Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Olly Murs featuring Snoop Dogg – Moves (–18)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (+15)

New Entrants:
– To kick off our first new debuts for the new year, we have the country duo Dan + Shay bringing us their second song on the countdown, and a good one at that. It is titled Speechless. I’ve made it no secret that I’ve started to adore these guys, especially after hearing Tequila. They both have amazing voices and they’re definitely talented songwriters. Speechless is just as good, if not better, than it’s predecessor. The song opens up with the nice piano and the divine vocals we get from Shay. I knew then and there that this would turn out to be a good song right from the jump. Sure enough, I was proven right. I love the creativity put into the lyrical content. There’s a music video for the song, which basically shows the wedding between the couple. I talked about Ed Sheeran – Perfect when I placed it on my best list for 2018 and I said that I wanted that to be our song when I someday get married. Now, I can add Speechless to that list of songs as well. Yeah, everything about it is just divine. Dan + Shay have become one of my favorite country artists at this moment, along with Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini (she also has a song on Hit-Bound, which we’ll get to later on). I hope to see it last long.

– I remember Zara Larsson from Never Forget You back in 2016. That one was a huge favorite of mine. This week, she makes her return with her latest single titled Ruin My Life. I’ll make this simple: it’s not as good as Never Forget You. But I still like the song overall. Zara sounds good with her voice. Sure, she doesn’t quite shine in the chorus. But she shows how talented she is. The production is solid across the board, and I like the lyrics. I don’t really have too much else to say about it. It’s a good song and Zara deserves some success.

– Next up, we have more of Khalid with his latest single, Better. As I talked about in my Year-End posts, Khalid has potential and he showed me that he has a nice voice. His performance in Love Lies is an example of that. But here, it’s quite a different story, at least as of this moment. The production is interesting in some way, and I do kinda like the lyrics. However, I’m not particularly sold on Khalid’s voice. I feel like he didn’t show his potential vocally. Maybe it’s just me. I can see myself growing into the song, but it probably won’t stick with me in the long run.

– Finally, we have more Imagine Dragons…and to be blunt, this is not what I had hoped for. They brings us my least favorite single from these guys, by the name of Machine. I have an interesting relationship with Imagine Dragons as far as their latest music goes. Having listened to the entirety of Evolve, I can say that it wasn’t really that good of an album. But I did enjoyed songs like Believer, Walking The Wire, Whatever It Takes, and to an extent Thunder (although I did lose interest in that one with time). Then came Natural, which I still love to this day. But when it comes to Origins, it’s pretty bad overall. And unfortunately, they chose to release the worst single from the album, Machine. The production is scrambled in more ways than one. Alex da Kid is the one who worked on the production, and he failed miserably. And to think this is the same guy behind my favorite songs such as Love The Way You Lie, Airplanes, and Renegades. Dan Reynolds’s obnoxious yelling turns me off. Like I’m not even kidding. It is TORTURE to my ears. I may have liked it in songs like Natural, where he sounds good hitting those high notes. But here, he sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Simply put, this song is just a mess. It’s extremely disappointing to say that about Imagine Dragons because I really like those guys. I had better hope it doesn’t last very long and become another hit.

Best Debut Of The Week: Dan + Shay – Speechless

I’m Blurbless
– As I do every single week, I always start with the exits. This new year will be no different. So, I Wanna Know was overdue for some time. I liked it when it was brand new, but overtime I lost interest and it kinda got on my nerves after a while. My Blood wasn’t really destined to last. Beautiful was a nice collaboration between Bazzi and Camila. But I do wish that one had more success. I think it’s slightly better than that of its predecessor. Finally, we have the departure of Nervous, which wasn’t really interesting to me. I’m kinda glad that one didn’t end up getting as big. There are better songs from that album of his.

– Are you kidding me? Moves takes a gigantic drop this week. It’s sad to see songs of this caliber become underrated. Olly Murs deserves better. And on that note, he does have another new song of his, but we’ll get to that later on.

– Before introducing Side Effects, Spyder Harrison mentioned that The Chainsmokers celebrated the new year by going to a theme park. That sounds like a lot of fun.

– Before introducing Close To Me, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Ellie Goulding’s addiction to exercising has left her miserable. Yeah, I get that exercising is good for everyone’s health. But I guess the reason why she feels that way is because she probably does too much of it. I exercise quite a bit and I feel okay.

– Don’t Leave Me Alone decides to jump into the Top 20 this week. I don’t really love the song like that, but I still think it’s better than anything Anne-Marie has been a part of recently (well, save for a couple of songs I won’t mention).

– So, I recently watched parodies of Thank U, Next and I thought they were pretty funny. I think the one from James Corden is probably the one I liked. Yeah, there were some funny moments.

