Hello, fam! I am happy to announce that I haven’t forgotten about my rankdown involving the 2012 Billboard Year-End List. The deadline to send me your submissions will be at the end of March. I’ll change the date if I have to. We’ll see. So, we have another shake-up in this week’s countdown. We did get rid of some trash and replaced it with some good stuff. And all of that includes a return from certain acts we haven’t heard from in quite a while. You’ll see what I’m talking about as I review the whole countdown. Let’s get into it! Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• James Arthur – Empty Space (#26)
• Imagine Dragons – Machine (#38)
• Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (#42)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
45. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#44) [–1]
44. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (#40) [–4]
43. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#45) [+2]
42. Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode (#37) [–5]
41. lovelytheband – Broken (#41) [=]
40. Jake Miller – Wait For You (#30) [–10]
39. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#36) [–3]
38. George Ezra – Shotgun (#43) [+5]
37. Zedd featuring Katy Perry – 365 (DEBUT)
36. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#33) [–4]
35. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More (DEBUT)
34. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#35) [+1]
33. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (#29) [–4]
32. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (#32) [=]
31. Cardi B featuring Bruno Mars – Please Me (DEBUT)
30. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#31) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
29. Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999 (#25) [–4]
28. Lauren Daigle – You Say (#20) [–8]
27. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone (#23) [–4]
26. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#19) [–7]
25. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#24) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
24. Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe (#15) [–9]
23. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#16) [–7]
22. Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me (#34) [+12]
21. Dean Lewis – Be Alright (#22) [+1]
20. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#13) [–7]
19. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#39) [+20]
18. Khalid – Better (#28) [+10]
17. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over (#18) [+1]
16. Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip (#27) [+11]
15. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#12) [–3]
14. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#17) [+3]
13. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (#21) [+8]
12. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#5) [–7] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
11. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#10) [–1]
10. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#8) [–2]
9. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#14) [+5]
8. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#11) [+3]
7. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#7) [=]
6. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#2) [–4] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
5. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#9) [+4]
4. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#4) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Halsey – Without Me (#3) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#6) [+4]
1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#1) [=] [6^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (1^st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Jake Miller – Wait For You (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (+20)

New Entrants:
– We have three new songs entering the countdown this week. To begin, we have the return of a act who was behind my #1 favorite song of 2018, Zedd. And he teams up with one of my favorite artists of the decade, Katy Perry, in their new single debuting straight to the countdown this week titled 365. For those who have been following my blog since the beginning, I hold the 100% unpopular opinion on liking songs such as Stay, The Middle, and Happy Now. I enjoyed those songs overall despite what others think when it comes to Zedd selling out and what not. My expectations were pretty high coming into the song. When I listened to it in its entirety, I can say that it’s pretty divine. Yeah, it may not have some of the interesting stuff such as the ticking clock, which was used in Stay and The Middle. But the rest of the production is good. I like Katy’s voice throughout the song and she shines in the chorus. Overall, it’s definitely a great song that Zedd has put out.

– Kelsea Ballerini showed me that she’s a good singer in This Feeling, which reigns at the top for the second week in a row. But let’s talk about her solo music. This week, she brings us Miss Me More. Everything about the song works well. I like the production and the beat is really catchy. Kelsea sounds amazing and it shows why she is a good singer overall. The lyrical content is solid. I definitely love the song. Kelsea has impressed me once more.

– Finally, we get another collaboration between Cardi B and Bruno Mars. Last year, they gave us my #8 song of 2018 in the form of Finesse. This time, they have a new single together, titled Please Me. This song came out of nowhere, having just released this past week and thus would go straight to the countdown, much like 365. Apparently, these two songs just don’t have time to spend a week on Hit-Bound. Anyway, onto the song itself. I’m going to give it to you straight and say that it’s a step down from Finesse. But that doesn’t make it bad per se. I do like this, mainly because of Bruno’s voice. It shows how talented he is as a singer. I also like Cardi B’s verses for the most part. The production is good, but I feel like it’s missing something and nothing about it really stands out. I’m not sure what it is. So yeah, it’s definitely not as good as Finesse, but it’s something that I can enjoy.

Best Debut Of The Week: Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More

But I Blurb Me More
– I can’t say any of our exits will be missed by me. Machine was just a mess all over and thankfully, it didn’t last very long. This was Imagine Dragons’s worst single and I genuinely hope to never hear something like this again. Empty Space was pretty bad as well. Although not nearly as annoying, I didn’t like what it had to offer and I’d prefer something along the lines of Say You Won’t Let Go, which I find to be decent even though it wasn’t any special. Lastly, there’s I Found You, which was a step down from its predecessor. I expected more out of the collaboration between both Benny Blanco and Calvin Harris, but it just didn’t click with me. So, I’m okay with it departing.

– Before introducing The Way I Am, Spyder Harrison mentioned the Charlie Puth has recently taken out his tonsils. I’ll bet it was painful. Hopefully, he feels better. And we see him eating some ice cream afterwards. That’s some good stuff!

– Nice to see Sicko Mode drop down to the Bottom 5. Hopefully this means it won’t be around for too much longer.

– On that note, Wait For You took a surprise biggest drop in its second week of its tenure. Yikes! Though I don’t really care for that song either, I have a feeling it may not last very long either.

– Who Do You Love would, of course, jump big into the Top 20 this week. Something tells me that Hits 1 is going to adore the song because they still love 5 Seconds Of Summer. We also get the entries from Better and Grip, both of which are pretty good songs, so I’m content with this.

– I don’t even want to talk about the other Top 20 entrant we get from the monstrosity that is of 7 Rings.

– For the first time in what feels like forever, Youngblood is not in the Top 10. What a run this song has had. Though, I think that had more to do with Who Do You Love being here now. I do have a feeling that the song may end up lasting a year, though that might be a stretch.

– In Top 5 news, we get the entry from Sweet But Psycho, and I’m certainly okay with that. And Panic! At The Disco have indeed replaced themselves at #2 with Hey Look Ma, I Made It, swapping places with High Hopes now at #6. Something tells me that it’ll end up at #1 soon. Whether it happens next week or the week after, we don’t know yet. We’ll just see how it plays out.

Hit-Bound:

• Kelsy Karter – Harry
• Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired
• Grandson – Apologize
• Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
• LSD featuring Lil Wayne – Genius (Remix)
• Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime
• Maren Morris – GIRL
• Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
• Madison Beer featuring Offset – Hurts Like Hell
• Post Malone – Wow.
• YUNGBLUD & Halsey featuring Travis Barker – 11 Minutes (DEBUT)
• Meghan Trainor – All The Ways
• Lil Peep featuring iLoveMakonnen and Fall Out Boy – I’ve Been Waiting
• Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
• lovelytheband – Maybe I’m Afraid

YouTube 15:

• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
• ONE OK ROCK – Wasted Nights
• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
• Andy Grammer – Don’t Give Up On Me
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• R3HAB featuring Icona Pop – This Is How We Party
• Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
• Gnash featuring Ruth B – Imagine If
• Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
• Julia Michaels featuring Selena Gomez – Anxiety
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• Bebe Rexha – Last Hurrah

Song Reviews:
– Remember ONE OK ROCK? Well, they’re back and this time they give us Wasted Nights. It’s pretty different from what they’ve released. The instrumentation is pretty solid and I like the vocals we get from those guys. Overall, it’s a good song.

