You can't beat a good summer song on the radio but what was your favourite track of the season? The Tameside Radio presenter tells us which ones have made the official list...

It's fair to say summer has been a scorcher, with the mercury regularly topping 30 degrees. To be honest, I'm much more of an autumn fan, with the stunning colours in the trees, the satisfying crunch of leaves under your feet, and the crackle of a roaring log fire in the pub accompanied by a pint of real ale (assuming the pub hasn't had to close due to soaring energy bills whilst waiting for Liz Truss to come up with a plan), not to mention crisp sunshine.

Either way, you can't beat a good summer song on the radio to soundtrack the season of barbeques, beer bellies and beer gardens. The Official Charts Company has just revealed their Official Songs of the Summer 2022, and top of the pile is Kate Bush's 1985 hit Running Up That Hill. It's a remarkable achievement for a song that's 37 years old, and is largely down to a whole new generation discovering a musical genius via Stranger Things.

I'm yet to check it out, as I'm far too busy spending time at the cinema to watch four seasons of something on the box, but I am told it's compelling viewing. The chart is based on data from 9,000 UK physical and digital outlets, and Bush's unique five minute masterpiece racked up over 762,000 chart units over the summer period, covering from the end of June to the last week of August.

The track broke several records in the process, including the longest time taken to get to pole position, and the most streams of any song this summer (a jaw dropping 86.6 million), along with the biggest number of digital downloads (over 42,000). On a side note, some radio stations felt the need to edit it down to fit their three minute template...not Tameside Radio!

Meanwhile, Harry Styles' excellent music is infused with 80s influence, and As It Was comes in at number 2 in the chart, along with Late Night Talking at #10 and Music For A Sushi Restaurant at #22. His album is fab, and he's also starring in the forthcoming Don't Worry Darling, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Monday night. It's out a fortnight tomorrow, and has so far left critics underwhelmed in initial reviews. Styles earned his acting stripes in Dunkirk five years ago. Either way, his songs have been all over the radio this summer, unlike his One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson, whose latest single has barely made a dent in the Top 100.

Other songs that make the Top Ten of the summer include the super catchy Green Green Grass by George Ezra, which is the very definition of an earworm, and Lizzo's About Damn Time, which is one of my personal favourites of the year so far. It's sassy, original and one that sticks in your head after you've heard it, which is surely the dictionary definition of a classic pop song.

I'd say the charts are in good health at the moment, with a big variety of artists from Beyonce to Becky Hill, from LF System to Cat Burns. Streaming has also meant some older songs hanging around in the Top 100 singles chart, including the Killers' perennial wedding disco favourite Mr Brightside, which has now spent an impressive 330 weeks in the countdown. Lockdown favourite Blinding Lights by the Weeknd is still at number 98, having spent 136 weeks in the chart, and Coldplay's Yellow is randomly at number 60 this week, despite being over two decades old.

The days of rushing down to Woolworths to buy the latest CD singles may be a thing of the past, but streaming has arguably made the charts more representative. There is a separate argument about revenue, as it's difficult for new artists to break through and make it onto Spotify playlists, along with the issue of tiny payments being reportedly made in relation to the number of streams. Gary Numan famously said at the beginning of 2021 that a million streams of one of his songs resulted in a cheque for...£37. Chic's Nile Rodgers has also been outspoken on the need for major labels to be more transparent about streaming incomes and give musicians fair renumeration.

Despite all that, we're in an exciting time for new music, with a nod to the past, from classic tracks like Kate Bush to 80s infused pop like Harry Styles. Long may it continue! Perhaps we could see a Stock AItken & Waterman revival in series five of Stranger Things? Stranger things have happened!

You can listen to Alex every weekday from 7am to 11am and on the 'Super Scoreboard' show on Saturdays from 3pm to 7pm, on Tameside Radio 103.6FM. Read more of Alex's recent columns here. 

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