It’s Independence Day weekend in the US, and long weekends are all about kicking back and feeding your mind. So we've crafted a recipe for you that's part relaxation, part brain gain. The editors of McKinsey Global Publishing have whipped up a summer playlist with 10 tracks and paired each with insightful reads—including books featured in “What to read next: McKinsey’s 2024 annual book recommendations,” McKinsey articles and reports on crucial business topics, and thought-provoking interviews from our Author Talks series. Whether you're lounging at home or hitting the road this 4th of July, relax, turn up the volume, and learn something new.
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- “What Was I Made For” by Billie Eilish
- “The Way” by Fastball
- “Evergreen” by Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners
- “Priorities” by Tyla
- “Woman” by Lady Bri
- “Krok sem, krok tam” (“A Step Here, a Step There”) by the Gypsy Devils
- “Good Old Desk” by Harry Nilsson
- “Mother Nature’s Son” by the Beatles
- “Hook” by Blues Traveler
- “Love Yourself” by Billy Porter
This 2024 winner of the Grammy for best song is from The Barbie Movie but forget about that association. Listen to the lyrics, feel the ethereal music and vocals, and imagine a sentient gen AI expressing the same feelings—just like in other movies. It is a lovely and heartbreaking song.
What to read:
Book: God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning by Meghan O’Gieblyn
Survey: The state of AI in early 2024: Gen AI adoption spikes and starts to generate value
Interview: Author Talks: In the ‘age of AI,’ what does it mean to be smart?
This 1990s earworm was inspired by a newspaper article about an elderly Texas couple who presumably lost their way as they were driving to a festival and perished. The song’s tone switches between melancholy and joyful, possibly evoking the anguish of the missing couple’s relatives and the couple’s delight in living their best life into their eighties.
What to read:
Book: Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity by Peter Attia
Article: Aging with purpose: Why meaningful engagement with society matters
Interview: Author Talks: The world’s longest study of adult development finds the key to happy living
This (short) song is from 2017, but it’s made a recent resurgence on social media. The lyrics are about making difficult decisions and being held back by external forces, which feels fitting for today’s business leaders who are navigating uncertainty and compounding challenges.
What to read:
Book: The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out by Dana Maor, Hans-Werner Kaas, Kurt Strovink, and Ramesh Srinivasan
Article: What matters most? Eight CEO priorities for 2024
Interview: Author Talks: The business of ethics for leaders
Tyla, an artist known for her distinctive voice and emotive songwriting, won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance this year. “Priorities,” one of her lesser-known songs, addresses the theme of self-worth and the struggle of balancing personal priorities in life—something many of us, unfortunately, can relate to.
What to read:
Book: Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport
Report: What is burnout?
Interview: Author Talks: Why burnout is an epidemic—and what to do about it
Have you read our seminal report, “Closing the women’s health gap?” Well, you should. And we also suggest this anthem by Lady Bri, which reminds us that we can quite literally go faster and shake things up. That’s never been truer than when we look at the opportunity in women’s health—there’s a huge chance to substantially improve lives and the economy.
What to read:
Book: Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World by Elinor Cleghorn
Report: Closing the women’s health gap: A $1 trillion opportunity to improve lives and economies
Interview: Are women’s prime working years in peril?
The Gypsy Devils are a group of Roma musicians from Slovakia specializing in traditional gypsy music updated for the modern era. Their exuberant, catchy tunes are introducing new generations of listeners to the genre, which has a long history in Central and Eastern Europe. The song and the accompanying music video take on the discrimination Roma people face and remind listeners that prejudice has no place in today’s multicultural society.
What to read:
Book: Culture: The Story of Us, from Cave Art to K-Pop by Martin Puchner
Report: Ethnocultural minorities in Europe: A potential triple win
Interview: Author Talks: How to remove unconscious bias from the workplace
This tune is whimsy meets “work from home,” with a Beach Boys summer vibe. A perfect accompaniment in this still-new era of hybrid work.
What to read:
Read: Work Here Now: Think like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace by Melissa Swift
Report: Empty spaces and hybrid places: The pandemic’s lasting impact on real estate
Interview: Author Talks: Tsedal Neeley on why remote work is here to stay—and how to get it right
The rerelease of the film Let It Be, the long-maligned chronicle of The Beatles’ final days as a band is drawing many of us back to the band’s extensive catalog. In this song, the jangly acoustic guitar and slow, easy feel places one in an English garden or meadow, just relaxing and taking in the natural beauty. A visceral reminder about the importance of sustainability.
What to read:
Book: The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells
Report: Impacts of climate change on Black populations in the United States
Interview: Everything you wanted to know about carbon removals but were afraid to ask
Both lyrically and melodically, this 1990s song is a gem. Why is it so catchy? Probably because it uses essentially the same chord progression as Pachelbel’s Canon, that beloved mainstay of weddings. But the words pack a punch, too. They essentially poke fun at the listener for liking the song, explaining that the lyrics don’t matter even if they’re “insincere,” because no matter what, “the hook brings you back.” This song was meta before that was really a thing.
What to read:
Book: How Legendary Leaders Speak: 451 Proven Communication Strategies of the World’s Top Leaders by Peter D. Andrei
Article: What makes a successful CEO?
Interview: Author Talks: Am I making myself clear?
This song reminds us that we can make the world better, celebrate liberty, and that we’re stars even with our flaws. We’re not sure Billy Porter can single-handedly improve one’s mental health, but singing along and dancing to this song is a good first step.
What to read:
Book: Homecoming: Reclaiming and Healing Your Inner Child by John Bradshaw
Report: In search of self and something bigger: A spiritual health exploration
Interview: Author Talks: Brand strategist Bonnie Wan on no-regrets living
MORE PAGE-TURNERS
McKinsey Global Publishing’s 2024 book picks
What’s your book-and-song combo? Reach out to us at newideas@mckinsey.com to let us know what you’re listening to and reading this summer.