Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (–19)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho (+14)

New Entrants
– We’ve somehow got a re-entry from Dua Lipa – New Rules, which is nice to see even though it’s dying out elsewhere. This is the first time we had a re-entry since last year when Castle On The Hill made it back to the countdown. However, there are no new songs from Hit-Bound debuting this week, so let’s move on.

I Know I’d Go Blurb To You
– Let’s first talk about our exit. We say good-bye to Alice Merton – No Roots this week. I was hoping we could get another alternative hit from another artist, but the song never really caught on elsewhere. It was, of course, underrated and deserved better.

– So, Spyder Harrison mentioned that a hospital worker was fired because they looked at Ed Sheeran’s medical records? Hmm…I guess the people wanted to keep it private or something. But anyway, at least Ed Sheeran did give a performance of Galway Girl last weekend. I thought it was a good performance overall.

– Before introducing No Tears Left To Cry, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Ariana is dating a new person who is actually from Saturday Night Live and he mentioned that he’s the coolest person on the cast. I have a feeling that they may end up being the coolest couple of the year. I mean, they should be given that award, don’t you think? That is unless G-Eazy and Halsey still prove to be a strong couple.

– I’m not thrilled about the big jump from Psycho at all. Hopefully, it doesn’t stay in the Top 20 for too long and starts dropping back down, but at this point it’s not likely.

– Before introducing Meant To Be, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Nick Jonas and Bebe Rexha are meant to be (no pun intended)? Really? Did Bebe Rexha found a special someone? If that’s the case, then I hope it works out well.

– During his introduction for In My Blood, Spyder Harrison had a conversation with Shawn Mendes about his new album which was released just yesterday. He recently did a performance of Youth (with Khalid) at the Billboard Music Awards. Honestly, I thought it was a moving performance. However, I do hope he releases Lost In Japan as a single soon.

– Bad Wolves – Zombie has made its way into the Top 10 this week. I have a feeling that it’ll try to be an elusive hit on this countdown in general. This wouldn’t be the first time, as some songs that weren’t popular elsewhere have did really well. I hope the same rings true for that song.

– The guest DJ that introduced Friends called Spyder Harrison the best DJ on the planet. I’ll say that was a nice complement.

– Niall Horan – On The Loose has now entered the Top 5. I wasn’t too surprised about this given that I heard this a lot the past two weeks. Also, the guest DJ that introduced the song gave a shout out to all of the students at her school. Seeing as the kids are out for the summer, that was a very nice complement.

– Finally, we’ve come to our #1 this week, in which The Middle holds the #1 spot once again! As you probably can tell, I still really, really like that song, so I very pleased with this. I did watch a performance of the song at the Billboard Music Awards and I thought it was great. I’ll probably have more to say about it. But yeah, I did enjoy it overall.

Hit-Bound:

• Sam Smith featuring Logic – Pray
• HRVY – Personal
• Fall Out Boy – Last Of The Real Ones (DEBUT)
• The Wrecks – James Dean
• Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
• Cardi B. – I Like It
• Maren Morris – Rich
• Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar
• Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right
• lovelytheband – Broken
• In Real Life – Tattoo (How ‘Bout You)
• Dennis Lloyd – Nevermind
• Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – Babe
• Hundred Handed – Too Good
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (DEBUT)

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. The Wrecks – James Dean
2. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
4. Fall Out Boy – Last Of The Real Ones
5. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
19. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
18. Lauv – I Like Me Better
17. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

1 – Bad:
16. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
15. Meghan Trainor – No Excuses

5 – Great:
14. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
13. Taylor Swift – Delicate
12. Halsey – Alone
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back
10. Niall Horan – On The Loose
9. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
8. Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days
7. Bad Wolves – Zombie
6. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
5. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
4. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me
3. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

Overall Grade: 77/100 = 77% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Christina Aguilera – What A Girl Wants (1999)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Demi Lovato – Cool For The Summer

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Carly Rae Jepsen – Run Away From Me

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Céline Dion – Ashes

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#1)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
3. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
4. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
5. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
2. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
3. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
4. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same
5. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Liam Payne featuring Quavo – Strip That Down: I wasn’t fond of Liam’s decision to go hip-hop. I’d say this was probably the weakest debut single from a former member of One Direction. I’m sure many here will say the same.
Miley Cyrus – Malibu: Although the song itself isn’t all that memorable, I did like how Miley was able go back to her country roots. After her last album, Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz, was not to my liking at all whatsoever, it was nice to hear something refreshing from her.

QOTW: Who do you think gave the best performance in the 2018 Billboard Music Awards last week? Why?

Biggest Fall Of The Week: No Excuses by Meghan Trainor (–7)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani and No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (+7)

New Entrants
– For our first debut of this week, we have the return of Liam Payne with his brand new single titled Familiar. This song also features J. Balvin, who last year had his single Mi Gente, which I absolutely detested. As for the new song, I’ll simply say it’s pretty good and a step up from Strip That Down, which I wasn’t a fan of either. The latin-based vibe is what gets me. I do like the verses from both of the artists overall. The production in the song is pretty interesting and not as lazy as it was in Strip That Down. Both of these artists managed to win me over with the song. I hope to see it do well.

– Our second debut comes from EDM group Rudimental, who has a big collaboration with Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen in the song titled These Days. This one been around for a while now. I talked about it in full when it debuted on the Weekend Countdown last month. But to sum it up, I pretty much like everything about the song from the production on down to the verses. The best thing about the song is Jess Glynne, who sounds great in the chorus. I love the lyrical content throughout the song. It’s a great song overall and I hope for success out of it.

