Shawn Mendes (5) – Week Of August 10, 2019

/ dhill92

Hello, fam! Whew! What a busy weekend this was for me. I’m just about worn out. But hey, at least I got this post out. That’s all that matters. Football season is back, and we’re getting ever so close to Fall as well. It’s my favorite time of the year. Also, the MTV Video Music Awards is this month. I plan on watching the performances. I don’t plan on reviewing them as it is time consuming. But I’m sure they’ll be fun. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

  • Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days (#37)
  • Bazzi – Paradise (#39)
  • Push Baby – Mama’s House (#41)
  • Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#43)
  • Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (#44)
  • TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#45)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
45. P!NK – Walk Me Home (#40) [–5]
44. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#32) [–12]
43. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#43) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
42. Asher Angel featuring Wiz Khalifa – One Thought Away (DEBUT)
41. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#25) [–16]
40. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#38) [–2]
39. Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter (DEBUT)
38. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#35) [–3] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
37. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#36) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
36. SHAED – Trampoline (DEBUT)
35. Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again (DEBUT)
34. Stephen Puth – Look Away (DEBUT)
33. Halsey – Without Me (#29) [–4] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
32. OneRepublic – Rescue Me (DEBUT)
31. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#30) [–1]
30. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#28) [–2]
29. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (#24) [–5]
28. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#26) [–2]
27. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#17) [–10]
26. P!NK – Hustle (#33) [+7]
25. Blanco Brown – The Git Up (#27) [+2]
24. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#31) [+7]
23. Ava Max – So Am I (#7) [–16]
22. Andy Grammer – Don’t Give Up On Me (#23) [+1]
21. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#20) [–1]
20. AJR – 100 Bad Days (#34) [+14]
19. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine (#15) [–4]
18. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (#16) [–2]
17. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#8) [–9]
16. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#10) [–5]
15. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#4) [–11]
14. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#9) [–5]
13. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (#12) [–1]
12. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#14) [+2]
11. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#6) [–5] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
10. Khalid – Talk (#18) [+8]
9. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#19) [+10]
8. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#13) [+5]
7. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#22) [+15]
6. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#3) [–3] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
5. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#11) [+6]
4. Halsey – Nightmare (#2) [–2]
3. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#21) [+18]
2. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#5) [+3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#1) [=] [5th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (1st of 8 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Tie between Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You and Ava Max – So Am I (–16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (+18)

New Entrants:
– Kicking things off is the song tied with the lowest debut of the year, and it’s from Asher Angel, who is the star in Shazam. He brings us One Thought Away. I wasn’t really expecting too much out of that song. But this is actually pretty decent here. I’m not necessarily huge on his voice. But the instrumentation ere is really good. I like the guitar and some of the lyrics here. I don’t have much else to say about it. Overall, it’s a decent song.

– Next, Miley Cyrus makes her return this week as she brings us Mother’s Daughter from her EP She Is Coming. The last time she was on the countdown was when she collaborated with a certain act who also makes his return, which I’ll get to in just a bit. As far as her solo single goes, it’s pretty good. She is talented for the most part and I like her vocal work here. The production is good and I like the lyrical depth here. It shows how talented she is as a songwriter and a singer overall. Yeah, I’m digging this one.

– We have newcomer alternative band SHAED making their very first appearance on the countdown. They bring us Trampoline. This was used in a TV commercial back in the fall of last year. I first heard the song and I thought to myself, “wow, this is unique”. My opinion has not changed since then. The singer here is Chelsea Lee, whose voice is interesting. I love it and it fits well with the interesting beat and production. The mysterious vibe here is just awesome and it pulls me in. Yeah, this is definitely special in every way and I would love to see it have some success.

– Immediately following that, we have Mark Ronson making his return as he collaborates with Camila Cabello in Find U Again. Last time, he did give us Nothing Breaks Like A Heart which I fell in love with. This one, however, is a different story. I find it not very interesting here. Camila sounds decent here, especially in the chorus. But she sounds underwhelming for the rest of the song, which brings it down for me. I like Mark’s work here as a producer. But he has done much better in songs like its predecessor and of course, Uptown Funk!, which is still a big favorite of mine. Overall, this is okay. But not what I was hoping for.

– While we wait on Charlie Puth to release some new music, we have his brother Stephen making his second appearance on the countdown with Look Away. Right off the bat, it’s a step down from Sexual Vibe. I much prefer its predecessor over this one because in that song, Stephen managed to have some uniqueness with his voice. But here, he sounds a little more like his brother and thus, he loses what sets him apart from Charlie. I do not like his voice in the chorus when he sings in auto-tune. The production is decent here in part because of the guitar in some parts of the song. But the lyrics lack depth in some areas and thus, it kinda leaves something to be desired. To put it simply, Stephen didn’t exactly wow me with his latest single.

