Hello, fam! I was able to get this post out earlier. I am working on something special for you all. I should have it ready within the next couple of weeks. I’m also working on my Year-End posts. You’ll see those pretty soon. I’m sure many here are looking forward to that. In terms of how this week went, it was a mess. I’ll talk more about it in the blurbs. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:
- AJR – 100 Bad Days (#30)
- Asher Angel
featuring Wiz Khalifa– One Thought Away (#40) - Dan + Shay – Speechless (#42)
The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
45. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#44) [–1]
44. Halsey – Without Me (#45) [+1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
43. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#41) [–2]
42. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#37) [–5]
41. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#43) [+2]
40. SHAED – Trampoline (#39) [–1]
39. Camila Cabello – Shameless (DEBUT)
38. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype (DEBUT)
37. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights (#40) [+3]
36. Waterparks – Dream Boy (#35) [–1]
35. Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder (#36) [+1]
34. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#34) [=]
33. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (#33) [=]
32. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#16) [–16]
31. Camila Cabello – Liar (DEBUT)
30. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#32) [+2]
29. Zara Larsson – All The Time (#27) [–2]
28. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#26) [–2]
27. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#31) [+4]
26. Stephen Puth – Look Away (#28) [+2]
25. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me (#29) [+4]
24. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (#15) [–9]
23. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#24) [+1]
22. Katy Perry – Small Talk (#22) [=]
21. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People (#22) [+1]
20. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (#21) [+1]
19. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend (#25) [+6]
18. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her (#17) [–1]
17. Halsey – Nightmare (#12) [–5]
16. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#19) [+3]
15. OneRepublic – Rescue Me (#13) [–2]
14. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine (#18) [+4]
13. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#11) [–2]
12. Khalid – Talk (#14) [+2]
11. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#5) [–6]
10. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (#20) [+10]
9. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#4) [–5]
8. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#8) [=]
7. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#10) [+3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
6. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#1) [–5] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
5. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#3) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
4. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#2) [–2] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
3. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#7) [+4]
2. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#6) [+4]
1. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#9) [+8] [1st Week At #1]
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (2nd of 5 Weeks At #1)
Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Katy Perry – Never Really Over (–16)
Biggest Jump Of The Week: Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (+10)
New Entrants:
– So, we have three debuts that I’ll be covering this week. To start, Camila Cabello herself has two new singles. The first one is Shameless. Now my concern for these two songs is Camila herself. She doesn’t have a good voice and it shows in Shameless. The production is okay, but there’s nothing about it that stands out. It reminds me of Never Be The Same in a way, which I didn’t like. I don’t really envision this growing on me. We’ll see if my opinion change on the song. Then, there’s Liar, which is the highest debut of the week. I think that one is superior because I like the Latin vibe and I’m a sucker for those. The instruments are put to good use, specifically the saxophone. It fits Camila well. But once again, I’m not sold on her vocal performance, though I’ll admit I think she sounds slightly better here than on Shameless. Liar has a better chance of growing on me.
– Now, I want to talk about the most interesting debut. It’s from TWENTY ØNE PILØTS and they want us to believe The Hype (see what I did there?). Now, I think it’s one of the more interesting singles off of Trench, which I enjoyed as a whole. It’s doesn’t hit hard like Jumpsuit did, but it’s better than Legends and Chlorine, though the latter I can see the appeal to. As far as The Hype goes, I like the instrumentation and there’s some melody here. Tyler Joseph put on an exceptional vocal performance here. The chorus is solid. Looking at the lyrics, it tells a story about how one can go through a difficult time and we learn to making it through those times. It’s definitely something we can relate to. These guys are really good songwriters and they prove it in this song. Yeah, this is enjoyable overall. I hope to see it do well.
Best Debut Of The Week: TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype
I Don’t Believe The Blurb
– Our exits consist of two songs that aren’t really worth caring about, and one which I enjoyed while it lasted. Of course, there’s 100 Bad Days which will likely never be missed. One Thought Away I thought was a pretty decent song all things considered. And then you have Speechless, which was another good song from Dan + Shay. The country duo had quite a run on the countdown. It’s the first time we don’t have a song from them since August of last year. Speechless was successful on this countdown and I’m sure it’ll end up making the Year-End list. That one will be missed by me.
– So we got a new #1 in the form of Easier because of course even though this song is no good at all. I’m not wild about this. It’s only up there because Hits 1 loves all things 5 Seconds Of Summer. There’s no band in this song and their vocals are underwhelming. This has no business being at #1. Hopefully something new comes in next week because I’m not fond of this.
– Then, you have You Need To Calm Down at #2, which I’m not thrilled about either. I get what the song has to offer, but I don’t like that chorus and everything else is not very good. Yeah, between this and our current #1 song, this is definitely not ideal for how I wanted the Top 2 to look like. I’m hoping Señorita can get the nod at #1 like next week.
– Goodbyes take a big jump into the Top 10. Can’t say I’m happy about that as I’m slowly starting to lose interest in this song. I did listen to Hollywood’s Bleeding and there are some songs that are better. I’m hoping Cirlces can debut at some point.
– Boyfriend takes a big jump into the Top 20 because of course even though the song is terrible. It’s only been getting worse with each and every listen. Seriously, what happened to the Ariana Grande that I know and love?