Best Debut Of The Week: These Days by Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen

Ain’t Got No Blurbs Left To Cry
– As far as our exits go, our two songs that left the countdown will be greatly missed by me. Tell Me You Love Me was very underrated and deserved much better. Wolves had a good countdown run for the most part and it was definitely one of the best things Selena Gomez has been a part of. Farewell, Wolves. Thank you for your time on this countdown.

– Of course, Never Be The Same holds the #1 spot this week. Honestly, this song is just annoying in terms of her vocals. But apparently, I guess people seem to disagree. I’d absolutely love to have The Middle back at #1, or just even just a good song at the top spot period.

– In other Top 5 news, Pray For Me reaches a new peak at #3. I would love to see it replace our current #1, but I don’t think it’s likely given that it’s dying out elsewhere. At least it was successful.

– No Excuses took a big drop out of the Top 20 this week. Looks like Meghan Trainor isn’t going to have another hit after all. I was starting to slightly grow back out of the song, though. So I would be okay with it departing.

– I figured Done For Me would make a big jump in its second week. Not that I’m complaining as I’m very fond of the song as of this moment. I do think it’s one of the best tracks off of Voicenotes.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Sober Up by AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo
• Pray by Sam Smith featuring Logic
• Sober by G-Eazy featuring Charlie Puth

Extras/Optional Extras:

• How Long by Charlie Puth
• Bailando by Enrique Iglesias featuring Sean Paul
• Hello by Adele
• Here by Alessia Cara
• Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur
• That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars
• Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
19. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
18. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
16. I Like Me Better by Lauv

1 – Bad:
15. Wait by Maroon 5

2 – Mediocre:
14. Let You Down by NF
13. God’s Plan by Drake

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
12. Mine by Bazzi
11. Delicate by Taylor Swift
10. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
9. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
8. New Rules by Dua Lipa
7. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
6. IDGAF by Dua Lipa
5. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA
4. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
2. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

Total Score: 66/100 = 66% (D)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Larger Than Life by Backstreet Boys (1999)

Most Missed Song: Dark Horse by Katy Perry featuring Juicy J.

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Ashes by Céline Dion

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (#2)

My Top 5 Picks
1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
2. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
4. Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani
5. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
4. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
5. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Human by Rag’n’Bone Man: Not much I can say about this one. It’s definitely a good tune that talks about our shortcomings as a human. Too bad it didn’t get much success
Believer by Imagine Dragons: It was a different sound for these guys. I do love the rock elements in this one. I did hear this often in commercials when the Nintendo Switch came around.
Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber: I’m sure some people are still sour about this one, but not me. Probably one of the best Latin-based songs of last year in my opinion.

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me (–15)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Dua Lipa – IDGAF (+16)

New Entrants
– To kick off this week’s debuts, we have Dustin Atlas making his first appearance, I think, with the song called Fake Freinds He is collaborating with Erin Bowman, who makes her return to the countdown. The last time we saw her was last year when she brought us Good Time, Good Life. I thought that was a good song overall. As for this one, I can’t really say I’m loving it too much. I’m not too fond of the production. I think it’s a little too basic for my tastes. The vocals here are somewhat underwhelming. They do sound good in some parts of the song, but I’m not sold on the chorus. It’s not really a bad song, but I can’t see myself remembering this in a year or so.

– For our next debut of the week, we have another single from the Black Panther movie soundtrack that has been around for a while. Kendrick Lamar has his second song making its debut on the countdown, by the name of All The Stars. This song also features SZA, who recently had a countdown song not too long ago when she also collaborated with Maroon 5 with What Lovers Do. One of the things I like about the song is the big contribution we get from SZA, in which she shines in the chorus. I do like the verses from Kendrick Lamar, also. As I said before, I do think he’s one of the best rappers out there and he shows what he’s capable of in this song. Simply put, it’s a great song overall and I want to see it do well here.

– Now that Wolves seems to be finally near the end of the road, we have another single from Selena Gomez entering the countdown this week. Enter Back To You, her brand new single taken from the 13 Reasons Why Season 2 soundtrack. I’m going to simply say that it’s a big step up from what she’s been releasing lately in terms of her solo music. She doesn’t do any whispering or mumbling in any part of the song at all. In fact, she sounds really good singing in this one. I love the chorus leading up to the drop. Not only that, but we also see an improvement in the production as well, in which it has the guitar in some parts of the song and the EDM-like production that pulls me in. This is definitely a step back in the right direction for Selena Gomez. I’m actually looking forward to seeing that one be more successful.

Best Debut Of The Week: Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars

Never Gonna Blurb You Up
– We’ll start with our exits. End Game had a nice countdown run for a Taylor Swift song off of Reputation. We lost two other songs this week. Beautiful Trauma failed to live up to the expectations of its predecessor. I guess that song wasn’t meant to be another hit for P!NK. Oh well. Good Old Days, on the other hand, did well on this countdown and got to spend one week at #1. It’s unfortunate that we won’t see it on the Billboard Year-End as it wasn’t successful there. But at least it’ll be on Hits 1’s Top 45 Of 2018 come December. It was a beautiful song overall and I’m sure many here will be sad over this departure. Good-bye, Good Old Days. You will be missed.

