It's official. As summer starts to fade and after weeks of voting and consideration by Variance staff, our annual Song of Summer poll has closed and the results are in.
Although the margins were slim this time around, compared to previous years, the ultimate victor was Sia's dominant single "Cheap Thrills," featuring Seal Paul, which has become a must-have for any summer playlist and once again proved Sia's undeniable talent for writing mammoth pop songs, whether for others (as this one was originally intended for Rihanna) or for herself.
We began polling readers last month for their Song of Summer choice, with participants allowed to either vote for Variance's existing nominees or nominate a candidate of their own.
"Cheap Thrills" finished the poll on Aug. 9 with 19% support, followed closely by The Chainsmokers' "Don't Let Me Down," featuring Daya, with 17%.
Rounding out the top five are Beck's "Wow" at No. 3 with 12% of the vote; then Chance the Rapper's "No Problem," featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz (10%); and tied at No. 5 are Flume's "Never Be Like You," featuring Kai, and Drake's "One Dance," featuring WizKid & Kyla, both with 9%.
This marks Variance's sixth annual Song of Summer selection, with Sia becoming the first female to win the title as a lead artist.
It's also worth noting four of our most recent Song of Summer winners went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year: 2012's "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye and Kimbra; 2013's "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke, Pharrell and T.I.; 2014's "Stay with Me" by Sam Smith; and last year's "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd. "Somebody" and "Stay" both won the award.
See the list and hear the full Top 10 Songs of Summer below.
No. 01 | Sia | "Cheap Thrills" (feat. Sean Paul)
No. 02 | The Chainsmokers | "Don't Let Me Down" (feat. Daya)
No. 03 | Beck | "Wow"
No. 04 | Chance the Rapper | "No Problem" (feat. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz)
No. 05 | Flume | "Never Be Like You" (feat. Kai)
No. 05 | Drake | "One Dance" (feat. WizKid & Kyla)
No. 07 | Calvin Harris | "This Is What You Came For" (feat. Rihanna)
No. 08 | Dua Lipa | "Hotter Than Hell"
No. 09 | The 1975 | "The Sound"
No. 10 | Justin Timberlake | "Can't Stop the Feeling"