The temperatures are plummeting—there’s no denying winter is really here.
Proper winter: Gray-skied, “I’m not leaving the apartment until May” kind of winter with no comforting Christmas tree glow to stave off seasonal depression. Now, I’m more than willing to immerse myself in seasonally appropriate music during the holidays—I do have a soft spot for Christmas carols—But now that the frozen slump is finally here, I think there’s only one way to avoid a complete winter madness breakdown: By utterly denying it and reaching back into my “Songs of Summers Past” playlist.
This is the unabashedly crowd-pleasing dance pop I expect to hear at the sort of bars you find in gay summer destinations. For me, that’s Fire Island. For others it might be P-Town or Key West. The kind of unpretentious—maybe even a little bit 
shabby—place that serves stale popcorn with your piña coladas; where the DJ wouldn’t think twice about playing a three-year-old Madonna track like “Celebration.”
Those sort of small, resort-town gay bars are what summer is all about.
So when I’m desperately trying to pretend that it’s not 25 degrees outside, of course I’m going to put on “Commander” by Kelly Rowland and David Gueta, or Shakira’s “She Wolf” I might even play something a little cringe-worthy, like Das Racist’s “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.”
Summer 2012 will undoubtedly bring a whole new batch of relentlessly catchy songs. But to help you survive winter 2012, I’m prescribing a healthy dose of recent nostalgia.
Click through for a summer music playlist sure to warm your winter heart
