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Summer Bummer
Summer Bummer
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"Summer Bummer"
Single by Lana Del Rey featuring ASAP Rocky and Playboi Carti
from the album Lust for Life
ReleasedJuly 12, 2017
Studio
Genre
Length4:21
Label
Songwriters
Producers
Lana Del Rey singles chronology
"Lust for Life"
(2017)
"Summer Bummer"
(2017)
"Groupie Love"
(2017)
ASAP Rocky singles chronology
"Who Dat Boy"
(2017)
"Summer Bummer"
(2017)
"Groupie Love"
(2017)
Playboi Carti singles chronology
"Magnolia"
(2017)
"Summer Bummer"
(2017)
"Butterfly Coupe"
(2017)
Licensed audio
"Summer Bummer" on YouTube

"Summer Bummer" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey featuring American rappers ASAP Rocky and Playboi Carti featured on her fifth studio album Lust for Life. The song was released for digital download on July 12, 2017, alongside "Groupie Love" featuring ASAP Rocky, as a promotional single[2] with the pre-order of the album. The song was written by the artists, alongside producers BigWhiteBeatz., Boi-1da, Jahaan Sweet, and T-Minus, with additional production credits going to Rick Nowels.[3][4]

Background and composition

[edit]

On June 2, 2017, Del Rey revealed that she and ASAP Rocky had collaborated on a track for the album by posting a snippet of the song on Instagram with the caption: "We made a lot of good ones but I think we picked the best ones for the record".[5]

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "Summer Bummer" is composed in 4
4
time
and the key of E-flat minor, with a relaxed trap/hip hop and electronica tempo of 67 beats per minute.[6] "Summer Bummer" was labeled a hip hop song by Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine,[7] while Ryan Reed of Rolling Stone described the sound of the song as "dark noir-pop style over a rattling trap beat".[8]

Critical reception

[edit]

"Summer Bummer" received generally positive reviews from critics. Anna Gaca of Spin stated "Even as it widens—slightly—the range of her catalog, 'Summer Bummer' is best viewed as a classically Lana Del Rey set piece: a heavily stylized soundtrack for drugs, pools, and high-contrast monochromes. 'White lies'—or maybe that's, ahem, 'white lines'—'and black beaches/And blood red sangrias', she sings later, mirroring a color scheme that dates back to 'Off to the Races'. Sonically, 'Bummer' is like a trap-inspired take on Honeymoon's High by the Beach, and thematically, it doesn't go anywhere that song didn't already."[9] Pitchfork's Rebecca Haithcoat said "[Summer Bummer] is not a traditional contender for the song-of-the-summer flower crown. It's sticky, but in a dense and oppressive, not light and carefree way. Even in Del Rey's songs with a cooler temperature, there's a humidity to her voice, a thickness that slows her tongue. Listless delivery paired with such vivid description is a hallmark of her work, and here it functions as a cocoon you don't want to escape even as you feel the knife's edge of danger. ASAP Rocky and Playboi Carti's contributions feel a little unnecessary, as Del Rey has no trouble carrying a track on her own. Near the end, her voice suddenly jumps an octave and, for a moment, floats sweetly atop the roiling fever dream."[10]

Frank Guan of Vulture stated "Summer Bummer is about love. But the music on 'Bummer carries with it an unprecedented charge. Boi-1da and T-Minus, A-list producers renowned for their work with Drake and other rap artists, have laced Lana with a heat-dazed, shade-cooled beat, a banger situated halfway between beach and trap. It's a track that any rapper would be proud to surf over, and Rocky knows it, delivering a calmly boastful, well-tailored verse punctuated by a choice, subdued set of A$AP affiliate Playboi Carti's ad-libs. Meanwhile Lana's voice, passionate and aching yet effortless and chill, sings to a lover free to change yet fated to accept her love. Racial subtext slips in through lines about white lines and black beaches, though the real poetic highlight is the blood-red sangrias. After years in the dark, Lana's love with hip-hop is out in the open again, and like any love, it feels as if no time has passed at all."[11] The Washington Post's Chris Richards claimed "The album's most narcotic single, Summer Bummer, is an echo of Del Rey's trademark hit, Summertime Sadness, only more evocative. Picture the singer idling around in the July heat, slowly typing out a telepathic love letter inside her skull. She's listening to the radio, and her mind is drifting between external sensation and internal desire. We hear the voices of Playboi Carti and A$AP Rocky splashing around the background—they're hip-hop in the summer, the song on the airwaves."[12]

