Month: November 2018

5 Seconds Of Summer (4) – Week Of November 24, 2018

/ dhill92 / 2 Comments

Hello, fam! I hope everyone here has had a great Thanksgiving! I’ve been waiting a long time to do this. I have a special announcement that I want to share with you guys! I will finally be doing a rankdown of my very own! More details will be at the top of my page when you click on the link. I do not have a deadline set for submissions yet. I’ll let you guys know when I decide to set it. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying good-bye to this week:

  • Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free (#25)
  • Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore (#38)
  • Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone – Jackie Chan (#40)
  • Kim Petras – Heart To Break (#41)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
45. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (#45) [=]
44. George Ezra – Shotgun (#44) [=]
43. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams (#36) [–7]
42. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#42) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
41. NF – Lie (#43) [+2]
40. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#39) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
39. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (#17) [–22]
38. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#28) [–10]
37. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#35) [–2]
36. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#37) [+1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
35. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#32) [–3] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
34. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (DEBUT)
33. LSD – Thunderclouds (#34) [+1]
32. Shawn Mendes – Nervous (DEBUT)
31. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#30) [–1]
30. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (DEBUT)
29. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#33) [+4] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
28. Camila Cabello – Consequences (DEBUT)
27. Twenty One Pilots – My Blood (#27) [=]
26. Alex Aiono – Big Mistake (#21) [–5]
25. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#15) [–10]
24. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#26) [+2]
23. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#9) [–14]
22. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (#14) [–8]
21. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (#24) [+3]
20. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body (#23) [+3]
19. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#29) [+10]
18. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#20) [+2]
17. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#31) [+14]
16. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#16) [=]
15. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#19) [+4]
14. Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (#22) [+8]
13. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#11) [–2]
12. lovelytheband – Broken (#13) [+1]
11. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#18) [+7]
10. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#8) [–2]
9. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#4) [–5]
8. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#5) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
7. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#10) [+3]
6. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#7) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#6) [+1]
4. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#1) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Halsey – Without Me (#12) [+9]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#3) [+1] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
1. 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood (#2) [+1] [4th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Imagine Dragons – Thunder (2nd of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (–22)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (+14)

New Entrants
– We’ll start things off with probably my least favorite debut of the week. New to the countdown, we have Alec Benjamin with his latest single titled Let Me Down Slowly. Now, Alec has had quite a few songs that were on the YouTube 15. His music is okay to say the least. I have mixed feelings about Let Me Down Slowly. I’m not really a fan of his vocals. It sounds a little too childish. The lyrical content and the production are okay, but they’re not special. So yeah, I’m mixed on this. It’s in blue, but it’s slightly closer to red than it is green. So don’t be surprised if it ends up being in red at some point in time.

– Next, we have more Shawn Mendes with his third song on the countdown, by the name of Nervous. Although it’s not officially his next single from his self-titled album, Hits 1 picked it up because they seem to love Shawn Mendes. I personally think there were better singles from that album in my opinion. Nervous is just a little underwhelming for my tastes. It sounds pretty similar to Bad Liar. First off, there’s not much to the production other than just the acoustic guitar. Shawn himself sounds good in parts of the song, but doesn’t really stand out in the chorus. The lyrics talk about him thinking about a girl and sometimes he can get stressed out. During the introduction for the song, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Taylor Swift helped him get through stage fright. Heh, it was nice of her to help out Shawn a little bit. That aside, I guess I can appreciate what the song wants to be. But I feel like the execution could’ve been better. It’s not really a bad song, but again I feel like he can do better.

– Hits 1 seems to have a thing for Post Malone nowadays, as they continue to pick up music from him. He brings us a song taken from the movie soundtrack of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, titled Sunflower. The song also features Swae Lee, who he is collaborating with. My initial reaction to the song wasn’t really the best. But after a few listens, I’ve slightly come around to it. I do kinda like their vocals in the song, and the verses are decent. My main problem is the production. I feel like there’s not much going on and it doesn’t really stand out. Yeah, I’m still pretty mixed on this as a whole. It’s not too far off from being red again.

– With our highest debut this week, we have Camila Cabello with her next single off of her self-titled album. This time, we get a piano ballad in the form of Consequences. Right off the bat, it’s a big step up from Never Be The Same vocally. Camila actually sounds good in this ballad. She doesn’t try too hard to hit those high notes, much like she did in Never Be The Same which I wasn’t fond of. It fits her well and I think she’s better suited for songs like this. The piano sounds pretty divine throughout the song. The lyrical content is great for the most part. It tells a story about being in love can have its pros and cons. But judging by the lyrics, it’s more about the cons than the pros. Overall, it’s a sweet song. I’m glad she chose it as a single.

Best Debut Of The Week: Camila Cabello – Consequences

Let’s Get Blurbical
– As far as our exits go, I never really liked Drew Barrymore, so I’m happy to see it off. Free Free Free was not destined to last very long. Jackie Chan I thought was pretty cool, but didn’t quite stick with me in the long run. And finally, we lost Heart To Break. It was a great song overall and it deserved better. Kim Petras made a nice first impression there. I’m hoping we get to hear more from her soon.

– So, I recently found out that Taylor Swift is dating someone named Joe Alwyn and she gave a shout-out of him on Instagram. Aw, it was nice of Taylor to post something just like that. I guess they really like each other.

– Kamikaze took a massive drop this week. Yikes! It is clear that it won’t become the next One Foot in terms of success.

– Before introducing I Wanna Know, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Bea Miller freaked out because Ariana Grande actually liked her tweet. Wow, she seemed to be impressed by this. I actually had that moment before where I freaked out because a celebrity liked my tweet. I love this feeling (no pun intended).

– So, Demi Lovato actually unfollowed Selena Gomez on Instagram?! That’s a shocking turn of events if you ask me. It seemed like the two were close, but I guess something must’ve happened for this to occur. And Spyder Harrison called it “the end of the world as we know it”. Geez, Spyder! You’re really exaggerating there.

– Before introducing Eastside, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Ariana Grande posted a screenshot of her conversation with Halsey. Looking at the conversation, it’s basically about them talking about their respective songs being successful. It seemed that they were still being nice to each other. I’ll bet they’re just glad that they’re getting big hits.

– Don’t Go Breaking My Heart took a rather shocking jump back into the Top 20. Heh, I guess the song’s tenure isn’t over yet as it looks to get a second life. I still like it though, so I’m cool with the shocking jump.

– It’s really nice to see This Feeling in the Top 5. It’s definitely the best things The Chainsmokers have released since Closer. It would be even nicer if this ended up hitting #1. I watched them perform on the halftime show of the Chiefs-Rams game and I must say, I was very impressed. Kelsea sounded great performing the song live. It was a thing of beauty. I hope to see more performances like this.

– It was only a matter of time until Without Me made its way into the Top 5. I’m not thrilled about this. Halsey has had better in the past and of course, this ends up becoming more successful at this moment (since her feature in Closer). I’m hoping it doesn’t end up hitting #1, but I have my doubts.

– But then we get to our #1, in which Youngblood is back on top. I’m perfectly fine with this so long as it roadblock songs such as Without Me, Happier, and especially I’m A Mess. The song has been in the Top 5 for what seems like forever. I have a feeling that it may end up being ranked high on the Hits 1 Year-End when it comes around next month.

Hit-Bound:

  • Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (DEBUT)
  • TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
  • Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
  • James Arthur – Empty Space (DEBUT)
  • Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
  • Imagine Dragons – Machine
  • 5 Seconds Of Summer – Killer Queen
  • Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (DEBUT)
  • Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me
  • Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
  • Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way
  • Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me
  • David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
  • Olly Murs featuring Snoop Dogg – Moves

Entrant Reviews:
– To start things off in the world of Hit-Bound on Thanksgiving week, we have Ava Max with her debut single named Sweet But Psycho. I absolutely love this song overall. Ava shows that she has a great voice and the production is really good. I would like for this to debut soon.
– So, who remembers James Arthur who gave us Say You Won’t Let Go two years ago? Well, he’s back with his latest single titled Empty Space. Right off the bat, I can’t say I’m feeling this one that much. The production to the song is too out of place and James’s voice is pretty underwhelming. Honestly, I’d rather listen to Say You Won’t Let Go than this.
– Last but not least, we have the return of Zara Larsson! She has her new single, Ruin My Life, making its appearance on Hit-Bound. I briefly discussed the song when it was trending on the YouTube 15 a couple weeks ago. I love pretty much everything about the song from Zara’s vocals to the production. I’ll have more on this should it debut to the countdown.