– So, The Middle is now back at #1. Perfectly fine by me as it’s still a huge favorite of mine at this moment. It’s really nice to see back at the top spot on my one-year anniversary of starting this blog. I’m glad this song became successful and helped put Maren Morris on the map. Keep in mind that this song is being performed at the Billboard Music Awards. I’m sure the performance will be good, but I can’t be certain.

– Jumping to #4 this week, we have Say Amen (Saturday Night) reaching the Top 5 for the first time. It’s definitely an enjoyable song, so I’m cool with this. I do think it has a chance at #1 even though it may not be as popular elsewhere. If Victorious was able to do so two years ago, then I’m sure the same will ring true in 2018.

– I’m definitely cool with Tell Me You Love Me entering in the Top 5 as well. I’m quite surprised that it’s doing well on this countdown despite not being big elsewhere. I have no complaints about this as I’ve been enjoying it more and more, hence why I have it as my favorite song, along with our #1. Demi shines all throughout the song and I’m in love with the chorus. I would like to see it take the top spot someday, but I may be asking for too much. I’m just happy about it’s success here so far.

– So, Spyder Harrison mentioned during his introduction for On The Loose that being a musician is demanding for Niall Horan. I know what it’s like. I’m sure some others feel the same way. I guess they just don’t have that much free time on their hands, heh.

– Are you kidding me? Friends has now made its way into the Top 10 this week. Who the hell is voting for this song to be in that region? We have much better songs that are more deserving of it than this.

– However, Meant To Be has dropped out of the Top 10, hopefully for good. Now I’m hoping it continues its downward trajectory, though I’m sure it’ll stick with us for a while.

– IDGAF makes its way into the Top 20 with that big jump this week. That one I’m perfectly fine with and I hope it continues to jump. Dua Lipa deserves to be successful on this countdown.

– How is I Like Me Better jumping like that?! This has no business being on this countdown any longer. Let’s please get this song to drop back down soon.

– The guest DJ that introduced Perfect said that it’s one of her favorite songs. That I can agree with. I think it is indeed perfect (no pun intended).

Hit-Bound:

• The Wrecks – James Dean
• Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right
• lovelytheband – Broken
• Echosmith – Over My Head
• Dennis Lloyd – Nevermind (DEBUT)
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (DEBUT)
• Sam Smith featuring Logic – Pray
• Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
• In Real Life – Tattoo (How ‘Bout You)
• Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar
• Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – Babe
• Cardi B. – I Like It (DEBUT)
• Maren Morris – Rich
• Hundred Handed – Too Good
• Portugal. The Man – Live In The Moment
• HRVY – Personal

– We have three songs making their arrival on Hit-Bound this week. First, we’ll begin with Dennis Lloyd with the song called Nevermind. I only find this okay for the most part, mainly because he doesn’t do too much with the vocals. The production is nice, so I’ll give him that.

– 5 Seconds Of Summer have a new song entering Hit-Bound this week (mainly because Hits 1 loves these guys so much), by the name of Youngblood. I juggled between putting this in blue or green, and I decided to stick with the latter, at least for now. It’s a bit of a step down from its predecessor. I do like the chorus, but the production isn’t quite as good. While it’s in green for now, it could easily change to blue.

– Cardi B. has her new single from her album Invasion Of Privacy, which is called I Like It. Right off the bat, it’s really not that different when compared to songs such as Bodak Yellow, which I detested. I’ll just say that it’s a step up from that song, but that’s not saying too much. I’ll talk more about this when it debuts. But yeah, I’m not a fan of this.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. The Wrecks – James Dean
2. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
3. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right
4. Hundred Handed – Too Good
5. Portugal. The Man – Live In The Moment

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
19. Lauv – I Like Me Better
18. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same
17. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

1 – Bad:
16. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
15. Meghan Trainor – No Excuses

5 – Great:
14. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
13. Taylor Swift – Delicate
12. Halsey – Alone
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back
10. Niall Horan – On The Loose
9. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me
8. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
7. Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days
6. Bad Wolves – Zombie
5. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
4. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
3. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

Overall Grade: 77/100 = 77% (C+) 

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up (1987)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Lorde – Team

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Nathan Sykes featuring Ariana Grande – Over And Over Again

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#4)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
3. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
4. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
5. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
2. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
3. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
4. Lauv – I Like Me Better
5. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
ZAYN featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR – Still Got Time: Those who dislike the song can explain why better than I can. But simply put, the production here is pretty nonexistent, and ZAYN himself doesn’t shine in any part of the song. He’s had much better.
Kehlani featuring G-Eazy – Good Life: Taken from The Fate And The Furious movie soundtrack, this song only spent one week on this countdown. It’s a shame because I thought it was really good. Luckily, the two artists seemed to have made their comeback this year with their respective songs.
Jason Derulo featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj – Swalla: All I can say about this is that it’s a guilty pleasure of mine. There’s just something about it that pulls me in. Fun fact: this was the second year in a row that Jason Derulo has had a song make its debut on the countdown. The first was If It Ain’t Love.
DNCE featuring Nicki Minaj – Kissing Strangers: I’d say this is probably the weakest the group has released after their three singles. Although Hits 1 did edit out Nicki Minaj’s verses, I’m not a fan of what the song brings. I’m sure they can do better.
Machine Gun Kelly featuring Hailee Steinfeld – At My Best: I remember falling in love with this before, but now I realize why this was hated. Not even Hailee Steinfeld could save the song unfortunately.