– We still have the disaster that is of I’m A Mess on this countdown. But Bebe Rexha gives us something better in the form of her new single, Last Hurrah. Everything about the song works well. Bebe sounds better without her auto-tuned vocals. I love the production in this one as well. I really hope it debuts soon because this is just divine. I want to see that one become a success.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
2. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
3. Bebe Rexha – Last Hurrah
4. ONE OK ROCK – Wasted Nights
5. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower

Top 20 Review:
0 – Horrific:
20. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings

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

2 – Mediocre:
17. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
16. Anne-Marie – 2002 

3 – Decent:
15. Halsey – Without Me
14. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next

4 – Good:
13. Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip

5 – Great:
12. Khalid – Better
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
8. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
7. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love
6. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
5. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
3. Dan + Shay – Tequila

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

Overall Grade: 78/100 = 78% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: TLC – No Scrubs (1999)

Most Missed Countdown Song: B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams – Airplanes

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: MKTO – Superstitious

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Bebe Rexha – Last Hurrah

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#7) and Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (#1)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
TIE: 1. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
3. Dan + Shay – Tequila
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
5. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
2. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
3. Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
4. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
5. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy: To think I actually used to like the song. I remembered liking how they sounded similar to Tyler Joseph of TWENTY ØNE PILØTS. But not so much anymore. Nothing about the song appeals to me. This was also the first sign of how their music would turn out, up until we got Side Effects, which was good, and our two current representations on the countdown, which are even better.
The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me: Taken from the Black Panther movie soundtrack, this was probably one of the best collaborations we’ve had all of last year. The song reminds me of Starboy, which I also loved. Both of these guys sound good throughout the song, and I love the lyrics about being a hero and sacrificing for the world. I genuinely enjoyed the song from start to finish. I do hope Black Panther can win something at the Oscars.

QOTW: Cardi B and Bruno Mars make their comeback with Please Me. How do you feel about this?

Hello, guys! So, I’m currently working on two things: my review for the Grammy Music Awards, and the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 for 2018. I know I haven’t gotten those out yet, but I’ve been relatively busy lately. I just haven’t had the time. You’ll just have to bear with me for the time being. At least I have the AT40 countdown for you guys. Let’s get to that. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#27)
• Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#35)

0 – Garbage:

Hello, fam! Well, how about that! This was certainly an interesting week. Although our Top 5 remained the same, at least we got a very pleasant #1. Plus, we have new songs entering the countdown. This will be a lot of fun to talk about! I’m running out of words, so let’s just get right into it. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely (#30)
• Selena Gomez – Back To You (#36)
• Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (#38)
• Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#39) [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
• Pitbull featuring Rhea – Ocean To Ocean (#44)
• Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#45) [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Halsey – Without Me
45. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#43) [–2]
44. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#40) [–4]
43. George Ezra – Shotgun (#41) [–2]
42. Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (#22) [–20]
41. lovelytheband – Broken (#33) [–8]
40. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (#42) [+2]
39. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (DEBUT)
38. Imagine Dragons – Machine (#29) [–9]
37. Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode (DEBUT)
36. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#26) [–10]
35. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#37) [+2]
34. Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me (DEBUT)
33. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#35) [+2]
32. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (DEBUT)
31. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#31) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
30. Jake Miller – Wait For You (DEBUT)
29. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (#21) [–8]
28. Khalid – Better (#24) [–4]
27. Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip (#25) [–2]
26. James Arthur – Empty Space (#27) [+1]
25. Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999 (#28) [+3]
24. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#20) [–4] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
23. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone (#17) [–6]
22. Dean Lewis – Be Alright (#18) [–4]
21. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (DEBUT)
20. Lauren Daigle – You Say (#23) [+3]
19. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#15) [–4]
18. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over (#32) [+14]
17. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#19) [+2]
16. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#15) [–1]
15. Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe (#34) [+19]
14. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#13) [–1]
13. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#9) [–4]
12. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#16) [+4]
11. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#10) [–1]
10. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#8) [–2]
9. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#11) [+2]
8. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#7) [–1]
7. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#6) [–1]
6. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#12) [+6]
5. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#5) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#2) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Halsey – Without Me (#1) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#3) [+1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#4) [+3] [5^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Charlie Puth – How Long (2^nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (–20)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe (+19)

New Entrants:
– There are six debuts that I’ll be covering this week. So buckle up! First, we’ll start with a collaboration between two of Hits 1’s favorites: The Chainsmokers and 5 Seconds Of Summer in their brand new single, Who Do You Love. I never thought about these guys working together on this song. But I’m glad it turned out well. I initially thought it was just a good song. But with time, this just grew on me. The drop isn’t particularly amazing, but I do like it. The vocals are pretty solid and I love the chorus. The Chainsmokers did a nice job with the rest of the production. So yeah, this is definitely a awesome song and I would like to see it have some success, which it probably will (on Hits 1 at least).

– I wasn’t looking forward to what Travis Scott had to offer. But alas, here he is with Drake in Sicko Mode. That song has been around for a while and if you’ve read my posts, I pretty much explained why I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of his vocals. It is just terrible and it’s hard for me to understand the lyrics, which is bad as well. Drake didn’t make a good contribution at all. I don’t like his verse and he doesn’t sound good for the rest of the song. So yeah, it’s pretty bad. But sadly, I’d rather listen to that than our other debut, which we’ll get to in just a moment.

– Sabrina Carpenter makes her return this week, this time with Sue Me. Having listened to her music, I can say that I’m not too fond of what Sabrina has to offer. I’ll admit that she is getting better vocally. She sounds decent here. But my concern is that there’s really nothing I found interesting in the song. The production is pretty underwhelming. In a way, it kinda reminds me of Sorry Not Sorry. Also, something else about it just doesn’t click with me for some reason. I can’t say why. Overall, it’s okay but nothing memorable.

– Up next, Sam Smith returns with my favorite single from him. He collaborates with Normani in Dancing With A Stranger. This song got me hooked from the very first listen. For starters, the beat is really good and the production is divine. Sam’s soulful voice sounds great here in the song. Not only that, but we get Normani’s verse which is honestly just amazing. She’s easily the best part about the song. I think she has the best voice out of all the other members Fifth Harmony. I had thought Lauren Jauregui was the best. But since we’ve got more of Normani, my opinion has changed. Dancing With A Stranger is another example of why Normani is better. I love everything about the song in general. Here’s to hoping it does well.

– Jake Miller has been making music for a while and has had quite a few songs appear on the YouTube 15 before. This week, he makes his first appearance on the countdown, I believe, with Wait For You. I’ve come to find that Jake is a pretty solid vocalist when listening to his music. As far as this song goes, he sounds pretty decent here. But my concern is the production is a little weird and out of place, especially when we hit the chorus. The lyrical content is pretty questionable outside of a few lines. So yeah, I’m not a big fan of this. It’s not too far off from red, so it’ll possibly get there soon.

– Replacing herself this week, we have Ariana Grande with my least favorite single from her so far, titled 7 Rings. I went off in my recent posts as to why this song is garbage. I really like Ariana Grande and her music is just amazing. But unfortunately, 7 Rings is a much different story. The production is extremely underwhelming and the beat is not good at all. Ariana herself sounds pretty bad in the chorus. I also do not like the lyrics at all. It sounds like she’s all that and basically full of herself. I’m not sure what Ariana was going for here. But the bottom line is the song absolutely sucks. And it’s sad because I adore Ariana. Oh well.