The song was ranked the 56th best song of 2017 by Noisey.[13]

Track listing

[edit]
Digital download[14]
No.TitleLength
1."Summer Bummer" (featuring ASAP Rocky and Playboi Carti)4:21
Digital download – Snakehips Remix[15]
No.TitleLength
1."Summer Bummer" (featuring ASAP Rocky and Playboi Carti) (Snakehips Remix)4:08
Digital download – Clams Casino Rework[16]
No.TitleLength
1."Summer Bummer" (featuring ASAP Rocky and Playboi Carti) (Clams Casino Remix)4:30

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Lust for Life album liner notes.[1]

Recording and management

  • Recorded at Record Plant Studios (Los Angeles) and Hampstead Studios (London)
  • Mastered at Gateway Mastering
  • Published by 1Damentional Publishing (ASCAP), Sony/ATV Tunes LLC (ASCAP), A$AP Rocky Music Publishing LLC/Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI), Brother Bagz Publishing/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Jahaan Sweet Publishing Designee (BMI), Sony/ATV Music Publishing (ASCAP)
  • A$AP Rocky appears courtesy of A$AP Worldwide/Polo Grounds Music/RCA Records
  • Playboi Carti appears courtesy of AWGE/Interscope Records

Personnel

  • Lana Del Rey – songwriter, lead vocals
  • Matthew "Boi-1da" Samuels – songwriter, producer, drums, bass
  • A$AP Rocky – songwriter, vocals
  • Playboi Carti – songwriter, vocals
  • Tyler "T-Minus" Williams – songwriter, cello, synth bass
  • Jahaan Sweet – songwriter, producer, piano
  • Andrew Joseph "Big White Beats" Gradwohl Jr. – songwriter, synthesizer
  • Rick Nowels – additional producer, synthesizer
  • Zac Rac – harpsichord
  • Kieron Menzies – engineer, mixer
  • Dean Reid – engineer, mixer
  • Trevor Yasuda – engineer
  • Hector Delgado – engineer
  • Adam Ayan – mastering engineer

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australia Urban (ARIA)[17] 19
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 40
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[19] 80
New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 2
Scotland Singles (OCC)[21] 86
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 81
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[24] 23

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[25] Gold 35,000
United States (RIAA)[26] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Summer Bummer"
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various July 12, 2017 Original [14]
August 25, 2017 Clams Casino remix [16]
Snakehips remix [15]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
"Summer Bummer" is a by American featuring rappers A$AP Rocky and , released on July 12, 2017, as a promotional single from her fifth studio album, Lust for Life. The track blends alternative pop and R&B elements with hip-hop influences, characterized by its slow tempo, atmospheric piano, and hazy production that evokes a sense of humid, reckless summer romance tinged with danger and melancholy. Lyrically, "Summer Bummer" explores themes of desire, personal demons, and fleeting relationships, with Del Rey's verses painting vivid imagery of "white lines and black beaches" and "blood-red ," while A$AP Rocky's verse adds narrative depth and Playboi Carti's ad-libs contribute to the track's dreamy, disorienting vibe. The song's composition draws from Del Rey's signature style, reminiscent of her earlier work like "," but incorporates collaborative rap elements that widen her sonic palette without fully shifting her introspective core. Upon release, "Summer Bummer" received generally positive critical reception for its atmospheric immersion and stylistic cohesion, though some reviewers noted the guest features as somewhat superfluous amid Del Rey's dominant presence. It later served as the album's third official single in the UK on July 28, 2017, underscoring its role in promoting Lust for Life, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Writing and recording

Songwriting

"Summer Bummer" was written by , , , A$AP Rocky, , BigWhiteBeatz, and T-Minus during the development of 's fifth studio album, Lust for Life, primarily in studios such as The Green Building in Santa Monica, where the majority of the album's tracks were composed and recorded. Del Rey took the lead in crafting the song's verses alongside producer during a studio session, establishing its core structure and lyrical foundation. Del Rey's contributions centered on evocative themes of transient summer relationships, capturing fleeting moments of romance, , and the bittersweet end of warm-weather escapades through imagery like "white lines and black beaches" and "hip-hop in the summer." This personal introspection aligned with the album's broader exploration of as a response to the political turbulence of , including the aftermath of the U.S. , blending dreamy reverie with subtle undertones of societal unease. A$AP Rocky added his rap verse, infusing the track with references to urban hustle and personal resilience, such as sophistication in relationships and summer escapades. contributed distinctive ad-libs, including "yeahs" and "whats," providing a layer of chaotic energy that complemented the song's hazy, summery vibe without a full verse of his own.