QOTW: What are your thoughts on Charlie Puth’s new album, Voicenotes? 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug, Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato, and Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. (–4)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (+8)

New Entrants
– We have a shake-up with new songs entering this week. To start, we have the return of ZAYN with his new single that’s been around for about a month or so, by the name of Let Me. Now, I did find this to be pretty enjoyable from the first listen. But I did start to slightly lose interest in it. I’ll say that it’s not as good as Dusk Till Dawn. ZAYN does sound pretty good throughout the song and I do like the lyrical content, so I’ll give him that. The production is nice, but it lacks something that makes it stand out. I’ve juggled between putting this in blue or green for this one, and I decided to stick with the former for now. Though, I can see myself putting it back in green soon.

– Next, we have more Drake with his latest single that just recently hit #1 after its predecessor did. Enter Nice For What. I don’t really have too much to say about this one. What I can say is that it’s a step up from God’s Plan. I do like that Drake sounds pretty energetic throughout the song, and it’s pretty fast paced than its predecessor. It’s a good song. I’m looking forward to seeing that one do well here.

– So, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week or so, then you probably have heard that Charlie Puth, who replaces himself on the countdown this week, has just released his new album, Voicenotes this past week. One of the songs from the album makes its long-overdue debut. Enter Done For Me. This song also features Kehlani, who last year did have a song with G-Eazy called Good Life which didn’t take off. After listening to his first two singles from his album, it was obvious that Charlie Puth has indeed improved upon himself. Done For Me is another example of such. The production is very good throughout the song. Just like with his two predecessors, Charlie does most of the work in that aspect and I think he did a good job with it. I love the vocals from Kehlani, and how they blend together makes things better. When looking at the lyrical content, it’s basically a love story about what one has done for the other. I’m glad this was able to debut because this song is really good. I’d say this is probably one of my favorites from Charlie Puth thus far. I hope it ends up having the same success as How Long and Attention.

Best Debut Of The Week: Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani

I’d Do Anything For Blurbs
– We’ll begin with our exits. First off, the departure of Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato is one I’m sure some here are happy about. How Long by Charlie Puth lasted a little shorter on this countdown than I had expected it to. I thought it might hang around in the 30’s for a little while. Finally, we sadly lost Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton. I was hoping this song would be a success after the flop of its predecessor, but that wasn’t the case. And it’s pretty unfortunate that it’ll miss the Year-End list for Billboard. That song definitely deserved better.

– I’m not thrilled by our new #1 song to celebrate my one-year anniversary. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello is not what I wanted to see take the top spot. This song is bad in and of itself, in large part because Camila doesn’t sound good at all. As I said in one of my posts, I wasn’t fond of Havana from the beginning because I wasn’t looking forward to hearing from her at that time. I have since grown into Havana. But Never Be The Same is a different story unfortunately. So yeah, seeing it at #1 is really a shitty way to start off my weekend.

– Blech. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie makes an unwelcome entry into the Top 10. I honestly don’t get what people like about this. Anne-Marie just doesn’t do well with the verses. But the production is straight up garbage and the lyrics are poorly written. I’m certain Marshmello and Anne-Marie are capable of better. But apparently, America seems to be in love with a friend-zone anthem such as this. I’m afraid this song will be stuck with us for a while.

– Speaking of which, our Top 10 isn’t looking very good right now. We have three songs that are really annoying. Then there’s two songs that are simply mediocre. And finally, we have four really good songs (Hint: there’s one I really, really still like. Can you guess what it is?). Again, not a good Top 10 if I do say so myself.

– The best thing that’s probably happened is the big jump from No Tears To Cry by Ariana Grande. I’m pretty sure this will probably end up being another hit for Ariana. I’ll be waiting.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• These Days by Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen
• Merengue by Kent Jones
• Sober Up by AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Needed Me by Rihanna
• Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
• Stay With Me by Sam Smith
• Stitches by Shawn Mendes
• I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner
• Water Under The Bridge by Adele
• Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos
• Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
• Gold by Kiiara
• Location by Khalid

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
19. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
18. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
17. I Like Me Better by Lauv
16. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

1 – Bad:
15. Wait by Maroon 5
14. Let You Down by NF

2 – Mediocre:
13. God’s Plan by Drake

3 – Decent:
12. No Excuses by Meghan Trainor

4 – Good:
11. Mine by Bazzi

5 – Great:
10. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
9. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
8. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
7. New Rules by Dua Lipa
6. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA
5. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
4. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar

Total Score: 62/100 = 62% (D–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Anything For You by Gloria Estefan (1988)

Most Missed Song: Anything Could Happen by Ellie Goulding

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Back To You by Selena Gomez

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (#2)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
4. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
5. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
2. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
3. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
4. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
5. I Like Me Better by Lauv

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back by Shawn Mendes: The idea of Shawn Mendes doing a song with a latin vibe kinda came out of nowhere, but I’m glad it worked out well. It’s still a favorite of mine to this day.
I’m The One by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper, and Lil’ Wayne: As I said before, Justin Bieber does make the song more decent than what I give credit for. But I feel without him, it’s not memorable. 