Best Debut Of The Week: Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

What A Girl Blurbs
– We’re going to start things off with one of our exits. With In My Blood leaving us this week, that means we will not have a countdown with a song from Shawn Mendes for the first time in a long time. It all started with Treat You Better making its debut back in the summer of 2016, which was universally hated by many. Then came Mercy, which I genuinely loved. Then, we got There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, which was even better and would become a big hit for Shawn during the summer of 2017. After a long while, we got In My Blood, the lead single from his self-titled album, and a couple more after that (Lost In Japan and Nervous). The countdown run for Shawn Mendes, which lasted for two and a half years, was similar to the one Fall Out Boy had for about three years. I’m sure there are quite a few here who will be throwing a Shawn Mendes be-gone party. Something tells me we haven’t seem the last of him, because we’ll likely get more music from him soon. But for now, I’ll just say this. I pretty much enjoyed Shawn’s countdown run while it lasted. Goodbye, Shawn Mendes. It’s been a thrilling ride.

– As far as our remaining exits go, I actually kinda liked Ocean To Ocean. And although some are calling it a poor cover of Africa, I’m not necessarily among that crowd even though it was nowhere near Pitbull’s best. Trust My Lonely wasn’t really to my liking, so I’m happy about its departure. Back To You and Say Amen (Saturday Night) both had very good tenures, and they’ll be missed by me. Finally, we say goodbye to Breathin’. And that means that we also bid farewell to the Sweetener representations. I did enjoy the album quite a bit, and it had some good singles such as No Tears Left To Cry, and God Is A Woman. But Breathin’ was a highlight, and it’s sad that it didn’t quite get as big as I had hoped thanks to her latest album coming out so quickly. Farewell, Breathin’. It’s been real.

– Before introducing I’m A Mess, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Bebe Rexha had a difficult time finding a dress because of her size. Of course, she eventually found one and I must say, it was stunning.

– I Found You took a massive drop this week, which I’m okay with considering that the song isn’t anything interesting. Broken also made its way into the Bottom 5. The end is pretty much near for the song, but it had a nice run here.

– So, I would like to wish Khalid a Happy Birthday as he just celebrated one this week. He just recently released a new single, which we’ll get to later on.

– I had thought Hey Look Ma, I Made It would for sure enter the Top 5 considering it aired as Most Wutchuwanted during the week. But it just didn’t happen. I’m sure it’ll enter the Top 5 eventually considering that Hits 1 loves Panic! At The Disco.

– Despite the Top 5 remaining the same, it’s very nice to see This Feeling back at #1. It’s genuinely an amazing song. Hopefully this ends up holding at the top over Happier and Without Me, until we get some better music in the Top 5.

Hit-Bound:

• Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
• Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
• lovelytheband – Maybe, I’m Afraid
• Maren Morris – GIRL (DEBUT)
• Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
• Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime
• Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
• Post Malone – Wow.
• Grandson – Apologize
• Meghan Trainor – All The Ways (DEBUT)
• Lil Peep featuring iLoveMakonnen and Fall Out Boy – I’ve Been Waiting
• Madison Beer featuring Offset – Hurts Like Hell (DEBUT)
• Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired
• LSD featuring Lil Wayne – Genius (Remix) (DEBUT)
• Kelsy Karter – Harry (DEBUT)

Entrant Reviews:
– Alright. So, we have another big shake-up on Hit-Bound this week. We’ll start with the song that is finally here! Maren Morris makes her return with her new single, GIRL! I’ve made my thoughts very clear on the song when it was on the YouTube 15 a month ago. This song is amazing. I love Maren’s voice as always and the production is solid. Everything about it just clicks with me. Here’s to hoping it debuts soon.

– Next, we have the return of Meghan Trainor with All The Ways. I enjoyed this when it was new and I still do now. I love Meghan’s voice throughout the whole song. Hopefully, it ends up debuting soon.

– Madison Beer makes her return with Hurts Like Hell. This was also on the YouTube 15 a while ago and I explained my thoughts on the song. There’s nothing really interesting about it. I don’t like her voice in this one and the beat isn’t too good. I kinda liked Home With You to an extent. This one…not so much.

– Oh boy. We have the group LSD who make their return with the remix to Genius. LSD has not been impressive since they gave me Thunderclouds, which was terrible. I’m not very fond of Genius either. I’ll admit it’s better than Thunderclouds, but there’s a lot I don’t like about this one. The production is not as annoying, but Sia and Labrinth don’t sound good with their vocals. I’m not big on Lil Wayne’s verses in the remix either. So yeah, this song is just not good overall.

– Finally, we have newcomer Kelsy Karter with Harry. Not too much I can say about this one, beside the fact that the music video resembles something from the 60’s and 70’s. I like what it’s going for in terms of the production, and Kelsy’s voice is okay. I don’t have much of an opinion on this one since I listened to it once.

Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Maren Morris – GIRL

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Maren Morris – GIRL
2. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
3. Meghan Trainor – All The Ways
4. Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
5. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

YouTube 15:

• Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
• Julia Michaels featuring Selena Gomez – Anxiety
• Bazzi – 3:15
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Ally Brooke featuring Tyga – Low Key
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• R3HAB featuring Icona Pop – This Is How We Party
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
• Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
• Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
• Julia Michaels featuring Niall Horan – What A Time
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• Khalid – Talk

Song Reviews:
– To start things off, Bazzi has a song that’s been around for a while, titled 3:15. It’s another short song, clocking in at under 3 minutes. But this is pretty good. I like the beat here and Bazzi sounds good with his voice. That’s all I can say for this one.

– Remember Icona Pop who gave us their biggest hit I Love It? Well, guess what? They’re back, and they collaborate with R3HAB in This Is How We Party. Right off the bat, this is pretty solid. The production is pretty good and I like the vocals we get from both Caroline and Aino. Not too much else I can say beyond that. Overall, it’s a fun song.

– Although I’m not too fond of what Julia Michaels has to offer, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t made some good music. In fact, she brings me one of her best songs on the YouTube 15 this week. She collaborates with Niall Horan in What A Time. I think Julia sounds good here. She doesn’t crack her voice and she shows what she is capable of. I also like the guitar and the verses we get from Niall. It’s a good song overall for the most part.

– Finally, we have Khalid who just recently celebrated his birthday this week with his latest single, Talk. Based off of the first listen, I’m not exactly feeling the song too much. I like Khalid’s voice, but something about the production doesn’t quite work well for me. I can picture myself growing into it, though. 

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
2. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend 
3. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
4. Julia Michaels featuring Niall Horan – What A Time
5. Bazzi – 3:15

Top 20 Review:
0 – Horrific:
None!

