Halsey (2) – Week Of January 19, 2019

/ dhill92

What’s up, guys? My plan right now is that next week, I’ll be doing the reveals for the rankdown involving Hits 1’s Top 45 of 2018. My goal is to start on Monday night because that’s when I’m not all that busy. Hopefully, it’ll all be finished by the end of this month, or maybe sooner. I’m sure it’ll be a whole lot of fun. Anyway, here’s the Hits 1 Countdown post for this MLK Jr. Holiday weekend. So, TWENTY ØNE PILØTS were the guest hosts for the Weekend Countdown in place of Spyder Harrison. I thought they did a nice job hosting. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs leaving us this week:

  • The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#38)
  • Olly Murs featuring Snoop Dogg – Moves (#39)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Halsey – Without Me
45. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#45) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
44. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#44) [=] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
43. George Ezra – Shotgun (#43) [=]
42. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (DEBUT)
41. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#41) [=]
40. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#40) [=]
39. Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way (#31) [–8]
38. Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me (#42) [+4]
37. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#36) [–1]
36. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#37) [+1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
35. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me (#34) [–1]
34. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#35) [+1]
33. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#32) [–1]
32. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#29) [–3]
31. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely (DEBUT)
30. lovelytheband – Broken (#24) [–6]
29. Camila Cabello – Consequences (#26) [–3]
28. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#10) [–18]
27. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#25) [–2]
26. James Arthur – Empty Space (#22) [–4]
25. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (#30) [+5]
24. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#8) [–16]
23. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations (#23) [=]
22. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#33) [+11]
21. Khalid – Better (#28) [+7]
20. Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (#19) [–1]
19. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#11) [–8]
18. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#16) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
17. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#13) [–4]
16. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#20) [+4]
15. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone (#15) [=]
14. Imagine Dragons – Machine (#27) [+13]
13. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#17) [+4]
12. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#18) [+6]
11. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#21) [+10]
10. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#12) [+2]
9. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#9) [=]
8. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#14) [+6]
7. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#7) [=]
6. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#5) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#6) [+1]
4. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#4) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#3) [=] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#2) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
1. Halsey – Without Me (#1) [=] [2nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Imagine Dragons – Thunder (4th of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (–18)
Biggest Jump Of The Week: Imagine Dragons – Machine (+13)
New Entrants:
– This week, we have two new songs entering the countdown. We’ll begin with Jennifer Lopez (or J-Lo as some call her) with Limitless, which is the single from the Second Act movie soundtrack. You’ve probably have heard it as a countdown extra prior to two weeks ago. Now that it’s here, I’m going to give my take on this. Hearing this song, it’s definitely amazing in every sense of the word. J-Lo has a great voice and she uses it very well in the song. I absolutely love the chorus build-up leading up to it. The production is top-notch across the board, and that includes the great piano work. Yeah, this is just a awesome song overall.
– Our second debut comes from Alessia Cara with Trust My Lonely, which is from her new album The Pains Of Growing. Now, she did have Growing Pains which I loved and I placed it on My Top 50 Songs of 2018. But Trust My Lonely is a different story. The song is just not good. Alessia sounds decent in some parts of the song. But her verses don’t have any momentum whatsoever and she doesn’t really shine in the chorus. But my biggest problem is the production is weird (the bad kind of weird) and a little out of place. There are also some questionable lyrics that I won’t go deep into right now. So overall, I’m not a big fan, and this is coming from someone who enjoys songs like Scars To Your Beautiful, Here, and Stay. This is probably one of her worst singles to date. I’m really disappointed in you, Alessia.

Best Debut Of The Week: Jennifer Lopez – Limitless

Hey Now, You’re A Blurb Star
– So, we have two exits this week. First off, Side Effects had a relatively nice run considering it was not very popular elsewhere. It did make the Hits 1 Year-End list for 2018, so that’s saying something. Moves definitely left too early. It’s pretty sad that Olly Murs is severely underrated because he has plenty of good music. Moves just happens to be one of those songs. It’ll sorely be missed by me.

– This seemingly endless run of Love Lies continues as it has jumped back into the Top 5. I do still like the song, so I’m not complaining. At this rate, the song could potentially last a year on the countdown, though that might be a stretch.

– I’m not too thrilled about Let Me Down Slowly entering the Top 10. I’ll admit that the production is nice, but I can’t get on board with Alec’s voice. He sounds too childish. There are much better songs that are worthy to be in the Top 10 than this (including a certain song that just missed out this week, if you know what I’m talking about).

– Speaking of jumps, we have Machine which of course takes a big jump this week despite how horrific the song is. I have a bad feeling it may end up being successful on the countdown. I hope I’m wrong.

– The Last Of The Real Ones finally took a massive drop after spending a seemingly long time in the Top 10. It had a great run for a song from Fall Out Boy. Though, I do still expect it to stick around for a little longer.

– On that note, Body Talks also drops out of the Top 10, which is saddening. But at the same time, I can’t be surprised about this given that the song isn’t exactly popular. Still, I enjoy that song a lot. Too bad it won’t be much longer with us.

