Feels Like Summer (Childish Gambino song)

"Feels Like Summer", also known as "42.26", is a song by American recording artist Childish Gambino. The song was released by Wolf+Rothstein, Liberator Music and RCA Records on July 11, 2018.^[2] It was written and produced by Gambino and his longtime collaborator Ludwig Göransson. The song was made available for digital download and streaming along with "Summertime Magic" as a part of the extended play Summer Pack.^[3] It is featured on the FIFA 19 soundtrack.^[4] It later appeared on his fourth album, 3.15.20, under the title "42.26".^[5] The song received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.^[6]

"Feels Like Summer"
Promotional single by Childish Gambino
from the EP Summer Pack and the album 3.15.20
Released	July 11, 2018 (2018-07-11)
Genre	R&B[1]
Length	4:57 (EP version) 5:21 (album version)
Label	Wolf+Rothstein Liberator Music RCA
Songwriter(s)	Donald Glover Ludwig Göransson
Producer(s)	Glover Göransson
Music video
"Feels Like Summer" on YouTube

Music video

A music video for "Feels Like Summer" was released on September 1, 2018. It was directed by Glover, Ivan Dixon and Greg Sharp.^[7] In the animated video, Gambino walks calmly through a neighborhood watching all of his neighbors playing during the summer as well as stopping to have dream sequences. The neighbors are all famous rappers or modern black figures that consist of (in order and group):^[8][9][10]

• Lil Pump and Trippie Redd running around the neighborhood
• 21 Savage and Metro Boomin smoking in a car
• Kodak Black sticking his head out of the window to turn away Pump and Redd
• Migos playing basketball
• Birdman grilling while Chance the Rapper watches Jaden Smith playing
• Will Smith washing his car while Azealia Banks sits above him in a tree
• Nicki Minaj playing with blocks as Travis Scott knocks them over
• The Weeknd, Ty Dolla $ign and Frank Ocean playing tug of war against ASAP Rocky, Solange and Willow Smith
• Soulja Boy speaking with Pump and Redd
• Future riding away on a bike from Drake, who chases after him
• Kid Cudi standing silent and dejected
• Kanye West, crying while wearing a Make America Great Again hat, and being comforted by Michelle Obama
• Beyoncé wearing a shirt paying tribute to Fredo Santana
• Andrew Gillum with a melting cup of ice cream representing XXXTentacion
• Lil Uzi Vert and Zendaya (or Kehlani) having their hair done by Oprah Winfrey and Tiffany Haddish
• Lil Yachty and Charlamagne Tha God eating popsicles
• Gucci Mane laying on his back relaxing
• Dr. Dre, Sean Combs, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa and Jay-Z dancing next to Mane
• Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball playing a video game while Young Thug does the same behind them
• 2 Chainz taking a group shot of Meek Mill, Pusha T and Lil Wayne
• Rae Sremmurd blasting water guns at the past three and J. Cole
• Janelle Monáe and SZA skateboarding
• Chris Brown crying
• Outkast (Big Boi and André 3000) facing away from each other, possibly representing their breakup
• Rihanna floating in a crossed leg pose
• Whitney Houston (So Emotional single cover, 1987)
• Michael Jackson (circa the 1970s)

The large amount of celebrities featured in the music video is juxtaposed against the environmentally-focused lyrics of the song, a contrast seen by some as deliberate; the video distracts from the song, in similar fashion to how some are so focused on celebrities and their personal lives that they forget more pressing issues in the world, such as climate change.^[11] This is not too dissimilar from the music video to Gambino's earlier 2018 hit, ‘This Is America’, where Gambino and a crew of backup dancers perform distracting, choreographed dances and shooting a church choir while the background of the video and lyrics to the song are loaded with political commentary and carnage.

A follow-up video shows the animated Gambino walking into his house (which seems to partially resemble, or at least invoke, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood) and taking off his shoes to a new pair of Adidas. This was used to announce Glover's role as an ambassador and "brand co-creator" for the corporation.

Covers

French musician Sébastien Tellier released a cover of "Feels Like Summer" on July 2, 2020, exclusively for the French streaming service Deezer.^[12][13]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[14]

• Donald Glover – production, mix engineering
• Ludwig Göransson – production
• Riley Mackin – mix engineering, master engineering, record engineering
• Justin Richburg - character design, animation
• Felix Colgrave - production, animation^[15]
• Jessica Maffia - single art

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[16]	79
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[17]	13
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18]	47
Ireland (IRMA)[19]	51
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[20]	9
Portugal (AFP)[21]	76
Scotland (OCC)[22]	71
UK Singles (OCC)[23]	64
US Billboard Hot 100[24]	54
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[25]	25

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[26]	Platinum	70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[27]	Gold	40,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[28]	Gold	10,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[29]	Gold	5,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[30]	Platinum	30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[31]	Silver	200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[32]	2× Platinum	2,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	July 11, 2018	Digital download streaming	Wolf+Rothstein Liberator Music RCA	[33][34]