16 summer songs that should be on your barbecue playlist

The sun makes us giddy.

In altogether shocking news, the weather right now is lovely here in Ireland. Gone are the Arctic winds and feral polar bears roaming the countryside. The sun is shining and the temperatures are rising. The forecast says there's more good weather on the way and that's just put us in a full on summer mood. Get the barbecue out, stock up the fridge with drinks and crank up the volume on those speakers. This is summer and this is our playlist... The Avalanches - Since I Left You A song of such summery vibes and warmth, each playing of it should be preceded by the application of some sun-tan lotion. This is beautiful and never fails to get us feeling warm and a little bit sun-stroked. https://youtu.be/wpqm-05R2Jk Sonique - It Feels So Good The former lead vocalist for S-Express, Sonique had a monster hit with this tune back in 2000. Being a DJ at legendary Ibiza superclub, Manumission from 1997-99, this track has Ibiza vibes dripping from every note. A classic. https://youtu.be/hVzvdCKuu4w Don Henley - The Boys Of Summer The Eagles frontman, Don Henley kicked summer right in the face with this scorcher of a tune. The Boys Of Summer won him a grammy and we're not surprised. Stick on the track, sit back, close your eyes and yeah, that's you booting down Route 66 on your Harley Davidson with not a care in the world. https://youtu.be/qh4nVj8g4hg Primal Scream - Higher Than The Sun Taken from one of the most seminal albums of its time, Screamadelica, this gorgeous piece of indie-dance from Primal Scream back in 1991 is an essential piece of anyone's summer playlist. Bobby Gillespie's vocals are in classic mode here. It's trippy, it's seductive, it's Primal Scream at their brilliant best with one of the most chilled out summer songs you will ever hear. https://youtu.be/YHjVIBDYgXg The Stone Roses - She Bangs The Drums Taken from the greatest album ever released (in this writer's biased and humble opinion), this track screams summer and warmth quite like no other. The Stone Roses debut album is a classic and every tune hits the spot, but this one in particular, when the sun is shining is a piece of art. https://youtu.be/wD6Pq0bSMPo The Beach Boys - California Girls One of the oldest, but absolutely brilliant summer songs of all time here from the legendary Beach Boys. Anyone who listens to this and doesn't dream of summer and the beach is probably clinically dead. This is as good as it gets for summer songs. https://youtu.be/DJ1UqDnY7as Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun It's not just the song title that hints of summer here. This 1983 classic from American band Violent Femmes is such a feel good sing-along tune. It's very hard to not dance during it. Try it. https://youtu.be/JE-dqW4uBEE Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis Bextor - Groovejet English singer Sophie Ellis Bextor teamed up with Italian producer and DJ, Spiller to create this absolute belter of a summer song. It's a floor filler every time and brings us to a place of sunnier climes and cool refreshing drinks. https://youtu.be/VOdgbRx4ihQ OMC - How Bizarre You don't hear an awful lot about the New Zealand music scene, but this track from Kiwi group OMC is one of the classic summer tunes of our time. It's a song that became a hit all over the world and another that will have you clamouring for the sun-block. https://youtu.be/C2cMG33mWVY Daft Punk - Digital Love French purveyors of house music, Daft Punk have several tunes which would do well on a summer playlist, but this one wins out for us for the sheer sunshine and warmth of it. Guaranteed to have your dance floor (people have dance floors, right?) full to the brim with happy dancing feet. https://youtu.be/OnsnZvR4X68 The Doors - L.A. Woman Written by their brilliant frontman, Jim Morrison, The Doors released an album of the same name which turned out to be the last one before Jim died. This is The Doors at their scintillating best in perfect harmony and a song full befitting of any summer playlist. https://youtu.be/pDlx-ZUj9qs Lovin' Spoonful - Summer In The City Another classic oldie from the 60s and this tune features a series of car horns. Car horns... We are all over that. Just stick the tune on and fetch us a piña colada there, please... https://youtu.be/m648v4s5sFc Darude - Sandstorm The DJ from Finland had his biggest hit back at the turn of the century in 2000 with this piece of dance music mastery. Labelled by those in the know as a piece of trance composition, we're not sure what to call it. All we know is that this track is a stomper. A summer stomper at that. https://youtu.be/y6120QOlsfU Stereophonics - Dakota Anyone who tells you that they don't like this song is lying through their lying liar teeth. This is a classic pop/rock song that has so much summery optimism in it. This will be one of the big hitters of the playlist. https://youtu.be/RTUOqO-Hj8E Groove Armada - Superstylin' The very first song from Groove Armada and arguably their finest moment. We cannot play this song and not be transported in our heads to Ibiza or somewhere hot and sunny. Bundoran maybe. As the man says "Rise and amplify it when we come in with the swing." Indeed sir, indeed. https://youtu.be/_kE0pxRkMtQ Vampire Weekend - A-Punk New York indie rockers Vampire Weekend had a massive hit with this tune. It's another beautifully composed tune which brings us to the beach with cocktail in hand and with not one f**k to give. https://youtu.be/_XC2mqcMMGQ