#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (3^rd and Final Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Bad Wolves – Zombie (–16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie between Cheat Codes featuring U2 – Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way and Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar (+8)

New Entrants
– So after a week with no exits, we have five new songs making their debut this week as we continue to do some more house cleaning for the summer. We’ll start off with the return of the country duo Sugarland, who collaborate with Taylor Swift in their new song called Babe. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from Sugarland, which I think was back in the early 2010’s or so. When it comes to their new song, I think it’s a good song for the most part. Jennifer Needles does well with her vocals, and I like Taylor Swift’s contribution to the song as well. The production here is nicely done. It pretty much reminds me of Taylor’s earlier singles before her 1989 album, when she was still in the country genre. So yeah, it was an interesting collaboration that turned out well. It’s nice to have Sugarland back after so long.

– We have a new band called The Wrecks who make their first appearance on the countdown with the song titled James Dean. There’s plenty to like about this song. Let’s begin with the production, which I found to be excellent on all levels. The rock vibe around it pulls me in. I do like the vocals here overall and the lyrics are pretty well-written. The song pretty much reminds me of I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll from The Arrows. I hear that classic song a lot back in my day, mainly when I watch commercials on TV just waiting for my favorite show to come back on. Those were the good times. Anyway, I love this song and I’m glad to see it graduate from Hit-Bound to the Weekend Countdown. We’ll see how long this one stays.

– With Brendon Urie and Panic! At The Disco hosting both Hit-Bound and the Weekend Countdown this week in celebration of their new album, Pray For The Wicked which recently came out just last week, I figured their latest single High Hopes would make its debut. Having listened to his first two singles he released back in the spring, it gave me a glimpse of what his album would sound like. I predicted it would be upbeat and enjoyable and that’s pretty much what happened. High Hopes is no exception. The song basically talks about having a vision for success and not giving up on one’s dreams. This is definitely something all of us can relate to. We all have goals in our lives and we stop at nothing to be able to achieve them. As for the rest of the song itself, the production here is great for the most part and the vocals are pretty awesome all throughout the song. Brendon Urie mentioned during the introduction of their brand new song that he used a cardboard guitar to play his music. I’ll bet that he probably learned to sing songs that way unlike most people who tend to use the piano. I guess he stands out different than the rest. Anyway, I do have high hopes (no pun intended) that Hits 1 will treat it well just like they’re doing with their current representation, which is still #1.

– I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion to some, but this next debut is one that I was looking forward to since it was released. Back in March, Meghan Trainor made her official return with No Excuses. Not very many people were thrilled about it since they don’t seem to like her music. I myself think the exact opposite, in a way. However, it did take me a while to grow into her earlier singles such as All About That Bass and Lips Are Movin’ when she started to become a presence back in 2014. But since then, her music has been a mixed bag. Songs such as Dear Future Husband, Me Too, and her feature with Charlie Puth in Marvin Gaye were terrible, Like I’m Gonna Lose You was great and NØ lands somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, that doesn’t stop me from supporting her music. In fact, I like Meghan Trainor like that. This week, she comes in with Let You Be Right, her second single which is called from her upcoming album titled Treat Myself, which comes out in August. I did kinda like No Excuses for the most part, but didn’t quite stick with me in the big picture. Let You Be Right, however, is a whole different story. It’s a huge step up from her predecessor in many other ways. For starters, she sounds amazing with her vocals all throughout the song, and I love the chorus. The lyrical content here is better as well. It basically talks about not wanting to fight while in a relationship with someone. Personally, I think this song shows that Meghan Trainor has steadily improved from Thank You, which was pretty bad. She recently released another song called All The Ways and that one is pretty good, too. But I think Let You Be Right is probably one of the highlights off of Treat Myself. Believe it or not, I’m looking forward to see what she has in store for her upcoming new album. This is a great choice for her second single and I would absolutely love to see this become a hit.

– Finally, with the highest debut of the week, Cardi B. makes her debut with her solo single which is called I Like It. I didn’t really discussed this song in depth too much when it debuted on the American Top 40. But I’ll try to put my best effort on reviewing this one. Now, it’s not that much different when compared to her earlier singles. However, I will say that it is a step up from her singles such as Bodak Yellow (Money Moves), which I despised for the most part. It does have the Latin-based vibe and I tend to get into those type of songs. But frankly, there’s not really a whole lot to like about this one. She sounds pretty annoying in most parts of the song. Hits 1 did edit out Bad Bunny and J. Balvin, but it really doesn’t make too much of difference because I don’t think they contributed to the song. Their verses sound okay, but nothing really stands out. Overall, I’m not much of a fan of the song. But given that the song is doing well in both sales and streaming, I can see this one sticking around for a while.

