Liam Payne (1) – Week Of September 30, 2017

/ dhill92

Hello, friends! You know, it’s really hard for me to come up with some cool introductions. But whatever, let’s just get to the countdown. This week, to put it simply, just wasn’t good. But you know, it’s one of the weeks you’ve got to fight through. Not much I can do about that. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, we’re saying good-bye to these songs leaving us this week:

  • The Chainsmokers – Honest (#44)
  • Fall Out Boy – Champion (#45)
  • Linkin Park featuring Kiiara – Heavy (#41)
The Countdown
Last Week’s #1 Song: Niall Horan – Slow Hands
45. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls (#42) [-3]
44. Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like (#40) [-4] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
43. Hey Violet – Hoodie (#35) [-8]
42. All Time Low – Good Times (#43) [+1]
41. Lady Gaga – The Cure (#39) [-2]
40. Kygo featuring Selena Gomez – It Ain’t Me (#37) [-3]
39. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low (#33) [-6]
38. Sabrina Carpenter – Why (DEBUT) [=]
37. Andy Grammer – Give Love (#21) [-16]
36. Justin Bieber featuring BloodPop® – Friends (#31) [-5]
35. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#36) [+1] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
34. Zedd featuring Liam Payne – Get Low (#29) [-5]
33. Linkin Park – One More Light (#24) [-9]
32. Bruno Mars – Versace On The Floor (#27) [-5]
31. Harry Styles – Two Ghosts (#38) [+7]
30. Selena Gomez – Fetish (DEBUT) [=]
29. Louis Tomlinson featuring Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals – Back To You (#26) [-3]
28. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#19) [-9]
27. Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato – No Promises (#16) [-11]
26. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (#30) [+4]
25. Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 (DEBUT) [=]
24. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#25) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
23. Charlie Puth – Attention (#18) [-5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
22. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do (#13) [-9]
21. Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay (#10) [-11] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
20. The Revivalists – Wish I Knew You (#28) [+8]
19. Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee – Despacito (#20) [+1]
18. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#32) [+14]
17. The All-American Rejects – Sweat (#34) [+17]
16. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#23) [+7]
15. Halsey – Bad At Love (#22) [+7]
14. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#6) [-8] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
13. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#9) [-4]
12. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#17) [+5]
11. Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey – Glorious (#14) [+3]
10. Kesha – Praying (#5) [-5]
9. The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#8) [-1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
8. P!NK – What About Us (#11) [+3]
7. Mono Mind – Save Me A Place (#12) [+5]
6. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#15) [-9]
5. Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back (#2) [-3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#3) [-1]
3. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#1) [-2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#4) [+2]
1. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#7) [+6] [1st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – Closer (1st Of 8 Weeks At #1)
Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Andy Grammer – Give Love (-16)
Biggest Jump Of The Week: The All-American Rejects – Sweat (+17)
New Entrants
– I’m kinda mixed on this week’s entrants overall. To start us off, we have Sabrina Carpenter making her first appearance on the countdown, in the form of Why. Now, she brought us Thumbs, which I did kinda like, but never actually made it to Hit-Bound despite playing on Hits 1. As for her new single, I can’t say I care for this one. Her vocals seem a little weak, and the production is quite underwhelming to say the least. That’s just me, though, but my opinion could change. Right now, I’m not feeling this one. NEXT!

– So, here’s a question for you all: are you tired of Selena Gomez making all those nonsensical sultry songs? You are? Well, guess what? I am too. And unfortunately, she makes her return with her new single Fetish. I talked about this one when it debuted on the American Top 40 last month. To recap, it’s another one of those songs that tries to be sultry, and it just doesn’t work. It’s slightly better than Bad Liar in part because her vocals have improved, so I’ll give her that, but that’s not saying much because the lyrical content is terrible and its premise is dull across the board. It’s only been getting worse every time I hear it. Now, I’m going to ask you another question: what happened to the Selena Gomez I used to love? She simply just needs to stick to her upbeat pop songs, or heck even something from Revival. The sad thing is, I’d rather listen to it than the song that arrived on Hit-Bound, which we’ll get to later. Anyway, the point I’m trying to get across is, this song just blows. NEXT!

– Probably our best debut this week is a song that is currently gaining steam. It comes from Logic collaborating with Alessia Cara and Khalid, in the form of 1-800-273-8255. It’s nice to see this one become a sleeper hit, especially after the song’s performance on the VMA’s last month. It’s a pretty good song in terms of the lyrical content and I’m sure everyone can relate, especially given Chester Bennington’s passing after committing suicide two months ago. Overall, I do like it for what it is.

