Hello, fam! This is the first weekend countdown of 2018! Despite Spyder Harrison being sick all week (hopefully, he feels better), he was somehow able to do this week’s countdown. Apparently, no one was there to fill in for him. Also, I have some surprises at the end of the post. You’ll have to read and find out for yourself. Right now, let’s talk about the first countdown of 2018! Before we get to this week’s fresh 45 of the new year, here are the songs we’re saying good-bye to this week:
- Nick Jonas – Find You (#36)
- Linkin Park – One More Light (#33)
The Countdown:
44. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#44) [=] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar – Don’t Wanna Know (1st of 3 Weeks at #1)
Biggest Jump Of The Week: Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River (+13)
– So, as we ring in the new year, we have new debuts to go along with it! Well, two of them to be exact. First, we’ll begin with Taylor Swift with another single off of her album, reputation. Enter End Game, which features Ed Sheeran, who has been dominant since the beginning of last year. With the debut, he now has a total of six (Yes, six!) songs on the countdown. HOWEVER…she also tags Future along, a rapper who the blogging community doesn’t seem to like. When the name came up, many here (including myself) were not expecting this to be a good song. But as it turns out, I was impressed for the most part. Future actually does sound better in this song. He finally managed to win me over with his verses. I also love Ed Sheeran’s contribution to the song as well. Once again, Taylor Swift sounds amazing. Whether this finally becomes a big hit for miss Taylor, I don’t know yet. But I’m hoping for the best because I’m in love with this song.
– For our second (and final) debut of the week to start the new year, Fall Out Boy makes their return once more. Last year, they brought us the very disappointing Young And Menance, which thankfully did not graduate from Hit-Bound. But then, they brought us Champion, which was a big step up from its predecessor and it reminded us of their classic music. Now this week, they bring us their next single from M A N I A, titled Hold Me Tight Or Don’t. Much like Young And Menance, this is another song in which they’re experimenting and trying new things. Unlike Young And Menance which had too much weird stuff going on that is not to my liking, this one has some cool stuff that doesn’t make my ears scream for mercy. The whistling in some parts of the song sounds cool. The lyrics talk about one begging for love and wanting to hold someone tight. My main concern is Patrick Stump’s vocals, in which his falsetto is a little too high. Overall, it’s a cool song with a Latin vibe that gets me going. It’ll be interesting to see how well this does on this countdown, given that the previous two representations failed to take off.
Blurb Me Tight Or Don’t
– Let’s start with our two exits this week. I’m not too surprised about Find You leaving, seeing as that one failed to take off. I do wish Nick Jonas deserved better. We also have the important exit, in which One More Light makes its departure. I would like to say thank you for your time and service on this countdown even though you weren’t really popular elsewhere. A tribute single to the late Chester Bennington, I did enjoy it from the first listen. Who knows what the future will bring for Linkin Park. Farewell, One More Light. You will be missed.
– So, Ed Sheeran is going to be in an episode of The Simpsons, huh? Well, I’ll have to catch it when it comes on. That should be interesting!
– Both Lonely Girl and Miss You are having a tough time on this countdown thus far, with both of them making drops this week. The former I don’t necessarily care for, but the latter I hoping it can rebound at some point.
– Speaking of drops, Praying sadly took a big drop after spending seemingly forever in the Top 20. Looks like the end may be near. Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted.
– …Ready For It? also took a big drop as well. Not too surprising since that one has declined elsewhere. But at the same time, it’s also sad that Taylor Swift can’t seem to hit big like she once did.
– River took a big jump into the Top 20 this week. Seeing as I have not shared my full opinion on the song, I might as well do it now. I do kinda like the song based on what it talks about. It’s basically another failed relationship much like in Love The Way You Lie. I do like Ed Sheeran’s verses. And even though Eminem doesn’t show too much personality like he used to, at least he has proven to be a good rapper. I’m hoping it continues to jump.
– Are you kidding me? You can’t be serious. Hits 1 NEVER lets this kind of music do well on the countdown. Rockstar made a big unnecessary jump into the Top 10 this week. Not cool at all! I swear, if it EVER hits #1, I will be PISSED.
– But also in the Top 10, we have Wolves making its arrival. I’m certainly glad this one is gaining traction elsewhere and I would like to see it in the Top 5 soon. I’ll most certainly take that (Actually any song in general, except for Meant To Be) over Rockstar any day.