Best Debut Of The Week: Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right

I Had To Have High Blurbs For A Living
– We’ll begin with our exits. First off, good riddance to Sober Up. That one had been around longer than it should, but I’m glad that it finally left. All I can say is that it’s about time that song left. I’m hoping we don’t hear from AJR again. Let Me didn’t really stick with me, so I was kinda happy about the departure also. That leaves us with three songs. Over My Head I’m a little sad about and I kinda wished the song deserved better. It would be nice if Echosmith had another single waiting in the wings. It’s disappointing to see Pray leave the countdown so soon, only lasting two weeks. Finally, the exit from How Long was expected. It had been here for a while and I’m sure some here are welcomed by this news. As for myself, I do still kinda like it, but I’m alright with it leaving.

– Before introducing Havana, Brendon Urie mentioned that the idea of that song came around while Camila Cabello was eating sushi. I guess she thought about that town when she decided what song she could come up with. I’m sure many other singers have had moments when they were out eating. Maybe they don’t have time for some quiet thinking, huh?

– Before introducing Let Me Go, Brendon Urie mentioned that Hailee Steinfeld had her first kiss back when she was a kid. I’m sure some people had some memories like that. But I never got my first kiss back then unfortunately. I guess I wanted to wait until I was a little older, heh.

– Bad Wolves – Zombie has now fallen to the bottom 5 of the countdown. I doubt it last much longer here unfortunately. It was nice having it around while it lasted.

– However, it was nice to see I Like Me Better take a big drop after that unnecessary jump last week. Hopefully this means that it won’t last much longer. But since I just jinxed it, watch it jump back up again next week.

– Brendon Urie mentioned upon introducing Mine that Bazzi was obsessed with space and that was the reason why he named his album, Cosmic. He even said that he would be an astronaut if he kept thinking about outer space. Heh, I’ve had some moments where I was obsessed with outer space as well. I’ll bet he would make other famous people proud if Bazzi took up a career in being an astronaut.

– During his introduction for Done For Me, Brendon Urie said that Charlie Puth dressed up as a Sesame Street character when he was four years old. I’ll bet he probably watched a lot of that show. I’m glad he had fun dressing up as one of the characters from that show.

– I figured Girls Like You would enter the Top 10 sooner or later. I’ll admit that it’s not nearly as bad as I thought after more listens, though not quite enough for me to put it in blue. It’ll probably stay for a long while.

– Before introducing IDGAF, Brendon Urie mentioned that one of Dua Lipa’s talents is her spelling, in which she knows how to spell every word. I wonder did she participate in any spelling bee contests back in her day? I mean, if she were to win every spelling bee, then she could be a worldwide champion. Oh boy, I’m sure that would make others jealous. 😛

– So, Marshmello has some videos on YouTube of him being a chef and learning others how to cook. Does he have some sort of secret job that involves cooking food? He’ll probably have to teach others while he continues to make music. Maybe he’ll like to multitask.

– Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry jumped back into the Top 5 this week! I’m glad that this song still has a chance at being #1 sometime in the near future. I anticipate that day when it happens.

– Before introducing Delicate, Brendon Urie mentioned that Taylor Swift supports Selena Gomez. I wonder does she stan for her or she just likes her music? That aside, I have a feeling that Delicate may be #1 soon since it just reached the #2 spot and I wouldn’t mind at all. This run kinda reminds me of Believer last year since that one took a while to catch on.

– And finally, the host himself, Brendon Urie and Panic! At The Disco holds at #1 yet again! What better way to be the guest host of the countdown that have your song still reigning the top spot.. I’m not complaining as I do still love that song. On that note, Charlie Puth came close last year when he hosted the countdown, as his song didn’t take #1 until the following week. It’s one of those moments in which the host actually has a song that’s #1. Talk about a rare feat!

