Put Your Head on My Shoulder, Paul Anka
This hit from the summer of 1959, by the now 84-year-old Ottawa crooner, never goes out of style. Just ask pop star Doja Cat and the TikTok nation who brought the jam back in 2021 for the #silhouettechallenge. Summer tour dates: Winchester, Virginia, Aug. 15
These Eyes, The Guess Who
This Guess Who classic was the band’s breakthrough into the U.S. – turns out, the Winnipeg, Man.-band didn’t even want to release the 1969 track because they thought it was too soft for their image. Summer tour dates: Across Canada and the U.S. from June to August
Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell
The world’s first environmental hit song, released in 1970, has never left the cultural consciousness and felt more relevant than ever when the Alberta-born Mitchell performed it alongside Sarah McLachlan, Allison Russell and Jully Black at this year’s Junos.
Heart of Gold, Neil Young
While it was released in February, Neil Young’s only No. 1 song became a 1972 summer staple. Its success made Young feel stuck in “the middle of the road for a long time” and led to his harder, less accessible later recordings: “I headed for the ditch.” Summer tour dates: Cancelled his 2026 dates because “I’ve decided to take a break … it’s not the right time.”
Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot
While it’s a perfect beach bonfire song, Sundown’s origins, from 1974, were pretty dark – the Ontario singer penned the jealous ode to his mistress-turned-girlfriend Cathy Smith (the same rock groupie who hung with the Band and was jailed for involvement in John Belushi’s overdose death). Lightfoot later said the song’s line “She was looking like a queen in a sailor’s dream” is one of the best he ever wrote.
Rise Up, The Parachute Club
The first time the seven-member Ontario band – fronted by four women – performed the Daniel Lanois-produced song live was at the Toronto Pride Parade in June of 1983. They belted out the lyric: “We want freedom to love who we please.” And it remains not just a summer anthem but an ode to queer liberation as well.
Summer of ’69, Bryan Adams
The Kingston, Ont.-born rocker was only nine in 1969 and was 25 when the song was released in 1985. And the artist who Adams said truly “did it justice” – Taylor Swift – wasn’t born until five years after he wrote it in a basement studio in Vancouver. Those were the best days of our lives. Summer tour dates: Currently in Vegas, the world tour hits Europe and the U.S. before coming to Canada in August
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Patio Lanterns, Kim Mitchell
The definition of dock rock, this 1986 classic about shy teens hanging on their parents’ back decks is ubiquitous on Canadian summer playlists – and is as likely to earn groans as well as fist pumps. Even Mitchell once joked, “I’m sick of it, too.” Summer tour dates: Across Canada from July to September
Life Is a Highway, Tom Cochrane
This hit from Manitoba’s heartland rocker topped the Canadian charts in December 1991, and made its mark in the U.S. the following July – after a hard-driving appearance on David Letterman’s talk show. In 2006, the song went worldwide again, thanks to a Rascal Flatts’s cover for the Cars movie soundtrack. Summer tour dates: Canadian festivals from July to September.
That Don’t Impress Me Much, Shania Twain
Who wasn’t country line dancing to Shania Twain’s That Don’t Impress Me Much in the summer of 1999? The Brad Pitt-dissing track (all in jest) remains a Twain set-list favourite, often swapping out names of other attractive celebrities, from Ryan Reynolds to Harry Styles. Summer tour dates: Joining Styles for his 12-date residency at London’s Wembley Stadium in June and July
Promiscuous, Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland
It’s been 20 years since this flirtatious duet turned up the heat in the clubs and on the radio. In transitioning to a much more sultry R&B style and image, the Victoria, B.C., superstar scored her first No. 1 song in the U.S. This year, she’s poised to knock in another couple goals with No Place Like Home on the official FIFA World Cup album – and one song made specifically for Canada’s team, Electric Circus.
Dangerous, Kardinal Offishall featuring Akon
The Scarborough, Ont., rapper was always respected in the hip-hop community; still, this smash brought him worldwide acclaim in the summer of 2008 – pretty impressive for a song that was written and recorded in under an hour. Said Kardi: “We felt the magic from its inception, from the first time we heard it.” Summer tour dates: Appearing at the FIFA Fan Festival in Toronto from June 11 to July 19
Señorita, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
Spotify officially crowned this Latin groove 2019’s Song of the Summer, helped along by its sexy Miami-set video starring Toronto’s Mendes and Cuban-American singer Cabello, whose onscreen chemistry preceded the couple’s real-life romance.
Just Keep Watching, Tate McRae
Calgary’s worldwide pop sensation was the undisputed champ of 2025 as MTV gave her the VMA for the official song of the summer. Released on the F1 movie soundtrack, the single’s catchiness was helped by the video’s sexy tribute to Grease, with McRae channeling Olivia Newton-John in a modernized black leather outfit. Summer tour dates: Appearing at the Osheaga Festival in Montreal on Aug. 1 and Lollapalooza in Chicago on Aug. 2
Janice STFU, Drake
While he’s currently adopting the cold, calm and calculated alter-ego of Iceman for his May 15 three-album drop, the Toronto rapper still has plenty of sizzle. The new single – “I’m still scorchin’ hot in these streets, baby / Pull up Maybach, beep-beep, baby” – is Spotify’s early pick for summer of 2026 saturation.