Recording process

The recording of "Summer Bummer" was initiated by producer at his personal studio in , where he developed the track's foundational trap beat with its layered, atmospheric percussion and bass elements. The sessions then moved to The in , the primary studio for Lana Del Rey's fifth album Lust for Life, where approximately 85% of the record was captured. There, Del Rey collaborated closely with longtime producer , engineer Kieron Menzies, and mixer Dean Reid to refine the arrangements, integrating Del Rey's lead vocals with the guest features. Del Rey took an active role in production, co-writing and shaping the track alongside Boi-1da and Jahaan Sweet, emphasizing a blend of hip-hop influences with her signature cinematic sound. Vocal recording focused on Del Rey's ethereal delivery, achieved through multi-layered tracking, subtle reverb, and pitch correction to enhance the dreamy, humid texture of her performance, while the rappers' verses were recorded remotely and layered in to maintain rhythmic flow. The process involved coordinating schedules with A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti, whose contributions were added during separate sessions amid their busy touring and recording commitments in early 2017. Album sessions for Lust for Life, including "Summer Bummer," spanned from late through spring 2017, with principal vocals tracked in and May at The to align with the record's thematic evolution. Final mixing and mastering were completed by June 2017, ensuring the track was ready for its promotional release on July 12 and the full album drop on July 21.

Composition

Musical style

"Summer Bummer" incorporates a blend of hip-hop and trap influences alongside R&B and elements, diverging from Lana Del Rey's prior and styles toward a more contemporary rap-infused sound. The track's production, helmed by and T-Minus, features a minimalist trap beat characterized by waterlogged echoes of trap drums and a paranoid sub-bass, providing a hazy, fever-dream atmosphere that underscores Del Rey's ethereal, noir-pop delivery. The song adheres to a conventional verse-chorus structure, with Del Rey handling the sung verses in her signature breathy , transitioning into a rap bridge performed by A$AP Rocky, and concluding with Playboi Carti's ad-libbed outro for added texture. Clocking in at 4:21, the arrangement builds a dense yet sparse sonic landscape through heavy 808 bass lines—supplemented by DI'd live bass and synth bass possibly sourced from a —and subtle synth pads, while sparse percussion maintains a hypnotic rhythm. Set in at around 68 BPM (felt in from its 135 BPM pulse), the track's slow, laid-back tempo enhances its melancholic, summer-evocative vibe, with production choices like layered vocal processing—using de-essers, EQ, and compression on Del Rey's recordings—contrasting the oppressive warmth of the instrumentation to create an immersive, sticky haze.

Lyrics

"Summer Bummer" explores themes of fleeting summer romance, , and urban nightlife through its lyrics, which blend Lana Rey's introspective verses with A$AP Rocky's boastful rap and Playboi Carti's ad-libs. The song opens with Del Rey's invitation to self-expression and affection, as in the lines "It's never too late / To be who you wanna be / To say what you wanna say," setting a tone of liberated yet inescapable desire. This evolves into imagery, including drug references like Del Rey's "white lines," evoking reckless excess amid city drives and nightlife escapades. The narrative arc shifts from seductive invitation in the chorus—"Hip-hop in the summer / Don't be a bummer, babe / Be my undercover lover, babe"—to a reflective acknowledgment of summer's end in Del Rey's third verse: "White lies and black beaches / Miles in between us / Is this love or lust or some game on repeat?" Rocky's verse contributes to this progression, emphasizing casual and with lines like "I might fuck with her all summer for real / They better not holla if I cuff her for real," portraying a temporary, intense connection. Carti's minimal ad-libs, such as repeated "What?" interjections, add an atmospheric, disoriented layer to the between lovers. Poetic devices reinforce the blend of vulnerability and bravado, with the repetition of "Don't be a bummer, babe" serving as a hypnotic hook that underscores the song's plea for uninhibited enjoyment despite underlying tensions. Del Rey's imagery, including "Wrap you up in my daisy chains" and "blood red sangrias," juxtaposes pastoral romance with darker elements like "white lines" (implying ) and escaping "demons," highlighting the push-pull of passion and uncertainty. This structure mirrors the hazy trap-influenced backing, which amplifies the lyrics' sense of illicit summer haze. In cultural context, the lyrics reflect 2017 youth culture's embrace of escapist amid political tension, tying into the album Lust for Life's broader motif of resistance through personal liberation and fleeting joys. Del Rey's references to "black beaches" and distant escapes evoke a generational desire for reprieve from societal unrest, while Rocky's verse captures urban bravado as a form of defiance.

