"Summer" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Cassadee Pope Cassadee Blake Pope (born August 28, 1989) is an American pop and country singer. She was the lead vocalist and songwriter of the pop band Hey Monday, with whom she released one studio album and two EPs. Pope embarked on a solo career in early ...

from her second

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, also titled ''

Summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

'' (2016). Pope wrote the song with Kelly Archer and Emily Shackelton. Production was handled by Corey Crowder, who also produced Pope's chart-topping collaboration with Chris Young that year, " Think of You". It serves as the EP's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

. The song was made available to American country radio stations on May 23, 2016 via PlayMPE and was officially sent for adds through

Republic Nashville BMLG Records, formerly Republic Nashville, is a record label established in 2009 by Republic Records in New York and Big Machine Records in Nashville. It is headquartered on Music Row and utilizes the combined resources of Big Machine Records and ...

on June 6, 2016. It was released to digital retailers June 3, 2016 as part of the ''Summer'' EP.

Reception

Critical

Matt Bjorke of ''Roughstock'' wrote that "Summer" is a "radio-ready" anthem with hit potential and which demonstrates how Pope has "grown into her country music career." ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

'' and ''Sounds Like Nashville'' both praised the song as a highlight from the EP. Writing for the former, Billy Dukes praised Pope's delivery as "easy to believe."

Commercial

"Summer" debuted at number 59 on the ''Billboard''

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...

chart dated June 25, 2016.

Music video

The music video for "Summer" was filmed at the Opal Sands Resort, and on the Clearwater Beach Boardwalk in

Clearwater Beach Clearwater Beach includes a resort area and a residential area on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County on the west-central coast of Florida. Located just west over the Intracoastal Waterway by way of the Clearwater Memorial ...

, FL and was directed by

TK McKamy TK McKamy is an American film director, screenwriter, and editor known for directing music videos. Thomas Knox McKamy III was born in Stone Mountain, Georgia and raised in the small town of Nicholasville, Kentucky Nicholasville is a home r ...

. It premiered June 3, 2016 in conjunction with the song's digital release. Inspired by events Pope experienced at age seventeen, the video recounts a summer fling between Pope and a love interest played by Sam Krumrine

Live performances

Pope has performed "Summer" as part of her setlist on Chris Young's I'm Comin' Over Tour since February 25, 2016.

Chart performance

References

{{Cassadee Pope 2016 songs 2016 singles Cassadee Pope songs Republic Nashville singles Songs written by Cassadee Pope Songs written by Kelly Archer Music videos directed by TK McKamy Songs written by Emily Shackelton