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

2 – Mediocre:
18. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
17. Anne-Marie – 2002 

3 – Decent:
16. Halsey – Without Me
15. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
14. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
13. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
12. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
11. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
10. Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe
9. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
8. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
7. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
6. Dan + Shay – Speechless
5. Dan + Shay – Tequila
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
3. Lauren Daigle – You Say

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Christina Aguilera – What A Girl Wants (1999)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Demi Lovato – Give Your Heart A Break

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Carly Rae Jepsen – Run Away With Me

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Avril Lavigne featuring Nicki Minaj – Dumb Blonde

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Kesha – Praying (#39) and Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (Remix) (#14)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
TIE: 1. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
3. Lauren Daigle – You Say
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
5. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
2. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
3. Imagine Dragons – Machine
4. Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
5. James Arthur – Empty Space

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton – Say Something: Easily the best song from Man Of The Woods. The country vibe is just phenomenal and we get more singing from Justin, which was great. 
Troye Sivan – My My My!: It was this time last year that Troye made his comeback with this song. I love the groove and Troye’s smooth voice works well here. Too bad it didn’t end up becoming successful as I wanted it to be.
AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up: My least favorite song of 2018, and for a very good reason. This song is another example of why I don’t like AJR. It may not be as bad as their other singles objectively, but it’s still relatively annoying in some way.

QOTW: What are you overall thoughts on the awards for the Grammys? And what about the performances?

Hello, fam! I hope everyone here had a good Valentine’s Day yesterday. We’re approaching warmer weather as we draw towards next month. I’m sure many here are looking forward to that, and I am too. This cold weather is just tiring. Anyway, let’s get right into the AT40 this week. As far as the countdown went, it was okay. I’m not crazy about some of the moves. But at least we’re gettting activity, so that’s something I guess. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Consequences by Camila Cabello (#35)

Hello, fam! So, I was able to watch the Grammy Music Awards yesterday (although I did have to record it because I was somewhat busy). I thought it was a good show overall. I’m planning on doing a review of all the performances, as well as my thoughts on the awards being given out. It should be ready later this week. I also have some other stuff that I desperately need to catch up on, such as the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 for 2018 and tying up some loose ends. You’ll just have to bear with me for the time being. In the meantime, here’s the AT40 post. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Back To You by Selena Gomez (#31)
• Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#40) [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande
40. Mine by Bazzi (#37) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
39. There’s No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels (#39) [=]
38. Love Someone by Lukas Graham (#38) [=]
37. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#34) [–4]
36. Let You Love Me by Rita Ora (#36) [=]
35. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#15) [–20]
34. Wake Up In The Sky by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black (#35) [+1]
33. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#28) [–5]
32. 8 Letters by Why Don’t We (#33) [+1]
31. MIA by Bad Bunny featuring Drake (#32)
30. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#27) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
29. Wow. by Post Malone (#32) [+3]
28. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (DEBUT)
27. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#29) [+2]
26. Lie by NF (#24) [–2]
25. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#27) [+2]
24. Broken by lovelytheband (#22) [–2]
23. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#25) [+2]
22. Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd (DEBUT)
21. Tequila by Dan + Shay (#23) [+2]
20. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson (#21) [+1]
19. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#17) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
18. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus (#20) [+2]
17. Better by Khalid (#19) [+2]
16. Better Now by Post Malone (#14) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
15. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#18) [+3]
14. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#11) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
13. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#16) [+3]
12. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#13) [+1]
11. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#9) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #10
10. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#12) [+2]
9. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#10) [+1]
8. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#7) [–1]
7. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#8) [+1]
6. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#6) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#4) [–1]
4. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#5) [+1]
3. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#2) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
2. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#1) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. Without Me by Halsey (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (2^nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Consequences by Camila Cabello (–20)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Wow. by Post Malone, Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B, and Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (+3)

New Entrants:
– To kick things off, we have Ariana Grande who recently released her new album Thank U, Next, with my least favorite single from her in the form of 7 Rings. If you’ve read my Hits 1 countdown post for last week, then you’ve seen me go off on this song when it made its debut on Hit-Bound. To recap, Ariana sounds underwhelming as a whole. Also, she can be pretty annoying with her verses. The beat is absolute shit across the board and the rest of the production is not good whatsoever. Looking at the lyrics, it feels like she’s become conceited and full of herself. That doesn’t sound like her. Basically, the lyrics are asinine and pointless. I know Ariana is very good at her songwriting. But she does not show her capabilities at all in any part of the song. I can’t think of a single good line that I find to be appealing. So yeah, as someone who absolutely adores Ariana, this is a huge disappointment for her. I originally thought Everyday was her weakest single, although that one had more to do with Future than Ariana because I thought she sounded decent. But I had no idea what we were getting until we got this mess of a song. And now that it’s here, it’s pretty much a lock for My Bottom 10 Songs of 2019. Thus, I’m not thrilled to see it become a #1 hit on Billboard. Honestly, as much as many people here absolutely despise our current #1 song on the AT40 (which I’ll talk about in just a moment), I’d rather listen to that than this any day. Yes, even Sicko Mode even though I’m not fond of the song at all either. But 7 Rings is just the bottom falling out of Ariana Grande’s music. This is not a good direction for her. I know Ariana is definitely capable of better.

– Thankfully though, we get a second debut that is MUCH better than the one I just talked about. We get the return of The Weeknd once more, and he teams up with an EDM artist named Gesafflestein in Lost In The Fire. This is something enjoyable. First off, I love The Weeknd’s voice. He knows just how to use it well, and that’s something that I’ve been saying with most of his music. I enjoyed songs like In The Night, The Hills, Can’t Feel My Face, and some more songs I won’t mention right now. Gesafflestein did a nice job with his work as a DJ. He puts forth the effort in the production. In a way, it reminds me of the singles from Starboy, which I genuinely loved. Yeah, this is just a good song overall. The Weeknd has impressed me once again.

Best Debut Of The Week: Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd

Blurbs In The Fire
– As far as our exits go, Psycho was long overdue. While the wasn’t as annoying as its predecessors before this, it was still underwhelming as a whole. I’m glad it’s finally gone. Back To You was something I enjoyed and it had a nice run on the countdown. I’m glad it was pretty successful. That song will be missed by me.

– Much to the displeasure of many people here, Without Me is #1. I will just say that I don’t hate this song at all anymore, but it does pale in comparison to some of the songs Halsey has released. I would prefer if a song like Eastside make it to #1 soon.

– This Feeling goes into the Top 10. The song’s success is quite surprising, considering it’s not that big of a hit elsewhere. But I’m happy regardless. It’s easily the best thing these guys have put out since Closer. It’s momentum may not last too long however, because they’ve just recently released their collaboration with 5 Seconds Of Summer, which we may see on the countdown soon.

– Consequences took a massive fall this week. Yikes! I do like the song, though I won’t be too sad about it leaving soon. But seeing it take this big of a drop is hard to watch.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Hurts Like Hell by Madison Beer featuring Offset
• My Blood by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
• You Say by Lauren Daigle

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes
• Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper
• Sorry by Justin Bieber
• Don’t Wanna Know by Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Good For You by Selena Gomez featuring ASAP Rocky
• One Dance by Drake featuring WizKid and Kyla
• New Rules by Dua Lipa
• Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash
• Don’t by Ed Sheeran
• Believer by Imagine Dragons

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
19. Taki Taki by Dj Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

1 – Bad:
18. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
16. Without Me by Halsey

4 – Good:
15. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande

5 – Great:
14. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
13. Better by Khalid
12. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson
11. Better Now by Post Malone
10. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
7. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
6. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
4. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
3. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Total Score: 82/100 = 82% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Open Arms by Journey (1982)

Most Missed Song: Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: GIRL by Maren Morris

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B (#13)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
3. Tequila by Dan + Shay
4. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
5. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
2. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
3. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
4. There’s No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels
5. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Beautiful Trauma by P!NK: It may not be a stand-out from P!NK, but it was something I genuinely loved. And the music video was pretty cool, in part because it featured actor Channing Tatum.
Wait by Maroon 5: Again, this song shows just how much Maroon 5 has changed for the worse. It’s mediocre in terms of the production, especially because there’s no band here. At least this wasn’t performed at the Super Bowl Halftime show.
I Miss You by Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels: This is probably the best song Julia Michaels has been a part of. We truly got to see what she is capable of here. It’s sad that this never ended up become the hit I wanted it to be.