Hit-Bound:

• Big Boi – All Night
• MNEK featuring Hailee Steinfeld – Colour
• lovelytheband – Broken
• Dan + Shay – Tequila (DEBUT)
• Julia Michaels featuring Trippie Redd – Jump
• Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
• Alessia Cara – Growing Pains (DEBUT)
• Train featuring Cam and Travie McCoy – Call Me Sir (DEBUT)
• Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (DEBUT)
• Post Malone – Better Now (DEBUT)
• Madison Beer – Home With You (DEBUT)
• Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
• BTS – Fake Love (RE-ENTRY)
• Cole Redding – Father Father

– Brendon Urie became the host of Hit-Bound this week, filling in for Mikey Piff. I’m sure he couldn’t have picked a better week to host, because we had a massive shake-up all around. First off, we say good-bye to two songs: HRVY – Personal and In Real Life – Tattoo (How ‘Bout You). I did find both of those songs okay, so their departures aren’t too saddening.

– We also have a re-entry from BTS – Fake Love after one week off of Hit-Bound. That leaves us with six, yes SIX new songs entering this week. S, let’s get down to reviewing, shall we?

– Country duo Dan + Shay have a new song that’s been around for a while, by the name of Tequila. I love pretty much everything about the song for the most part. The vocals here are good and I like the production. It definitely sounds like country music, unlike a certain song I won’t mention. I hope it can make its debut on the countdown soon.

– It’s been quite a while since we’ve heard from Alessia Cara, but she makes her return with a brand new single called Growing Pains. Having only listened to the song once, I’ll simply say that there’s a lot to like about the song. Alessia shines pretty much throughout the song with her voice. There’s a lot going on in terms of the production with great use of instruments. I’ll have more on this should it debut.

– The return of Train was something I wasn’t really looking forward to. But alas, here they are with their latest single titled Call Me Sir. The song also features Travie McCoy and country singer Cam. We last saw Train with Play That Song, which I wasn’t very fond of at all. I pretty much have the same opinion on this one. It may not be as stiff as two certain songs I won’t name, but it’s undesirable to be honest. So yeah, not a fan of this. NEXT!

– As Meant To Be is finally dying out, Bebe Rexha has a new single in its stead, by the name of I’m A Mess from her new album, Expectations which was just released a short time ago. Right off the bat, it’s a step up from her predecessor. I like how she shows off her voice and the production is good. The lyrical content is better written for the most part. I’ll talk more about this if it makes it to the countdown.

– Next up, we have Post Malone with his latest single titled Better Now. I talked about this when it debuted on the American Top 40. But to quickly sum things up, the song here basically reminds me of Rockstar. He has improved on his vocals, so I’ll give him that. But the rest of the song does nothing for me. Let’s move on.

– Finally, we have Madison Beer who makes her first appearance on Hit-Bound. Enter Home To You. I don’t have too much to say about this except it’s a pretty good song. Her vocals are nice and I kinda like the lyrics. The production may not be the best, but it’s decent.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
2. Alessia Cara – Growing Pains
3. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
4. Dan + Shay – Tequila
5. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess

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

1 – Bad:
17. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
16. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You 

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
15. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know
14. Halsey – Alone
13. Niall Horan – On The Loose
12. Taylor Swift – Delicate
11. Selena Gomez – Back To You
10. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
9. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
8. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
7. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
6. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me
5. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
4. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
3. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss

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

Overall Grade: 80/100 = 80% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Michael Jackson – Black And White (1991)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding – I Need Your Love

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Shawn Hook featuring Vanessa Hudgens – Reminding Me

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Kygo featuring Imagine Dragons – Born To Be Yours

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back (#5) and The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#2)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right
TIE: 1. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
4. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
5. The Wrecks – James Dean

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
2. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
3. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
4. Lauv – I Like Me Better
5. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Camila Cabello – Crying In The Club: Camila’s adventure as a solo artist started with this one. There’s nothing really interesting I can say about this other than the fact that it’s basically like a lighter version Cheap Thrills. Good thing she would improve with Havana.
Calvin Harris featuring Pharrell and Katy Perry – Feels: I’d say this is probably better than Slide, in large part thanks to Katy Perry making an amazing contribution like she always does. It’s too bad tha Hits 1 edited out Big Sean, since he played a part in making the song great as well. It was definitely one of my favorites from last summer.

QOTW: Drake has dropped his latest album titled Scorpion. How do you feel about this and why?