1. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#6) [+5] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay (4^th and Final Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Bazzi – Mine (–12)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me (+9)

New Entrants
– For those who don’t know Alessia Cara, she made a breakthrough with Here back in 2015, and thus would be the beginning of her being quite a mainstay in the music scene with subsequent singles such as Scars To Your Beautiful and her feature in Zedd’s single Stay, both of which were hits back in 2017. Today, she’s looking to keep things going as her new single, Growing Pains, makes its debut on the countdown this week. Let me just say that Alessia has been impressive to me with pretty much every release. Growing Pains is no exception. There’s plenty of things I like about this. The production here is well done throughout. She shines in basically every aspect of the song, both with her vocals and in the chorus. The song reminds me of Wild Things, the only difference being is that it was a little more fast-paced than this song. Overall, Alessia has done well to impress me once again. Yet despite me thinking very highly of the song, this is not the best debut of the week, as you’ll soon find out.

– Fall Out Boy’s latest album, MANIA, has been quite an interesting one, what with trying new things in the awful Young And Menace and the rather solid Hold Me Tight Or Don’t. Their new single, The Last Of The Real Ones, is probably the best song off of the album. Much like I talked about with Champion last year, this is definitely the Fall Out Boy that we know and love. I love the piano work. And then making the song better is the rock vibes that kick in with the awesome chorus. It’s more fast-paced than its predecessor. I love the vocals from Patrick Stump. He shines in pretty much every aspect of the song. Simply put, this is definitely a highlight off of MANIA.

– It was the late 90’s when the Backstreet Boys rose to prominence. They had songs such as I Want It That Way and Larger Than Life which I fell in love with back in the day. But they’re probably best known for the song Everybody (Backstreet’s Back), which first got me interested in these guys. Fast forward to today, we have the guys AJ McLean, Nick Carter, Howie D, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell make their comeback with their brand new single titled Don’t Go Breaking My Heart. First off, I absolutely love the lyrical content here. It talks about not being heartbroken in a relationship and this is something we all can relate to. As for the rest of the song itself, everything about it is just magical in every sense of the word. The EDM-based production is top notch across the board, plus the piano work is just great. I love the vocals from Nick and AJ. So yeah, this is easily the best debut of the week. It’s really nice to have the Backstreet Boys back!

Best Debut Of The Week: Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

I Blurb It That Way
– Let’s begin with our exits. First off, Thunder ends it’s long tenure here. I’m sure there will be some people who are bidding good riddance to that song, while there are others who like the song will miss it. As for myself, I can say that I was ready for it to leave for some time. Both Let Me Go and Havana will be missed by me, however. The departure of Let Me Go means that this is the first time that we do not have a song from Hailee Steinfeld since September 10, 2016. Talk about an incredible run. Goodbye, Let Me Go. It’s been a fun ride.

– Before introducing Him & I, Spyder Harrison mentioned that the reason G-Eazy and Halsey broke up was because that G-Eazy himself cheated. Oh boy, looks like he is somewhere scratching his head wondering why he would cheat on Halsey. I’ll bet that triggered a rather unexpected break-up.

– Bazzi – Mine took quite a big drop this week out of the Top 30. I’m not too heartbroken about this since it was successful elsewhere. But it goes to show how Hits 1 underrates some of the biggest songs in the country.

– Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction for Familiar that Liam’s gaming addiction was the reason why his relationship with Cheryl turned sour. Heh, I guess video games is all he seems to care about. Sure, he continues to make music, but I wonder will he get a job as a video game developer?

– So, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Cardi B. gave birth to a new girl this week. Congratulations to her!

– I had thought High Hopes would make a jump into the Top 5 quickly given how many times I heard that song as Most Wutchuwanted throughtout the week. But I was wrong. Say Amen (Saturday Night) is still up there, while this jumped only a spot to #11. Maybe next week, it’ll probably change. I don’t know yet.

– Before introducing Youngblood, Spyder Harrison mentioned that their favorite things to do as a band are yoga and playing Fortnite. They seem to find time to balance exercise and playing that game. I’ll bet Liam Payne is taking some notes from them, heh.

– So, In My Blood is our new #1 this week. I would say this was rather unexpected, given that it’s declining elsewhere. But this is Hits 1, and they love some Shawn Mendes, so I figured this would happen. I’m definitely cool with it, though. It’s not as good as There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, but I find myself enjoying it at times.

Hit-Bound:

• Julia Michaels featuring Trippie Redd – Jump
• Justin Timberlake – SoulMate (DEBUT)
• lovelytheband – Broken
• Dan + Shay – Tequila
• Big Boi – All Night
• Madison Beer – Home With You
• Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
• Train featuring Cam and Travie McCoy – Call Me Sir
• MNEK featuring Hailee Steinfeld – Colour
• The Chainsmokers featuring Drew Love – Somebody (DEBUT)
• Brown & Gray – Top Down (DEBUT)
• Post Malone – Better Now
• Cole Redding – Father Father
• BTS – Fake Love
• Dennis Lloyd – Nevermind

– We have Justin Timberlake with a new single that just recently came out, by the name of SoulMate. When compared to Say Something from earlier this year, this one is only okay to me. I’m not too big on Justin’s vocals for the most part. I’ll have more on this when it debuts.