– It’s been a few years since OneRepublic last had a song on the countdown. They’ve been under the radar since. But this week, Ryan Tedder and company are back with their latest single Rescue Me. Believe it or not, they did make their comeback last year with Connection, which never charted. I was a little indifferent on that song so it didn’t affect me much. Rescue Me is a step up from that song. I like the instrumentation and the beat here is infectious. These guys sound good with their vocals. My only concern is the lyrics here, which lacks depth in some areas. Despite this, it’s a great comeback single from them.

Best Debut Of The Week: SHAED – Trampoline

I’m One Blurb Away
– First up, our exits. It’s about time we bid adieu to Mama’s House, which was not good at all. The same can be said for Chlorine, although that one was simply a disappointment from these guys, but I do like what the song was going for. I’m okay with Paradise leaving. It didn’t appeal to me the same way Mine did last year. Close To Me had a pretty good countdown run. It was nice to have Ellie Goulding back and get some success with that song. Summer Days was definitely my jam for the summer and it’s a shame that this didn’t become a hit. Well, summer is almost over so I can’t say I’m surprised by its departure. Finally, we sadly bid adieu to Dancing With A Stranger, which was a huge favorite of mine for most of the year. It’s very likely that I’ll revisit it come December when it’s time to do my Year-End post.

– Sweet But Psycho sadly made its way down to the Bottom 5. I definitely enjoyed that song while it lasted, unlike some people. Much like with Dancing With A Stranger, I’ll also have to revisit that one come December when I post my Best Songs Of 2019. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have With You in the Bottom 5 also. That one is just simply not good for the most part. Hopefully, it’ll leave soon.

– I find it weird that High Hopes was the #1 song one year ago this week and it’s still here on the countdown. It’s such a rare occurrence. Also, I don’t know if anybody here realized this, but High Hopes currently has spent 58 weeks on this countdown. It’s appears to be closing in on the record held by Fall Out Boy – My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light ‘Em Up), which had 66 weeks if I’m correct. Spyder Harrison described that song as “The song that would never go away”. I’m sure he can say the same for High Hopes right now. Man, that song!

– Spyder Harrison mentioned during his introduction for Goodbyes that Post Malone has a new song on Hit-Bound titled Circles. Um, Spyder. That song has NOT been out yet. Are you seriously daydreaming again? I heard it’s supposed to come out within the next week or so.

– Here With Me finally dropped out of the Top 20 after a while. I still love that song. I’m glad it had some success here as opposed to everywhere else, where it was a flop. I’m 100% certain this will be on Hits 1’s Year-End list come December.

– On that note, So Am I took a big hit as it has now out of the Top 10 all of a sudden. Seems like whatever momentum it had the past couple of weeks is now just a distant memory.

– And of course, 100 Bad Days would jump big into the Top 20. Just great. But I’m 95% sure it won’t last very long here and I’m hoping it doesn’t because the song is a mess.

– On a more positive note, remember when I said that Call You Mine fell short of what it had to offer? Yeah, that thought is now a distant memory. I grew into that song over the past couple of weeks and I’m now ready to declare it my favorite song on the countdown. The Chainsmokers have impressed me once more. They do have a new single out which I also love as well. It’s called Takeaway. I find that song to be amazing as well.

– You Need To Calm Down took a big hit this week for some reason as it is back to square one. Yikes! I may not like the song, but I’m little surprised about that move since that one is still gaining momentum elsewhere. It’s nice to see Cool finally starting to die off.

– As much as I dislike those songs, none of them are as annoying as Love Me Less, which continues to slowly walk towards its way into the Top 10. Argh, why are we letting this one gain like this?!?! I honestly cannot stand Quinn XCII’s verse at all. It’s definitely one of the most obnoxious verses I’ve heard this year and it makes the song even more insufferable. You know things are really bad when I prefer 100 Bad Days over this song. Heck, I’d rather listen to even Old Town Road despite me not being a big fan of that song at all either.

– Hey Look Ma, I Made It finally dropped out of the Top 10 after spending a very long time in that region. I have a sinking feeling it’ll last a year on this countdown much like its predecessor.

– We have the unwelcome return of Talk and Someone You Loved in the Top 10. But it’s nice to have Señorita back up there, though. Hopefully, that song continues it upward trajectory.

– On that note, Hits 1 may have gotten word that Truth Hurts was gaining momentum elsewhere. So, they decided to have the song enter the Top 10 this week. I’m cool with this. She even has a new song on Hit-Bound which I’ll get to eventually. According to Ryan Sampson, he did mention that none of the Minnesota Vikings have said they’re Lizzo’s man. Heh, I wonder where did she get those lyrics from?

– We have Easier making its way into the Top 5 because of course, that’s what Hits 1 wants. This is not ideal. I may have liked that song initially, but my love for it died out pretty fast considering it’s mediocre compared to what they’ve done in the past. There’s no band here and their vocals are underwhelming. So yeah, I’m not thrilled seeing it up there

– Wowzers! We have If We Have Each Other making a big comeback this week as it jumps all the way into the Top 3. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this. I’m not huge on Alec Benjamin as a whole, but I think this is a nice song by any means. I don’t necessarily want it at #1. I’d much rather have If I Can’t Have You at the top.

– Speaking of If I Can’t Have You, it is very fitting to have it at #1 on the week of Shawn Mendes’s birthday. Happy Birthday to him!

– As a bonus blurb, I’m going to be doing a review on The Chainsmokers’s newer single titled Takeaway. It features Lennon Stella who sings the song and EDM producer ILLENIUM. Now, right off the bat, this is just amazing. I absolutely ADORE Lennon’s voice here. She shines in the chorus. She shows me how talented she is vocally. Andrew sounds good as well. I love the vocal chemistry between the two artists and that drop is just divine. Yeah, this is just another fine piece of work for these guys. I’m glad it worked out well. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Hit-Bound:

I’m very happy that we’ve got Katy Perry hosting Hit-Bound this week! She has a brand new single which I’ll talk about below. Here is the full list:

  • Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder
  • Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s (DEBUT)
  • Zara Larsson – All The Time
  • Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me
  • TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype (DEBUT)
  • Taylor Swift – The Archer
  • Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA (DEBUT)
  • Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?
  • Katy Perry – Small Talk (DEBUT)
  • Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend (DEBUT)
  • Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
  • Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
  • Dominic Fike – 3 Nights
  • Jonas Brothers – Only Human
  • Lizzo – Good As Hell (DEBUT)

Entrant Reviews:
– We have yet another single from Panic! At The Disco because Hits 1’s love for them is still at an all-time high. This week, Brendon Urie and company takes us back to the Roaring 20’s. Right off the bat, this is not quite as good as their other singles from Pray For The Wicked. But I still like it, in part because of Brendon Urie himself and how talented he is vocally. I’m sure this will make its debut to the countdown at some point.

– As one song from TWENTY ØNE PILØTS leaves the countdown, another is looking to step in and fill the void left behind. Enter The Hype, the latest single off of Trench. It’s been almost a year since the album came out. I enjoyed it for the most part even though there were a few songs that weren’t exactly to my liking. I do love The Hype. The production here is better than Chlorine, which didn’t have much to it if I’m being honest, and Tyler Joseph sounds better here. It doesn’t quite come close to Jumpsuit, which remains as a huge favorite of mine from the album. Even though the song doesn’t exactly live up to the hype (no pun intended), I still love it for what it is.

– Because Hits 1 started to fall in love with Alec Benjamin, they decided to pick up on another single from him as this week, he gives us Jesus In LA. I already talked about this one when it was on the YouTube 15 a couple weeks ago. It’s slightly better than Let Me Down Slowly. But outside of the decent guitar, Alec doesn’t exactly sound good here. Overall, I’m not a huge fan.

– With Katy Perry hosting Hit-Bound this week, she brings us the follow-up to Never Really Over. And I’ll be making a little Small Talk about this one. This was written by Charlie Puth, which I find interesting. As far as the rest of the song goes, I’m pretty split on this. While the songwriting is great here, Katy didn’t exactly wow me with her vocal performance and the production is kinda underwhelming here. I’m still interested in what she has to offer for her new album, but the song isn’t quite what I was hoping for.

– Ariana Grande has been a major disappointment this year and she continues to regress even further as this week, she brings us her latest single titled Boyfriend, which features the duo Social House. This is a step up from 7 Rings and Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored. But it isn’t saying much because this is still underwhelming in almost every way. Ariana does not shine with her voice at all and the beat is too minimalistic with no cohesion. The members of Social House hardly make any sort of contribution here. I also don’t like the lyrics and the message that it sends. Yeah, this isn’t good and it really doesn’t come as a surprise given how low Ariana has sunk this year. I honestly don’t know what has happened to her.

