Ellie Goulding
"Jump in the Pool" by Friendly Fires
I listened to their album when I was out running last summer. Usually I try to run about six miles every couple of days. I like it because it's something that's purely physical - it's the endorphin release. Everything else I do involves being emotional. There's a certain point in this song that makes you run faster. It goes "dum dum dum da-dum dum", then builds up into a massive soundscape of summery-ness.
Plan B
"Still D.R.E." by Dr Dre feat Snoop Dogg
The piano sequence, the beat, the flow of the rap, everything about it reminds me of summer – the first summer I did ecstasy and acid, when I was experiencing some things for the first time. I always used to like moodier, edgier summer tunes. When it's still light and there's that golden glow over the city – that's when you want to be listening to something gangster.
Julian Casablancas
"Boys of Summer" by Don Henley
To guarantee a seasonal hit it's probably a smart idea to note the time of year in the title… though I have no idea if this was even released in the summer.
Tjinder Singh, Cornershop
"Baby" by Os Mutantes
It's very laid back and it's sung in a beautiful sort of English that no English person could sing. It just knocks socks off most summer songs. It's a lady talking to her baby, her child, so it's got that element of how life is going to go. I've got kids and I play it quite a lot to them.
Tim Westwood, Radio 1 DJ
"One More Chance (remix)" by Notorious B.I.G.
It's my classic summer joint because summer for me is working in the resorts. Normally I'll be in two or three different places a week. I go to Faliraki, Kos, Ayia Napa, Ibiza, Magaluf… I play that record at every club I go to. If you're out in the sun you can relax to it, but it's also something I put on in the car when I'm driving around. It reminds me of a time when life was a lot simpler, before the murders of Tupac and Biggie changed a lot of things.
Diana Vickers
"All Night Long" by Lionel Richie
It reminds me of when I was in Ibiza with my family and one of my friends. We used to drink sangria in the same bar every night and it would always come on. I love it when it goes "be good to feel good". I had a summer romance on that holiday as well, my first ever, so I hear that song it reminds me of him.
Tracey Thorn
"If She Doesn't Smile (It'll Rain)" by Fantastic Something
This came out in 1984 on Cherry Red, so they were labelmates of ours. The band consisted of two Greek brothers, Constantin and Alex, and this song is a classic piece of early 80s anti-rock – jangly guitars, lightweight drumming, and totally gorgeous Simon and Garfunkel-style harmonies. Without fail, every single time I open the curtains on a summer's morning, I sing the opening line – "Sunny day and I'm looking for her you see, wherever can she be?" – and I firmly believe I will do this till the day I die.
Krissi Murison, editor of the NME
"Loser" by Beck
It might not sound much like a sun-scorched singalong – released in March, referencing "butane" and "phoney gas chambers". But for me, this slacker-rock anti-anthem will always be the sound of high pollen counts and evenings that roll on for ever. 1993 was the summer my friends and I discovered rock. Oh, innocent times!
Ed Simons, the Chemical Brothers
"Do I Do" by Stevie Wonder
I just heard this on the radio, and it's the perfect summer tune. I'm going to go to Glastonbury, even though we're not playing, and I'll definitely see Stevie, even though he clashes with Orbital…
Tinie Tempah
"Do You Mind" by Kyla
It was the first time I'd ever been to a holiday island. I went to Ayia Napa, I think I was 18 or 19 and I was totally new to all of that: the girls and the beaches, walking around in your shorts, mopeds and quads, hotels without your parents and your brothers and sisters. This was the biggest song that year and every time I hear it so many feelings just come rushing back.
Amy Macdonald
"Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney & Wings
In 2006, me and a big group of friends went to T in the Park. We'd left one of my friends in charge of making the mix CD we were going to take. We thought she'd be great at it, but when we played the CD she'd put "Band on the Run" on nine times. So that whole weekend we listened to that one song. It makes me laugh every time I hear it.
Corinne Bailey Rae
"Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & the Family Stone
It's a great upbeat song that came out just after the Family Stone played Woodstock and brings summer alive for me. It makes me think of lazy summer days but also how short summer can be.
Professor Green
"Passin' Me By" by the Pharcyde
It's a classic summer track that samples a classic summer track: J-Swift takes Quincy Jones and produces a laidback hit. It reminds me of my carefree years and summers spent on my Bauer Turbos!
Murdoc Niccals, Gorillaz
"Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin
Er… I'm more of a "Winter of Discontent" than a "Summer Anthem" man myself, but if I am forced into shorts and a stupid straw hat, it'll probably be this that gets me there. The rising clarinet opener conjures up New York in full heat. As euphoric as any synthesised swoop from a Chemical Brothers LP. This and a deep morning skinful and I'm made up for the day.
Click here to listen to these tracks as a Spotify playlist http://bit.ly/9xFIj3
