DANIEL ESTRIN, HOST:
It might be Labor Day, but it's not too late to enjoy some summer love.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUMMER NIGHTS")
JOHN TRAVOLTA: (As Danny) Summer lovin', had me a blast.
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN: (As Sandy) Summer lovin', happened so fast.
TRAVOLTA: (As Danny) I met a girl crazy for me.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Summer love sizzled in music, movies and television in 2023. And in case you missed it, we're here to get you caught up. We start with Stephen Thompson of NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF ESLABON ARMADO AND PESO PLUMELLA SONG, "ELLA BAILA SOLA")
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: One of absolutely The songs of the summer is by Eslabon Armado and Peso Plum called "Ella baila sola."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ELLA BAILA SOLA")
ESLABON ARMADO AND PESO PLUM: (Singing in Spanish).
THOMPSON: Lyrically, the song is just like, two guys see a beautiful woman dancing alone and kind of talk about wanting to meet her.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ELLA BAILA SOLA")
ESLABON ARMADO AND PESO PLUM: (Singing in Spanish).
THOMPSON: One thing that makes it a summer song is the fleeting nature of it, right? It's a chance encounter. It's like, what if something magical is about to happen?
(SOUNDBITE OF ESLABON ARMADO AND PESO PLUMELLA SONG, "BAILA SOLA")
ESTRIN: At the movies, there was no greater love story this summer than "Past Lives." It's the story of a young Korean couple with a second chance at love.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PAST LIVES")
JOHN MAGARO: (As Arthur) Childhood sweethearts who reconnect 20 years later and realize they were meant for each other. In the story, I would be the evil white American husband standing in the way of destiny.
GRETA LEE: (As Nora) Shut up.
FADEL: Film critic and writer Carlos Aguilar says "Past Lives'" director Celine Song turns your conceptions of love, identity and fate on their head.
CARLOS AGUILAR, BYLINE: You think about all the what-ifs - if you had stayed, the person you would be, the person you become and sort of the different paths that life has taken you on. What Celine Song is doing in this film is really engaging with a unique vision of what that is.
ESTRIN: There's no greater love than self-love. That's the theme of the hit summer Netflix series "Survival Of The Thickest." Mavis Beaumont breaks up with her cheating boyfriend and starts a new life designing clothing for plus-sized women.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SURVIVAL OF THE THICKEST")
MICHELLE BUTEAU: (As Mavis Beaumont) I want to dress women and help them love their bodies.
PEPPERMINT: (As self) #BodyPositivity #WorkMama.
TONE BELL: (As Khalil) You the best at this.
BUTEAU: (As Mavis Beaumont) You better start that rumor, OK?
FADEL: TV and film critic Tre'vell Anderson says "Survival Of The Thickest" is a story about loving your own body.
TRE'VELL ANDERSON: You know, it's a fat Black woman who loves who she is. The only people who really have an issue with her body are, like - it's the outside world. There's a joke at the top of the show in which she's like, you know, he's cheating on me with, like, a skinnier version of me.
ESTRIN: And if you're not quite ready to say goodbye to summer love, Stephen Thompson has one last bit of summer music for you.
THOMPSON: I just thought I would go with a really big, catchy pop song. It's by Jungkook from the group BTS. The song is called "Seven."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SEVEN")
JUNGKOOK: (Singing) Every hour, every minute, every second, you know night after night I'll be lovin' you right seven days a week.
THOMPSON: This song is just a rush of kind of sexy devotion. And in a summer where a lot of the biggest songs weren't necessarily tapping into themes of love and seduction, this song felt very summery.
FADEL: A final sliver of summer love to get you through those chilly nights ahead, courtesy of MORNING EDITION.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SEVEN")
JUNGKOOK: (Singing) Seven days a week. Every hour, every minute, every second, you know night after night I'll be lovin' you right seven days a week. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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