The practices of listening to music and going to the beach both date back centuries. No wonder they work so well together.
And whether you live on a coast or travel miles each year just to dip your toes in the ocean, it goes without saying: Any successful beach outing is non-negotiably accompanied by a perfect waterside playlist, usually packed with vibe-y classics from generations past alongside whichever hits are currently in competition for the title of song of the summer. The hot season has proved to be an abundant source of inspiration for musicians over the years, who’ve penned homages to everything from the warm weather it promises to the opportunities it offers for vacations, outdoor trips, parties and cookouts — but if there’s one summer staple that appears the most fondly in such seasonal tracks, it’s undoubtedly the beach.
That’s why Billboard has rounded up the 10 best songs the past century of music has to offer on the topic, featuring contemporary pop stars such as Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry to visionary groups like The Drifters and, of course, the Beach Boys. Some of them are exactly as fun and free as they seem on the surface, while others were written with deeper metaphors inspired by the ocean’s many mysteries in mind. Whatever floats your boat, as they say. (All puns intended.)
Without further adieu, grab your umbrellas, towels and sunglasses, stake your claim on a spot on the shore and dive into the following songs about sun, sand and surf — ranked in reverse order below.
Holmes’ oft-quoted, coconut-flavored classic reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979.
Beachiest lyric: “You like piña coladas/ And gettin’ caught in the rain
And the feel of the ocean/ And the taste of champagne/ If you like making love at midnight/ In the dunes on the cape/ You’re the lady I’ve looked for/ Come with me and escape.”
Social House’s 2018 hit is the sonic equivalent of warm sunshine hitting your face. It reached No. 25 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 in 2020, largely thanks to a resurgence on TikTok.
Beachiest lyric: “And you look so classy/ Come through with that magic/ You know that I’m ’bout to smash it, it’s true/ I can take to the room, I can take you to the beach…”
Cyrus peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100 with this breezy love song, which remains one of the most effortless and dreamy tracks in her entire catalog.
Beachiest lyric: “I never came to the beach or stood by the ocean/ I never sat by the shore under the sun with my feet in the sand/ But you brought me here and I’m happy that you did.”
This easy-going track is best enjoyed with a Hawaiian shirt on and a Corona beer in hand.
Beachiest lyric: “I stopped searching for perfection many waves ago/ What really matters is the here and now and that’s about all I know/ Gonna catch me a big ol’ roller, sun setting on the sea/ Riding in on her glassy shoulder, the water going gray like me.”
Gen Z’s moody queen supreme did a full 180 in 2021 by releasing “Solar Power,” the lead single off her equally summery third studio album of the same name. The track reached No. 64 on the Hot 100.
Beachiest lyric: “Acid green, aquamarine/ The girls are dancing in the sand/ And I throw my cellular device in the water/ Can you reach me? No, you can’t.”
The idyllic “Island in the Sun” has proven to be one of Weezer’s most enduring hits, reaching No. 11 on the Alternative Airplay chart in 2001.
Beachiest lyric: “When you’re on a golden sea/ You don’t need no memory/ Just a place to call your own/ As we drift into the zone.”
Ziggy channeled all of the good vibes he inherited from his dad, Bob Marley, into this serene composition.
Beachiest lyric: “I wish you were here with me/ Walking on the beach in Hawaii/ Playing on the golden sand/ Looking at the ocean now I understand.”
Technically, this 2010s smash is about the Golden State’s female population at large — but according to Katy Perry, that demographic’s main activity is going to the beach (along with wearing daisy dukes and bikinis on top). The pop star spent six weeks atop the Hot 100 with this track, one of five historic No. 1s from her Teenage Dream album.
Beachiest lyric: “Sex on the beach/ We don’t mind sand in our stilettos.”
This iconic 1964 track by The Drifters wraps all the charm of a teen retro summer rom-com into a two-and-a-half-minute soul-pop classic, reaching the top five of the Hot 100 the year it was released.
Beachiest lyric: “Yeah, under the boardwalk, down by the sea/ On a blanket with my baby is where I’ll be.”
No beach list would be complete without the band who helped define surf rock in the early ’60s. The Beach Boys reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 with this eternal 1963 ode to catching waves.
Beachiest lyric: “If everybody had an ocean across the U.S.A./ Then everybody’d be surfin’ like Californi-a.”