Whether you’re a total idiot heading out to party at the beach or a sane person staying inside to read Camus, the calendar doesn’t lie — it is, in fact, summer. And even this isn’t the summer we asked for, that doesn’t mean summer songs are any less essential. They might even more emotionally necessary than ever.

The summer song is one of rock’s truest pleasures, be it a dance jam that dominates every backyard cookout or a sweet ode to cars, romance, and partying. Here are our picks for the most sizzling summer jams ever — from unshakeable oldies to classic hip-hop, from hard-rock to indie-rock, from the the Go-Gos to Daft Punk.

[A version of this list was originally published in July 2013]