Hello, guys! The 2019 Grammy Music Awards takes place tomorrow night. I will indeed be watching, and I plan on reviewing all of the performances of the show. I do hope we get some good performances. We’ll see. I don’t really have anything else interesting to say, so let’s just get to the countdown. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#21)
• Lauren Jauregui – Expectations (#31)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Halsey – Without Me
45. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#45) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
44. Pitbull featuring Rhea – Ocean To Ocean (#40) [–4]
43. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#43) [=]
42. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (#44) [+2]
41. George Ezra – Shotgun (#41) [=]
40. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#42) [+2]
39. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#39) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
38. Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (#33) [–5]
37. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#37) [=]
36. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#35) [–1]
35. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#34) [–1]
34. Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe (DEBUT)
33. lovelytheband – Broken (#32) [–1]
32. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over (DEBUT)
31. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#25) [–6] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
30. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely (#28) [–2]
29. Imagine Dragons – Machine (#23) [–6]
28. Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999 (#38) [+10]
27. James Arthur – Empty Space (#27) [=]
26. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#22) [–4]
25. Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip (#30) [+5]
24. Khalid – Better (#24) [=]
23. Lauren Daigle – You Say (#29) [+6]
22. Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (#26) [+4]
21. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (#20) [–1]
20. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#14) [–6] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
19. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#18) [–1]
18. Dean Lewis – Be Alright (#36) [+18]
17. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone (#17) [=]
16. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#16) [=]
15. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#15) [=]
14. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#19) [+5]
13. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#13) [=]
12. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#8) [–4]
11. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#11) [=]
10. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#10) [=]
9. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#5) [–4]
8. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey featuring Khalid – Eastside (#7) [–1]
7. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#12) [+5]
6. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#10) [+4]
5. 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood (#6) [+1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#3) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#2) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
2. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#4) [+2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Halsey – Without Me (#1) [=] [5^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Charlie Puth – How Long (1^st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Tie between Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones, Imagine Dragons – Machine, and Imagine Dragons – Natural (–6)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Dean Lewis – Be Alright (+18)

New Entrants:
– So, I’d like to point out that Charlie Puth has two siblings. He has a sister named Mikalea, who we don’t really know about. But he also has a brother named Stephen, who makes his debut this week with Sexual Vibe. Now, Charlie has the type of voice that helps him be able to hit those high notes. Stephen’s voice is a little different because he has a much deeper voice. Hearing the song, you can easily tell the difference. I was mixed on this at first, but now I grew to love it. The instrumentation here is pretty slick. Stephen’s deep voice and the production blend well together. To put it short, it’s a great first impression for Charlie’s brother.

– Then, we get the big return of Avril Lavigne. It’s definitely been a long time since we’ve heard from her. But I’m glad she’s back. At #32, she returns to the countdown with Tell Me It’s Over, from her latest album Head Above Water. I’m a little disappointed that Hits 1 decided to skip over the title track, which is amazing. But Tell Me It’s Over is also one of the diamonds in the rough. This is just beautiful all around. Avril sounds great here, which shows that she hasn’t lost a step since her last album. I love what the song has to offer lyrically. Basically, she talks about a toxic relationship and what she has been through. In a way, it kinda reminds me of Praying, which was my #1 of 2017. That song also talked about the relationship between Kesha and Dr. Luke. She shows her songwriting capabilities in the song. The instrumentation is very nice as well. So yeah, it’s nice to have Avril Lavigne back! This is just phenomenal in every sense of the word.

Best Debut Of The Week: Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over

Papa Don’t Blurb
– So, we have two exits. The first of which is Expectations, which I’m not all that sad about although I still kinda like the song. Then there’s Body Talks, which left from a high position at #21. Dang! I still love the song, so seeing it go so soon isn’t pleasing.

– Before introducing The Way I Am, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Charlie Puth doesn’t spend time on his phone anymore. Looks like he may be shying away from that. But almost everyone uses a cell phone nowadays. I guess he didn’t want to get too obsessed over his phone, heh.

– Before introducing You Say, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Lauren Daigle sounds more like Adele. Sounds like he must’ve just figured it out, although I’m sure some people knew about it from the start. As a matter of fact, I did talk about how she sounds like Adele when the song made its debut last week. I can definitely hear the comparisons between the two.

– Be Alright having that massive jump was nice to see. I know some people aren’t necessarily on board with this, but I actually like what the song has to offer. It’s definitely meaningful, and I do have a thing for songs like this.

– So, Ariana Grande has decided to not perform at the Grammy Awards, huh? It’s quite a shame we won’t get to hear her voice live. Oh well.

– Can 2002 start making its way down soon? I’m not all that thrilled that it’s still jumping like this and that it’s higher than songs like Tequila. I want this to be fixed soon.

– On that note, can we please get Happier away from #1, or better yet out of the Top 5 soon? I’m tired of being on the edge of my seat hoping it doesn’t become #1 again. Honestly, I’d rather have Without Me hold at #1 for another week over this song, even though I’m not necessarily a big fan of the song either. Or better yet, how about This Feeling back at #1? Even Youngblood or High Hopes would be nice. Just as long as Happier isn’t #1.

Hit-Bound:

The Chainsmokers are the guest hosts for Hit-Bound this week. Here’s the full list:

• Lil’ Peep featuring iLoveMakonnen and Fall Out Boy – I’ve Been Waiting (DEBUT)
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired
• Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime
• Post Malone – Wow.
• Grandson – Apologize (DEBUT)
• The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (DEBUT)
• Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
• Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me
• Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
• lovelytheband – Maybe, I’m Afraid
• Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
• Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
• Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
• Jake Miller – Wait For You
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode

Entrant Reviews:
– We’ll start with an interesting collaboration between three artists (the late Lil’ Peep, iLoveMakonnen, and the band Fall Out Boy) in their single, I’ve Been Waiting. I came in with pretty low expectations, but now I actually like this for the most part. I do like their verses here. Also, something about the production here just clicks with me. I don’t know why. Overall, it’s a pretty solid song.

– Next, we have Grandson (yes, the artist) with Apologize. Not much I can say about the song as a whole. I kinda like the instrumentation here, but I’m not too big on his voice. That’s all I’ve got to say about it.

– And now, the big one. The Chainsmokers themselves are collaborating with Hits 1 favorite, 5 Seconds Of Summer in Who Do You Love. This is a song that works well in most aspects. I’ll have more words for when it inevitably debuts. But could this be the song that dethrones Without Me? We’ll have to see.

