his song "Confessions Part II" snuck up on "Burn" in late July to interrupt its chart domination. 
When Beyoncé stepped out on her own apart from Destiny's Child, she did it with her future husband and a colorful single at the ready. In 2003, "Crazy In Love" had all of the elements of a summer hit: catchy lyrics, an irresistible beat, built-in dance moves and a hot music video to match. 
In the summer of 2002, mainstream music listeners had taken up residence in "Nellyville." Rapper Nelly had not one, but two singles hit No. 1 back-to-back between Memorial Day and Labor Day: the aptly titled party anthem "Hot In Herre," and the mid-tempo love saga "Dilemma," which featured Kelly Rowland. 
"Lady Marmalade" from the 2001 "Moulin Rouge!" soundtrack took on a life of its own when it hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in early June. The medley, which featured Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil' Kim and Mya reinventing the original hit, was easily the most recognizable song associated with Baz Luhrmann's film. 
Granted, 'N Sync's "It's Gonna Be Me" had but a brief run at the top of the Hot 100 in 2000, as Aaliyah's "Try Again," Matchbox Twenty's "Bent," Santana's "Maria, Maria" and Sisqo's "Incomplete" also landed there during the busy music season. But "It's Gonna Be Me" was also the boy band's first Hot 100 No. 1, and its two-week cruise as the top single proved the power of the 'N Sync craze. 
Picking up where Lopez left off, Christina Aguilera made her own vocal debut with "Genie In A Bottle," which was released in June 1999 and ascended to No. 1 in early August. 
Jennifer Lopez moved from Fly Girl to fly actress to singer with her 1999 album, "On the 6." The star's first single, "If You Had My Love," was No. 1 for five weeks that summer. 
This epic R&B face-off between Brandy and Monica was one of the biggest hits of the '90s, let alone the standout single for the summer months of 1998. "The Boy Is Mine" arrived at No. 1 on the June 6 chart that year and didn't budge until Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing" came around in September. 
The Police's "Every Breath You Take" shows up on this summer hot list twice thanks to Puff Daddy's sampling of it in his track with Faith Evans and 112, "I'll Be Missing You." The song, which was in remembrance of the late Notorious B.I.G. and was included in the artist/producer's collaborative album "No Way Out" in 1997, debuted at No. 1 in mid-June and stayed in that spot through August. 
Not even the passage of 17 years can erase the pulsating beat of this one-hit-wonder from our minds. The Bayside Boys' remix of Los Del Rio's "Macarena" -- which launched a dance craze -- blew up the Hot 100 in August of '96 when it reached No. 1. "Macarena" was a lighthearted counterpart to '96's other huge hit, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's "Tha Crossroads." 
TLC's "CrazySexyCool" had already spawned a Hot 100 No. 1 with "Creep" in early 1995, and the popular girl group returned to the top that summer with the cautionary tale of "Waterfalls." It didn't hurt that they had a fan-favorite music video to go with it. 
All-4-One's sincere love ballad "I Swear" was nearly the only No. 1 on the Hot 100 during the summer of '94. After staying at the top throughout June and July, it's chokehold was loosened in August thanks to Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)" from "Reality Bites." 
Janet Jackson's single "That's the Way Love Goes" set the mood for a sultry summer in '93. Ms. Jackson's reign at No. 1 came to an end in mid-July, and was quickly followed by UB40's "Can't Help Falling In Love" through Labor Day. 
Sir Mix-a-Lot's immortal proclamation that he likes big butts and cannot lie was the hottest song out around the July 4 holiday of 1992. The single, "Baby Got Back," was No. 1 for five weeks. 
Keeping with the trend of slow summer jams, Bryan Adams' contribution to the "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" soundtrack became the crown prince of the Hot 100. "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" was No. 1 for six weeks in 1991 following Paula Abdul's chart-topper "Rush Rush." 
In 1990, Mariah Carey stunned listeners with her debut single "Vision of Love." Although it, like Marx's hit the year before, had a slow tempo and lacked sunny turns of phrase, "Vision of Love" nonetheless climbed to No. 1 and then stayed there for the month of August. 
Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" doesn't have any of the trademarks of a summer song -- it's a ballad about a guy who's going "insane" from being apart from his love -- but it did have notable success in 1989's busy summer. Following Paula Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" and Martika's "Toy Soldiers," Marx had the top spot for three weeks. 
On the heels of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" came "Dirty Diana," a hard-edged rock hit that didn't dominate the Hot 100 in the summer of '88, but did add another No. 1 to Jackson's repertoire. 
Steve Winwood's "Roll With It" rolled on the charts for weeks after it bowed in June '88, hitting No. 1 by the end of July. 
While Houston's "I Wanna Dance" was probably the preferred pick for partiers, Heart's "Alone" was still a major hit that summer as it knocked Houston's single out of No. 1 in mid-July. 
The best summer songs are bright, catchy and uncomplicated -- all of which describes Whitney Houston's irrepressible pop song "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)." The lead single from her 1987 album "Whitney," "I Wanna Dance" arrived that May and soon climbed to No. 1 by mid-summer. 
Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" arrived in June 1986, and climbed to No. 1 on the Hot 100 that August. The single went on to earn Madge her second Grammy nod. 
