Hello, fam! Not too much happened this week in terms of activity. While we did trade two good songs, we also have two good songs (including a huge favorite of mine for this year, which I’ll talk about shortly) taking its place. I don’t have anything else to say in terms of the introduction, so let’s just get right into the business of reviewing the AT40. So without further ado, here are the songs dropping out of the countdown this week:
- Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee (#39)
- No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato (#33)
- What About Us by P!NK (#32)
The Countdown:
Biggest Fall Of The Week: …Ready For It? by Taylor Swift (–5)
Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between I Like Me Better by Lauv and LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari (+7)
– With Camila Cabello’s debut album as a solo artist being released this past week and Havana doing very well so far, it was no surprise that she would follow-up with a new single as the audience continues to embrace her. Enter Never Be The Same, the second single off of her self-titled album. I can’t really say I’m loving this too much. And the biggest reason for that is because of Camila’s vocals. Other than the chorus, she sounds too high pitched in some parts of the song, especially in the pre-chorus. It’s pretty obvious that she still needs to work on her vocal lessons. This was the reason why many people didn’t really like Camila before she improved herself with Havana. As for the rest of the song itself, the production is pretty good. But the lyrics kinda leave something to be desired and like I said, I’m not sold on Camila’s vocals. I may have it in blue for now, but my opinion could change.
– Ed Sheeran continues to chug along by being featured on some side projects, such as End Game. This week, he decides to collaborate with Eminem who makes his return in their single titled River. Now, I didn’t have much of an opinion on the song because this one kinda came out of nowhere. But after a few listens, I started to come around to it. Basically, this song is about a bad relationship and how he regrets doing what he did to his lover. I do like Ed’s contribution in this one, and Eminem proves to me that he’s still one of the best rappers. Though, I’ll admit, Eminem doesn’t quite have the charisma like he once did. When comparing to his older singles such as Love The Way You Lie and a few others, I can tell the difference. In terms of everything else about the song in general, the chorus is nice and I do like the production. While it’s a pretty good song, I can’t say that this will stick with me in the big picture.
– Again, if you’re into the new Bruno Mars like me and a few others, I’m sure you were looking forward to his latest release. This week, he makes his return with his fourth single off of 24K Magic, titled Finesse. And he decided to make a remix by bringing in Cardi B., a newcomer in the music industry whose single Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) became her biggest hit in 2017. When Chunky debuted on Hit-Bound, I thought that would be his next single. But unfortunately, that was not the case. I’m hoping Chunky can be its successor down the road. Right now, I’m glad that he released Finesse as a single because it is an amazing song. Bruno showcases his talent and charisma like he always does, which was the biggest reason why I love the original version so much. But the remix manages to step it up a notch, mainly because Cardi B. actually makes a nice contribution for once. The music video is basically a dedicated to the classic TV show, In Living Color, which I watched since I was a child. I’ve pretty much said all I needed to say about this one. Sure, we’re still have a whole year ahead of us, but right now this song is definitely a candidate for My Top 10 songs of the year and maybe even Top 5. And given that it just recently hit the Top 3 on Billboard, I have a feeling that it’s going to get some love on this chart as well, and I am ready for it (No reference to Taylor Swift).
– We’ll begin the week by talking about our exits. To start, No Promises had a very good countdown run for a song that never really hit the Top 5. I did enjoy it while it lasted, but I don’t mind seeing it go. Unforgettable did pretty well too, and I’m glad that it got the recognition it deserved because it was a really good song overall. Finally, we lost What About Us, which was another great song that did quite well. P!NK has never disappointed me with her music so far and this song was no exception. I was happy with the success that it had on Hits 1 and many other charts. That song will be mostly missed by me.
– Our Top 3 remains the same, so nothing to really talk about here.
– We have two new entrants in the Top 5. Unfortunately, one of those entrants is from Rockstar, which has reached a dangerous new peak at #5. The sad thing about it is that this song still has a chance to hit #1 at some point, given that it’s still very popular right now. I hope our Top 3 can stay the same.
– But sitting right in front of it at #4 is the entrant from New Rules. That which I’m definitely pleased about and I’ll most certainly take it over #5 any day. It’s good to see Dua Lipa finally get the recognition she deserves.
– Well, it looks like What Lovers Do won’t be getting the #1 spot unfortunately, seeing as that one is starting to decline elsewhere. Hopefully, it can hang around the countdown for a little longer.
– We had two songs jumping big this week. First off, I’m not too thrilled about the jump from I Like Me Better. However, I’m pleased to see LOVE. take a big jump as well. I’m hoping Kendrick Lamar can get another hit like he did with HUMBLE. last year.
- Filthy by Justin Timberlake
- New by Daya
- Reggaeton Lento (Remix) by CNCO featuring Little Mix
- I Miss You by Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels
Extras/Optional Extras:
- Hotline Bling by Drake
- 7 Years by Lukas Graham
- Dusk Till Dawn by ZAYN featuring Sia
- Treasure by Bruno Mars
- Heart Attack by Demi Lovato
Top 20 Breakdown:
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. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
14. How Long by Charlie Puth
13. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
12. Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan
10. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
9. Thunder by Imagine Dragons
8. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt
7. Perfect by Ed Sheeran
6. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future
5. New Rules by Dua Lipa
4. Bad At Love by Halsey
3. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
2. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
1. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello
Caroline by Aminé: All I can say about this is his vocals are obnoxious, and the way he tries to sing makes me cringe. No, that is not how you make a good first impression as an artist.
Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran: Ah, yes. Ed Sheeran’s big return to music. I like it’s simplicity, and it does have some funny lines. I like how he tries to make something different.
And one last thing before I conclude my post. There is a rankdown going on in the blogging community which I’m participating in. The rankdown in question is about the 2017 Hits 1 Year-End list. Here is the link below, as well as instructions on how the game works:
http://countdownguyblog.blogspot.com/p/2017-hits-1-ye-rankdown.html
Now keep in mind that if you want to participate, the deadline to submit your rankings is Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 3:00 P.M. EST., which is tomorrow.
The link to submit is right here: https://goo.gl/forms/GlcR525SW83xddpY2
Music Reviews + More 
What do you think of Supplies, the latest single from Justin Timberlake?
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Haven't gotten around to it yet. Once I give it a listen, I'll have a full opinion on it.
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Just a heads up, it is a Hip-Hop/rap song. It took awhile for me to get around to it.
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If that's the case, then something tells me that may turn into a brag rapper. Scott did say that he had concerns about him going that route, and I was too. I had thought from what I heard that his album would be him leaning more calm. But that may not be the case.
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Nice post! 😀
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