Best Debut On Hit-Bound: Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
TIE: 1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me
TIE: 1. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
3. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
4. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
5. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations

YouTube 15:

Mikey Piff is taking over for Jenna Marbles this week on this Thanksgiving Weekend Edition of the YouTube 15. Here are the songs trending this week:

  • Ariana Grande – Breathin’
  • Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
  • Hozier – Movement
  • Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
  • Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
  • Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
  • Alessia Cara – Not Today
  • Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
  • Cher Lloyd – None Of My Business
  • Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
  • Rita Ora – Velvet Rope
  • Halsey – Without Me
  • Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You
  • Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (No joke)
  • Kyle featuring Alessia Cara – Babies

Song Reviews:
– We get another single from Hozier titled Movement. I do kinda like this for the most part. While the production is just okay, I like Hozier’s voice to an extent. Not much else I can say about that. It’s in blue, but it’s slightly closer to green.

– Next, we have Alessia Cara with the first of two songs on the YouTube 15 this week. This time, she brings us another single from her new album The Pains Of Growing which comes out next week, titled Not Today. I can say it’s a little better than Trust My Lonely, but not by much. Although the production is decent and not as weird, Alessia doesn’t really shine too much in any part of the song. Her vocals are decent, but that’s about it. So yeah, I’m not too much of a fan. Hopefully, the rest of her new album has some better songs.

– We have the return of Rita Ora with her latest single titled Velvet Rope. I really like her voice in this one. She sounds amazing when she sings in the chorus. The production is very good as well. Overall, I’m in love with this.

– Finally, we have rapper Kyle collaborating with Alessia Cara in her second appearance on the YouTub15, titled Babies. I personally think this is better than two recent singles from Alessia Cara. I like the verses for the most part, and the vocals are pretty good. The production is decent, but I think it could use a little more work. Overall, not a bad song at all.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Rita Ora – Velvet Rope
2. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
3. Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
4. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
5. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess

1 – Bad:
19. Halsey – Without Me

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Anne-Marie – 2002
16. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You

4 – Good:
15. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body
14. lovelytheband – Broken

5 – Great:
13. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
12. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
9. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
8. Benny Blaco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
6. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks
5. Imagine Dragons – Natural
4. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity
3. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Ariana Grande – Breathin’

Overall Grade: 83/100 = 83% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Olivia Newton-John – Physical (1981)

Most Missed Countdown Song: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Jet Black Heart

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Kungs & Cookin’ On 3 Burners – This Girl

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Dan + Shay – Speechless

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves (#20) and Kesha – Praying (#13)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
4. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
5. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
2. LSD – Thunderclouds
3. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
4. Halsey – Without Me
5. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar: Blech. I never liked this from the start. The verses don’t offer any momentum whatsoever. While it’s better than White Iverson, that isn’t saying much.
Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves: For me, this is the best thing both Selena and Marshmello have been a part of. Everything about this is just awesome in every sense of the word. You’ll see this on My Top 50 songs of the year, and I’ll have more to say about it in my post.

AT40: Ariana Grande (3) – Week Of November 24, 2018

/ dhill92 / Leave a comment

Hello, fam! I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving! Sometime next week, I plan on posting my Q&A where I can answer all of the questions you guys have sent me. And then after that, I’ll be working on my Year-End posts. We’re one step closer towards the end of the year, so I’ll have to move fast. But first, here’s the Thanksgiving Weekend edition of the American Top 40 post. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

  • Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme And Post Malone (#20)
  • Song About You by Mike Posner (#36)
  • No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#38)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
40. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#39) [–1]
39. Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara (DEBUT)
38. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#37) [–1]
37. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (DEBUT)
36. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#35) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
35. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#40) [+5]
34. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#33) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
33. Better by Khalid (DEBUT)
32. Mine by Bazzi (#31) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
31. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#34) [+3]
30. Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper (#32) [+2]
29. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#28) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
28. Don’t Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson (#30) [+2]
27. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#29) [+2]
26. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#25) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
25. Thunderclouds by LSD (#24) [–1]
24. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#27) [+3]
23. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#23) [=]
22. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#26) [+4]
21. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny featuring J. Balvin (#21) [=]
20. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#22) [+2]
19. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#19) [=]
18. Broken by lovelytheband (#16) [–2]
17. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#13) [–4]
16. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (#17) [+1]
15. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#15) [=]
14. Without Me by Halsey (#18) [+4]
13. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#12) [–1]
12. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#11) [–1]
11. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#14) [+3]
10. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#10) [=]
9. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#9) [=]
8. Lie by NF (#8) [=]
7. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#7) [=]
6. Better Now by Post Malone (#6) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#5) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#3) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
3. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#4) [+1]
2. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#2) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#1) [=] [3rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid (1st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Back To You by Selena Gomez (–4)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (+5)

New Entrants
– To kick things off on this Thanksgiving weekend, we have Alessia Cara with Trust My Lonely, which is her second single off of her new album, The Pains Of Growing. It wasn’t too long ago that she had Growing Pains on the countdown. I thought it was a good lead single to start things off, but it ended up being a flop. As for her new single, I’m not really feeling this one. To say the least, the production is weird and a little out of place for the majority of the song. Alessia does sound good, but is a little underwhelming in the chorus. So yeah, I was a little disappointed after hearing the song. I expected more out of Alessia. She has singles that I like, but I’m not particularly sold on this one. It may be blue for now, it could change.

– Next, we have Dean Lewis with his single, Be Alright. I don’t have much I can say about this one. I do like his voice. Dean is a pretty good singer. One of the things that stand out to me is the lyrics. I think the song is well written for the most part. It describe a hard relationship between one another. The production here is nice. So yeah, it’s a sad, but sweet song. I wouldn’t mind if this sticks around.

– Lastly, we have Khalid with his second single, titled Better. Khalid has had a nice year overall with Love Lies becoming his biggest hit to date. Now, he’s looking to carry that momentum into next year with his latest release. I do like Khalid overall. I personally think he has a nice voice. In the song, he sounds okay. He doesn’t shine too much in the chorus, though. That’s my only complaint about it. However, I do like the lyrical content and I also think the production is good for the most part. I like the piano work in the song. So yeah, it’s not nearly as good as his predecessor, but it’s decent enough.

Best Debut Of The Week: Be Alright by Dean Lewis

I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Blurbs Tonight
– Let’s begin with our exits. To start, I thought Jackie Chan was actually pretty cool despite the lyrical content. I didn’t care that much for Song About You. Mike Posner has done better, though it wasn’t a bad song. And finally, it’s nice to see No Brainer leave. It lost it’s appeal to me after a while. DJ Khaled can do better. I’m hoping we get something along the lines of Wild Thoughts.

– Before introducing Friends, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Marshmello had to take off his helmet just to get through security at the airport. My guess is that the people working at the airport wants to see who’s behind the costume. I’ll bet they were shocked to see who it was.

– I would appreciate if Sicko Mode would not move up any further. I don’t get what people like about this. It’s just annoying in every possible way.

– Before introducing I Like It, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Bad Bunny has not made an album yet, though he did say that he’s working on new music. I’ll be interesting to see what he has in store. Hopefully, it’ll be good.

– All of the songs from #10-#5 held their positions this week, which was one of the signs that there wasn’t a whole lot of movement on the countdown (though part of that is due to it being around Thanksgiving).

– Happier is inching closer to #1 by hitting a new peak of #3. Not something I’m looking forward to, but I know it’ll happen. It’s quite a shame that Wolves didn’t do this well, yet songs like this and Friends become more successful.

– It’s a good thing God Is A Woman holds at #1 for another week. Ariana has been killing it this year so far. And with Breathin’ in the Top 10 and her successor hitting #1, her momentum is definitely going to carry into next year. I did read a post where she paid tribute to the late Mac Miller. I’ll just say that I thought it was nice of her. Mac Miller will indeed be missed.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

  • Tequila by Dan + Shay
  • Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande
  • Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

Extras/Optional Extras:

  • Love Yourself by Justin Bieber
  • Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
  • Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon
  • Latch by Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
  • No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper
  • Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
  • Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Backstreet Boys
  • All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA
  • Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie
  • Burn by Ellie Goulding
  • Cheerleader by OMI

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
19. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

1 – Bad:
18. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine
17. Without Me by Halsey

2 – Mediocre:
16. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
15. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
14. Broken by lovelytheband

5 – Great:
13. Lie by NF
12. Back To You by Selena Gomez 
11. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
10. Better Now by Post Malone
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. Natural by Imagine Dragons
3. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
2. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande  

Total Score: 77/100 = 77% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Your Love by The Outfield (1985)

Most Missed Song: Stressed Out by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey 
3. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
4. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
5. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
4. Thunderclouds by LSD
5. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Let You Down by NF: While I’m sure there are people who like this in part because of the song’s premise, I feel like his delivery is lacking and I find the chipmunk vocals to be unnecessary. So yeah, I wasn’t feeling this too much. At least its successor is better.