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Tie between Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves and G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I (–13)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Maroon 5 – Wait (+11)

New Entrants
– We have two debuts that I’ll be covering this week. We’ll begin with the return of Foster The People with their new single called Sit Next To Me. If you know the band, then you probably remember that they made a breakthrough with Pumped Up Kicks back in 2011. We haven’t seen these guys since and some were even wondering will we ever hear from them again someday, until this week. Sit Next To Me is a pretty good song. Mark Foster who himself does the vocals did a nice job throughout the song. The production is nice. I would like to see this one get some success on the countdown.

– Dua Lipa has made her presence known since New Rules became a sleeper hit worldwide. Now, she makes her second appearance on the countdown with her latest single titled IDGAF. When looking at the song’s lyrics, it basically talks about cutting off someone you used to love. While there’s not much in terms of the production, she shows what she is capable of vocally. I do like the chorus and the pre-chorus. I talked about this one in full when it debuted on the American Top 40. Overall, while not as good as New Rules, it’s still enjoyable for what it is.

I Want To Blurb It Slowly, Slowly
– So, we begin with our two exits. First off, the departure of Let You Down was pleasing to see, for me at least. I’m sure some here will be sad about it, though. However, the exit from Live In The Moment is one I’m not all that thrilled about. Though that one isn’t gone for good, as it just re-entered Hit-Bound. I’m hoping it can make a re-entry back to the countdown soon. Also, for some reason Spyder Harrison didn’t mention it as an exit. I guess he didn’t think the song was going to leave so soon?

– If I was new to Hits 1, I’d probably would be shocked by our new #1 song given that 5 Seconds Of Summer are not relevant elsewhere. But since I’ve been listening for about three years or so, I saw it coming from a mile away. Hits 1’s love for these guys is at an all-time high. I knew Want You Back would be#1 one way or another, and that’s what happened this week. But I don’t have any complaints about this since I do like the song. I don’t mind it being there for a while so long as keep songs like Never Be The Same out. Hopefully, that’s the last time I see that song at #1.

– The re-entry from Wait into the Top 5 is one I saw coming as well since I’ve heard it as Most Wutchuwanted throughout this week, though I’m not thrilled about it. The song isn’t really that awful unlike their recent singles such as Don’t Wanna Know and Cold, but it’s still pretty undesirable mainly because they’ve became basically a one-man band with Adam Levine taking over. I’m hoping it doesn’t hit #1, but if anything I’ll take it over Never Be The Same any day.

– Before introducing These Days, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Macklemore stays sober because of his fear for losing his family. I’ll bet that gave him some added motivation to stay that way. If everybody was like him, I’ll bet the universe will get better.

– So, Charlie Puth’s latest album, Voicenotes, has finally been released. I wonder what the YouTube critics think of this one, after his last album was not to their liking.

– Thunder is really starting to test my patience. This was good at first, but now it’s really fading on me. Imagine Dragons have had better. I would appreciate if the song starts back making its way down soon.

– Well, this was short-lived. After Wolves made an unexpected jump last week, it’s now back to square one. It’s not likely to recover like it did last week. Looks like this may actually be it for this song. Selena Gomez does have a new song on Hit-Bound, and we’ll get to that in just a bit. But I’m thankful for the run Wolves had on this countdown.

Hit-Bound:

• Sam Smith featuring Logic – Pray
• Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
• In Real Life – Tattoo (How ‘Bout You)
• Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – Babe
• Dustin Atlas featuring Erin Bowman – Fake Friends
• Echosmith – Over My Head
• The Wrecks – James Dean
• Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
• HRVY – Personal
• Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar
• Portugal. The Man – Live In The Moment (RE-ENTRY)
• Selena Gomez – Back To You (DEBUT)
• Maren Morris – Rich
• Hundred Handed – Too Good
• lovelytheband – Broken
• Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right (DEBUT)

– So, we got a re-entry from Live In The Moment since it left the countdown this week.

– Speaking of Selena Gomez, she has a new single titled Back To You, which is taken from the 13 Reasons Why Soundtrack. I’ll just simply say that right off the bat, it’s better than two certain songs I won’t name. I’ll talk more about this when it makes its inevitable debut.

– Next up, we have Meghan Trainor who dropped two songs this week, one of which is Let You Be Right. I think this is a step up from No Excuses in which her vocals are better. More on this when it debuts.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
2. Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
3. Hundred Handed – Too Good
4. Portugal. The Man – Live In The Moment
5. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right

YouTube 15:

• Drake – God’s Plan
• Jax Jones featuring Ina Wroldsen – Breathe
• Kaskade featuring Charlotte Lawrence – Cold As Stone
• Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
• The Chainsmokers featuring Drew Love – Somebody
• Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
• Chantel Jeffries featuring Offset and Vory – Wait
• Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
• Lil Dicky featuring Chris Brown – Freaky Friday
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• Afrojack featuring Jewelz & Sparks – One More Day
• Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
• Poo Bear featuring Justin Bieber and Jay Electronica – Hard 2 Face Reality
• Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same
• Louisa featuring 2 Chainz – Yes

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
2. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
3. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
4. Kaskade featuring Charlotte Lawrence – Cold As Stone
5. Afrojack featuring Jewelz & Sparks – One More Day

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
19. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
18. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

1 – Bad:
17. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
16. Imagine Dragons – Thunder

3 – Decent:
15. Meghan Trainor – No Excuses

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
14. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
13. Taylor Swift – Delicate
12. Halsey – Alone
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back
10. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
9. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me
8. Niall Horan – On The Loose
7. Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days
6. Walk The Moon – One Foot
5. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
4. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
3. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me
2. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

Overall Grade: 77/100 = 77% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Taylor Dayne – Don’t Rush Me (1988)

Most Missed Countdown Songs: Ellie Goulding – On My Mind (This left the countdown on this week two years ago) and Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Ellie Goulding – Still Falling For You

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Céline Dion – Ashes (This song is AMAZING!!!)