– On that note, it’s also nice to see Let Me Go in the Top 5. I can see this as a potential #1 in the future if it keeps up. Also, keep in mind that Hailee Steinfeld did have a previous #1 before (Starving). I’m hoping it can happen someday.
– And then, we’ve come to our #1, in which Thunder is back on top! Hopefully, it can stay there for as long as possible. No, scratch that: I hope EVERYTHING in the Top 5 can stay there for as long as they possibly can. Please, keep Rockstar away from #1 as much as possible.
Hit-Bound:
- Spencer – Whatever
- AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
- Sofi Tukker – Best Friend
- Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix) (DEBUT)
- WØLVES – Animal
- Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
- Maroon 5 – Wait (DEBUT)
- NF – Let You Down
- Justin Timberlake – Filthy (DEBUT)
- Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same
- P!NK – Beautiful Trauma
- Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels – I Miss You
- All Time Low – Last Young Renegade
- Alan Walker featuring Noah Cyrus and Digital Farm Animals – All Falls Down
– Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 24 hours or so, you probably have heard by now that Justin Timberlake made his official return to music this past Friday. Enter Filthy, the lead single off of his upcoming album, Man Of The Woods. I’ve heard plenty of criticism about this song, and I now have a good reason as to why. There’s some weird stuff going on, mainly with the background music. Justin’s vocals don’t really sound like him, especially compared to his previous singles. I have it in blue for now, but it could change. I’ll have more words come its inevitable debut next week.
– Finally, we’ve come to the debut that is much, MUCH better than the other song I just talked about. Bruno Mars makes his return once more, and he’s bringing us some Finesse. Many fans have been pushing either this or Chunky to be the next single off of 24K Magic. Sure enough, Bruno apparently listened to the fans and gave them their wish, as he chose the former to be his next single. And guess what? He decided to remix the single by collaborating with up-and-coming female rapper Cardi B. for the fun! Now this is a lot of fun! Bruno once again delivers with his vocals, and it’s nice to see Cardi B. adding some life to the remix. I really hope it can make its debut soon, and by then I’ll talk more about it. I anticipate that day.
My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
19. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
None!
18. Charlie Puth – How Long
16. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft
15. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes
14. Halsey – Bad At Love
13. Camila Cabello – Havana
12. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask
11. Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River
10. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do
9. Dua Lipa – New Rules
8. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go
7. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
6. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
5. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
4. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself
3. Walk The Moon – One Foot
2. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days
1. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves
Most Missed Hit-Bound Drop-Out: Steve Aoki & Bohem featuring Walk The Moon – Back 2 U
Fitz & The Tantrums – Handclap: It may be loud, but this is actually fun. Vocalist Michael Fitzpatrick, despite being 47 years of age, can pull off a song that brings us a ton of energy.
Lukas Graham – You’re Not There: It’s another sweet song that talks about his father not being there to celebrate his success. Too bad this didn’t get big elsewhere, not to mention it never cracked the Top 30 here.
Shawn Mendes – Mercy: Definitely a favorite of mine from last year, though I do think its successor is superior. There’s plenty to like about this song, however. The chorus is mesmerizing.
And that concludes my countdown recap. But there’s one last thing I want to mention (Well, actually; a couple of things). I will be adding two new features at the end of every countdown post. One of them is QOTW (Question Of The Week). Each week, I’ll ask you guys a question related to music and you can leave a comment below. The second feature I’ll be adding is Guess The Song. Basically, I’ll give you some hints on the song that you’ll have to guess. Again, leave a comment below for your answer.
QOTW: What are your thoughts on Justin Timberlake’s new single, Filthy? Also, how do you think it will fare in terms of chart success?
Guess The Song:
– I was green on Adrian’s blog when it made its debut, but then he put me in red.
– I debuted and left on an one-exit week.
– I left on the same week that Work From Home left the American Top 40.
Music Reviews + More 
Not sure what to think of Filthy. It's definitely strange and will probably take a few listens to even somewhat like it. I think it will do well but take a while to take off.My guess for the guess the song is Meghan Trainor – No
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I actually kinda like Filthy. It's just weird in a good way.Guess the Song: No by Meghan TrainorGood post!
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And Filthy might do well, but it'll just take itself a while.
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Well, the voters like Rockstar. I'm afraid it will do well. Which agitates me because I hate the song.
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You and Anonymous are correct!