– Yes, you saw that correctly. After much thought, I can say that Sunflower is my new favorite song on the countdown. I normally don’t say that about Post Malone given that I’m still not sold on his music. But Sunflower has been getting better with each listen.

Hit-Bound:

  • Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999
  • Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire (DEBUT)
  • Dean Lewis – Be Alright
  • Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip
  • Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe
  • Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
  • Lauren Daigle – You Say
  • Jake Miller – Wait For You (DEBUT)
  • Post Malone – Wow.
  • Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me
  • lovelytheband – Maybe, I’m Afraid
  • Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You
  • Pitbull featuring Rhea – Ocean To Ocean
  • Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
  • Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode

Entrant Reviews:
– Okay, so we get the return of The Weeknd once more. And this time around, he’s collaborating with a new EDM artist whose name is Gesaffelstein, in their single Lost In The Fire. I don’t exactly know who Gessafflestein is. But he made a good first impression in this song. His work here is just awesome. The Weeknd shines as always with his voice. I’ll save most of my words for when it inevitably debuts.
– Next, we have Jake Miller with his single, Wait For You. He’s had quite a few songs on the YouTube 15, including this one. I briefly talked about Wait For You last month when it was trending on the YouTube 15. To recap, I’m not big on the production. It’s a little too basic and the lyrics are left to be desired. I do like his voice though.
My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
2. Lauren Daigle – You Say
3. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
4. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
5. Dean Lewis – Be Alright

YouTube 15:

  • Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
  • Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
  • Kehlani featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Nights Like This
  • Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
  • Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
  • Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
  • Loren Gray – Queen
  • Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
  • The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
  • Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
  • Billie Eilish – When I Was Older
  • Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
  • Mike Posner – Move On
  • Halsey – Without Me
  • Calvin Harris featuring Rag’N’Bone Man – Giant

Song Reviews:
– First, we have Kehlani who teams up with Ty Dolla $ign in her new single titled Nights Like This. I like Kehlani as an artist. I’ve enjoyed a few songs such as Good Life (with G-Eazy) and Done For Me (with Charlie Puth). This is no exception. In fact, this is probably the best thing she’s been a part of. I love Kehlani’s voice overall. She is very talented and she uses it well in the song. I really like the verses from Ty Dolla $ign. The production here is pretty neat and above my expectations. Yeah, this is just divine all around.

– Next, Loren Gray has her new single, Queen. Not a whole lot I can say about this except that I do like the song. I thought Loren sounds good in the song and the production is nice. So yeah, it’s quite enjoyable to some degree.

– I know some people will disagree with me on this, but I actually like Billie Eilish. I think she is very unique artist. Here, she gives us When I Was Older. It may seem like a snoozefest on paper. But when I actually listened to song in full, I was pulled in. Billie has a interesting voice and she uses it well here. Overall, it’s a good song.

– Finally, we get yet another single from Calvin Harris. This time, he’s collaborating with Rag’N’Bone Man in Giant. Those who remember Rag’N’Bone Man should know that he had Human a couple years back. I enjoyed that song quite a lot even though it was severely underrated. I really like his contribution here overall. Calvin knows how to work his magic and here, he does well as a DJ. Yeah, I’m a big fan of this.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Kehlani featuring Ty Doll $ign – Nights Like This
2. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
3. Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
4. Billie Eilish – When I Was Older
5. Calvin Harris featuring Rag’N’Bone Man – Giant

Top 20 Review:
0 – Appalling:
20. Imagine Dragons – Machine

1 – Bad:
19. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
18. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly

2 – Mediocre:
17. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine

3 – Decent:
16. Anne-Marie – 2002
15. Halsey – Without Me

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

5 – Divine:
12. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. Imagine Dragons – Natural
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. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
2. Dan + Shay – Tequila

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower

Overall Grade: 79/100 = 79% (C+)

Throwback Picks Of The Week: Smash Mouth – All Star (1999) and Tal Bachman – She’s So High (1999)

Most Missed Countdown Song: TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Tear In My Heart

 Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: BØRNS – Electric Love

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Maren Morris – Girl

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Kesha – Praying (#36) and Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (Remix) (#33)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
2. Dan + Shay – Tequila
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
4. Dan + Shay – Speechless
5. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me

I Wish These Would Leave Soon
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. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Maroon 5 – Wait: This song, along with most of the singles from Red Pill Blues, shows how much Maroon 5 has evolved for the worse. There’s no band here, and I don’t like the use of the trap skitters. You can clearly tell that Adam Levine has essentially taken over the band. They’re all about him, and nothing more.

QOTW: Ariana has just released another new single, 7 Rings? How do you feel about this and why?

15 thoughts on “Halsey (2) – Week Of January 19, 2019”

  2. I hope the exit next week are Girl Like You, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Say Amen (Saturday Night), There’s No Way, Shotgun, & The Middle and the entrants to be Sue Me, 1999, Tell Me It’s Over, Lost In The Fire, Miss Me More, & Be Alright.

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  3. QOTW: 7 Rings is just amazing. I said that in one of my blurbs in the post. It’s such a mesmerizing song. It’s my new favorite song right now. It just don’t get all the hate. I really think that Ariana sounds very unique here. I really hope Hits 1 picks it up.

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