Best Debut Of The Week: The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
2. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
3. Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
4. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
5. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love

YouTube 15:

• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
• Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
• AJR – 100 Bad Days
• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
• Galantis featuring OneRepublic – Bones
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket – Darkside
• Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
• Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• Julia Michaels featuring Selena Gomez – Anxiety
• Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
• Ally Brooke featuring Tyga – Low Key

Song Reviews:
– Oh boy…we have AJR once again. This time, they bring us 100 Bad Days. I will say that it’s a step up from their previous singles, but that’s not saying too much. The production isn’t quite as obnoxious, but the lyrics aren’t good and I still don’t like their vocals too much. They just don’t click with me. I don’t know why. Overall, it’s not a good song and it’s not surprising considering I’m not fond of AJR.

– Next, we have EDM duo Galantis collaborating with Ryan Tedder and co. (a.k.a. OneRepublic) in their new single titled Bones. Last time, they had San Francisco which was on the YouTube 15 a month ago. I talked about that song a while back and that one was terrible. Bones is a different story. I like the guitar here. Ryan has a nice voice and he uses it well in the song. It’s pretty darn good overall.

– I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I actually love Billie Eilish’s music. Bury A Friend is another example of such. Her voice is mysterious, but at the same time, it’s unique. I like the dark vibe here. The production, while there’s not much to it, is pretty solid and her voice meshes well. So yeah, it’s definitely a good song and I’m looking forward to her album, which comes out next month.

– For our final song of the week, we have another Fifth Harmony member with her solo debut. Ally Brooke teams up with Tyga in Low Key. Right off the bat, the song isn’t very appealing to me. I don’t like Tyga’s contribution for the most part. His verses didn’t do much. I expected more out of Ally, but she didn’t strike me with her voice. She sounds pretty underwhelming here. The production is decent, though. Overall, I’m not all that impressed for now. While it’s in blue, it’s slightly closer to red than it is green.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
2. Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket – Darkside
3. Galantis featuring OneRepublic – Bones
4. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
5. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby

Top 20 Review:
0 – Horrific:
None!

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

2 – Mediocre:
18. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
17. Anne-Marie – 2002

3 – Decent:
16. Halsey – Without Me

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

5 – Great:
13. Imagine Dragons – Natural
12. Dean Lewis – Be Alright
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma I Made It
7. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
6. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
5. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. Dan + Shay – Tequila
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
2. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Dan + Shay – Speechless

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach (1986)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Coldplay – A Sky Full Of Stars

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Years & Years – If You’re Over Me

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Maren Morris – GIRL

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Kesha – Praying (#37), Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (Remix) (#20), and Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#16)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Dan + Shay – Speechless
2. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
3. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
4. Lauren Daigle – You Say
5. Dan + Shay – Tequila

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
2. Imagine Dragons – Machine
3. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely
4. James Arthur – Empty Space
5. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

QOTW: What are your thoughts about Maroon 5’s performance for the halftime show?

Hello, guys! So, my birthday is tomorrow, and I’ll be turning 27. Man, I sure am starting to feel old. Anyway, with my Hits 1 Rankdown finally out of the way, I can now shift my focus towards other things. The first of which is the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End for 2018, which I’ll start working on next week. There’s also some other stuff that I need to work on as well. Basically, I have a lot of catching up to do. While I’m at it, here’s the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown post for you guys on this Super Bowl Weekend. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Camila Cabello – Consequences (#25)
• Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#37)
• Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way (#40)
• Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me (#41)
• Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me (#44)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Halsey – Without Me
45. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#45) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
44. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (#42) [–2]
43. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#43) [=]
42. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#39) [–3]
41. George Ezra – Shotgun (#38) [–3]
40. Pitbull featuring Rhea – Ocean To Ocean (DEBUT)
39. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#36) [–3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
38. Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999 (DEBUT)
37. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#34) [–3]
36. Dean Lewis – Be Alright (DEBUT)
35. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#33) [–2]
34. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#32) [–2]
33. Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (#27) [–6]
32. lovelytheband – Broken (#30) [–2]
31. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations (#23) [–8]
30. Seeb featuring Bastille – Grip (DEBUT)
29. Lauren Daigle – You Say (DEBUT)
28. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely (#29) [+1]
27. James Arthur – Empty Space (#28) [+1]
26. Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (#35) [+9]
25. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#26) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
24. Khalid – Better (#22) [–2]
23. Imagine Dragons – Machine (#13) [–10]
22. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#31) [+9]
21. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#24) [+3]
20. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (#20) [=]
19. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#19) [=]
18. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#16) [–2]
17. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone (#18) [+1]
16. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#17) [+1]
15. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#14) [–1]
14. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#21) [+7] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
13. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#12) [–1]
12. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#7) [–5]
11. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#15) [+4]
10. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#11) [+1]
9. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#10) [+1]
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#9) [+1]
7. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey featuring Khalid – Eastside (#6) [–1]
6. 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood (#5) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#8) [+3]
4. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#4) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#3) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#2) [=] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
1. Halsey – Without Me (#1) [=] [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game (1^st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Imagine Dragons – Machine (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie between Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You and Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (+9)

New Entrants:
– We have five songs debuting this week. To start, we have Pitbull collaborating with Rhea in a song taken from the Aquaman movie, titled Ocean To Ocean. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I actually kinda like this one in a way. Now, I’m not particularly a fan of Pitbull’s verses here, but I thought he sounded okay. The song does use a sample of Africa, where Rhea does most of the singing. I do agree that Pitbull shouldn’t be sampling Africa. I thought Rhea sounded decent with her voice. It’s not necessarily the best, but it’s certainly better than the cover from Weezer, which was terrible. So yeah, I can say this is probably one of his weakest singles, but it’s not all that bad.

– We still have Anne-Marie – 2002 in the Top 10. I’ve actually lost interest in that song now, so I would like it if it started dropping soon. But while we wait, we do have a song that’s similar to 2002, except better. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan both turn back the clock and take us back to 1999 in their single. Like I just mentioned, 1999 is a step up from 2002 in more ways than one. First off, both Charli and Troye have good voices here. They shine in the chorus and their verses are solid. Much like with 2002, it has references to some of my favorite songs such as …Baby One More Time by Britney Spears. But this song does everything better. So yeah, it’s a great song and I’m glad the collaboration between Charli and Troye worked out well.

– We have newcomer Dean Lewis with Be Alright. There’s not a whole lot I know about Dean Lewis. But I do think Be Alright is a solid song. I love the instrumentation here. I think Dean sounds good as well. Hearing his voice, he shows a lot of his personality in the song and I can feel it. I love the lyrics about a relationship not working out well and how to move on after a break-up. He put a lot of effort in writing the song and I’m glad it turned out very well. It’s a nice song overall.

– If you remember Seeb, then you probably know he was behind one of my favorite songs from 2016 with I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner. This week, he returns and collaborates with Bastille in their new single, Grip. I’ll simply say that it’s not that great of a song, but it is better than Happier in my opinion. I think Seeb did a nice job with the production although at times it’s a little generic. Dan Smith sounds better with his voice here. Although the lyrics aren’t as good as Happier, I still think they’re pretty decent. Yeah, this is pretty good, though I can’t really envision it sticking with me in the long run. But if anything, I’ll take this over Happier any day.