Marshmello & Bastille (2) – Week Of November 17, 2018

/ dhill92 / 2 Comments

Hello, fam! So, Turkey Day is next week. And that means spending time with our families, eating all the good food, and a lot of other good stuff. Anyway, I just want to say that I’ll be working on my Q&A post starting next week. I should have it ready by the end of this month, hopefully. Right now, here’s the Hits 1 Countdown post. There are no songs leaving the countdown this week, so let’s get right to it!

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
45. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (#43) [–2]
44. George Ezra – Shotgun (#42) [–2]
43. NF – Lie (#45) [+2]
42. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#44) [+2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
41. Kim Petras – Heart To Break (#39) [–2]

40. Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone – Jackie Chan (#41) [+1]
39. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#36) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
38. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore (#37) [–1]
37. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#40) [+3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
36. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams (#35) [–1]
35. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#17) [–18]
34. LSD – Thunderclouds (#33) [–1]
33. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#38) [+5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
32. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#30) [–2] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
31. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#28) [–3]
30. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#17) [–9]
29. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You (#13) [–16]
28. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#27) [–1]
27. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – My Blood (#34) [+7]
26. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#23) [–3]
25. Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free (#20) [–5]
24. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (#19) [–5]
23. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body (#25) [+2]
22. Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (#29) [+7]
21. Alex Aiono – Big Mistake (#32) [+11]
20. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#31) [+11]
19. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#22) [+3]
18. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#16) [–2]
17. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (#24) [+7]
16. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#14) [–2]
15. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#15) [=]
14. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (#18) [+4]
13. lovelytheband – Broken (#10) [–3]
12. Halsey – Without Me (#12) [=]
11. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#11) [=]
10. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#5) [–5]
9. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#26) [+17]
8. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#9) [+1]
7. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#6) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
6. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#7) [+1]
5. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#8) [+3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
4. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#4) [=]
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#2) [–1] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
2. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#3) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#1) [=] [2nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: P!NK – What About Us (1st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (–18)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (+17)

Keep On Blurbin’
– The Way I Am took quite a massive fall this week. The song’s time may be nearing its end. And barring some sort of miracle, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting anything new from Charlie anytime soon.

– Before introducing Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Spyder Harrison mentioned that a police officer was singing one of the singles from the Backstreet Boys on the intercom. Sounds like he wanted to put on a show. That’s some cool stuff!

– It’s nice to see Eastside gain some late momentum after not doing much last week. I would like for it to swap places with Without Me, but I know that’s not going to happen.

– Before introducing Electricity, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Dua Lipa was able to finally get some time off after working on music for so long. Wow, Dua must be tired from doing all this work. I’ll bet she’s happy about getting some free time.

– I figured Hey Look Ma, I Made It would enter the Top 10 sooner or later. Although its predecessor is gaining momentum elsewhere and has shown no signs of slowing down, Hits 1’s love for Panic! At The Disco is at an all-time high. Thus, it was only natural for its successor to gain momentum on this countdown.

– While the rest of the Top 5 remain unchanged, we see Natural moving back up into that territory. I guess one week out of the Top 5 was simply enough based on Hits 1’s logic.

Hit-Bound:

  • David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
  • Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way
  • Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
  • Imagine Dragons – Machine
  • Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
  • 5 Seconds Of Summer – Killer Queen
  • Olly Murs – Moves
  • TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
  • Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
  • Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
  • Shawn Mendes – Nervous
  • Camila Cabello – Consequences
  • Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me
  • Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
  • Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
2. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
3. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
4. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
5. Camila Cabello – Consequences


YouTube 15:

  • Halsey – Without Me
  • Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
  • Madison Beer featuring Offset – Hurts Like Hell
  • Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You
  • Cher Lloyd – None Of My Business
  • Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
  • Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me
  • Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
  • Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
  • Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
  • CNCO featuring Meghan Trainor and Sean Paul – Hey DJ
  • Post Malone – Better Now
  • Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You
  • Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It
  • LÉON – Falling

Song Reviews:

– Remember Madison Beer who brought us songs like Dead and Home With You? Well, guess what? She’s back, and this time she brings us Hurts Like Hell. Not too much I can say about this one. I do like her vocals in this one, but I’m not big on the verses we get from Offset. That’s probably the only thing that brings it down for me. Other than that, it’s a decent song overall.

– We have more Sabrina Carpenter once again, this time with Sue Me. I do think this is her best song overall. She shines a little more with her vocals, and the production is decent all around. I recently found out that the song talks about her life after a lawsuit was filed against her. I do hope we hear more songs like this.

– Next, we have CNCO collaborating with Meghan Trainor and Sean Paul with the single, Hey DJ. This is a pretty interesting collaboration. I like the Latin vibes in the song. These artists did a nice job with the verses. It’s a fun song overall.

– Lastly, we have LÉON with Falling. Right off the bat, she has a very unique voice and she uses it very well in the song. The production here is very good. There’s not much else I can say about it. Yeah, it’s an awesome song.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. LÉON – Falling
2. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
3. Alan Walker featurin AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
4. Post Malone – Better Now
5. CNCO featuring Meghan Trainor and Sean Paul – Hey DJ

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess

1 – Bad:
19. Halsey – Without Me

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Anne-Marie – 2002

4 – Good:
16. lovelytheband – Broken

5 – Great:
15. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises
14. Dan + Shay – Tequila
13. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
12. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze
11. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
8. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
7. Benny Blaco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
6. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
5. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks
4. Imagine Dragons – Natural
3. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity
2. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

Overall Grade: 86/100 = 86% (B)

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

Most Missed Countdown Song: Martin Garrix featuring Bebe Rexha – In The Name Of Love (Two years since it debuted)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Paramore – Hard Times

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Kesha – Praying (#18)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
4. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
5. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
2. LSD – Thunderclouds
3. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
4. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore
5. Halsey – Without Me

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn: This is pretty cool and unique in more ways than one. And what’s even more interesting about it is two things. One is the fact that Justin Timberlake helped produced the song, and two is that the band is from my hometown of Atlanta. How cool is that?

AT40: Ariana Grande (2) – Week Of November 17, 2018

/ dhill92 / 4 Comments

What’s up, guys? I don’t have a whole lot to say for my introduction. I’ve been struggling to try and come up with something interesting lately. What I can say however, is that I’m going to start working on my Q&A post this weekend. It should be coming within the next week or so, hopefully before Thanksgiving. Anyway, this was quite another eventful week on the American Top 40. We did rid of two songs that were not worthy of my time, though there is still plenty of garbage we need to clean up. Though that might not come until the beginning of next year, but we’re making progress. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

  • Taste by Tyga featuring Offset (#25)
  • Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#40) [Spent 5 Weeks At #1] 

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
40. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (DEBUT)
39. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#38) [–1]
38. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#13) [–25]
37. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#36) [–1]
36. Song About You by Mike Posner (#39) [+3]
35. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#34) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
34. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#35) [+1]
33. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#32) [–1]
32. Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper (#37) [+5]
31. Mine by Bazzi (#29) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
30. Don’t Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson (#31) [+1]
29. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#30) [+1]
28. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#27) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
27. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (DEBUT)
26. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#33) [+7]
25. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#22) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
24. Thunderclouds by LSD (#28) [+4]
23. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#24) [+1]
22. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#26) [+4]
21. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#19) [–2]
20. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone (#16) [–4]
19. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#17) [–2]
18. Without Me by Halsey (#23) [+5]
17. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (#20) [+3]
16. Broken by lovelytheband (#18) [+2]
15. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#15) [=]
14. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#21) [+7]
13. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#5) [–8]
12. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#10) [–2]
11. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#11) [=]
10. Eastside by Benny Blano featuring Halsey and Khalid (#12) [+2]
9. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#14) [+5]
8. Lie by NF (#9) [+1]
7. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#8) [+1]
6. Better Now by Post Malone (#4) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#7) [+2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#6) [+2]
3. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#3) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#2) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#1) [=] [2nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (2nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (–25)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Consequences by Camila Cabello and High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (+7)

New Entrants
– Our first of two new songs making its debut this week comes from a new EDM duo by the name of Loud Luxury and vocalist brando with their single titled Body. I’ve been hearing this song quite a bit on the radio and I do think it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s one of those songs that I can’t really explain why I lean towards that way. Sure, brando’s voice is a little underwhelming. But at the same time, there’s something about it that pulls me in. I do like the bassline in the song, which I think is the reason why I feel this way. To put it short, I’m fine with this. It probably won’t stick around for long, though.

