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The Morning Show - With Jill Riley

Coffee Break: Sad girl summer songs

Sad song specialists: Boygenius members Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker.
Sad song specialists: Boygenius members Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker.Harrison Whitford

by Jill Riley

August 03, 2023

Let’s be real: summer isn’t always blissful. Long before Lana Del Rey put out “Summertime Sadness” in 2012, what we now call “sad girl summer” was already a widely felt concept for the human race.

Music, of course, is one way we process these times of warm-weather ennui. Let’s dig out some sad anthems representing the entire gender spectrum for today’s playlist.

For today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, which melancholic summer songs do you want to hear?


Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

Have an idea for a Coffee Break topic? Submit your idea for a future theme and browse past Coffee Breaks in our archive.

Songs Played
Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
Lana Del Rey - High By The Beach
Elliott Smith - Somebody That I Used To Know
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know feat. Kimbra
Christine and the Queens - People, I've been sad
boygenius - Me and My Dog
beabadoobee - the way things go
Bananarama - Cruel Summer (bonus)