– So, I’m still waiting for Adele to make her comeback, which probably won’t happen for a while. However, we do get an Adele-soundalike who makes her very first appearance on the countdown this week. We have Lauren Daigle with a song that’s been around for quite sometime, titled You Say. I’m sure many here are not very fond of this because she is basically an Adele ripoff, which she is. But as a music critic, I have to judge based on what I hear. And after listening to the song in its entirety, I found plenty to love about this song. Lauren has an amazing voice. When I hear her sing the chorus, I can feel her emotion. That’s something we don’t get in many songs nowadays. I also love the piano work. It sounds really nice. The lyrics are creative and well-written. It’s definitely an awesome ballad and I’m glad this made it to the Weekend Countdown.

Best Debut Of The Week: Lauren Daigle – You Say

Blurbs Say
– Our five exits consist of songs that weren’t necessarily all that popular. Consequences left from a high position at #25. And with that means that Camila Cabello doesn’t have a countdown song for the first time in a while. Electricity and Woman Like Me are both loved by me, but I wasn’t too surprised to see them leave. Waste It On Me I thought was pretty decent, but it wasn’t something worth caring about in the big picture. Finally, good riddance to There’s No Way. I’m glad that song didn’t get as big as its predecessor even though it’s not nearly as annoying. Unfortunately, this is not the last we’ve seen of Lauv as he does have a new song on Hit-Bound, which we’ll get to in a moment.

– So, Charlie Puth is a big fan of Queen, huh? That’s according to Spyder Harrison during his introduction for The Way I Am. I wonder what is Charlie’s favorite song from them? We don’t know for sure, but I’m willing to bet he has a lot of favorites.

– Machine took a big drop this week which was very pleasing. Thankfully, we won’t see this become a huge hit. Instead, we’ll likely see their other song take its place. And their song I won’t mention right now has made its debut on Hit-Bound. We’ll get to that in just a moment.

– Before introducing Sunflower, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Post Malone plans on performing with Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Grammy Music Awards next weekend. That ought to be interesting. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m looking forward to that performance.

– Looks like Natural isn’t giving up yet. It has made its way back into the Top 20 this week despite the fact that it died out a long time ago. I do still like this. In fact, that along with a certain song on Hit-Bound are way better than Machine, which is a mess.

– We don’t get a whole lot of action in the Top 10 other than a few songs changing their positions. Thank U, Next is the only new entrant in the Top 5 this week.

Hit-Bound:

• Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (DEBUT)
• Rita Ora – Let You Love Me (DEBUT)
• lovelytheband – Maybe, I’m Afraid
• Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
• Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me
• Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (DEBUT)
• Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
• Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe
• Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (DEBUT)
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Post Malone – Wow.
• Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired (DEBUT)
• Jake Miller – Wait For You
• Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode

Entrant Reviews:
– We have a big shake-up in the world of Hit-Bound this week. We’ll begin with Imagine Dragons with probably the best single off of Origins, titled Bad Liar. Machine is a complete mess and their worst song they’ve ever released. Thankfully though, the song is declining on this countdown, which means I won’t have to worry about it for too much longer. Hopefully, Bad Liar will take its place soon. Let’s talk about that good song. We don’t get any obnoxious yelling from Dan Reynolds this time like we did with Machine. Here, he sounds good singing. I like the production as well. It’s not as messy and the instrumentation is solid. Overall, this is a really good song and I would like to see that one become another hit for these guys.

– I don’t know too much about Rita Ora, seeing as she’s not relevant. But hearing her music, I actually like most of the songs she has put out. Our latest debut on Hit-Bound this week, Let You Love Me, just happens to be one of them. I briefly discussed the song when it made its debut on the American Top 40. But to sum it up, I like pretty much everything about it. I think Rita has a good voice and she uses it well here. The production is solid. I hope to see it graduate to the Weekend Countdown soon because it’s a really good song.

– Once more, we get another single from Panic! At The Disco, this time with Dancing’s Not A Crime. It’s not the best song off of Pray For The Wicked. I’d much prefer songs like F**k A (Silver Lining), Say Amen (Saturday Night), and High Hopes. But Dancing’s Not A Crime is still good mostly because of Brendon Urie, who sounds great with his voice although here he doesn’t quite shine in the chorus. I’ll save most of my words for when it inevitably debuts.

– Next, we have Ariana Grande with my least favorite single from her, by the name of 7 Rings. As I’ve stated many times, I’m a big supporter for Ariana Grande’s music. Almost every single she has released throughout her career has been really good in my eyes. But unfortunately, 7 Rings is a much different story. This song is just terrible. First off, I don’t like her voice in this one. She sounds underwhelming and at times, pretty annoying. The production is pretty bad and I don’t like the beat at all. And don’t even get me started on the lyrics. I feel like she acts very conceited with her bragging and what not. Simply put, this song is shit, and this is coming from someone who adores her. Huge disappointment for Ariana. I’ve been questioning her direction when it comes to her latest music, although I still kinda like Thank U, Next even though it’s not amazing. But 7 Rings is just the bottom falling out in Ariana’s music. I’ll stop right there for now, but I won’t take it very kindly when it graduates to the Weekend Countdown. When I prefer to listen to Sicko Mode over this mess, that’s a bad thing.

– Lastly, we have another song that I’m not very fond of either. We get another single from Lauv, and this time he collaborates with Troye Sivan in I’m So Tired. There’s almost nothing I like about the song. Lauv sounds pretty bad, and the production is not good. Troye sounds okay, but even he can’t save the song from being mediocre at best. Overall, it’s a bad song and it’s the worst thing Troye has been a part of. And the sad thing is, I’d rather listen to Sicko Mode than this one, along with 7 Rings which I just talked about.

Best Debut Of The Week: Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
2. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
3. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
4. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
5. Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire

YouTube 15:

• Khalid – Better
• Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket – Darkside
• Walk The Moon – Timebomb
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
• Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby
• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• Julia Michaels featuring Selena Gomez – Anxiety
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
• PRETTYMUCH – Blind
• Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
• Calvin Harris featuring Rag’N’Bone Man – Giant
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• FLETCHER – Undrunk

Song Reviews:
– We have the latest from Walk The Moon, in the form of Timebomb. Right off the bat, this song is just a upbeat jam. Most of the music they’ve released has been awesome. The production is amazing and I love Nick’s voice. It sounded like they were having a blast singing that song, much like with One Foot, one of my favorites from 2018. So yeah, this is really good.

– Next, we get a collaboration between Julia Michaels and Selena Gomez in Anxiety. I’m going to be straight up and simply say that this song sucks. Julia is just not a good singer and it shows when I hear her verses. Selena doesn’t do much for me either and while she doesn’t sound as bad as Julia, her contribution is underwhelming. I also don’t like the instrumentation. The guitars are a little scratchy and there’s not much else to the production. So yeah, this is just bad in pretty much every way. And once again, if I prefer to listen to Sicko Mode over this one, that’s not a good thing.

– PRETTYMUCH are back with yet another new single, this time with Blind. It’s a bit of a step up from Jello, which was their worst song. But that isn’t saying too much. I’ll admit their vocals are somewhat better, but I don’t like the lyrical content and the beat isn’t too interesting. Overall, it’s not a good song. It’s really sad that we’ll likely never get something more along the lines of Would You Mind, which is easily their best song.

– Lastly, we have new artist FLETCHER with her new single, Undrunk. Not too much I can say about this one, except I like her voice overall and the production is solid. The lyrics are pretty decent. Yeah, I’m content with this.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Walk The Moon – Timebomb
2. Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket – Darkside
3. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby
5. FLETCHER – Undrunk

Top 20 Review:
0 – Horrific:
None!