– We have more Post Malone once again, and this time he teams up with Swae Lee in Sunflower, taken from the Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse movie soundtrack, which comes out next month. Now, I can say that I’ve slightly grown into the song. I remember first hearing it and saying that I initially didn’t like it. But after a couple of listens, I’ve gotten around to it. I do think the vocals are decent. But I feel like the production is a little generic and it’s underwhelming in some parts of the song. Although it’s in blue for now, it’s not really that far off from being red again.

Best Debut Of The Week: Body by Loud Luxury featuring brando

Believe It Or Not, I’m Blurbing On Air
– It’s about time we bid adieu to two songs this week. Never Be The Same was long overdue, and Taste I was never fond of from the start. NEXT!

– Good to see No Brainer taking a massive drop down 25 spots (Yes, 25 spots) out of the Top 20 all the way down to the Bottom 5. If I’m correct, this is the biggest drop in the history of the American Top 40 since…I don’t know how long.

– Before introducing Electricity, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that when Dua Lipa writes music, it feels like she’s writing from her diary. I guess she has a diary of her own which is why she came up with the idea to make a song.

– Before introducing Without Me, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Halsey that while recording the song, she actually cried during a recording session of the song. Of course, the song is about her relationship with G-Eazy. So I’m not surprised by her emotion when working on the song. It kinda leaves me feeling sad in some ways.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

  • Be Alright by Dean Lewis
  • Better by Khalid
  • Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara 

Extras/Optional Extras:

  • Africa by Weezer
  • 7 Years by Lukas Graham
  • Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
  • Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
  • Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter
  • All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor
  • The Way I Am by Charlie Puth
  • Goodbye by Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William
  • Cold Water by Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber and MØ
  • All Night by Big Boi
  • Photograph by Ed Sheeran 


Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
19. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

1 – Bad:
18. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine
17. Without Me by Halsey

2 – Mediocre:
16. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
15. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
14. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Post Malone and Preme
13. Broken by lovelytheband

5 – Great:
12. Back To You by Selena Gomez 
11. Lie by NF
10. Better Now by Post Malone
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
3. Natural by Imagine Dragons
2. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 

Total Score: 76/100 = 76% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Believe It Or Not by Joey Scarbury (1981)

Most Missed Song: Something Better by Audien featuring Lady Antebellum

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha (#9)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
TIE: 1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
4. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
5. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
4. Thunderclouds by LSD
5. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
He Like That by Fifth Harmony: I may not care too much about Fifth Harmony nowadays after the departure of Camila. Although I do like the latin-based vibe and the vocals, it’s not something memorable in the long run.
Faking It by Calvin Harris featuring Kehlani and Lil’ Yatchy: Although I do prefer his two predecessors from that year, I do like what the song has to offer. All of the artist do well with their verses. It deserved better success than what it had.

Marshmello & Bastille (1) – Week Of November 10, 2018

/ dhill92 / 3 Comments

What’s up, guys? Welcome to the Veteran’s Day edition of the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. As far as this week went, it was pretty bad. There were quite a few things that did go right and some others…well, not so much. But we did get some activity on Hit-Bound with one big debut. I’ll have more on that later on. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

  • Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#41)
  • Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#44)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Imagine Dragons – Natural
45. NF – Lie (#45) [=]
44. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#42) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
43. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (#39) [–4]
42. George Ezra – Shotgun (#28) [–14]
41. Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone – Jackie Chan (#35) [–6]

40. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#34) [–6] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
39. Kim Petras – Heart To Break (#23) [–16]
38. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#30) [–8] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
37. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore (#25) [–12]
36. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#36) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
35. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams (#43) [+8]
34. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – My Blood (#38) [+4]
33. LSD – Thunderclouds (#21) [–12]
32. Alex Aiono – Big Mistake (DEBUT)
31. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#27) [–4]
30. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#33) [+3] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
29. Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (DEBUT)
28. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#32) [+4]
27. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#26) [–1]
26. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#20) [–6]
25. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body (#37) [+12]
24. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (#15) [–9]
23. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#12) [–11]
22. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#40) [+18]
21. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#17) [–4]
20. Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free (#31) [+11]
19. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (#24) [+5]
18. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (#29) [+11]
17. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#18) [+1]
16. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#16) [=]
15. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#22) [+7]
14. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#19) [+5]
13. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You (#13) [=]
12. Halsey – Without Me (#14) [+2]
11. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#8) [–3]
10. lovelytheband – Broken (#11) [+1]
9. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#9) [=]
8. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#1) [–7] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#6) [–1]
6. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#5) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#7) [+2]
4. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#10) [+6]
3. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#3) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#2) [=] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
1. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#4) [+3] [1st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (1st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Kim Petras – Heart To Break (–16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (+18)

New Entrants
– We have two new songs making their arrival to this week’s countdown. First, there’s a new artist named Alex Aiono who makes his first appearance on the countdown, with Big Mistake. I first heard this on the YouTube 15 and I did a brief review on the song. To sum it up, there’s a lot I like about the song as a whole. It talks about not being in love anymore and admitting it was a mistake. Alex impresses me with his vocals. He proves that he is capable of being a good singer. There’s quite a bit going on in terms of the production and the instrumentation. I’m really liking this song right now. Hopefully it sticks around.

– Replacing herself on the countdown this week, Ariana Grande has her next single off of Sweetener titled Breathin’. Ariana is one of the few artists nowadays that almost impresses me with her music on a consistent basis. And no, I do not stan nor am I a fangirl. I don’t use that reason as to why I like her so much. I like her simply because she has a excellent voice overall. Breathin’ is no different. To put it short, this is just a jam. Every aspect of the song is just divine from the top down bottom up. Ariana has a great voice and she uses it very well here. Looking deeper into the song, I find that it’s basically about anxiety. She did an interview with Jimmy Fallon and talked about it in detail. She had said that when she was writing the song, it felt like she couldn’t breathe. I get that feeling sometimes, especially when I’m trying to write a story and a lot of ideas are just popping up in my mind. Putting that aside, it’s easily the best single off of Sweetener. And even though she just released her lead single off of her new album (and I’ll have more on it in just a bit), this one is gaining momentum elsewhere. Thus, it looks destined to become another hit for Ariana, and I’m looking forward to that.

Best Debut Of The Week: Ariana Grande – Breathin’

Blurbin’ On A Prayer
– So we had two exits this week. First off, I’m very sad that we had to say goodbye to Happy Now just two weeks after it spend some time in the Top 10. While I’m sure almost everyone here will be celebrating the departure of the song, I’m going to do the exact opposite. I do have an very unpopular opinion when it comes to the song, but Happy Now was just absolutely amazing to me. Even though it never became the huge hit I wanted it to be, I still enjoyed every bit of the song when it came on the radio. I really love Elley Duhé’s voice and I find her to be a great singer overall. I would LOVE to hear more from her again. As for No Tears Left To Cry, I can say that it was a favorite of mine as well. It was not surprising to see it as big as it was. While I’m sure some people are happy about it as well, I’m not one of them.

– Too bad songs like Shotgun and Heart To Break took big drops this week. It looks like they weren’t meant to be huge hits after all. They won’t be much longer with us, unfortunately.

– On the flip side, Body Talks would of course get it’s second week jump, and a big one at that. I don’t expect it to last long either, but it’s nice to see it gain a little momentum here.

– Before introducing Shallow, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Lady Gaga is secretly a gamer. Who would’ve known one of the biggest stars of this decade has a passion for video games? I’ll bet she owns all kinds of home consoles. I wonder what other games could she add to her collection?

– So, I just recently found out that the music video for Lost In Japan is very similar to that of the movie Lost In Translation. Shawn Mendes does the majority of the scenes actor Bill Murray does. I guess Shawn wanted to get creative a little bit with the music video. I don’t know whose idea it was, but it sure was a clever one.