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#3)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
2. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
3. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
4. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me
5. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
2. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
3. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
4. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
5. Lauv – I Like Me Better

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
ONE OK ROCK – American Girls: I do kinda like this, mainly because it has a hard rock vibe and I have a thing for songs like this. But it’s not something that amazing. Still, it’s a good song for a band not really known elsewhere.
Aaron Carter – Sooner Or Later: Oh, boy. I’m going to hate some people for this one. I did like this song at first and I even thought about putting it in My Top 50 Songs Of 2017. But looking back on it, I’m not sure what I was thinking then. Yeah, I don’t like how he comes off as possessive here. That’s all I can say about it.
DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber and Chance The Rapper – I’m The One: I probably would’ve liked this more if it had something going for it in terms of the production. Justin Bieber was a standout in this one. But I feel like without him, it would probably be forgettable.
Niall Horan – Slow Hands: This is one of the more upbeat songs I like to hear from him, along with his representation currently on this countdown, which I find to be the best song off of Flicker. While this isn’t quite as good as On The Loose, I do think it’s different from the acoustic guitar.

And that concludes my countdown recap, but first I like to make an announcement.

A blogger whose name is Matthew has just started a rankdown of the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2017 here. If you want, you can participate in this rankdown. I myself am participating. More details are on his blog. Thank you all for reading! I’ll be back next week for my one-year anniversary! Have a good Mother’s Day Weekend!

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton (–15)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa (+10)

New Entrants
– To kickstart our new arrivals this week, we have the return of Khalid with his latest single titled No Lies, which is taken from the Love, Simon movie soundtrack. The song also features Normani of Fifth Harmony, who have been taking a hiatus for some time as their members are starting to go solo. Now, the song has been around for a while. One of the things I like about it is that Khalid has shown that he has good vocals overall and I’m starting to come around to it. I like the verses from Normani as well, and the production is pretty good for the most part. Overall, it’s a good song. We’ll see how long it sticks around.

– And now, we have the big return of Ariana Grande. She recently released the lead single titled No Tears Left To Cry. I talked about this one when it debut on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown last week. I have been anticipating new music from her ever since Dangerous Woman. I was not disappointed at all by how the song turned out. Although I can’t say it lives up to the likes of Break Free, Into You, and her other singles, it’s still a great song nonetheless because simply put, Ariana has amazing vocals. She shows it throughout the entire song, even though the part where she sings “picking it up” can be a bit awkward. So yeah, I’m glad she made her comeback. Hopefully, it’ll end up being successful.

I Blurb It That Way
– So, for our two exits, Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man had a nice run on the countdown. It was nice to see other alternative bands get some recognition. Who knows? Maybe they’ll end up getting another hit, but I could be wrong. As for Everybody Hates Me by The Chainsmokers, that one won’t be missed too much. I was not surprised at all about this departure given that the audience has been starting to lose interest in The Chainsmokers for some time.

– Well, Say Something took another big drop this week. I’m afraid this song is all but finished not only here, but elsewhere too. And unfortunately, it looks like it’s going to miss the Year-End list on Billboard. Pretty sad if you ask me.

– Wolves and Want You Back both took big drops as well. Wolves is likely nearing the end of its tenure, so it won’t be much longer with us. Want You Back, on the other hand, I’m not surprised it took a drop given that it’s not doing well outside of Hits 1.

– One Kiss was bound to have a big jump at some point in time. For a Dua Lipa song, this one is starting to catch on quicker than her other two representations currently on the countdown.

– On the note of other big drops, Let You Down is now out of the Top 10. It’s about time that’s happened. I’ll just leave it at that.

– Our Top 5 remains the same, though it’s still not looking good given that we have some mediocre to bad songs still in that region. But at least The Middle holds at #1 for another week, so that’s very nice.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Merengue by Kent Jones
• Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani
• Nice For What by Drake
• Let Me by ZAYN

Extras/Optional Extras:

• What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
• Just Like Fire by P!NK
• Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay
• I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
• You Know You Like It by DJ Snake featuring AlunaGeorge
• It Ain’t Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez
• Cheerleader by Omi
• Drag Me Down by One Direction

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
19. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
18. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
17. I Like Me Better by Lauv
16. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

1 – Bad:
15. Wait by Maroon 5
14. Let You Down by NF

2 – Mediocre:
13. God’s Plan by Drake

3 – Decent:
12. No Excuses by Meghan Trainor

4 – Good:
11. Mine by Bazzi

5 – Great:
10. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
9. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
8. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
7. Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato
6. New Rules by Dua Lipa
5. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA
4. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar

Total Score: 62/100 = 62% (D–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys (1999)

Most Missed Song: Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Too Good by Hundred Handed

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (#4)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
4. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
5. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
2. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
3. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
4. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
5. I Like Me Better by Lauv

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
The Cure by Lady Gaga: All I can say is that it’s nowhere near her best, but she still does a great job with her vocals overall, and I like the production.
Good Life by G-Eazy featuring Kehlani: It’s too bad this one failed to catch on elsewhere. Kehlani sounds amazing here. That one definitely deserved better.
Kissing Strangers by DNCE featuring Nicki Minaj: Probably their weakest singles from the band if I do say so myself. The “ayy’s” in the background is really what kills it for me. Good thing this didn’t become as big as Cake By The Ocean.

