Hello, guys! It’s been another busy weekend for me, but at least I was able to get this post out a little earlier. As far as this week went, we didn’t have too much going on in terms of activity other than a huge drop and a huge jump. We’re basically coming down to the wire as 2018 is nearing its end. Let’s just get into things. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#24)

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

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Thunder by Imagine Dragons (2nd And Final Week At #1) 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Natural by Imagine Dragons (–25)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (+19)

New Entrants:
– Our only new song entering the countdown this week comes from the long-awaited return of Ellie Goulding! She has a new single titled Close To Me, which features Diplo and Swae Lee. I can say that when I first heard the new single being announced, I was intrigued by the prospect of Ellie collaborating with Swae Lee. And after hearing the song in its entirety, I can safely say that I was not disappointed with how it turned out. Now, do I think it’s amazing? Not really. Nothing can top her previous singles (Love Me Like You Do, Burn, and especially Lights). But Close To Me still shows just how talented Ellie Goulding is as a singer. She has a good voice and uses it well. Swae Lee does a nice job with his verse, also. The lyrical content is pretty good, and while it’s not quite as special it just shows that Ellie Goulding knows how to write a good song. The verdict: it’s a great song and once again, Ellie does not disappoint.

Close To Blurbs
– We say goodbye to Promises this week. I thought it was another solid track for Calvin Harris, even though it’s didn’t quite live up to One Kiss. And the addition of Sam Smith was welcoming. I’m rather disappointed it didn’t go as far in terms of success. It feels like he hasn’t had many hits since This Is What You Came For two years ago.

– Natural by Imagine Dragons made a massive drop this week from the Top 15 all the way down to the Bottom 5. Yikes! The same thing happened with No Brainer just recently as a month ago. With that, both songs now have the biggest drop in the Ryan Seacrest era.

– On the flip side, we have Thank U, Next with a massive jump up to near the Top 20. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up in the Top 10 in record time.

– Without Me by Halsey entering the Top 10 is not very pleasing for me to see. It’s a shame to see this song become more successful when she has done better. I would much prefer if Eastside would take its place, but it’s very unlikely.

– As far as the Top 5 goes, we have Breathin’ hitting a new peak at #2, which isn’t surprising. But then, we have High Hopes now in the Top 5 as well. This would seem unimaginable about a few months ago. My, how things have changed since then. It’s unfortunate that neither of them will make the Year-End list for this year, but they’ll be there next year I’m sure.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Tequila by Dan + Shay
• 8 Letters by Why Don’t We
• Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Now Or Never by Halsey
• Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
• Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift
• I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
• Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Camila Cabello
• Thunder by Imagine Dragons
• Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine
• Cake By The Ocean by DNCE
• Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
• I Like Me Better by Lauv
• Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo

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

1 – Bad:
18. Without Me by Halsey

2 – Mediocre:
17. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
16. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.
15. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee

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. Consequences by Camila Cabello
9. Better Now by Post Malone
8. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
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. 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: 79/100 = 79% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson (2004)

Most Missed Song: Lights by Ellie Goulding

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

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. Thunderclouds by LSD
4. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
5. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Dusk Till Dawn by ZAYN featuring Sia: To this day, I still think it’s ZAYN’s best song. The vocal chemistry between him and Sia is just phenomenal. Honestly, I wish the song was bigger than what it deserved.
End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future: I would never thought of the idea that Taylor and Ed would collaborate with Future, but I’m kinda glad it turned out pretty well. Too bad it ended up not being a huge success.