Blurbs So Soft, You Ain’t Had Nothing Softer
– In terms of our exits this week, Honest took its departure, and with it brings The Chainsmokers’ streak of big hits to an end. I know pretty much everyone is rejoicing over this song not being a big hit. Also, there’s Champion, which unsurprisingly left given that people aren’t really buying into Fall Out Boy’s music anymore. We’ll see if that one makes it to my Top 45 songs of the year. Lastly, we have the all-important exit, in which Heavy has officially departed from this countdown. It did have quite a weird tenure jumping and dropping all over the place, but it eventually lost its steam. Although I kinda stopped caring for it a while ago, I know there are some people who are going to be sad about its departure.

– Well, dang! Give Love surprisingly took a big drop this week. Also, Spyder Harrison did not mention that this was the Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week, because he didn’t recap the second set of five. Another fail on his part. Last week, he failed to mention one of the songs in his next set of five.

– Spyder Harrison mentioned upon introducing Back To You that Louis Tomlinson was secretly married to his girlfriend. I mean, really? I wonder how did we not know this before? Hmm…

– Thank the high heavens above for making Body Like A Back Road drop out of the Top 20! Now, can we PLEASE get this awful song out of the countdown soon?!

– Spyder Harrison also made a mistake by saying that both No Promises and Stay were tied for the Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week, when it actually Give Love that was given this honor. Spyder, you better step up your game soon. 😛

– After spending a long while in the Top 10, both Stay and Believer have managed to drop out, with the former just barely out of the Top 20. Meanwhile, the latter literally swapped places with Thunder, which is now in the Top 10.

– Speaking of Imagine Dragons, I have a feeling that Thunder is going to blow up here, because it soared to #1 on iTunes earlier this week and has been gaining sales elsewhere since. Keep in mind that this hasn’t made its debut on the American Top 40 yet.

– Finally, we come to our #1. As you can see, I’m not too kind about this one. I figured it was going to happen sooner or later, given that it’s still gaining in both sales and radio. Plus, with Hits 1’s love of One Direction, I shouldn’t be surprised by this. Here’s to hoping next week’s #1 is better.
Hit-Bound

  • The Script – Rain
  • Taylor Swift – …Ready For It?
  • Fergie featuring Nicki Minaj – You Already Know
  • ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn
  • Why Don’t We – Something Different
  • Camila Cabello – Havana (DEBUT)
  • PRETTYMUCH – Would You Mind
  • Evaride – Heartless
  • Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar (DEBUT)
  • Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (DEBUT)
  • Dua Lipa – New Rules
  • Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask
  • Ed Sheeran – Perfect
  • Lauv – I Like Me Better

– So, we have a shake-up on Hit-Bound this week, and…I can’t say I’m fond of either of our debuts. Let’s get right into it.

– To begin, we have more Bebe Rexha with her new single Meant To Be, which features country band Florida Georgia Line. I’m kinda split on this one for that reason. Now it’s better than Body Like A Back Road, I’ll give them that. Not much else I can say about this one.

– So, I have a question. Who’s tired of Camila Cabello? You are? Well, too bad, because she’s back for another round, this time with Havana. I briefly talked about this one last month on the YouTube 15. But to sum it all up, it’s simply just not a good choice for her next single. Hits 1 did edit out rapper Young Thug, and she did improve on her vocals, so I’ll give her that. But the rest of the song is just underwhelming. Maybe it’ll change.

– Oh, boy. We’ve come to the one debut I was not looking forward to at all. We have Post Malone making his arrival along with 21 Savage in their new single Rockstar. This is going to be a long rant, so get ready. I’m going make it simple: this song is just trash. The production, the lyrics, etc. I don’t know why in the world would a song of this caliber, especially given that Hits 1 simply does NOT care for rap music of any kind, would make it here, instead of maybe Lorde, whose lead single from Melodrama was a huge flop?! I already talked about Congratulations being one of the worst songs of the year, and now he wants to bring this new single to Hits 1, over rising artist Lorde of all people?! Or Rachel Platten, whose new single is clearly 25 times better than this pile of trash?! You know what, I’m going to stop right here. I’ll say more when it inevitably debuts, but my reaction is NOT going to be pretty, at all.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Taylor Swift – …Ready For It?
2. PRETTYMUCH – Would You Mind
3. Evaride – Heartless
4. Dua Lipa – New Rules
5. ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn

YouTube 15

So, I didn’t mention this at all, but this month marks YouTube 15 host, Jenna Marbles’s birthday. She turned 31 on September 15. So, I would like to wish her a Happy belated birthday! With that said, here are the songs trending this week:

  • Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid – 1-800-273-8255
  • Fifth Harmony – He Like That
  • Kungs featuring Olly Murs and Coely – More Mess
  • DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
  • Why Don’t We – These Girls
  • Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like
  • Loote – Out Of My Head
  • Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
  • Avicii featuring Rita Ora – Lonely Together
  • Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do
  • Kygo featuring Sasha Sloan – This Town
  • Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You
  • Charli XCX – Boys
  • Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee – Despacito
  • LANY – Super Far
– We have more Kungs, in the form of More Mess which features Olly Murs and Coely. Right off the bat, Kungs continues to impress me in terms of the EDM production. Both Olly Murs’s and Coely’s vocals blend together really well. Although I can’t say it’s as good as This Girl, it’s solid and it works for me.

