1. New Rules by Dua Lipa (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Camila Cabello (2^nd and Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between Filthy by Justin Timberake and Thunder by Imagine Dragons (–3)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (+6)

New Entrants
– With Rockstar starting to slowly die out, it’s no surprise that Post Malone would have a new single in its stead. Enter I Fall Apart, the follow-up to its predecessor. I know I get tired of ranting about Post Malone’s music, given that I’ve not been kind to its predecessor at all. As for his new single, I went in with an open mind hoping I would like it, but it just didn’t work out for me. Now he does shine a little more with his vocals, which is probably why it’s not awful. But everything else about this song is just underwhelming. I’m hoping it doesn’t get as big as its predecessor.

– Next up, we have the return of The Weeknd who teams up with Kendrick Lamar in their new single title Pray For Me, taken from the Black Panther movie soundtrack. I’m not surprised to see this one starting to gain steam, especially given the hype surrounding the movie, which I had watched just yesterday as I mentioned in my introduction. Right off the bat, it’s very similar to Starboy in terms of the production. The Weeknd shows that he’s a good singer, as he showcases his vocal talent throughout the song. In a way, he kinda reminds me of Michael Jackson. Kendrick Lamar makes a good contribution here, as his verse flow very smoothly. Simply put, it’s a great song and I can definitely picture this becoming a hit.

– With the highest debut of the week, Zedd makes his return to the American Top 40 not long after the departure of Stay, which was two weeks ago. Enter The Middle, which features country star Maren Morris and EDM duo Grey. I’ll just start off by simply saying that this doesn’t live up to Zedd’s best work. Songs such as Clarity and Stay The Night are hard to top, and the singles from True Colors were also divine on all levels. But The Middle was definitely something that grabbed my attention from the start. And with repeated listens over this month, I’ve fully started to embrace it more. In fact, I like it a lot more than I should. This sounds pretty much like Stay, a song which I also enjoyed for the most part. Sure, the drop isn’t the best. The production is pretty decent overall, but I love pretty much everything else about the song. Maren sounds pretty amazing all throughout. I love the way she can hit those notes, especially in the final chorus. It wasn’t until recently that I listened to her singles, such as 80’s Mercedes. She has proven that she has great vocals, and I’m glad she’s taking advantage of that. Overall, it’s a fun and catchy song that I’m definitely enjoying right now. While there are some who don’t like this and I can understand why, I’m not one of them. For me, this song bangs. Hopefully, it can achieve the same success like Stay did.

Why Don’t You Just Blurb Me In The Middle
– Dang! I did not expect Too Good At Goodbyes to take a brutal exit, especially from a high position at #17. As for the other two exits, Mic Drop will most definitely not be missed. That one was just straight up annoying and I’m glad to see that it was a flop. Slow Hands, however, I did like from the start and it was something different for Niall. That said, this song will be somewhat missed by me.

– We have quite a few songs holding their positions this week. One of those songs is I Miss You, in which it holds at its debut position in its third week. It looks like Julia Michaels may indeed be a one-hit wonder after all, though I can’t really say the same for Clean Bandit given that they’ve had a couple of solid hits in the past.

– And already, we have the smallest biggest drop of the year this week, with both Thunder and Filthy dropping only 3 spots. The former has been very successful, so it’s time may be coming to a close. Meanwhile, the latter was a huge flop and the hype surrounding it has basically died out. Luckily, Say Something is starting to gain, so I won’t be surprised if it debuts soon and I certainly wouldn’t mind if that happens.

– I’m not thrilled about Never Be The Same making a big jump. Of course, with Camila Cabello still going strong, at least somewhat, this has potential to be a Top 10 hit. That which I don’t want.

– How Long entering the Top 5 is no shock at all, given how big Charlie Puth is at this moment. This could potentially be another #1 on this chart, what with Attention being a huge hit last year.

– And finally, Dua Lipa holds the #1 spot this week. A few months ago when it debuted, I didn’t even think that New Rules would be #1, let alone hold the top spot. But I’m glad I was wrong. I’m totally cool with it, since I still love this song. Like I said before, it’s nice to see Dua Lipa become a breakout artist this year. She has recently released her next single IDGAF and it’s pretty good as well. Here’s to hoping it follows the same path as New Rules and become at least a moderate hit.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Walk On Water by Thirty Seconds To Mars
• Hold Me Tight Or Don’t by Fall Out Boy
• God’s Plan by Drake

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Love On The Brain by Rihanna
• Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) by Cardi B.
• Roses by The Chainsmokers featuring ROZES
• Congratulations by Post Malone featuring Quavo
• Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande
• Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara
• My House by Flo Rida
• I’m The One by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper, and Lil’ Wayne

Top 20 Review:
0 – Garbage:
20. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
19. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
18. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

1 – Bad:
17. Let You Down by NF
16. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
15. Young, Dumb, And Broke by Khalid
14. Filthy by Justin Timberlake

4 – Good:
13. Thunder by Imagine Dragons
12. Best Friend by Sofi Tukker featuring NERVO, Alisa Ueno, and The Knocks
11. How Long by Charlie Puth

5 – Great:
10. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt
9. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future
8. Bad At Love by Halsey
7. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
6. New Rules by Dua Lipa
5. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
4. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
3. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
2. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.

Total Score: 71/100 = 71% (C–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Let’s Groove by Earth, Wind, And Fire (1981)

Most Missed Song: Jet Black Heart by 5 Seconds Of Summer

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Capital Letters by Hailee Steinfeld featuring BloodPop®

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley and Paris by The Chainsmokers

My Top 5 Picks
1. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
4. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello
5. My My My! by Troye Sivan

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
2. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
3. I Like Me Better by Lauv
4. Strip That Down by Liam Payne
5. I Fall Apart by Post Malone

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley:
Way Down We Go by Kaleo: