Hello, fam! So, I know this is very late. But I finally got this post out. I originally was going to skip this post so I could try to catch up. But I decided to go ahead and get this out of the way because there was a lot to talk about last week. Hopefully, once I catch up on all of my posts, things will be back to normal. Let’s get on with this late post. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:
- Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over (#30)
- Lauren Daigle – You Say (#35)
- Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe (#38)
- Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip (#39)
- George Ezra – Shotgun (#41)
- Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (#42)
- lovelytheband – Broken (#44)
The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
45. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#43) [–2]
44. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#45) [+1]
43. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#40) [–3]
42. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#34) [–8]
41. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#37) [–4]
40. Post Malone – Wow. (#36) [–4]
39. Kelsy Karter – Harry (DEBUT)
38. Zedd featuring Katy Perry – 365 (#32) [–6]
37. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (RE-ENTRY)
36. Madison Beer featuring Offset – Hurts Like Hell (DEBUT)
35. LSD featuring Lil Wayne – Genius (Remix) (DEBUT)
34. Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me (#23) [–11]
33. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#33) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
32. Maren Morris – GIRL (DEBUT)
31. Cardi B featuring Bruno Mars – Please Me (#31) [=]
30. Meghan Trainor – All The Ways (DEBUT)
29. Lil Peep featuring iLoveMakonnen and Fall Out Boy – I’ve Been Waiting (#28) [–1]
28. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#26) [–2]
27. Jake Miller – Wait For You (#29) [+2]
26. Grandson – Apologize (#25) [–1]
25. 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood (#27) [+2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
24. Khalid – Better (#24) [=]
23. YUNGBLUD & Halsey featuring Travis Barker – 11 Minutes (DEBUT)
22. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#16) [–6]
21. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#22) [+1]
20. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#21) [+1]
19. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#17) [–2]
18. Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired (#19) [+1]
17. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More (#18) [+1]
16. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#20) [+4]
15. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (#12) [–3]
14. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#13) [–1]
13. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#14) [+1]
12. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#11) [–1]
11. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (#4) [–7]
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#9) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
9. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#10) [+1]
8. Dean Lewis – Be Alright (#15) [+7]
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#6) [–1] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
6. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#3) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. Halsey – Without Me (#2) [–3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#5) [+1]
3. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#8) [+5]
2. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#7) [+5]
1. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#1) [=] [3rd Week At #1]
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (3rd of 9 Weeks At #1)
Biggest DRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me (–11)
Biggest Jump Of The Week: Dean Lewis – Be Alright (+7)
New Entrants:
– So during the week, we have six songs making its debut on the countdown. We do however, get a re-entry from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper with Shallow. Since the song has started back gaining popularity following the Oscars, I do expect to see this one do well in its second tenure on this countdown.
– Our first of six entrants this week comes from a new artist named Kelsy Karter with her single titled Harry. As the song title says, it is basically about former One Direction member, Harry Styles. Apparently, she seems to have a crush on him or something like that. Anyway, as far as the song goes, I kinda like the production here. But her voice is a little annoying, especially in the chorus. The lyrical content is somewhat questionable. So yeah, I’m not a big fan of this one. It’s not too far off from being in red, so you’ll probably see me change color soon.
– Madison Beer makes her return with a song that’s been around for quite a while, by the name of Hurts Like Hell. Last time, she gave us Home With You back in the summer. Even though it wasn’t anything special in the long run, I liked that song for the most part. Hurts Like Hell, on the other hand, is just bad in and of itself. Her voice doesn’t sound good in any part of the song. The production is not interesting and I don’t like the beat here. Hits 1 did edit out the verses we get from Offset. But in the end, it didn’t really matter because the song itself was not good with or without Offset. Overall, I’m not feeling the song. Hopefully, it doesn’t end up staying for too long.