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I know. And the sad thing is, Hits 1 NEVER lets this kind of music do well on their countdown. I could say the same for Strip That Down, but it had success only because of their love for One Direction. That I can understand.Hits 1 is known for sharing their love to artists(i.e. Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, etc.) and their music almost always does well on the countdown, no matter what. I can't believe they're letting Rockstar gain some momentum, especially given they they don't care for hip-hop/rap in the past.
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True. Even though I do like the song, it's crazy because they didn't even have Despacito do that.
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What was your reaction when Don’t Wanna Know hit #1 last year?
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Not good. I never even liked the song, and I'm sure Scott will say the same. Maroon 5 has had so many better songs. The only reason it did well is because Hits 1 loves Maroon 5. Plus, it was popular elsewhere, both in sales and radio.
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Despacito did spend one week in the Top 5, though. It's a Latin-based pop song, and Hits 1 is somewhat kind to that genre. It's not the same with hip-hop/rap. From what I recall, none of the songs from that genre ever got that much success.
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Did Him&I leave Hitbound?!?! IT BETTER BE A TYPO
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It aired a lot this week. It will be sure to debut next week.
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Dylan's right. Him & I isn't gone for good. It's just gaining traction elsewhere. So yeah, it'll be on the countdown next week. Same with Filthy (and whatever else that's currently on Hit-Bound).
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I'm worried Rockstar will be the next Body Like A Back Road. In case you don't understand what it means, I'm saying Rockstar could be the song that gets close to #1, but we hope it doesn't get there, and it doesn't in the end. I'm a little confused myself, so.
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I have found an error. You forgot to credit Believer's 4 Weeks At #1.While I'm here, I will say that I am a fan of JT's new single. I think it will do decently, but not well in the long run considering lots of people are HAMMERING Justin for the single.
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Filthy is pretty good, but I like the new Liam Payne and Rita Ora song more.Top 10 (overplay doesn't affect it that much):1. New Rules2. Believer (yes I still love this song)3. Meant To Be4. Havana5. Thunder6. Glorious7. TNHMB8. Feel It Still9. One Foot10. Slow HandsBottom 5:1. LWYMMD2. Rockstar3. Ready For It4. Perfect5. Too Good at Goodbyes
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Also, Whatever It Takes is my current favorite song so it better debut soon.
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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*sees one year ago debuts* Ah yes, Mercy was rather polarizing – some at least found it tolerable in the face of its predecessor, others thought it was just as bad. And on that note, remember how I mentioned that I went to Hershey Park the day of that six exit week where Mercy was among the exits, and I heard that song as I was getting in line for a second ride on Skyrush? Well, on my first ride on that one, You're Not There played right as we were taking our seats and waiting to go up the lift hill.And as for Filthy, I kind of already talked about it in Adrian's comments section, but for me it leaves me concerned that Timberlake could potentially turn into another brag rapper or something (let's hope not). And I could see it getting hit by bad radio callout much like Look What You Made Me Do did. And what the heck is with that video?Dat throwback pick tho. Two years, to me it does feel like a long time since he departed just after that last album.Lastly, regarding Finesse, you may have seen me comment on the song for its thread on Pulse, but summary – I'm left feeling that they could've maybe gave Cardi B a bit more to do in the song, and I'm not overly thrilled that arguably my favorite part from the solo version – the \”yeah we got it going on, got it going on\” bridge and outro – isn't quite as good in Cardi's hands, at least in my eyes. Maybe it'll grow on me. Even so, I won't say it's a bad remix, and if it's what it takes to get it to become a hit, I'm alright with that. Also, when I saw Bruno perform in concert three months ago, this was the song he opened with (the title track was second).
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Something tells me that you might be right Scott, because I've seen some mixed to negative reviews from ARTV, TheDoubleAgent, and some on Pulse. I'm not sure a song like this is going to be liked by the audience.And yes, two years is a long time. David Bowie would've been 71 years old this year. He was a legend, and his music is great.I can see where you're getting at when it comes to the Finesse remix. But honestly, I can help but enjoy this song and what it has to offer. Like I said, I really hope it makes its debut because it is AMAZING! Simple as that.
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Bad news (For you at least): Gucci Gang made pop radio.Good news: The pop radio chart has some action going on!
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Yeah, not the best news. Luckily, it won't last too long, given the way pop radio has treated some rap music in the past.Oh, and My Top 50 Songs of 2017 is now out!http://sxmhits1wc.blogspot.com/2018/01/2017-year-in-review-part-5-my-top-50.html
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