– Next, The Chainsmokers make their return by collaborating with Drew Love in their single titled Love Somebody. I talked about this when it was on the YouTube 15 a couple months back. While it’s only a little bit of a step up from Everybody Hates Me, it still shows that The Chainsmokers have lost their ability to stand out. Drew’s vocals are good throughout the song, though. I may have it in blue for now, but it could change.

– Finally, we have a new country duo making their appearance on Hit-Bound this week. Brown & Gray have their very first single titled Top Down. It’s one of the more enjoyable country songs we’ve had all year, along with Tequila. Their vocals are good and I like the production. Not much else to say after that.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Dan + Shay – Tequila
2. MNEK featuring Hailee Steinfeld – Colour
3. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
4. Madison Beer – Home With You
5. Brown & Gray – Top Down

YouTube 15:

• Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It
• Youngr – Lost In Translation
• Jonas Blue featuring Joe Jonas – I See Love
• Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
• Halsey featuring Lauren Jauregui – Strangers
• Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
• Jax Jones featuring Mabel and Rich The Kid – Ring Ring
• Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
• Lil’ Dicky featuring Chris Brown – Freaky Friday
• Selena Gomez – Back To You
• Khalid featuring Ty Dolla $ign and 6lack – OTW
• Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You
• Jonas Blue featuring Jack & Jack – Rise
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free

– We have a bunch of new songs to talk about. First, Youngr has a new single titled Lost In Translation. Not too much I can say about this one. I’m not all that big on his vocals, though I do like how he can sing in a different language. The production here is decent, so I’ll give him that.

– Jonas Blue has two new songs on the YouTube 15 this week. First off, he has a new single with Joe Jonas titled I See Love, which is taken from the Hotel Transylvania 3 movie soundtrack. Right off the bat, it’s definitely an enjoyable song all around. Joe shows off his great vocals all throughout. I love the work Jonas Blue has done here in terms of the production. Overall, it’s a great song.

– Next up, Halsey is collaborating with former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui in probably her best single from Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, which is titled Strangers. Pretty much everything about the song is divine across the board. The production here is better than that of Alone and Bad At Love on every level. Both Halsey’s and Lauren’s vocals stand out for the entire song. I do hope this can be a huge hit.

– Jax Jones has yet another new song trending on the YouTube 15 this week. This time, he has a new single titled Ring Ring, which features Mabel and Rich The Kid. Right off the bat, I’m not too big on the production here. I do kinda like Mabel’s vocals throughout the song. However, I feel like more could’ve been done. I did enjoy its predecessor while it was on the YouTube 15 for several months. But this one…not as much. Jax Jones has had better.

– While Love Lies is starting to catch on elsewhere, Khalid has another new single in its stead. He is collaborating with Ty Dolla $ign and 6lack in his latest titled OTW. Compared to its predecessor, I’m not quite enjoying this one much. Khalid’s vocals are pretty good. But where the song lacks at is the production, which I find to be decent at best. It’s not a bad song overall, but it’s not something I’ll be remembering in a year or so.

– Jonas Blue has his second single here titled Rise, which features Jack & Jack. While it’s not quite as good as I See Love, this one is still pretty solid. Again, Jonas Blue does pretty well as a EDM artist, and I like the vocals. That’s all I have for this song right now.

– Finally, we have Pitbull who is collaborating with Theron Theron in his latest single titled Free Free Free. I think this is one of the more enjoyable songs from Pitbull. Again, he shows that he’s a pretty good rapper. The production here is great, and I like Theron’s vocals. So yeah, I do like this overall.

– The music video for Girls Like You is pretty interesting, mainly because it features celebrities such as Camila Cabello, Rita Ora, and Ellen DeGeneres, among others. That’s the biggest reason why the song is trending right now. Personally, I think the music video for Sugar where they crashed the wedding is the best, along with their parody of Pokémon Go in the music video for Don’t Wanna Know.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Halsey featuring Lauren Jauregui – Strangers
2. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
3. Selena Gomez – Back To You
4. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
5. Jonas Blue featuring Joe Jonas – I See Love

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
19. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

1 – Bad:
18. Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It

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

3 – Decent:
16. Halsey – Alone

4 – Good:
15. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know

5 – Great:
14. Niall Horan – On The Loose
13. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
12. Taylor Swift – Delicate
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
9. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
8. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
7. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me
6. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me
5. Selena Gomez – Back To You
4. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
3. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
2. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry

Overall Grade: 81/100 = 81% (B–)

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

Most Missed Countdown Song: M83 – Midnight City

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: PRETTYMUCH – Would You Mind

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman

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

My Top 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
2. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
3. The Wrecks – James Dean
4. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
5. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones

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:
Childish Gambino – Redbone: I can understand why some people here dislike the song, mainly because of the strange vocals throughout the song. I remember hating this one too for the same reason. But after a while, I realized that this kind of music that reminded me of the classic soul music was just too good to resist.
Bruno Mars – Versace On The Floor: A nice, calm song in which Bruno shows a great display of raw vocal talent. Though they did play the remix with David Guetta, it kills the purpose of the song, which is meant to be slow.

QOTW: TWENTY ØNE PILØTS are back with two new songs: Jumpsuit and Nico And The Niners. Which of these is your favorite and why?