Revealed: Britons' favourite summer holiday songs – do yours feature on the list?

martin

7 years ago

With the UK still recovering from recent snow storms and severe weather conditions, temperatures across the UK this week may still feel wintry.

However, British Summer Time (BST) official begins this Sunday, on 25 March 2018 – with the clocks going forward by one hour.

A study conducted by holiday comparison site, Travel Supermarket, has unearthed Brits’ favourite holiday songs, which evoke the mood of summer.

Quizzing over 2,000 UK adults, the results how that making Brits most happy is American rapper Pharrell Williams’ 2013 hit ‘Happy’, which also featured in the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack.

‘Happy’ was also the most successful song of 2014, selling 13.9 million units worldwide.

Coming close second, The Beach Boys 1965 song ‘California Girls’ also reminds Brits of their favourite summer holidays.

Rolling Stone magazine named the song as number 72 on its list of the “500 Greatest Songs of all Time” in 2011.

The song later went on to inspire American singer-songwriter Katy Perry’s 2010 sing ‘California Gurls’ which features as seventh on the list of Brits’ favourite summer holiday songs.

Others on the list which evoke a sense of summer include Mungo Jerry’s classic 1970s tune ‘In the Summertime’, The Beach Boys’ ‘Surfin’ USA’ and Bryan Adams’ ‘Summer of ’69’.

Although summer still feels a long way off, the study also quizzed Brits on when they think it begins.

42 per cent said it is when they plan or have their first BBQ of the year, while over a third said it is when the weather is good enough for sunbathing. For 29 per cent, it is when it’s warm enough to get their shorts out.

Booking a holiday, children breaking up from school and stepping foot on a plane were also found to be key signs that summer is coming.

Emma Grimster, spokeswoman for TravelSupermarket, commented: “Music can perfectly capture the mood of a season, giving you a summery, sunshine boost, simply by hearing a few lines of a classic track.

“After the weather we’ve had over the last month or so, I think we could all do with a bit of summer now.

“As Europe warms up, there are still plenty of deals to be had, particularly in the Eastern [Mediterranean], places like Turkey and Cyprus, as well as the Istrian Riviera are offering great value this spring/ summer.”

Grimster also gives some advise for those looking to save money while booking a summer holiday: “Comparing prices online, avoiding school holidays if you can, as well as travelling mid-week will all save you money on that early summer getaway”.

Britons’ favourite summer holiday songs