Hello, fam! Happy New Year to you all! This is the first AT40 Countdown of 2018! Unfortunately, Ryan Seacrest is not hosting this week, as singer James Arthur is filling in for him as the guest host this week. There was plenty of activity going on, some for better and some for worse. I’m hoping this year we can get some good music. Before we get to the first countdown of the year, here are the songs we’re saying good-bye to this week:
- Dusk Till Dawn by ZAYN featuring Sia (#39)
- Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber (#38) [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
- Silence by Marshmello featuring Khalid (#33)
- Do Re Mi by Blackbear (#31)
The Countdown:
Biggest Fall Of The Week: What About Us by P!NK (–17)
Biggest Rise Of The Week: End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future (+10)
New Entrants
– Next, we have Cheat Codes with their second song on the countdown. With No Promises continuing to die out, they’re now following up Feels Great, which features Fetty Wap. Now this one I can listen to as opposed to MIC Drop, which is horrible on all fronts. Feels Great, however, is a different story. I do like the production for the most part, and Fetty Wap actually sounds great here. Cheat Codes have proven to be solid DJ’s with their latest releases. Let’s hope it does well like No Promises did.
– Third, we have another collaboration. Who would’ve guessed that G-Eazy and Halsey, despite being a couple, decide to make a song together? Anyway, they bring us Him & I. I’m not quite feeling this one. I do like Halsey’s vocals somewhat and the production is okay. But the rest of the song just feels a little underwhelming to me. And both artists show very little personality. My opinion could change.
– Finally, we have the best debut of the week, and it comes from Walk The Moon. For those who don’t know these guys, let’s rewind for a minute. The year was 2015, and Shut Up And Dance had just crossed over to mainstream. Soon enough, it started to blow up everywhere on the charts, reaching #1 for 12 Weeks on Hits 1 and. After the song died out, many were awaiting for what was to come next. Fast forward to 2018, and here they are making their return with One Foot, the lead single off of their latest album, What If Nothing. The production here is top-notch, and their vocals are spot on. I like how they’re singing with a lot of charisma and energy. This is the kind of song we need right now. Whether or not this song will have the same success as its predecessor, only time will tell on that. Overall, I’m enjoying this song and I wish it the best of luck on many charts.
– Let’s begin with our exits. First off, I didn’t really care for Silence in the long run. However, if I’m being honest, I wasn’t expecting it to leave us so soon. I thought it was going to stay for a little longer. On a positive note, let us celebrate as Do Re Mi has finally left the countdown! It’s about damn time! That leaves us with two songs. Dusk Till Dawn took a rather unexpected exit. It’s very saddening that this song never caught on with the public. I was hoping it would be a respectable hit at least, but it just didn’t happen. Oh well, it was nice having it around for a while. Finally, we have the important exit. Despacito, one of the biggest songs of 2017 and the 16-time #1 song on Billboard which ties the record of One Sweet Day, is officially no more. It’s not really surprising that it got big because of the remix with Justin Bieber. I do still enjoy it and while many are throwing a be-gone party, I’m not one of them. Farewell, Despacito. You served us well despite being overrated by many. You will be missed.
– We have some saddening drops this week. One in particular is the big drop from What About Us by P!NK. I’m hoping it can hang around for a little longer.
– We also have the big drop from Praying by Kesha, which is very disappointing, but at the same time it’s not surprising, given that this song has pretty much died out elsewhere.
– But in return, there’s the massive jump from End Game. Hopefully, this is a sign that Taylor Swift can gain some steam with this song. Since this song also features Ed Sheeran, that should be much of a problem.
– Speaking of Ed Sheeran, we have Perfect entering the Top 5. I’m hoping it can be #1 in the near future. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem, because that one is still somewhat gaining in sales right now, thanks to two different remixes (one with Beyoncé and the other being the Andrew Weatherall remix).
– And of course, Havana holds the top spot, which is not surprising considering that it’s still one of the biggest songs in North America right now. It’s good to see Camila still on top.
- Bedroom Floor by Liam Payne
- LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari
- New by Daya
Extras/Optional Extras:
- Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia
- Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur
- Why by Sabrina Carpenter
- Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
- Time Of Our Lives by Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo
- Counting Stars by OneRepublic
- Can I Be Him by James Arthur
Top 20 Breakdown:
20. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
19. Let You Down by NF
18. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo
17. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash
None!
16. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato
15. How Long by Charlie Puth
14. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
13. Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan
12. New Rules by Dua Lipa
11. Bad At Love by Halsey
10. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
9. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
8. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt
7. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future
6. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid
5. Thunder by Imagine Dragons
4. Perfect by Ed Sheeran
3. …Ready For It? by Taylor Swift
2. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
1. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello
I Don’t Wanna Live Forever by ZAYN featuring Taylor Swift: Two of the biggest names in music collaborating with each other. While it doesn’t live up to Love Me Like You Do, I do kinda like what this one has to offer, mainly Taylor Swift in general.
You’re Not There by Lukas Graham: While it doesn’t quite live up to 7 Years, I do like how it tells a story about his father not being there to celebrate his success. It’s a sweet song for what it is.
Kids by OneRepublic: I like this one more than I should. The production here is amazing, and the vocals are top-notch. Too bad this only spent one week on the AT40.
Guys My Age by Hey Violet: Adrian can explain this one better than I could. Everything he said about this song is spot on the money. When a song talks about girls claiming that guys are too immature for your age when it’s actually false, it’s the first sign that this wasn’t a good song to start.
I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk: Easily my second-favorite single from The Weeknd, only behind The Hills. And it was nice to hear Daft Punk‘s vocals.
Music Reviews + More 
Breakouts and extras? And you forgot to credit Feel It Still's two weeks at #1.
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Just added those to my post. Thanks!
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No problem! 🙂
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I love Thinking Out Loud so much that I would color code it Purple for extras and my favorite song on the At40 this week 1 year ago is Mercy as well and Thinking Out Loud debuted the At40 around this week 3 years ago on January 10, 2015
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You are correct. It was exactly three years ago that Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran made its debut. I just did some research minutes ago. :)And it's good to see I'm not the only one who still likes Mercy by Shawn Mendes.
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*my brothers sees BTS/Desiigner – MIC Drop in red**he posts a meme about it*
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Dark red to be exact. I do like MIC Drop but I am not surprised he has it in dark red.
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