– Immediately after that, we get the return of LSD (consisting of Labrinth, Sia, and Diplo) with the remix of a single, Genius, which features Lil’ Wayne. Those who’ve been following my blog since last year probably know that I’ve not been fond of what LSD had to offer. I placed Thunderclouds in My Bottom 10 Songs of 2018, where it landed at #10. Aside from that, the majority of their music is not very good. They just recently released some new music, which I’ll get to later on. As far as Genius goes, it’s not as bad as Thunderclouds or Mountains. But it’s still not very good for the most part. Their vocals are annoying, and I don’t like Lil’ Wayne’s verses in the song at all. I’ll give it to them that the production is okay even though it didn’t stand out. That’s probably the only redeeming quality I can say about the song. Overall, this is just not good. Let’s move on.
– Next, we have the return of Maren Morris with her new single, GIRL! It was this time last year that she was riding high with the success of The Middle, which as you can recall was my #1 favorite song of 2018, and it just so happens that it was Hits 1’s #1 of last year. And to this day, I still hold the 100% unpopular opinion on that song. GIRL is honestly just amazing. I absolutely adore Maren’s voice throughout the song. She definitely shows what she is capable of. I like the production and the instrumentation is very nice. The song basically talks about female empowerment and I have a thing for songs like this. Overall, I absolutely LOVE the song and I’m glad that it’s finally here! She just recently released her new album, which is actually titled GIRL. I haven’t really heard the album in full yet, but I’m interested to see what she has in store!
– Shortly following that, we get another new entrant that I’m excited about as well. Meghan Trainor makes her return with the song titled All The Ways. This is from her latest EP titled The Love Train. Her album, Treat Myself, hasn’t came out yet for whatever reason we don’t really know yet. If you’ve been watching some television, then you’ve probably heard this song used on Target commercials. Anyway, I love everything about the song and I personally think Meghan Trainor is talented. Her voice sounds good in the chorus and I like the instrumentation here. The music video is pretty cool in which it shows a girl being in a relationship with a white bear. Overall, I’m a big fan of this one and I would like to see it do well.
– With the highest debut of the week, we have more of Halsey with her current boyfriend, YUNGBLUD and they are collaborating with Travis Barker of blink-182 in their single called 11 Minutes. I’d say this is a step up from Without Me, both from a vocal standpoint and in terms of the production. I love Halsey’s voice throughout the song. Here, she doesn’t get drenched in auto-tune and she shows what she is capable of. The instrumentation is solid. I like the work that Travis Barker does. Although I don’t listen to much of Blink-182’s music, he showed me that he’s a good drummer. So yeah, I’m in love with the song and I hope to see it last long.
Best Debut Of The Week: Maren Morris – GIRL
Darlin’, Tell Me All The Blurbs
– We’ll begin with our exits. First off, Broken had a nice run on this countdown. But I wasn’t too sad to see it go. Shotgun and Grip were fading on me a little bit, so I’m kinda happy about their departures. Limitless and Sexual Vibe were solid songs and I personally think they were underrated. But the two exits that saddened me the most were You Say and Tell Me It’s Over. The former was enjoyable even though many criticize Lauren Daigle for being an Adele ripoff, and it looks set to make the Year-End for the Billboard Hot 100. The latter was definitely amazing and it was nice to see Avril Lavigne back after so long. Tell Me It’s Over will definitely be missed by me.
– Well, the Jonas Brothers missed out on beating the record for quickest rise to #1, which is still held by Adele with Hello. It’ll certainly get to #1 next week (which it already has as I’m typing this).
– Be Alright makes its entry into the Top 10 this week. I do still like the song, mainly for its lyrics. But I’m starting to slightly lose interest in it. So I would prefer if it didn’t stay too long in the Top 10.
– 7 Rings being in the Top 5 was short-lived as it dropped out of the Top 10 entirely, which I’m very happy about. Though, I’m sure it’ll get back up there again soon, which I don’t want.
– Sue Me had the biggest drop of the week, and that’s okay because I don’t really find the song that interesting. Sabrina Carpenter has never really been the one to impress me with her music.
– It appears that Love Lies is finally starting to die out following its drop down to the Bottom 5. It had an incredible run and I’m glad that it was a success everywhere. We’ll see how long it holds out.