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Lauv – I Like Me Better (–14)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie between Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves and Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (+11)

New Entrants
– Our only entrant this week comes from the return of one of my favorite artists at the moment. If you like me and have been anticipating the day Ariana Grande makes her comeback to music, then you’ll probably like her latest single titled No Tears Left To Cry. As far as her last album went, I did enjoy most of her singles (with a few exceptions), including Into You, which was easily the best single from Dangerous Woman. Although I can’t really say No Tears Left To Cry is just as good, I still really like this mainly because of Ariana alone, especially in terms of her vocals. I love the way she can hit those high notes throughout the song. The beginning is a little awkward because it starts at a slow pace, but the rest of the song picks up from there. The production is good as well even though it doesn’t live up to the likes of her older singles. Once again, Ariana Grande managed to impress me with that new single of hers and I’m hoping for success.

I’m Lovin’, I’m Livin’, I’m Blurbing It Up
– As far as our exit goes, we sadly say good-bye to Say Something. I was hoping this would catch on after the massive flop of its successor, but it just was not meant to be (no pun intended). That song definitely deserved better and it will be missed by me the most.

– So, Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction for Bad At Love that Halsey said something about hotels shampoo. Looks like she stirred some controversy with that topic.

– Neither No Roots nor God’s Plan are getting anywhere on the countdown so far. I do wish the former would do better. The latter, even though I may not like the song, I’ll admit Hits 1 is treating it quite poorly for a song that spent 11 weeks at the top.

– On that note, the guest DJ that introduced No Roots talked with SPyder Harrison that someone was mad at him for whatever reason. I’m sure he’ll find a way to make up for it by doing something nice, I guess.

– Also, Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction for God’s Plan that Drake exchanged bad words over Kendrick Perkins at a Raptor’s game. Yeah, he’d better be careful because that wasn’t too nice. I guess he doesn’t know how to congratulate the other team for their success, heh.

– Wolves took a big jump out of the Bottom 5 this week. I’m surprised by this, but hey I’m not complaining! I still love this song and it can stay for as long as it wants. Also, I heard that Selena Gomez has new music coming out soon. Hopefully, it’ll be something along the lines of either this song or her older singles (Before Revival).

– I Like Me Better took a massive drop that I’ve been waiting for! It’s about damn time this happened! Now let’s get this song out of the countdown soon!

– Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction for Let Me that ZAYN appears to have gotten back together with Gigi Hadid. I guess he somehow found a way to make up for what happened before.

– Shawn Mendes just recently released a new single leading up to the album, which comes out later this month, which is titled Youth (featuring Khalid). I haven’t given that song a listen as of yet, but I’m hoping it’s good. I looked at the cover of his new album and I was like, “Really? He made this?” But it doesn’t matter to me so long as he has some good singles to come out of it.

– We have quite a shake up in the Top 10. I’m okay with No Excuses being there even though I’m starting to slightly lose interest in it. Say Amen (Saturday Night) and Tell Me You Love Me are welcome into that region, even though both of these songs aren’t popular elsewhere.

– It’s good to see Pray For Me enter the Top 5. The last time we had a song from The Weeknd in the Top 5 was Starboy back in 2016, I think. But yeah, I’m glad that it’s doing well so far. I mean, it kicked Meant To Be out of the Top 5, so that’s saying a whole lot.

– But then, we’ve come to our new #1 this week, which really isn’t any better than Meant To Be from last week. I’m not thrilled to see Never Be The Same at #1 to replace Meant To Be. In fact, I never found this song to be that good to start. If you’ve been following my blog from the beginning, I initially wasn’t very fond of Havana in large part because I wasn’t looking forward to hearing from Camila Cabello at that time. I’m still mixed on Camila in terms of her solo music. But in all honesty, it’s really Never Be The Same I should’ve been criticizing about, mainly because she just doesn’t sound good in the song vocally. Havana, on the other hand, is an improvement for her and I want more songs like that from her, and not Never Be The Same. I’m hoping this doesn’t stay at #1 for long, but since this song is still gaining elsewhere, I’m afraid we’ll be stuck with it for a little while.

Hit-Bound:

• Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
• Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar
• Dua Lipa – IDGAF
• Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
• lovelytheband – Broken (DEBUT)
• HRVY – Personal
• Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – Babe
• Hundred Handed – Too Good
• Echosmith – Over My Head
• The Wrecks – James Dean (DEBUT)
• Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (DEBUT)
• In Real Life – Tattoo (How ‘Bout You)
• Sam Smith featuring Logic – Pray
• Dustin Atlas featuring Erin Bowman – Fake Friends
• Maren Morris – Rich

– We begin a new month on Hit-Bound. First off, we say good-bye to two songs this week. Why Don’t We – Trust Fund Baby I wasn’t fond of at all, so I’m pleased to see it leave. I can’t say I’ll miss Everybody Hates Me either. Seeing as The Chainsmokers’s recent releases haven’t impressed me too much and people starting to lose interest, I wasn’t surprised to see that one leave.

– To start our new round of arrivals on Hit-Bound this week, we have a new band whose name is lovelytheband making their appearance with their debut single titled Broken. I’m not really sure how I feel about the song as a whole. While I do kinda like the lyrics and the production, I’m not necessarily big on the vocals. That’s all I have to say about it.