– Did we really need I’m A Mess back in the Top 5?!?! How about NO! But apparently Hits 1 seems to have a thing for Bebe Rexha, despite that the song is extremely mediocre. It’s a shame that her other singles (outside of her predecessor, of course) didn’t get this far.

– Though I’m A Mess isn’t #1, I’m not wild about Happier being up there. I can definitely understand why people like it. As someone who fell in love with Wolves, it’s just not really all that good to me. But if anything, I’ll certainly take this over its predecessor any day.

Hit-Bound:

  • Camila Cabello – Consequences
  • TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
  • Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me
  • Imagine Dragons – Machine (DEBUT)
  • Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
  • 5 Seconds Of Summer – Killer Queen
  • Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way
  • Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
  • Olly Murs – Moves (DEBUT)
  • Lauren Jauregui – Expectations (DEBUT)
  • Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
  • Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
  • David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
  • Shawn Mendes – Nervous
  • Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (DEBUT)

Entrant Reviews:
– Okay, so let’s get the most displeasing debut out of the way first. We have Imagine Dragons with probably my least favorite single we get from them, by the name of Machine. This is just bad in almost every aspect. Dan’s vocals are not good at all. I’ll talk more about it when it debuts.

– Up next, Olly Murs makes his return with Moves. This song also features rapper Snoop Dogg, whose verse was edited out on Hits 1 because of course. It has a nice groove to it. It kinda reminds me of Hundred Handed – Too Good in a way. Overall, it’s a good song.

– Next, we have Lauren Jauregui with her solo single titled Expectations. I talked about this on the YouTube 15 last week. I think Lauren has the best voice out of all the members of Fifth Harmony and she uses it well in the song. Hopefully, it ends up debuting soon.

– Finally, we have more of Ariana Grande who replaces herself on Hit-Bound. And guess what? She has the lead single off of her new album, titled Thank U, Next. Although I can say it’s one of her weakest lead singles to start things off, it’s still a good song, mainly because of Ariana’s vocals. I’ll save most of my words for this when it inevitably debuts.

Best Debut On Hit-Bound: Lauren Jauregui – Expectations

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
2. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
3. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
4. Camila Cabello – Consequences
5. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me

YouTube 15:

  • Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
  • Cher Lloyd – None Of My Business
  • Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby
  • Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It
  • Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
  • Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
  • Gnash – Nobody’s Home
  • Post Malone – Better Now
  • Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
  • Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
  • Anne-Marie – Perfect To Me
  • Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You
  • Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
  • Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
  • Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – Found You

Song Reviews:
– Clean Bandit has yet another new single in the form of Baby, which features Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi. I won’t quite say it’s the best they’ve done. But it still shows that these guys know how to make good music. I love the verses we get from Marina and Luis. They sound great together. Overall, it’s a good song. Clean Bandit didn’t disappoint me there.
– Next, we have Gnash with Nobody’s Home. You probably remember him when he did I Hate U, I Love U and was featured on Lights Down Low. There’s not a whole lot that appeals to me. Gnash’s vocals are underwhelming and in some parts of the song, annoying. While it’s in blue, it’s closer to red than it is green.
– Anne-Marie has another new single titled Perfect To Me. This is a step up from her predecessor. It talks about her imperfections and accepting them. Her vocals are pretty good overall and I like the production. It’s still quite a far cry from Rockabye, but it’s still enjoyable to some degree.
– Finally, we have Benny Blanco with his new single Found You, which features Calvin Harris who does the vocals. The music video does feature artists such as Halsey who dances along with him. As for the song itself, I can say that I find this to be okay. I’m a little underwhelmed by Calvin’s voice and that it’s kinda repetitive, but the rest of the song isn’t too bad in terms of the production. It’s not nearly as good as Eastside. Overall, it’s a decent song.
My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
2. Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
3. Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
4. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby
5. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess

1 – Bad:
19. Halsey – Without Me

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You
16. Anne-Marie – 2002

4 – Good:
15. Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free
14. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am
13. lovelytheband – Broken

5 – Great:
12. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises
11. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. Dan + Shay – Tequila
8. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
7. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
6. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
5. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow
4. Imagine Dragons – Natural
3. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity
2. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

Overall Grade: 82/100 = 82% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer (1986)

Most Missed Countdown Song: The Lumineers – Ho Hey

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Disturbed – The Sound Of Silence

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Kesha – Praying (#13)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
4. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
5. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. LSD – Thunderclouds
2. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
3. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
4. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore
5. Halsey – Without Me

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be: This is simply just a country crossover song that’s terribly produced. Not to mention that Bebe only gets one verse, and even she sounds underwhelming. Compare this to songs such as I Got You and I can easily tell the difference. But if it’s anything, I’d rather hear this than her current representation.
ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn: This is the best song ZAYN has done to date. It just moves me. The way their vocals blend together pulls me in. And as a bonus, the music video reminds me of a 90’s action movie.
Lauv – I Like Me Better: His debut single, and a horrific one at that. Seriously, the production and the lyrics are just cringeworthy. That’s basically all I’m going to say about this one (At least for now. I’ll have more when I do my Year-End posts).

QOTW: What do you guys think of Ariana Grande’s new single, Thank U, Next?

AT40: Ariana Grande (1) – Week Of November 10, 2018

/ dhill92 / 2 Comments

What’s up, guys? Welcome to the Veteran’s Day Weekend edition of the American Top 40. I would like to thank all the men and women who helped served and protect our country. I do have Year-End posts that I’ll be working on, plus my Q&A which I still plan on doing. They’ll hopefully be out next month. Anyway, this week was interesting in more ways than one. I’ll have more to say about it in the blurbs. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying good-bye to this week:

  • Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter (#23)
  • The Way I Am by Charlie Puth (#27)
  • Goodbye by Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William (#29)
  • Africa by Weezer (#36)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
40. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#39) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
39. Song About You by Mike Posner (#40) [+1]
38. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#37) [–1]
37. Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper (DEBUT)
36. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#35) [–1]
35. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (DEBUT)
34. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#33) [–1]
33. Consequences by Camila Cabello (DEBUT)
32. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#31) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
31. Don’t Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson (DEBUT)
30. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#38) [+8]
29. Mine by Bazzi (#28) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
28. Thunderclouds by LSD (#32) [+4]
27. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#26) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
26. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#34) [+8]
25. Taste by Tyga featuring Offset (#25) [=]
24. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#22) [–2]
23. Without Me by Halsey (#30) [+7]
22. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#19) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
21. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#21) [=]
20. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (#24) [+4]
19. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#13) [–6]
18. Broken by lovelytheband (#18) [=]
17. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#16) [–1]
16. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone (#15) [–1]
15. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#17) [+2]
14. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#20) [+6]
13. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#7) [–6]
12. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#14) [+2]
11. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#10) [–1]
10. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#11) [+1]
9. Lie by NF (#12) [+3]
8. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#8) [=]
7. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#6) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
6. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#9) [+3]
5. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#5) [=]
4. Better Now by Post Malone (#2) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#3) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#1) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#5) [+4] [1st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato (1st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper and I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (–6)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake and Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (+8)

New Entrants
– We have some new arrivals this week. To start, we get the song from the soundtrack to the movie A Star Is Born. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper collaborate in their single, Shallow. I don’t really have too much to say about the song except it’s a nice collaboration between the two artists. I do like Lady Gaga’s voice. She uses it well in a slow ballad like this. Bradley doesn’t sound bad either. I like the use of the acoustic guitar. While I can’t say it’s better than I’ll Never Love Again, this one is still enjoyable all around.

– Next, we have the return of The Chainsmokers. And this time, they collaborate with the country star Kelsea Ballerini in their single titled This Feeling. Right off the bat, this is a step up from Side Effects. The song is basically Closer 2.0. First off, I absolutely love Kelsea’s voice. She sounds amazing all throughout the song. Drew’s voice has improved. It doesn’t sound quite as mediocre as in the singles from Sick Boy. Their vocals blend together really well in the chorus. Yeah, this is just divine.

– As we finally get ready to say goodbye to Never Be The Same, Camila Cabello gives us her next single from her self-titled album. This time, we get a ballad called Consequences. Coming into the song, I was hoping to hear something along the lines of Havana and not Never Be The Same. Hearing this in full, my opinion on this lies somewhere positive. I do like how Camila can showcase her voice without her trying too hard to hit those high notes. The piano here is pretty good. It tells a story about loving someone and that it can have pros and cons. It’s a nice song from her and a step up from her predecessor overall.