Tears for Fears actually had two songs on the Hot 100 that were popular in the summer of '85: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," and their latter single, "Shout." That song stayed at No. 1 for just a few weeks before being replaced by Huey Lewis and the News' song from the "Back to the Future" soundtrack, "The Power of Love." 
Prince released "When Doves Cry" as the first single from the soundtrack to his movie "Purple Rain" in 1984. The now-iconic song became his first American No. 1.
- Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" is a front-runner for 2014's top summer song
- Other hits such as "Rude" and "Ain't It Fun" are bringing competition
- Last year, the song of the summer was Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines"
(CNN) -- Getting a song to hit in the summer can change a career -- just ask Katy Perry or Robin Thicke.
Before the reign of "I Kissed a Girl" in the summer of 2008, Perry had been tirelessly striving to create a name for herself in the music industry and was starting to find some long-sought success with her debut single, "Ur So Gay."
But right around Independence Day 2008 -- which reminds us to make the most of what's left of the season -- Perry's loud and bold "I Kissed a Girl" pushed through to the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 and refused to let go for seven weeks. That single gave Perry an entree as pop's newest princess.
As for Thicke? He'll tell you himself that his 2013 single with Pharrell Williams and T.I., the controversial "Blurred Lines," ushered in a new era, creating the kind of success of which most artists can only dream.
Thicke had been working as a singer and songwriter for years when "Blurred Lines" arrived in the spring of 2013. But after that song was played at every pool party, barbecue, nightclub and wedding reception -- topping the Billboard 100 in late June and staying there until September -- Thicke became a global pop star.
Having the song of the summer doesn't always translate into album sales later. Thicke's latest release, the lovelorn "Paula," has performed dismally. But it is a fast and easy way to gain notoriety, even if it only lasts for the season.
So who's going to claim the title for 2014?
The obvious answer is Iggy Azalea, the Australian rapper who's swiftly gaining fame as the rapper on the Charli XCX-assisted "Fancy" and Ariana Grande's "Problem."
But Iggy Igg, as she's known to her fans, has some competition. Including "Fancy," here are the 10 tracks poised to be the staple song of summer:
"Fancy," Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
The combination of Iggy Azalea's flow with Charli XCX's cocky singing on the hook has made "Fancy" as irresistible as running through sprinklers on a hot day. You think you might be too old for it, but why not? It's fun! Cute lyrics, easy to sing along to and upbeat enough to spin at a party, it's little wonder that this release from Azalea's "The New Classic" album has been No. 1 on the Billboard 100 since June 7.
"Summer," Calvin Harris
The Scottish DJ/producer/singer/songwriter has captured exactly what a summer song needs to be with this seasonally appropriate single. With wistful lyrics about a warm weather romance and a pulsing beat, Harris' single is an easy favorite.
"Rude," Magic!
Canadian reggae fusion band Magic! has crooned its way almost to No. 1 with its single "Rude." The song arrived last fall, but it wasn't until beach season that "Rude" really took off in the States. Ridiculously catchy, it comes complete with a heartfelt backstory that makes it applicable to this season of makeups and breakups.
"Wiggle," Jason Derulo ft. Snoop Dogg
Is Jason Derulo's ode to the rear end a little silly? Sure. But that's also what makes it perfect for summer. With a hypnotic beat and an artist-supplied dance move, "Wiggle" is made for carefree nights. Not even Zac Efron could resist "Wiggle-ing" while on vacation.
"Ain't It Fun," Paramore
This rock group's fourth album has been a wellspring of hits, with 2013's popular "Still Into You" being followed by the light-hearted "Ain't It Fun," a bouncy track that lives up to its title. Paramore's Hayley Williams says the making of the single was as breezy as the song itself.
"Problem," Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea
Ariana Grande hasn't had any problems climbing the charts with this horn-heavy dismissal of an unnecessary love. Funky and featuring the rapper du jour, Iggy Azalea, "Problem" is nipping at the heels of "Fancy" to be the top choice of summer 2014.
"Stay With Me," Sam Smith
In case you missed our very detailed memo, this is Sam Smith's year. The British soul singer has released his debut solo album and has gifted us all with the kind of song that'll be sung at karaoke for months to come. It isn't as danceable as Smith's work with Disclosure, the still-hot "Latch," but it is memorable and affecting.
"Turn Down for What," DJ Snake and Lil Jon
Since its release last year, DJ Snake and Lil Jon's "Turn Down for What" has become the go-to party anthem for anyone wanting to turn up their night. It worked just fine when it was cold and darkness fell early, but "Turn Down for What" demands listening when it's 8 p.m., the sun is still bright, and your day's just getting started.
"Sing," Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran used to be known as the guy who sang sad love songs. That's still true, but with his new album, "x," Sheeran's branched out into more upbeat territory. His spring release, "Sing," has a groove produced by Pharrell Williams and a chorus easy enough for the inebriated to howl along to -- usually, that's more than enough to crown a single the song of the summer.
"Am I Wrong," Nico & Vinz
Like with "Rude," Norwegian duo Nico & Vinz invoke a beach vibe with their hit "Am I Wrong." It has a tempo quick enough for dancing but slow enough to encourage pairing off, with just the right amount of sultry for a summer night.
Tell us: What's your favorite song this summer?
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