– Next we have The Wrecks with the song called James Dean. This is definitely an enjoyable rock tune overall. It kinda reminds me of some of the classic rock from the 80’s. Not much else I can say about it.

– Finally, we have the return of Calvin Harris. And guess what? He’s collaborating with Dua Lipa in his latest release titled One Kiss. And with it, Dua Lipa now has two songs on Hit-Bound. I talked about One Kiss when it debuted on the American Top 40. But yeah, I love pretty much everything about it and Dua Lipa sounds great throughout the song. Calvin Harris did a nice job as a producer overall. I’ll have more on this when it debuts.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
2. Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
3. Hundred Handed – Too Good
4. The Wrecks – James Dean
5. Dua Lipa – IDGAF

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
TIE: 20. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
TIE: 20. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
18. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

1 – Bad:
17. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
16. Imagine Dragons – Thunder

3 – Decent:
15. Meghan Trainor – No Excuses

4 – Good:
14. Bazzi – Mine

5 – Great:
13. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back
12. Taylor Swift – Delicate
11. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
10. Niall Horan – On The Loose
9. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me
8. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go 
7. Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days
6. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
5. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I
4. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
3. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me

Overall Grade: 77/100 = 77% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Céline Dion – Because You Loved Me (1996)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Adele – Rolling In The Deep (Because today is Adele’s 30th Birthday! So Happy Birthday, Adele!)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Ellie Goulding – Still Falling For You

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Kim Petras – Heart To Break

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#15)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
3. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
4. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
5. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
2. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
3. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
4. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
5. Lauv – I Like Me Better

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

Fun fact: For the last three years in a row, there were no songs debuting that week.

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton (–5)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Alone by Hasley featuring Big Sean and Stefflon Don, In My Blood by Shawn Mendes, and I Like Me Better by Lauv (+3)

New Entrants
– Our only entrant this week comes from The Chainsmokers with Everybody Hates Me. It seems that people are slowly starting to lose interest in these guys, mainly because their latest releases haven’t been all that memorable. Everybody Hates Me is really no different. It goes to show that they’re losing what made them stand out. I do like the production for the most part, and that’s the best thing I can say about this song. They’re good at being producers as evidenced by most of their songs. However, where the song is weak at is the vocals from Andrew Taggart. He doesn’t really shine too much and he can sound annoying in some parts of the song. It’s not really a bad song by any means, but I can’t say I’ll be coming back to this in a year or so. Given their latest releases haven’t been doing well chart-wise, I doubt it’ll be sticking around for long.

Blurb On As If Nothing Really Matters
– As far as our exit goes, it’s good to see Trust Fund Baby by Why Don’t We depart after only two weeks. This was not the follow-up single I was hoping for from these guys after Something Different. I’m sure they can do better.

– Ryan Seacrest mentioned during his introduction for No Roots that Alice Merton just recently released her EP and it talks about basically where she’s from and what not. I haven’t listened to it yet, but I’m sure it’s good. Who knows? Maybe there’s another song from her I’ll probably like.

– Before introducing Wolves, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Selena Gomez had friends over on a Friday night eating junk food and what not. When I heard him say that, it pretty much reminded me what I did back when I was a kid. Heh, it must’ve been fun for her to go back to the good old days (no pun intended) and bring friends over for some fun.

– Before introducing Tell Me You Love Me, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Demi Lovato took Spanish lessons because she wanted to record a different version of the song. I’m sure it’ll sound just as good as the original. Sounds like she’s trying to make one last push of the song, even though it’s not popular elsewhere.

– Say Something doesn’t look like it’ll stick around after that big drop this week. It’s too bad because this song deserved better. Oh well.

– So, I just recently heard the remix of Never Be The Same with Kane Brown and I’ll admit it’s not as bad as the solo version. Kane Brown does make up for it. But that’s not saying too much because Camila just doesn’t sound good throughout the song, which is why I can’t stand the solo version.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Merengue by Kent Jones
• Stir Fry by Migos
• Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Water Under The Bridge by Adele
• In The Night by The Weeknd
• Can’t Stop The Feeling! by Justin Timberlake
• G.D.F.R. by Flo Rida featuring Sage The Gemini
• On My Mind by Ellie Goulding
• Issues by Julia Michaels
• Young, Dumb, And Broke by Khalid
• My House by Flo Rida
• Sorry by Justin Bieber

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
19. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
18. I Like Me Better by Lauv
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
16. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

1 – Bad:
15. Wait by Maroon 5
14. God’s Plan by Drake
13. Let You Down by NF

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
12. No Excuses by Meghan Trainor
11. Mine by Bazzi

5 – Great:
10. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
9. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
8. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
7. New Rules by Dua Lipa
6. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA
5. Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton
4. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar

Total Score: 62/100 = 62% (D–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (1975)

Most Missed Song: It Ain’t Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez (Happy Birthday, Adrian!)

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (#6)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
4. No Roots by Alice Merton
5. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
2. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
3. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
4. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
5. I Like Me Better by Lauv

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Weak by AJR: Again, I talked about this before. But honestly, this song, along with its successor, gives me a reason why people here are not very fond of AJR.
Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran: You know, I like when Ed Sheeran can make a song about friends doing different things. This is probably the best song from him in terms of the lyrics. Plus, the production is great and reminds me of U2’s music.