– Finally, we get more of Drake with his latest single titled Don’t Matter To Me, which features vocals from the late Michael Jackson. Personally, I think this is the best single off of Scorpion. Drake has proven that he can sing well. But the best part about the song is the vocals we get from the late Michael Jackson, which is actually a sample which is added to the song when Drake was working on the song. I recently found out that he was a huge fan of him back in the day. I’m sure we all can relate. After all, we did grow up listening to Michael Jackson almost every single day. Between the nice production and the Michael Jackson sample, I actually love this. I wouldn’t mind if it sticks around.

Best Debut Of The Week: This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

It Don’t Matter To Blurbs
– We’ll start with our exits. To begin, we say goodbye to um, well…Goodbye. I did kinda like the song, but I’m not all that disappointed in its departure given that Jason Derulo hasn’t done much since Want To Want Me. Then, there’s The Way I Am which didn’t do much on this countdown. My guess is that Attention and How Long will forever remain as his two big hits off of Voicenotes. Almost Love I did kinda like and I was starting to grow into it, but it wasn’t something I’d remember in the long run. Finally, good riddance to Africa. That was a terrible cover of the 1982 song from Toto. At least it didn’t last long.

– This week, Ariana Grande managed to achieve her second #1 this year with God Is A Woman! I must say, I’m thrilled about this. Although it’s not her best off of Sweetener, it’s still something that I enjoy and I love Ariana. She’s dominated this week overall, what with releasing the music video for Breathin’ and she has a new single which came out last week and it could be headed for #1 next week! I’m proud of Ariana for coming this far.

– We get a new Top 10 entrant in the form of Lie by NF. Not really surprising since he had a previous song which stayed in that territory for a while. It’s a nice and calm song, so I wouldn’t mind if it sticks around in the Top 10.

– It’s nice to see No Brainer dropping out of the Top 10. Hopefully, this means the song will be on its way out soon. DJ Khaled has had better in the past.

– Speaking of Ariana, she released the new music video for Breathin’. Only this time, it doesn’t feature her pet pig, Piggy Smallz. I have to say it was a pretty cool music video. I recommend you check it out.

– We had a few songs taking big jumps this week, notably Electricity (Yay!) and Sicko Mode (Blech). Speaking of the former, the song is only getting better with each listen. I sure would like to see it rise into the Top 10 soon.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

  • Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
  • Be Alright by Dean Lewis
  • Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara
  • Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando

Extras/Optional Extras:

  • Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
  • Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid
  • Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
  • Lean On by Major Lazer featuring DJ Snake and MØ
  • Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William
  • Maps by Maroon 5
  • One Day by Logic featuring Ryan Tedder
  • End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future
  • Stitches by Shawn Mendes

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
19. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha

1 – Bad:
18. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine
17. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper

2 – Mediocre:
16. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
15. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin
14. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
13. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Post Malone and Preme
12. Broken by lovelytheband

5 – Great:
11. Lie by NF
10. Better Now by Post Malone
9. Back To You by Selena Gomez
8. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
3. Natural by Imagine Dragons
2. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 

Total Score: 74/100 = 74% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Rock With You by Michael Jackson (1979)

Most Missed Song: Somebody That I Used To Know by Goyte featuring Kimbra

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
3. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
4. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
5. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
4. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
5. Thunderclouds by LSD

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Find You by Nick Jonas: Along with Right Now, I find this to be one of his most interesting singles. And hearing this again, it does remind me of Perfect Illusion by Lady Gaga.
Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan: The follow-up to Slow Hands, this is a sweet song. I like how Niall talks about asking for love. I’d say this is probably one of the more low-key songs off of Flicker.

Imagine Dragons (1) – Week Of November 3, 2018

/ dhill92 / 9 Comments

What’s up, guys? We’re already in the month of November. Man, it sure feels like this year has gone by pretty fast. We’re one step closer to 2019. Hopefully, we can be able to end the year on a high note. As far as the countdown went, it was an interesting week to start out November. I’ll have more to say about it in the blurbs. Let’s get on with it! Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

  • Lady Gaga – I’ll Never Love Again (#36)
  • Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (#37)
  • The Vamps – Just My Type (#41)
  • Post Malone – Better Now (#42)
  • Weezer – Africa (#43)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
45. NF – Lie (#44) [–1]
44. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#45) [+1]
43. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams (#38) [–5]
42. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#32) [–10]
41. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#10) [–31]

40. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (DEBUT)
39. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (#40) [+1]
38. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – My Blood (DEBUT)
37. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body (#35) [–2]
36. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#39) [+3]
35. Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone – Jackie Chan (DEBUT)
34. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#34) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
33. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#33) [=] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
32. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#28) [–4]
31. Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free (DEBUT)
30. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#30) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
29. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (#31) [+2]
28. George Ezra – Shotgun (#15) [–13]
27. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (DEBUT)
26. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#26) [=]
25. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore (#27) [+2]
24. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (#20) [–4]
23. Kim Petras – Heart To Break (#24) [+1]
22. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#13) [–9]
21. LSD – Thunderclouds (#18) [–3]
20. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#21) [+1]
19. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#22) [+3]
18. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#25) [+7]
17. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#8) [–9]
16. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#16) [=]
15. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (#23) [+8]
14. Halsey – Without Me (#29) [+15]
13. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You (#17) [+4]
12. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#14) [+2]
11. lovelytheband – Broken (#11) [=]
10. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#5) [–5]
9. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#12) [+3]
8. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#19) [+11]
7. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#3) [–4]
6. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#7) [+1]
5. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#9) [+4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
4. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#2) [–2]
3. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#4) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#1) [–1] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
1. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#6) [+5] [1st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (3rd of 4 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (–31)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Halsey – Without Me (+15)

New Entrants
– To kick off this week’s new arrivals, we have a band called The Struts, who are collaborating with Kesha in their single Body Talks. It’s quite an interesting collaboration between these guys, but it worked out well. As always, I love to hear Kesha’s voice. She sounds really good in the chorus. The Struts themselves did a nice job at handling the production of the song. I like the use of the guitars. Overall, this is divine on all levels.

– TWENTY ØNE PILØTS made their comeback a few months ago with Jumpsuit, which unfortunately failed to really do anything. It was definitely a phenomenal song that deserved a lot better. So, I was waiting for something else they had to offer. And this week, they give us My Blood. This one doesn’t quite have a lot in terms of the production. However, I do like to hear Tyler’s voice. His vocals are unique in pretty much every way and he shows it in the song. Looking at the lyrics, it supposedly talks about a member of the family. It’s something people can relate to. It’ll be interesting to see how well this does on Hits 1. Whether it’ll have a similar run like The Last Of The Real Ones or just simply hang around for a short time, I don’t know yet.

– We have an interesting collaboration between four artists (Tiesto, Dzeko, Preme, and Post Malone) in their single titled Jackie Chan. I fell in love with this one when it just came out, but it did fade on me just a little bit. I do like what Tiesto has done here and the verses are pretty good, which is why I found it enjoyable to begin. The thing that brings it down for me is the lyrical content, which I’m not all that big on. Tiesto has done better in the past. It’s not his best work, but it’s something that I can dance to every once in a while.

– Next, Pitbull makes his return. And he’s collaborating with Theron Theron in their single Free Free Free. This was on the YouTube 15 about a couple months ago and I did a brief review of the song. I can say that I do like the vocals quite a bit and the production is pretty decent. But it’s really not all that special in comparison to his previous singles. I think Pitbull has probably lost what made him stand out, though I can say it’s not much of a bad song. I don’t really expect it to stick around for long.

– And finally, we have a song that’s been on Hit-Bound for a while. Benny Blanco makes his first appearance on the countdown, collaborating with Halsey and Khalid in Eastside. Although the song itself may be short, I love just everything about it. I love the verses we get from both Halsey and Khalid. Here, Halsey sounds great and she doesn’t try too hard to hit those high notes. I love the lyrics. In fact, it basically reminds me of the days back when I was in high school.

Best Debut Of The Week: The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks

We Will, We Will Blurb You
– We’ll start with our exits this week. To begin, we say good-bye to I’ll Never Love Again after only one week. This is the first time that’s happened since May 2017, when Good Life also lasted one week. As for the other exits, good riddance to Africa. That was a terrible cover of the 1982 song from Toto. I’m glad it didn’t stay for too long. Just My Type leaving wasn’t surprising at all, though I find the song to be pretty good in comparsion to the other singles we get from The Vamps. Both Better Now and One Kiss had a nice run on the countdown and I enjoyed these songs. They will be missed by me.

– Are you kidding me?! Happy Now took a massive drop out of the Top 10 all the way down to the Bottom 5. How is this even okay? So not cool, Hits 1.

– Before introducing Drew Barrymore, Spyder Harrison mentioned that the actress herself is actually working on a new talent show which debuts next year. I wonder will she try to copy The Voice or will it be something different entirely? We’ll just have to find out what she has in store.

– I’m not thrilled about the big jump from Without Me. Of course, because it’s gaining momentum in sales (coupled with the fact that Hits 1 love some Halsey), I have a bad feeling that it’ll be here to stay.

– Spyder Harrison just mentioned during the introduction for Back To You that Selena Gomez has just recently lost her title as most followed person on Instagram to a soccer star named Cristiano Ronaldo. Talk about a run. That soccer star must have took some notes as to how to accomplish that feat. I guess he wants to be more famous himself.

– I just recently watched the music video for Lost In Japan this week and I thought it was pretty cool. I like the idea of Shawn Mendes actually hanging out in Japan for the music video (hence the title). They played the original and then transition to the remix with Zedd. That’s some awesome stuff. It’s no surprise to see this one enter the Top 10 so soon. I’m looking forward to seeing it in the Top 5 soon and potentially hit #1.

– The Last Of The Real Ones has somehow regained its momentum as it’s back in the Top 5. We could potentially see it at #1 again after a short while, though I doubt it somehow. Also, I learned that their music video is similar to that of Kayne West’s Flashing Lights. I wonder is that where they got this idea from.

– It was only natural (no pun intended) that Imagine Dragons would enter the Top 5 and hit #1 with their latest single off of their new album coming out next week. It’s refreshing (in a way) to see a song not from Panic! At The Disco at the top spot. Natural is different, but it’s an enjoyable song and I think it’s a great way to start the new era for these guys. I wouldn’t object to seeing it stay there for a while.

Hit-Bound:

  • Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
  • Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
  • Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
  • TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (DEBUT)
  • Ariana Grande – Breathin’
  • Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way
  • 5 Seconds Of Summer – Killer Queen (DEBUT)
  • Camila Cabello – Consequences
  • Alex Aiono – Big Mistake
  • Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me (DEBUT)
  • Shawn Mendes – Nervous
  • David Guetta featuring Anne–Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
  • Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me

Entrant Reviews:
– Yet again, we get another song from TWENTY ØNE PILØTS from Trench, by the name of Chlorine, replacing Legend. It sounds like Hits 1 is going back to loving TWENTY ØNE PILØTS. As for the song itself, I’m not really feeling this at the moment. I personally think there are better songs from the album. Maybe it’ll grow on me, but I kinda doubt it.

– We get more 5 Seconds Of Summer with the single from the Bohemian Rhapsody movie soundtrack, titled Killer Queen, which is the cover of the song from Queen. I can’t say I’m liking this one. I don’t think they did good with the cover overall. This is based on my initial reaction, but it could change.

– Last but not least, we have the return of Ellie Goulding! She makes her comeback with her new single titled Close To Me, which features Diplo and Swae Lee. It’s been a while since we heard from her. I love Ellie’s voice in the song. She sounds awesome when she hits those high notes. I’ll save my words for this should it debut. I hope to see it graduate to the countdown soon.

Best Debut On Hit-Bound: Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
2. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me
3. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
4. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
5. Camila Cabello – Consequences

YouTube 15:

  • Post Malone – Better Now
  • Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
  • Cher Lloyd – None Of My Business
  • Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
  • Jonas Blue featuring Liam Payne and Lennon Stella – Polaroid
  • Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You
  • Lauren Jauregui – Expectations 
  • Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
  • Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
  • Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
  • Normani featuring Calvin Harris – Slow Down
  • Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
  • Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
  • Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It
  • A Great Big World – You

Song Reviews:
– To start things off, we have Cher Lloyd with her latest single titled None Of My Business. We haven’t heard much from her since she collaborated with Demi Lovato in Really Don’t Care back in 2014. There’s not a whole lot I like about this one. The production is pretty weird and nothing about Cher’s voice stands out. The song is pretty underwhelming. While it’s in blue, it’s closer to red for me than it is green.
– Next, we have Lauren Jauregui with her first solo single titled Expectations. Out of all the members of Fifth Harmony, I personally think Lauren is superior. She has a amazing voice and she uses in the song very well. Overall, it’s a nice start for her solo career.
– Zara Larsson is back with her solo single titled Ruin My Life. It was a little over two years ago she brought us Never Forget You, which was amazing. This is no different. I absolutely love her voice and she shines in the chorus. The lyrical content is well-written. Simply put, this song is just divine.
– We have more of Normani, this time collaborating with Calvin Harris in her new single titled Slow Down. Along with Lauren Jauregui, Normani is one of the best in terms of her vocals and she uses it very well in the song. The only part I don’t like is the weird voice after the chorus. But overall, it’s still a good song.
– Finally, A Great Big World has a new single titled You. The song basically reminds me of Ed Sheeran – Perfect. This is just beautiful in every sense of the world. It’s definitely something I would recommend for a wedding or a special occasion.
My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
2. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
3. Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
4. Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
5. Jonas Blue featuring Liam Payne and Lennon Stella
Top 20 Review:

0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess

1 – Bad:
19. Halsey – Without Me

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You

4 – Good:
16. lovelytheband – Broken
15. Anne-Marie – 2002
14. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am

5 – Great:
13. Selena Gomez – Back To You
12. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
11. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
10. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
9. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze
8. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
7. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman
6. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
4. Imagine Dragons – Natural
3. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity
2. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

Overall Grade: 84/100 = 84% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Queen – We Will Rock You (1977)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Ellie Goulding – Lights

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

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Gryffin featuring Elley Duhé – Tie Me Down

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Kesha – Praying

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
4. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
5. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. LSD – Thunderclouds
2. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
3. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
4. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore
5. Halsey – Without Me

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask: It may not be the best off of Flicker, but it was a sweet song overall and I like how Niall can showcase his voice with emotion.
Dua Lipa – New Rules: Although Hits 1 didn’t treat this one as well as everybody else, it was nice to see they picked probably her best single off of her self-titled album.

QOTW: With the movie Bohemian Rhapsody being released this week, what are your favorite songs from Queen?

AT40: 5 Seconds Of Summer (3) – Week Of November 3, 2018

/ dhill92 / Leave a comment

Hey, guys! It sure feels good to finally have a post out on time! We’re now into the month of November. 2018 really has flown by fast! That means I’ll have to continue working on my Year-End posts. Also, I have extended the deadline to the end of this month for those who want to submit any questions you want to ask me for my future Q&A post. The place to submit is right here. I should have it ready by then. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying good-bye to this week:

  • 2002 by Anne-Marie (#33)
  • One Day by Logic featuring Ryan Tedder (#39)
  • Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
40. Song About You by Mike Posner (DEBUT)
39. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#38) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
38. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (DEBUT)
37. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#36) [–1]
36. Africa by Weezer (#31) [–5]
35. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#34) [–1]
34. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#37) [+3]
33. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#32) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
32. Thunderclouds by LSD (#35) [+3]
31. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#30) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
30. Without Me by Halsey (DEBUT)
29. Goodbye by Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William (#28) [–1]
28. Mine by Bazzi (#27) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
27. The Way I Am by Charlie Puth (#17) [–10]
26. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#24) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
25. Taste by Tyga featuring Offset (#25) [=]
24. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (#26) [+2]
23. Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter (#22) [–1]
22. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#23) [+1]
21. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#29) [+8]
20. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#21) [+1]
19. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#18) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
18. Broken by lovelytheband (#20) [+2]
17. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#19) [+2]
16. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#16) [=] 
15. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone (#15) [=]
14. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#14) [=]
13. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#12) [–1]
12. Lie by NF (#13) [+1]
11. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#10) [–1]
10. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#9) [–1]
9. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#11) [+2]
8. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#7) [–1]
7. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#8) [+1]
6. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#6) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#5) [=]
4. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#4) [=]
3. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#2) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Better Now by Post Malone (#3) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#1) [=] [3rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (1st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: The Way I Am by Charlie Puth (–10)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (+8)

New Entrants
– We have three new songs entering the countdown which are not so interesting in my eyes. First off, we have the return of Mike Posner after about two years since he had his biggest hit I Took A Pill In Ibiza, which was a huge favorite of mine. His new single making its debut is titled Song About You. I can say that I don’t really find this one to be interesting for the most part. I do kinda like the production in the song, and the lyrics are decent. But my concern is that Mike’s vocals are a little underwhelming. I feel like he could’ve done better. While it’s not a bad song, it’s not something I’ll remember in a year or so.