Release and promotion

Announcement

"Summer Bummer" was announced on July 11, 2017, via posts from and an official reveal through her label , setting the stage for its digital release the following day. This timing amplified the hype surrounding Del Rey's fifth studio album, Lust for Life, which had already generated buzz with the lead single "" earlier that year. Del Rey shared a teaser snippet on her Instagram, capturing her listening to and singing along with the track, which served as a direct preview for fans. The announcement emphasized the song's collaborations with rappers A$AP Rocky and , strategically bridging Del Rey's aesthetic with hip-hop elements to broaden the album's appeal. As part of the promotional buildup, "Summer Bummer" was positioned as an initial taste of Lust for Life's eclectic sound, blending trap-influenced production with nostalgic themes. The reveal quickly garnered media attention, with previews from outlets like and highlighting its atmospheric vibe and guest features just hours after the announcement.

Formats and release

"Summer Bummer" was released on July 12, 2017, as a digital download promotional single ahead of Lana Del Rey's fifth studio album, Lust for Life. The single was distributed exclusively in digital audio formats, available for download and streaming on platforms including and . No physical single was issued, but the track appears on the standard and vinyl editions of Lust for Life, released one week later on July 21, 2017. It was released under the labels in and internationally. In the , the song was sent to as the third single from the album on July 28, 2017. The release occurred simultaneously across global markets, with no significant regional variations in availability.
RegionDateFormatLabel(s)
July 12, 2017Digital download
July 12, 2017Digital download
July 12, 2017Digital download

Reception

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single in July 2017, "Summer Bummer" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its atmospheric production and Lana Del Rey's evocative vocal performance, though some noted the rap features as somewhat superfluous. Pitchfork's Matthew Strauss described the track as a "sticky" and "dense" departure from typical summer anthems, highlighting its "sultry trap vibe" with hazy, oppressive humidity in Del Rey's delivery, likening it to a "roiling fever dream" that captures impending danger amid vivid imagery of "white lines and black beaches." Similarly, Spin commended the song's glacial pace and trap-inspired beat by Boi-1da, calling it a "moody summer anthem" that slows summertime romance to a crawl while emphasizing A$AP Rocky's focused verse for added storytelling depth. Critics offered mixed assessments of the hip-hop integration, with some viewing the collaborations as an inspired clash of styles and others as filler amid the album's sprawl. The Guardian's characterized "Summer Bummer" as a "lazy rap track" featuring A$AP Rocky and , praising its eerie, futuristic melancholy but noting it veered closer to dystopian soundtrack territory than Del Rey's usual retro aesthetic, potentially diluting her signature sound. echoed this ambivalence in its album review, calling the rap inclusions an "inspired touch." highlighted it as a "woozy, slow-rolling" standout that indulges in and reverb, yet within the context of Lust for Life's eclectic guest spots. As part of the broader Lust for Life album, which holds an aggregate score of 77/100 on based on 26 reviews, "Summer Bummer" contributed to discussions of Del Rey's evolving pop experimentation. NME's 2017 album review noted the track's role in showcasing high-end collaborations like Rocky's bars, enhancing the record's luxurious scope. In retrospective analyses from the , the song has been reevaluated for its influence on Del Rey's rap-infused collaborations, with critics appreciating its prescient blend of breathy melodies and trap elements. ranked it 42nd in a list of Del Rey's greatest songs, lauding the "brilliant clashing of worlds" between her poised vocals and the rappers' contributions, which create a "sticky, claustrophobic atmosphere" evocative of a heatwave. echoed this in a ranking, placing it at No. 73 among her songs and praising the "mesmerizing" chorus where Del Rey's high floats over twirling trap hi-hats, cementing its status as a hazy banger capturing summer's end.

Commercial performance

"Summer Bummer" did not enter the but debuted and peaked at number 23 on the chart in August 2017. In the , the track reached a peak position of number 81 on the Official Singles Chart, spending two weeks in the top 100. It also charted at number 2 on the Alternative Digital Song Sales chart. The song received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 24, 2021, denoting 500,000 units consumed in the United States, including streams and sales. As of November 2025, "Summer Bummer" has accumulated over 190 million streams on . As a promotional single from Lana Del Rey's fifth studio Lust for Life, "Summer Bummer" contributed to the project's strong commercial showing, with the album debuting at number one on the upon its July 2017 release, earning 107,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Lust for Life has since been certified Gold by the RIAA for 500,000 units in the (as of January 16, 2020) and achieved over 2 million equivalent units globally, bolstered by streaming performance.