– Speaking of Anne-Marie, 2002 has been in the Top 10 for quite a while now. I’m starting to lose interest in the song now. I thought it was worthwhile, but I feel like the song is missing something that makes it a fun listen for me. One thing’s for sure though: it’s way better than one certain song.

– We get a new #1 that I’m 100% sure MANY are not very thrilled about (and I emphasized the word, “many”), and I should be too. But unlike most of you, I don’t really hate Without Me that much. Well, not to the point where I’d have it green (because it’s nowhere close to that), but I actually find it tolerable now. I’ll certainly take it over a certain song on Hit-Bound, which we’ll get to in just a moment.

Hit-Bound:

• Post Malone – Wow. (DEBUT)
• Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me (DEBUT)
• lovelytheband – Maybe, I’m Afraid
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Killer Queen
• Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999
• Seeb featuring Bastille – Grip
• Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More (DEBUT)
• Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You
• Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
• Pitbull featuring Rhea – Ocean To Ocean
• Dean Lewis – Be Alright
• Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe
• Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely
• Lauren Daigle – You Say
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode (DEBUT)

YouTube 15:

• Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
• Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
• Olly Murs – Excuses
• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
• Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
• Backstreet Boys – No Place
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
• Lost Kings featuring Wiz Khalifa and Social House – Don’t Kill My High
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• Galantis featuring Sofia Carson – San Francisco
• Halsey – Without Me
• Mike Posner – Move On

Song Reviews:
– Alright, so we have some new music trending on the YouTube 15 to start the new year. We’ll begin with Olly Murs with his new single titled Excuses. I love his voice throughout the song and the lyrical content is well-written. I love the piano work in this one. Overall, it’s a good song. Olly has impressed me yet again.

– We have more of the Backstreet Boys with their new single, No Place, as they give us a glimpse of their upcoming album DNA, which comes out later this month. It’s not as good as its predecessor, but it shows that these guys haven’t lost a step. Their vocals are good, the lyrics are solid, and the production is top-notch. Those who like it can explain it more in detail better than I can. But to put it short, it’s another great song by these guys.

– Next, there’s Lost Kings who is collaborating with Wiz Khalifa and Social House in their new single, Don’t Kill My High. I actually like this one. I thought Wiz Khalifa sounded decent here. Lost Kings did a nice job with the production. Yeah, this is something worthwhile.

– Up next, we have EDM producer Galantis and singer Sofia Carson bringing us one of the worst songs in the EDM genre, in the form of San Francisco. I’m going to be straight up and say that the song sucks. The production is way too basic, especially for Galantis. Sofia does not sound good here. She is drenched in auto-tune and in some parts of the song, her voice is grating. It’s sad for me to say this because Sofia has some music that I kinda like. The song is shit, and it makes it seems like Galantis is selling out just to go mainstream. I’m sure some here are saying the same about Zedd, but I still hold a 100% unpopular opinion on songs like Stay, The Middle, and Happy Now. But unfortunately, San Francisco is a different story. I don’t think there are any redeeming qualities to the song.

– Finally, we have Mike Posner with Move On. Right off the bat, it’s a bit of a step up from Song About You, which didn’t really have much to it. I love the beat and Mike sounds good with his voice. The guitars and instruments are put to great use. Overall, it’s a great song. While it’s not nearly as good as I Took A Pill In Ibiza, it’s still something enjoyable.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
2. Backstreet Boys – No Place
3. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
4. Olly Murs – Excuses
5. Mike Posner – Move On

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
None!

1 – Bad:
20. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
19. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

2 – Mediocre:
18. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
17. Halsey – Without Me

3 – Decent:
16. Anne-Marie – 2002

4 – Good:
15. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
14. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone

5 – Great:
13. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
12. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
11. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
10. Imagine Dragons – Natural
9. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
7. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
6. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
5. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks
3. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
2. Dan + Shay – Tequila

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

Overall Grade: 83/100 = 83% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: David Bowie – Fame (1975)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Eminem featuring Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Demi Lovato – Stone Cold

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Kesha – Praying (#33) and Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (#30)

My Top 5 Picks
1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
2. Dan + Shay – Speechless
3. Dan + Shay – Tequila
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
5. Ariana Grande – Breathin’

Why Couldn’t You Guys Leave Instead?
1. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
2. Imagine Dragons – Machine
3. Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way
4. James Arthur – Empty Space
5. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I: I really enjoyed this when it was new, but I stopped caring for it mainly because G-Eazy and Halsey are no longer a couple. But I do still kinda liked the duet between the two.
Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (Remix): Ah, yes. Bruno Mars’s last stand in the 24K Magic era. I love the new jack swing it brings, and Cardi B adds life to the remix. In addition, the music video parodies In Living Color. Yeah, that was cool.
Justin Timberlake – Filthy: This comeback single from Justin Timberlake had everyone split down the middle. Me personally, I never really hate it. But it is weird in every possible way. I do kinda like the Prince vibes.