– Our next debut is probably one of my least favorite songs at this moment. Travis Scott makes his appearance with Sicko Mode. I’m going to be straight up and just simply say the song sucks ass. To start, his voice is just awful and it’s hard to understand the lyrics. But even without that, I find the lyrical content itself to be just terrible. I could go on and on about just how bad the lyrics are. Drake himself didn’t do any favors to try and salvage the song. I find his verses in the song to be underwhelming. Yeah, this is a mess. NEXT!

– Finally, we have more of Halsey with her latest solo single, by the name of Without Me. If you’ve read my review when it debuted on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown last week, then you probably recall that I wasn’t on board with what she had to offer. Don’t get me wrong. I love Halsey and she’s had plenty of songs that I do like (except for New Americana). But this song just doesn’t do it for me. It basically talks about her relationship with G-Eazy in general. I find the lyrical content to be well-written. However, my problem with the song is Halsey herself. I feel like she’s trying too hard to hit those high notes in the song and it just didn’t work out to my liking. The production here is okay, but it’s really nothing special. So yeah, this song is just underwhelming. It’s sad because as I just mentioned, I absolutely love Halsey. I unfortunately expect it to do well, but I could be wrong.

Best Debut Of The Week: Song About You by Mike Posner

Bohemian Blurbs
– As far as our exits go, One Day unfortunately lasted a short and sweet time here. I did like the collaboration between Logic and Ryan Tedder. 2002 was interesting to me, but not something I’ll remember in the big picture. Finally, we lost Whatever It Takes, which was probably the best song off of Evolve. With its departure, that era has come to end. But a new era for Imagine Dragons is upon us because their new album comes out next week. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us.

– No Brainer is officially bad. Get out, now.

– Looks like the American Top 40 (and everybody else) realized they were late to the party with High Hopes seeing that it’s still huge on Hits 1. So, it’s no surprise that it’s gaining the momentum it deserves. Now the other question is: can it do the same on this countdown? We’ll just have to wait and see.

– So, I just recently watched the music video for Lost In Japan and I thought it was pretty cool seeing Shawn Mendes actually hang out in Japan (hence the title). They actually played the original and then transition to the remix with Zedd. It’s some fun stuff.

– So much for Charlie Puth looking to get another hit. The Way I Am drops big out of the Top 20. I guess Attention will forever remain as his biggest hit as a solo artist (until proven otherwise).

– Before introducing Thunderclouds, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Sia is involved in some movie projects. Looks like Halsey isn’t the only one getting into the movie business. Almost every singer wants to get into the fun. I’m interested to see how that works out.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

  • Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
  • This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
  • I Love It by Kayne West featuring Lil’ Pump
  • Don’t Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson

Extras/Optional Extras:

  • Just Like Fire by P!NK
  • Stressed Out by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
  • Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato
  • Sorry by Justin Bieber
  • Earned It by The Weeknd
  • 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
  • In My Feelings by Drake
  • Worth It by Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink
  • How Long by Charlie Puth
  • New Rules by Dua Lipa

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
19. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha

1 – Bad:
18. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine
17. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper

2 – Mediocre:
16. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
15. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin
14. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
13. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Post Malone and Preme
12. Broken by lovelytheband

5 – Great:
11. Lie by NF
10. Better Now by Post Malone
9. Back To You by Selena Gomez
8. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
3. Natural by Imagine Dragons
2. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 

Total Score: 74/100 = 74% (C)

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

Most Missed Song: Army by Ellie Goulding

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
TIE: 1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
4. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
5. Natural by Imagine Dragons

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. Thunderclouds by LSD
4. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
5. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha: I’ll have more on this when I do my Year-End posts. But simply put, this is just beautiful in almost every aspect.
Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid: Nowadays, I find this as something most people can relate to. It kinda reminds me of the days when I was in high school.
How Long by Charlie Puth: Again, more on this in my Year-End posts. But this song is one of many examples of how much Charlie has improved from the days of Nine Track Mind

AT40: 5 Seconds Of Summer (2) – Week Of October 27, 2018

/ dhill92 / 2 Comments

Hello, fam! I’m so sorry if this post was late. My apologies, I’m hoping this doesn’t become a new thing. But as I mentioned before, I’ve just not had the motivation to do any blogging as of late. I’ve been very busy with other things lately. That’s what happens when you have a life outside of doing weekly posts. Here’s to hoping next week’s posts won’t be as late, but I can’t make any promises right now. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

  • In My Feelings by Drake (#14)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
40. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (#39) [–1]
39. One Day by Logic featuring Ryan Tedder (#38) [–1]
38. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#37) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
37. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#40) [+3]
36. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#35) [–1]
35. Thunderclouds by LSD (#36) [+1]
34. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#33) [–1]
33. 2002 by Anne-Marie (#34) [+1]
32. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#31) [–1][Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
31. Africa by Weezer (#30) [–1]
30. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#29) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
29. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#32) [+3]
28. Goodbye by Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William (#28) [=]
27. Mine by Bazzi (#26) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
26. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (DEBUT)
25. Taste by Tyga featuring Offset (#27) [+2]
24. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#24) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
23. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#25) [+2]
22. Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter (#23) [+1]
21. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#22) [+1]
20. Broken by lovelytheband (#21) [+1]
19. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#20) [+1]
18. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#18) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
17. The Way I Am by Charlie Puth (#17) [=]
16. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#19) [+3]
15. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone (#16) [+1]
14. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#15) [+1]
13. Lie by NF (#13) [=]
12. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#9) [–3]
11. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#12) [+1]
10. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#10) [=]
9. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#11) [+2]
8. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#7) [–1]
7. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#8) [+1]
6. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#4) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#6) [+1]
4. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#5) [+1]
3. Better Now by Post Malone (#3) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
2. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#2) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#1) [=] [2nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift (1st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (–3)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Electricty by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa, High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco, and Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (+3)

New Entrants
– We have only one new song entering this week’s countdown. Shawn Mendes has released the follow-up to In My Blood titled Lost In Japan. He did recently released the remix with Zedd, but I’ll be reviewing the original version (which is superior in my opinion). The song is basically about romance in general. I love Shawn’s vocals. He sounds so smooth in the song. The production is just divine all around. I love the groove and it fits Shawn’s voice very well. It pretty much reminds me of a song from Justin Timberlake. Overall, it’s easily the best song off of his self-titled album. I’m sure it’ll do well here.

Blurbs In Japan
– It’s about time we said good-bye to In My Feelings, which left us from a high position. Drake has had better songs, but this was not one of them. I’m glad it didn’t last too long.

– It’s nice to see God Is A Woman in the Top 5. I still do enjoy the song, though not as much as I used to. It would be nice if it can hit #1 soon, though I much prefer to listen to Breathin’ at this point.

– That’s all the blurbs I’ve got for now. Nothing else really interesting happened this week.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

  • Without Me by Halsey
  • Sicko Mode by Travis Scott
  • Song About You by Mike Posner

Extras/Optional Extras:

  • In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
  • Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia
  • Let You Down by NF
  • Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding
  • Alone by Halsey featuring Big Sean and Stefflon Don
  • Slow Hands by Niall Horan
  • Too Good by Drake featuring Rihanna
  • One Dance by Drake featuring Wizkid featuring Kyla
  • Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
19. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha

1 – Bad:
18. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine

2 – Mediocre:
17. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille
16. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper

3 – Decent:
15. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin
14. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
13. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Post Malone and Preme
12. Broken by lovelytheband
11. The Way I Am by Charlie Puth

5 – Great:
10. Lie by NF
9. Better Now by Post Malone
8. Back To You by Selena Gomez
7. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
6. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
5. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
4. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
3. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
2. Natural by Imagine Dragons
1. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid

Total Score: 73/100 = 73% (C–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Thriller by Michael Jackson (1983)

Most Missed Song: Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha

My Top 5 Picks
1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
4. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Thunderclouds by LSD
3. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
4. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
5. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Do Re Mi by Blackbear: No, taking a nursery rhyme and making it a song does not sit well with me, especially with grating vocals and subpar lyrical content. I’m sorry, but this is just a mess.
Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage: I may be coming around to Post Malone’s music, but I never liked this song. I’ll probably have more to say about this in a couple of months or so.