Billboard’s Songs of the Summer Are In, But El Paso Isn’t Convinced

Every year, Billboard drops its “Songs of the Summer” list, crowning the tracks that supposedly defined our backyard BBQs, pool parties, and endless traffic jams on I-10. This year, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” took the crown, but let’s be real. Did El Paso actually play this on repeat, or were we too busy blasting cumbias, corridos tumbados, and Bad Bunny on Bluetooth speakers at Ascarate Park?

Here’s a rundown of Billboard’s top picks and what the Sun City might really think.

1. Alex Warren – “Ordinary” (#1)

Billboard says this was the song of the summer. El Paso says: “Who?”
If this was truly blasting from every car, then I must’ve missed it while waiting 25 minutes in line at Chico’s Tacos. Around here, “Ordinary” sounds less like a chart-topper and more like what you get when Whataburger forgets the green chile on your burger.

2. Morgan Wallen – Basically Everything (#2, #3, #4)

Wallen pulled off the rare feat of stuffing three songs into the top five. Good for him, but let’s be honest: the closest El Paso gets to a Wallen summer is a dude in cowboy boots at Whiskey Dicks asking the DJ to play “Last Night” for the 200th time. The rest of us are politely nodding while scrolling TikTok.

3. Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “Luther” (#5)

Finally, something that makes sense. If you were stuck in I-10 construction traffic, odds are “Luther” was the vibe in at least one car next to you. Honestly, this one probably deserves to be our No. 1. It sounds like Franklin Mountains at sunset, cool, sharp, and way better than whatever Wallen was yodeling about.

4. Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile” (#6)

This feels less like a summer jam and more like karaoke at Monarch after too many palomas. Still, it’s Gaga, it’s Bruno, and El Paso does love a good dramatic ballad moment.

5. Chappell Roan – “Pink Pony Club” (#8)

This is where Billboard accidentally nailed it. Half the El Paso nightlife scene has been quietly (or not so quietly) obsessed with this song all summer. If you didn’t scream-sing it at Prickly Elder at least once, did you even go out?

6. Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild” (#9)

Billboard may not know this, but El Paso specializes in manchildren. This could be our unofficial anthem, dedicated to that guy who “DJ’s on the side” and still asks you to split the Uber after a date.

At the end of the day, Billboard’s list is cute, but if we’re being real, the actual Songs of the Summer in El Paso were “Un x100to,” anything Peso Pluma dropped, and whatever was blasting out of a random lowrider in Segundo Barrio. Sorry, Alex Warren.