– I haven’t really talked about Why Don’t We – These Girls when it was trending a few weeks ago. So, I’ll do so right now. While Something Different is kinda solid, this one is a different story. To put it easy, I can’t really say I’m a fan. The lyrical content isn’t all that good, and the song is too repetitive for my tastes. Maybe it’s just me, though. That could change.

– Similarly, I don’t really care for Loote – Out Of My Head. Their vocals don’t really shine in this one, and the production is decent at best. The lyrical content, however, is better than that of These Girls. I don’t have too much to say about this one.

– We have the return of Avicii, this time collaborating with Rita Ora in their new single Lonely Together. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Avicii, when Wake Me Up became his biggest hit of 2013. To say the least, Rita Ora’s vocals definitely shine in this one, and the production here is vibrant too.  It also helps that the lyrical content is pretty solid. Once again, Avicii manages to impress me, and the duo made a great track overall.

– With Kygo making his presence known in the music industry, it’s no surprise that he has recently released a new single. Enter This Town, which features an unknown artist whose name is Sasha Sloan. His new single is pretty weak compared to his predecessors. The production isn’t quite as lively, and Sasha Sloan doesn’t add too much to the song. It’s definitely not as good as It Ain’t Me or the amazing First Time (w/ Ellie Goulding), the latter which unfortunately ended up being a flop. My opinion on this song could change, but right now, I’m not quite a fan yet.

– LANY has a new single called Super Far, and while it’s not quite as lively as some of the other songs mentioned above, it’s quite solid. It has that 80’s feel to it, and their vocals are pretty good. Other than that, not much to say here.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do
2. DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
3. Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee – Despacito
4. Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like
5. Avicii featuring Rita Ora – Lonely Together

Top 20 Review
0 – Awful:
None!

1 – Bad:
20. Liam Payne – Strip That Down

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
19. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes
18. The All American Rejects – Sweat

4 – Good:
17. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
16. Niall Horan – Slow Hands

5 – Great:
15. The Revivalists – Wish I Knew You
14. Imagine Dragons – Believer
13. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
12. Halsey – Bad At Love
11. Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey – Glorious
10. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
9. P!NK – What About Us
8. Mono Mind – Save Me A Place
7. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft
6. Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee – Despacito
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This
4. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
3. Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back
2. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Kesha – Praying

Overall Grade: 91/100 (A-) (Things are getting better here)
Throwback Pick Of The Week: Celine Dion – That’s The Way It Is (1999) (Again, everything by Celine Dion is amazing)
Most Missed Countdown Song: Meghan Trainor – All About That Bass (I’m really REALLY sorry, Adrian, but I actually still like this)
#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Echosmith – 18 (I HIGHLY recommend listening to their new EP Inside A Dream. Trust me, it’s really good.)
Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – Closer

My Top 5 Picks
1. Kesha – Praying
2. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do
3. Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back
4. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road
2. Selena Gomez – Fetish
3. Sabrina Carpenter – Why
4. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low
5. Liam Payne – Strip That Down

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Gnash featuring Olivia O’Brien – I Hate U, I Love U: This is basically a better version of Unsteady. I love the message in this one, and I’m sure everyone can relate. I also like how their vocals blend together. That said, I wish everyone would appreciate this more.
Big Gigantic featuring Angela McCluskey – The Little Things: For an EDM song, it may be loud, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad per se. That saxophone in the end was pretty darn epic.

32 thoughts on “Liam Payne (1) – Week Of September 30, 2017”

  4. Wait, so you're telling me you actually like a Camila Cabello song?But then again, I'll have to listen to it more. One thing's for sure though: it's way better than the awful, bland, boring, and generic Work From Home.

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  5. I'm glad that Honest and Champion left. I am pretty disappointed Heavy is gone. I thought Rockstar was ok at first but it's now really garbage. Havana is bad but Meant To Be is decent. Really upset Strip That Down is #1.

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  21. Pretty much. After listening to Meant To Be, I do agree with that statement. Also, I never mentioned this at all until you posted your comment Graham, but I have noticed that Bebe Rexha contributes more to Back To You than Louis does, despite it being his single.

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  23. Me neither. Hits 1 isn't the kind of station to pick up rap music, though there have been a few exceptions. I can understand if it's from Drake, what with his enormous popularity, but Post Malone? That questions me, and to me his music sucks in general. Yet, his songs get popular for whatever reason unbeknownst to me. Just my thoughts.

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  25. If it does get into the countdown, I will be shocked if it does get big. Because DJ Khaled's songs didn't get big on here, and they were totally different from rockstar. By different, I mean it in the good way.

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