– Probably the thing that ticked me off the most this week is Never Really Over having the Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week. That is a problem. This song deserved much better than what it ultimately had. But of course, it had to flop even though it’s the best she’s had in a while. And sadly, it’s going to miss the Billboard Year-End.
– And Trampoline is still in the Bottom 10, which is another problem. I’m fed up that it didn’t recover this week. It should be gaining momentum on this countdown and it’s not. The song is unique in every way. I’m just glad it’s here, though, and that’s all that matters.
Hit-Bound:
- Lizzo – Good As Hell
- Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up) (DEBUT)
- Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
- Charlie Puth – Mother (DEBUT)
- Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s
- Halsey – Graveyard (DEBUT)
- 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
- NF – Time
- Why Don’t We – What Am I
- Jonas Brothers – Only Human
- Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA
- Post Malone – Circles
- Taylor Swift – Lover
- Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely
- Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
Entrant Reviews:
– To kick things off, we have the unexpected return of Fall Out Boy with their new single titled Dear Future Self (Hands Up). Here, they’re collaborating with rapper Wyclef Jean. There’s quite a bit to like about this one. I like the rock vibe here and these guys sound good here. I’ll have more on this come its inevitable debut.
– Next, we have Charlie Puth who replaces himself this week. This time, he brings us Mother. It’s better than I Warned Myself in a way, though it’s still far from what he had on Voicenotes. I think the production has improved, but there’s still quite a bit to be desired here. That’s all I have to say about this one.
– And of course, there’s more of Halsey with her latest single, Graveyard. This one I actually kinda like as opposed to her other two singles. She sounds better here and I like the guitar here. I’m sure it’ll end up making its debut at some point.
Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely
1 – Bad:
None!
2 – Mediocre:
14. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
13. Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA
3 – Decent:
12. Charlie Puth – Mother
4 – Good:
11. Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s
10. Halsey – Graveyard
5 – Great:
9. Post Malone – Circles
8. NF – Time
7. Why Don’t We – What Am I
6. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
5. Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
4. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
3. Taylor Swift – Lover
2. Lizzo – Good As Hell
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
Overall Grade: 61/75 = 81% (B–)
Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Disturbed – The Sound Of Silence
My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
2. Lizzo – Good As Hell
3. Taylor Swift – Lover
4. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
5. Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
YouTube 15:
- Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
- Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
- Steve Aoki featuring Backstreet Boys – Let It Me Be
- Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
- Benny Bianco featuring Juice WRLD – Graduation
- Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
- Alessia Cara – October
- Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
- Normani – Motivation
- Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
- John Mayer – Carry Me Away
- Lizzo – Truth Hurts
- Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
- Khalid – Talk
- OneRepublic – Wanted
Song Reviews:
– First up, we have the return of Steve Aoki, and he works with the Backstreet Boys in their new single, Let It Me Be. This doesn’t quite top his previous singles, but there’s a lot of good stuff in this. Their vocals are good, which is the band’s strength and it has been since their debut single. Steve does a fine job at handling the production. Yeah, it’s something I can come back to.
– Next, we have more of Alessia Cara with October. This seems like an appropriate title for a song. After all, we’re closing in on the Fall and the month of October is coming. I’ll be looking forward to that. Anyway, I kinda like this for the most part. The instrumentation is pretty nice here and I like Alessia’s voice here. It’s not the best she has to offer, but it’s better than what she’s been giving us lately (outside of Growing Pains).
– We have the return of John Mayer with his latest single, Carry Me Away. I’m not that familiar with his music, though he did have some stuff I like (i.e. Waiting On The World To Change). As far as his new song goes, I think it’s a nice acoustic track. However, it’s not something I’ll actively seek out.
– Finally, we have more of OneRepublic with Wanted. They do have another new single in the form of Somebody To Love, but I won’t get into that one right now. Wanted is a bit of a step down from its predecessor, but it’s not bad. I quite like Ryan’s voice here, but the production leaves a bit to be desired. Not much else beyond that.
YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
15. Benny Blanco featuring Juice WRLD – Graduation
14. Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
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
3 – Decent:
10. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
9. John Mayer – Carry Me Away
8. OneRepublic – Wanted
4 – Good:
None!
5 – Great:
7. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
6. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
5. Alessia Cara – October
4. Normani – Motivation
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
2. Steve Aoki featuring Backstreet Boys – Let It Me Be
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
Overall Grade: 48/75 = 64% (D–)
Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Ellie Goulding – Flux
My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
2. Steve Aoki featuring Backstreet Boys – Let It Me Be
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
4. Normani – Motivation
5. Alessia Cara – October
Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
19. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
18. Jonas Brothers – Cool
17. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
1 – Bad:
16. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
15. Halsey – Nightmare
2 – Mediocre:
14. Khalid – Talk
13. The Chaisnmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love
3 – Decent:
12. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime
11. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
10. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other
9. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes
4 – Good:
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
5 – Great:
7. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
6. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
5. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
4. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
2. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
Overall Grade: 57/100 = 57% (F+) (Not good) 😦
Throwback Pick Of The Week: Bon Jovi – You Give Love A Bad Name (1986)
Most Missed Countdown Song: Daft Punk featuring Pharrell – Get Lucky
#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ella Henderson – Glorious
Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#23) and Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#8)
My Top 5 Picks
1. SHAED – Trampoline
2. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
3. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
4. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
5. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
2. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
3. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
4. Jonas Brothers – Cool
5. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You
Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!
Music Reviews + More 