Hit-Bound:
- Ally Brooke
featuring Tyga – Low Key
- P!NK – Walk Me Home
- Austin Brown – In Betweenin’
- Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (DEBUT)
- FLETCHER – Undrunk
- lovelytheband – Maybe, I’m Afraid
- Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime
- Kygo featuring Valerie Broussard – Think About You
- Avril Lavigne featuring Nicki Minaj – Dumb Blonde
- Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored
- Louis Tomlinson – Two Of Us
- Ava Max – So Am I (DEBUT)
- Bebe Rexha – Last Hurrah
- Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
- NOTD featuring Felix Jaehn, Georgia Ku, and Captain Cuts – So Close
Entrant Reviews:
– So, we have two new songs entering Hit-Bound this week. We’ll start with more of Marshmello, who this time collaborates with the band CHVRCHES in their new single Here With Me. This is a step up from his previous singles. It’s not as good as Wolves, but there is a lot to like about this one. Lauren Mayberry sounds good with her voice. I think she stands out in the chorus. The production is pretty neat and I like what Marshmello is doing. Here, he is not as lazy and he put forth the effort in that department. Overall, this is a nice song. I do hope we see it make its debut soon.
– I figured Ava Max would end up releasing a new single at some point in time following the success of Sweet But Psycho, and sure enough that’s what ended up happening. She brings us So Am I. This sounds similar to Sweet But Psycho, except it’s not quite as good. I do like her voice here and the production is good. My only concern is that it lacks something that makes it special. I do like the song for the most part, but it may not stick with me in the long run.
Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me
Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
None!
1 – Bad:
15. Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored
14. Ally Brooke featuring Tyga – Low Key
2 – Mediocre:
None!
3 – Decent:
13. NOTD featuring Felix Jaehn, George Ku, and Captain Cuts – So Close
12. lovelytheband – Maybe I’m Afraid
11. Austin Brown – In Betweenin’
4 – Good:
10. Ava Max – So Am I
5 – Great:
9. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime
8. P!NK – Walk Me Home
7. Louis Tomlinson – Two Of Us
6. Avril Lavigne featuring Nicki Minaj – Dumb Blonde
5. FLETCHER – Undrunk
4. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me
3. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
2. Bebe Rexha – Last Hurrah
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Kygo featuring Valerie Broussard – Think About You
Overall Grade: 61/75 = 81% (B–)
Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Bruno Mars – Chunky
My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Kygo featuring Valerie Broussard – Think About You
2. Bebe Rexha – Last Hurrah
3. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
4. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me
5. FLETCHER – Undrunk
YouTube 15:
- Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
- Benny Blanco featuring Tainy, Selena Gomez, and J. Balvin – I Can’t Get Enough
- LSD – No New Friends
- Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
- Clean Bandit featuring Ellie Goulding – Mama
- Cardi B featuring Bruno Mars – Please Me
- Sofia Reyes featuring Anitta and Rita Ora – R.I.P.
- Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
- Juice WRLD – Hear Me Calling
- Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow
- Sean Paul featuring J. Balvin – Contra
- Jonas Brothers – Sucker
- Lil’ Pump featuring Lil’ Wayne – Be Like Me
- Khalid – Better
- Julia Michaels – Deep
Song Reviews:
– So, I have a bunch of songs that I want to review. So, buckle up everyone. We have Benny Blanco with a new single of his. This time around, he collaborates with Tainy, Selena Gomez, and J. Balvin in I Can’t Get Enough. Right off the bat, the song isn’t very interesting. I don’t like the production here. It is pretty underwhelming and I’m not feeling the Latin vibe. The verses we get from these artists are not good. So yeah, this is pretty bad. It’s a shame how much he has regressed since the release of I Found You, which was mediocre. I want something more along the lines of Eastside, not this.
– Immediately after that, we have LSD with their brand new single titled No New Friends. This is a step up from what they have in terms of their music. Their vocals are slightly better and I kinda like the production in a way. I can say this is probably the most tolerable song they have so far, especially given that I’m not very fond of music.
– We get an interesting collaboration between Clean Bandit and Ellie Goulding with their latest single titled Mama. I’m a big fan of both of these artists and this song pretty much showed me why. Ellie’s voice is amazing throughout the song and I love the production here. It shows just how talented Clean Bandit are as an EDM band. Yeah, I’m in love with the song.
– Next, we have a collaboration between Sofia Reyes, Anitta, and Rita Ora in their single titled R.I.P.. The production is okay, but I find their vocals to be a little underwhelming in the verses and the chorus. Not much else I can say beyond that.