Track listing and credits

Track listing

"Summer Bummer" was released as a digital single on July 12, 2017, consisting of a sole track featuring A$AP Rocky and , with a duration of 4:21. The version included on Lana Del Rey's fifth studio , Lust for Life, is identical to the single and serves as the sixth track on the standard edition, which totals 16 tracks. This placement positions the song midway through the , following tracks like "White Mustang" and preceding "." No B-sides or alternate variants accompanied the initial single release.
No.TitleFeaturingLength
1."Summer Bummer"A$AP Rocky & 4:21

Personnel

The personnel for "Summer Bummer" are credited as follows, adapted from the official album and digital release metadata.

Vocals

  • Lana Del Rey – lead vocals, background vocals
  • A$AP Rocky – featured vocals
  • – featured vocals, ad-libs

Production

  • Boi-1da (Matthew Samuels) – producer, drums, bass
  • Jahaan Sweet – producer, piano
  • Lana Del Rey – producer
  • Rick Nowels – additional producer, synthesizer
  • Tyler "T-Minus" Williams – additional production, cello, synth bass
  • Andrew Joseph "Big White Beats" Gradwohl Jr. – synthesizer

Engineering and Mixing

  • Kieron Menzies – recording engineer, mixing engineer
  • Dean Reid – recording engineer, mixing engineer
  • Trevor Yasuda – assistant engineer
  • Hector Delgado – assistant engineer
  • Adam Ayan – mastering engineer

Additional Instrumentation

The track was recorded primarily at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles and Hampstead Studios in London.

Other Credits

  • A&R direction: Kristin Oppell (album-wide, applicable to track)
  • Artwork and design: Neil Krug (single cover)

Performances and legacy

Live performances

"Summer Bummer" received its live debut on July 20, 2017, during Lana Del Rey's Spotify-hosted listening party for her album Lust for Life at No Vacancy in Los Angeles. Del Rey performed the track solo, singing her verses while a recording played A$AP Rocky's contribution, as no guest artists joined her onstage. The intimate event, held in a flower-decorated Victorian house venue, featured Del Rey in casual attire, delivering a relaxed set that included the full album tracklist. The song appeared only once in Del Rey's live setlists, exclusively at this promotional listening party, and was not included in subsequent tours such as the 2017-2018 Lust for Life promotional outings or later headline runs. No full collaborations with A$AP Rocky or occurred during live renditions, and the track has not been performed in acoustic formats or at festivals since its debut. Up to 2025, no major tours or appearances featured "Summer Bummer" due to setlist rotations favoring other Lust for Life material and later catalog staples. Audience reception at the debut highlighted the song's live energy, with fans enthusiastically singing along in the packed venue, contributing to a joyful and interactive atmosphere that contrasted Del Rey's typically melancholic stage persona. This engagement underscored the track's appeal in an intimate setting, fostering strong fan connection during the album's rollout.

Remixes and covers

The official of "Summer Bummer" by Snakehips was released on August 25, 2017, transforming the track into a laid-back electronic version clocking in at 4:08, featuring extended instrumental breaks and a trap-influenced beat that emphasizes the song's summery, hazy atmosphere. Similarly, delivered another official on the same date, extending the runtime to approximately 4:20 with atmospheric production layers, dreamier synths, and a aesthetic that aligns with the producers' signature style. These remixes were issued as digital singles by and , broadening the song's appeal in electronic and alternative circles. Fan covers of "Summer Bummer" emerged shortly after its release, often reinterpreting the track in acoustic or stripped-down formats on platforms like . For instance, singer Alice Kristiansen uploaded an acoustic cover in July 2017, focusing on Lana Del Rey's verses with guitar accompaniment and garnering over 345,000 views for its intimate, melancholic delivery. Another notable example is Carolina Wallace's acoustic rendition from August 2017, which highlights the song's lyrical themes of fleeting romance through soft vocals and minimal instrumentation. These covers, primarily by independent artists, underscore the track's versatility for personal reinterpretations but remain unofficial and non-commercial. As of November 2025, no additional official remixes have been released by the label, though the existing versions continue to circulate on streaming services and have contributed to the song's enduring presence in hip-hop and indie playlists.

References

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