– Last but not least, we have more of Lizzo with her “older” single, titled Good As Hell. I emphasized the word “older” because the song has actually been out since 2016. I’ll say this is better than Truth Hurts, which I still kinda like for the most part. The beat is here and I like her voice. The chorus here is pretty darn amazing. It gives me throwback vibes and I’m a big sucker for those. Yeah, I’m digging this one. It’s nice to see Lizzo getting some recognition.

Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Lizzo – Good As Hell

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend

1 – Bad:
14. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights
13. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?

2 – Mediocre:
12. Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA

3 – Decent:
11. Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder
10. Katy Perry – Small Talk

4 – Good:
9. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me

5 – Great:
8. Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s
7. Taylor Swift – The Archer
6. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
5. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
4. Zara Larsson – All The Time
3. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype
2. Lizzo – Good As Hell

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People

Overall Grade: 55/75 = 73% (C–)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Lorde – Green Light

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
2. Lizzo – Good As Hell
3. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype
4. Zara Larsson – All The Time
5. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her

YouTube 15:

  • Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
  • Alan Walker featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko – On My Way
  • Noah Cyrus – July
  • Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
  • Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
  • Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
  • Gryffin featuring Carly Rae Jepsen – OMG
  • Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
  • Ed Sheeran featuring Travis Scott – Antisocial
  • Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
  • Au/Ra – Dance In The Dark
  • Khalid – Talk
  • Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
  • Lizzo – Truth Hurts
  • Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend

Song Reviews:
– This week’s list here looks slightly better than last week. But it’s not exactly all roses here. We’ll start with the return of Noah Cyrus as she brings us her latest single, July. It’s a bit of a step up from what she had before. But it isn’t saying a whole lot here given that she’s not that good of a singer. The instrumentation is nice here, but that’s about it. I have a feeling that one is going to be on the YouTube 15 for a little while since Jenna Marbles seems to have fallen in love with Noah Cyrus in recent years. It’s kinda like how Hits 1 falls in love with some of the other artists. That aside, while the song is in blue, it’s much closer to red than it is green.

– Carly Rae Jepsen released her new album this year titled Dedicated and it is impressive. That album is filled with gems such as Now That I Found You, The Sound, Julien, and others. This week, she collaborates with EDM producer Gryffin in their single OMG. This is definitely a good song for the most part, largely because Carly is a great singer and she proves it in this song. I like the work Gryffin has done here and the drop is good. He did give me Tie Me Down with Elley Duhe, which I find to be amazing. This is just as good as that one.

– Remember Au/Ra who was featured in Alan Walker’s single Darkside from last year? Well, guess what? She makes her return this week as she brings us Dancing In The Dark. This is really cool and different. I love the beat here and the mysterious vibe it gives off. Au/Ra has a unique voice and she shows it throughout the song. I think she is talented. Yeah, I’m definitely digging this one. I highly recommend it.

YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
14. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
13. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)

1 – Bad:
12. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down

2 – Mediocre:
11. Khalid – Talk
10. Noah Cyrus – July

3 – Decent:
9. Alan Walker featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko – On My Way
8. Ed Sheeran featuring Travis Scott – Antisocial

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
7. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
6. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
5. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
3. Gryffin featuring Carly Rae Jepsen – OMG
2. Au/Ra – Dancing In The Dark

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

Overall Grade: 47/75 = 63% (D–)

Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Ellie Goulding – Flux

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
2. Au/Ra – Dancing In The Dark
3. Gryffin featuring Carly Rae Jepsen – OMG
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
5. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
19. AJR – 100 Bad Days
18. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)

1 – Bad:
17. Jonas Brothers – Cool
16. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
15. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down

2 – Mediocre:
14. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
13. Khalid – Talk

3 – Decent:
12. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love
11. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other
10. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care

4 – Good:
9. Halsey – Nightmare
8. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime

5 – Great:
7. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
6. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
5. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
4. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine

Overall Grade: 61/100 = 61% (D–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (1987) (Today would’ve been her 56th Birthday)

Most Missed Countdown Songs: Tie between Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (Happy 21st Birthday to him) and Kesha – Praying (The song that debuted this week two years ago)

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: The Chainsmokers & ILLENIUM featuring Lennon Stella – Takeaway

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#38) and Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (#14)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
TIE: 1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
3. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
4. Dan + Shay – Speechless
5. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
2. AJR – 100 Bad Days
3. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
4. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You
5. Jonas Brothers – Cool

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects: After the release of the underwhelming singles from Sick Boy, this was a step back in the right direction for these guys. Emily Warren deserves some credit for this one as she shines with her voice. Overall, it’s a great song.

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