– We have more of Juice WRLD, and this time he brings us Hear Me Calling. It’s really not that different compared to Lucid Dreams, which was terrible overall. I’m not a fan of his voice although it not as annoying, and everything else about the song from the production to the lyrics is not good. Hopefully, it doesn’t end up becoming a hit like its predecessor. NEXT!
– J. Balvin appears in another song on the YouTube 15, this time collaborating with Sean Paul in Contra. I can’t say I’m feeling this one at the moment. I don’t quite like their vocals here and I’m not big on the Latin vibe. This is based on my initial reaction since I’ve only heard it once. I’ll probably have to listen to it again to get a full opinion on the song.
– Up next, we have a collaboration between Lil’ Pump and Lil’ Wayne in their new single, Be Like Me. These two artists working together can only mean bad things will result, and after hearing the song in its entirety that’s what ended up happening. The lyrical content is asinine across the board. It’s basically them bragging about stuff and what not. Their vocals are terrible. I can’t think of a single part where these guys sound good. The production and the beat are not very interesting at all. Simply put, this song is shit. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t end up being a big hit. NEXT!
– Finally, we have Julia Michaels with another new single, by the name of Deep. I’m not really the biggest fan of most of her music. Deep is really not that different in comparison to her previous singles. Her voice is not all that interesting. I do kinda like the production somewhat, and the songwriting is okay. I don’t have much else I can say about the song overall.
YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Lil’ Pump featuring Lil’ Wayne – Be Like Me
14. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
13. Juice WRLD – Hear Me Calling
1 – Bad:
12. Benny Blanco featuring Tainy, Selena Gomez, and J. Balvin – I Can’t Get Enough
2 – Mediocre:
11. Sean Paul featuring J. Balvin – Contra
10. Julia Michaels – Deep
3 – Decent:
9. LSD – No New Friends
8. Sofia Reyes featuring Anitta and Rita Ora – R.I.P.
4 – Good:
None!
5 – Great:
7. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
6. Khalid – Better
5. Cardi B featuring Bruno Mars – Please Me
4. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
3. Clean Bandit featuring Ellie Goulding – Mama
2. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On YouTube 15:
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
Overall Grade: 47/75 = 63% (D–)
Most Mised YouTube 15 Song: Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Harket – Darkside
My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks:
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
2. Lady Gage featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow
3. Clean Bandit featuring Ellie Goulding – Mama
4. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
5. Cardi B featuring Bruno Mars – Please Me
Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
19. Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired
18. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
1 – Bad:
17. Anne-Marie – 2002
16. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
2 – Mediocre:
15. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
3 – Decent:
14. Halsey – Without Me
4 – Good:
13. Dean Lewis – Be Alright
5 – Great:
12. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
11. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
10. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
9. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
8. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love
7. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
6. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
5. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
4. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
2. Dan + Shay – Tequila
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
Overall Grade: 71/100 = 71% (C–)
Throwback Pick Of The Week: Bruce Springsteen – Glory Days (1985)
Most Missed Countdown Song: Coldplay – Adventure Of A Lifetime
#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ellie Goulding – Flux
Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me (#15)
My Top 5 Picks
1. Maren Morris – GIRL
2. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
3. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow
4. Dan + Shay – Tequila
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
2. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
3. Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired
4. LSD featuring Lil’ Wayne – Genius (Remix)
5. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me: This is probably the best song both Charlie and Kehlani have done so far in his career. Their chemistry together is just awesome and I love the groove.
Noah Kahan featuring Julia Michaels – Hurt Somebody: There isn’t much to the song. I like the guitar, but I’m not a big fan of the chorus. Yeah, this is not all that memorable in the long run.
Shawn Mendes – In My Blood: Ah yes, Shawn Mendes’s comeback of last year. It was this time one year ago that he also hosted the countdown and the song immediately made its debut just two days after of its release.
Taylor Swift – Delicate: After her first three singles from Reputation ended up not doing so well, this one was loved by many. This is pretty low key, but I like pretty much everything about the song in general. This was my #9 favorite song of 2018.
Music Reviews + More 