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

2 – Mediocre:
18. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
17. Anne-Marie – 2002

3 – Decent:
16. Halsey – Without Me

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

5 – Great:
13. Imagine Dragons – Natural
12. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma I Made It
7. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
6. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
5. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. Dan + Shay – Tequila
3. Dan + Shay – Speechless
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: The Human League – Don’t You Want Me (1981)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Paramore – Still Into You

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Paramore – Hard Times

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Maren Morris – GIRL (not a whole lot of good music worth recommending)

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Kesha – Praying (#37), Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (#22), and Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves (#3)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Dan + Shay – Speechless
4. Lauren Daigle – You Say
5. Dan + Shay – Tequila

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
2. Imagine Dragons – Machine
3. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely
4. James Arthur – Empty Space
5. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
All Time Low – Last Young Renegade: I may not care that much for All Time Low, but this is one of their best songs. I like the production here, and the chorus is solid. I wish this deserved better.
Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle: Once again, I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I still love this song, even if it isn’t his best.

QOTW: Who do you want to win the Super Bowl in Atlanta? Patriots or Rams?

What’s up, guys? So, I finally got the AT40 post out on time! Now, I just need to work on some other posts, such as the Billboard Year-End Review, which I hope to get out sometime this month. My birthday is next week, and I’ll be 27. Man, I sure am starting to feel old. Let’s get right to the countdown. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara (#29)
• Delicate by Taylor Swift (#40) [Spent 1 Week At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
40. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#38) [–2]
39. There’s No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels (DEBUT)
38. Love Someone by Lukas Graham (#39) [+1]
37. Mine by Bazzi (#35) [–2]
36. Let You Love Me by Rita Ora (#37) [+1]
35. Wake Up In The Sky by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black (#36) [+1]
34. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#32) [–2]
33. 8 Letters by Why Don’t We (#31) [–2]
32. Wow. by Post Malone (DEBUT)
31. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#30) [–1]
30. MIA by Bad Bunny featuring Drake (#33) [+3]
29. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#34) [+5]
28. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#27) [–1]
27. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#26) [–1]
26. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#25) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
25. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#28) [+3]
24. Lie by NF (#23) [–1]
23. Tequila by Dan + Shay (#24) [+1]
22. Broken by lovelytheband (#21) [–1]
21. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson (#22) [+1]
20. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus (#20) [=]
19. Better by Khalid (#19) [=]
18. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#18) [=]
17. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#16) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
16. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#17) [+1]
15. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#13) [–2]
14. Better Now by Post Malone (#12) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
13. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#15) [+2]
12. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#14) [+2]
11. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#9) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
10. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#11) [+1]
9. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#9) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
8. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#10) [+2]
7. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#7) [=]
6. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#6) [=]
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#5) [=]
4. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#2) [–2]
3. Without Me by Halsey (#4) [+1]
2. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#1) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
1. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (1^st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Mine by Bazzi, I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin, 8 Letters by Why Don’t We, Consequences by Camila Cabello, Better Now by Post Malone, Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani, and Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (–2)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (+5)

New Entrants:
– We have two not-so interesting debuts this week. First, we have a collaboration between Lauv and Julia Michaels in their single, There’s No Way. Two of these artists have different backgrounds. Lauv’s debut single, I Like Me Better, was easily one of my least favorite songs of 2018, what with cringe-worthy lyrics and a awful production. Julia hasn’t been impressive either, with Issues being mediocre and the rest of her music just simply underwhelming at best (with the exception of I Miss You with Clean Bandit, which is easily the best thing she’s been a part of). I had low expectations coming into their single, and the result is just not good. I’ll say production-wise, it’s a step up from its predecessor. The instruments are decent and I kinda like the piano here. But the vocals are underwhelming. Both of them don’t really sound good together. I also look at the lyrics, some of which I find questionable. Overall, while it may not be as annoying as I Like Me Better, it’s still pretty bad all around.

– Wow. We have Post Malone once more with his new single, and with that he now has four songs on the countdown. Just wow. Talk about a run. Anyway, I may be growing into his music, but this song doesn’t really appeal to me. I find the production to be very basic and the lyrics are no good. I do kinda like Post’s voice here, but that’s probably the only redeeming quality in a pretty bad song. I can’t really see myself growing into this one, unlike his recent music. But I’m sure it’ll probably end up being a big hit despite how mediocre it is. I hope I’m wrong.

Best Debut Of The Week: Wow by Post Malone (But not by much)

Blurbs Above Me
– So, we have two exits. The first of which is Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara, which wasn’t a good song for the most part. So good riddance to that. Then, there’s Delicate by Taylor Swift. It had a great run on this countdown and it was one of the highlights from Reputation. Delicate will be missed by me. And seeing as Taylor doesn’t have anymore singles at this moment, we probably won’t hear from her for a while until her next album comes along.

– We’ve got a new #1 this week, and unsurprisingly it goes to Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande. I normally would be happy about this considering I love Ariana. But I don’t really consider Thank U, Next to be amazing, especially since she’s done better. It’s pretty catchy in a way and I definitely love her voice in the song, so I’ll give her that. I’ll also say it’s way better than a certain song I won’t mention right now.

– That being said, I would much prefer High Hopes or Breathin’ at #1, although the latter is dying out very quickly. So that probably won’t happen at this point.

– Close To Me has now entered the Top 10 this week. I’m a little surprised by how well is doing at this moment, but I’ll take it. The song is not Ellie’s best by any means, but it’s definitely something that I enjoy. I’m looking forward to see what else she has to offer in her future album.

– Remember when I said that Taki Taki was a pretty fun song overall? That seems like a long time ago. As a matter of fact, my opinion has changed drastically. Yeah, I’m starting to find that the vocals are underwhelming and the production is pretty bad. And this is coming from someone who enjoys much of DJ Snake’s music. I’m sure he can do better.

– Before introducing Better, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Khalid has struggles with social anxiety. And I’ll bet he’s not the only one. There’s are those who have had their share of struggles as well. But I’m glad he’s been able to talk about it.

– So I recently found out that Ruin My Life was originally meant to be a duet between Zara Larsson and another artist, but that was ultimately scrapped. I wonder how it would’ve turned out had she decided to collaborate with someone in the song?

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
• My Blood by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
• Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee
• Let Me Love You by DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber
• I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner
• 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid
• Can’t Stop The Feeling! by Justin Timberlake
• The Hills by The Weeknd
• Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia
• That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars
• Love On The Brain by Rihanna

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

1 – Bad:
19. Taki Taki by Dj Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B
18. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
16. Without Me by Halsey

4 – Good:
15. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande
14. Better by Khalid

5 – Great:
13. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
12. Consequences by Camila Cabello
11. Better Now by Post Malone
10. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
7. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
6. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
4. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
3. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Total Score: 82/100 = 82% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: She’s So High by Tal Bachman (1999)

Most Missed Song: Fight Song by Rachel Platten

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: GIRL by Maren Morris

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B (#18)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
3. Tequila by Dan + Shay
4. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
5. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
2. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
3. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
4. There’s No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels
5. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Lemon by N.E.R.D. featuring Rihanna: I kinda like this as a guilty pleasure. Lyrically, it may not be good, but there’s just something about it that pulls me in. I probably should hate this, but I don’t.