Hello fam! Well, October is upon us. Things are about to get spooky for the whole month! What scary things await us, you might ask? We’ll you have to find out for yourself! As far as the countdown went, it was somewhat interesting…until we got to the #1, which is no good. We did make way for some new arrivals, most of which are solid. There were some moves that had to be made, and they’re for the better. Let’s jump right in! Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:
- Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#40)
- Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#41)
- Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#43)
- Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#44)
- Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#45)
The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Jonas Brothers – Cool
45. Khalid – Talk (#39) [–6]
44. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#37) [–7]
43. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#42) [–1]
42. Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder (#32) [–10]
41. Halsey – Nightmare (#36) [–5]
40. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights (#31) [–9]
39. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend (#23) [–16]
38. Waterparks – Dream Boy (#33) [–5]
37. Post Malone – Circles (DEBUT)
36. Stephen Puth – Look Away (#29) [–7]
35. SHAED – Trampoline (#38) [+3]
34. Why Don’t We – What Am I (DEBUT)
33. Camila Cabello – Shameless (#34) [+1]
32. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (#30) [–2]
31. Jonas Brothers – Only Human (DEBUT)
30. Taylor Swift – Lover (DEBUT)
29. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#18) [–11]
28. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#28) [=]
27. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (#24) [–3]
26. Katy Perry – Small Talk (#21) [–5]
25. Maroon 5 – Memories (DEBUT)
24. Camila Cabello – Liar (#27) [+3]
23. Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA (#35) [+12]
22. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (#19) [–3]
21. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype (#26) [+5]
20. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me (#17) [–3]
19. Charlie Puth – Mother (#22) [+3]
18. Zara Larsson – All The Time (#11) [–7]
17. OneRepublic – Rescue Me (#14) [–3]
16. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (#15) [–1]
15. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People (#12) [–3]
14. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#8) [–6]
13. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her (#20) [+7]
12. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#1) [–11] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
11. Halsey – Graveyard (#25) [+14]
10. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#16) [+6]
9. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#9) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
8. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#10) [+2]
7. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#3) [–4] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
6. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#6) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine (#13) [+8]
4. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#2) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
3. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#7) [+4] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
2. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#5) [+3]
1. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#4) [+3] [2nd Week At #1]
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (5th of 8 Weeks At #1)
Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend (–16)
Biggest Jump Of The Week: Halsey – Graveyard (+14)
New Entrants:
– Up first, we have more of Post Malone once more. This time, he’s running around in Circles with his single taken from Hollywood’s Bleeding, which was released this past month. Now compared to what he has done before, this is something different. Post Malone is talented overall despite me being mixed on his music. He has some stuff from his latest album which are good and some…not quite as much. Circles lands in the category of being good. The guitar was put to good use, though it doesn’t quite hit as hard and a little more effort could’ve been done. But the thick bass groove both make up for its shortcomings. He has a good voice and it shows as he put on a decent performance here. The idea of talking about his relationship struggles relates to most people. I can get behind the concept and I could dive deeper, if only the song had more in terms of the lyrical depth. There’s isn’t too much and it feels lackluster in some parts. Yeah, compared to some of the other records off of Hollywood’s Bleeding, this doesn’t quite hit its height because I felt like more could’ve been done. But it’s fine enough and I’m okay with this being a hit.
– It’s about time Why Don’t We made their first appearance on the countdown. They’ve been around for about two years and they’ve made some music. It’s been a mixed bag, though. There were songs that showed them their potential (8 Letters) and there were some that were…well, not too good (Trust Fund Baby). So, where does What Am I stand in terms of my opinion? It starts with the guitar and nice vocals from Corbyn and Daniel. Then it gets interesting as the song goes along, which showed how much potential these guys have from a vocal standpoint. While they don’t have the best performance, it’s still worthwhile when combined with the nice lyrics. So as far as my opinion goes, I can say this is pretty good overall. Although I much prefer 8 Letters, I’m fine with this being their first countdown song.
– Since the Jonas Brothers reunited this year, they’ve made a big splash by putting out a good record in the form of Sucker, which broke the record for most weeks at #1 in Hits 1 Weekend Countdown history. But then they decided to follow-up with Cool, which was just messy and not very good. As for Only Human…it’s quite different. Yeah, you have a cool tropical vibe and decent instrumentation. But really that’s all there is to it. However, I can say it’s much better written than that of Cool. It doesn’t have asinine lyrics and these guys put on a fine performance vocally. Yeah, I’m fine with this potentially being a hit. But I think there were better songs off of Happiness Begins that should be a single. I’ll certainly take it over Cool, though.
– After Reputation was seen by many as a mixed bag, Taylor Swift has given people something that’s exceptional when Lover was released. ME! was an enjoyable tune despite it having some cheesy lines, while You Need To Calm Down was a step down and a disappointment for her. But when listening to the album in its entirety, it showed a clear evolution between Lover and Reputation. I’ve praised her new album because it showed her artistic growth. Making its debut at #30 this week, she give us the title track of the album. I’m going to dissect the song and give it much praise as I possibly can because it deserves it. The solid use of the strings, coupled with heavy emphasis on the drums, make this a fine listen instrumentally. Her beautiful vocals fit very well for a song that has deep lyrical depth which tells more of a story about getting together. If you want a testament as to how much Taylor continues to evolve for the better as a songwriter, look at the creativity and the effort put together in the lyrical department. Simply put, this is a exceptional work of art. Safe to say that this is the best of what the album has to offer.
– So, here’s a question: who’s ready for the return of Maroon 5? No one? Well, don’t worry, I wasn’t ready for them either. But alas, here they are making their comeback not long after their Super Bowl performance earlier this year. They try to bring back some Memories with their new single…and to be frank, it just doesn’t work for me. I’ll give it to them that it’s a step up from the majority of Red Pill Blues (save for What Lovers Do), but only barely. The production is lackluster and leaves a lot to be desired. The guitar was not put to good use here. It is very weak and mostly undercooked. Adam Levine sounds unenthusiastic, which leads me to believe that he didn’t have much fun recording his vocal work for the song. That to me speaks volumes about how much he has evolved, and not for the better. Interestingly enough, Jon Bellion helped write the song. Yes, the same Jon Bellion that gave us All Time Low (a huge favorite of mine in 2017) had a hand in the songwriting…and he didn’t deliver either. Back in the 2000’s, Maroon 5 were at their peak when they gave us songs such as This Love, She Will Be Loved, Makes Me Wonder, and others. Those were some of my favorites that the band had to offer back then, because they were putting forth the effort in producing their music and Adam has some form of charisma and personality. But nowadays, they’ve basically become a modern day pop group and that’s not a good thing. Their songs from Songs About Jane and It Won’t Be Soon Before Long had good singles that I revisit from time to time. Even V I can sometimes enjoy even though it was nowhere near their best work. Memories does not live up to those. In fact, I’m hard pressed to call it decent song, let alone great because it’s a demo that comes up well short of what it’s trying to do.
Best Debut Of The Week: Taylor Swift – Lover
It’s Only Blurbs
– To begin, our exits. Good riddance to With You. I’m glad it didn’t stay for too much longer. Kaskade is a good EDM producer and has some stuff I liked. But this was not it and Meghan put on a poor vocal performance here. Yeah, that one will not be missed. Also, it’s about time we bid adieu to Old Town Road. I still can’t believe this broke the record for most weeks at #1 on Billboard. It’s a good thing I don’t have to deal with it anymore. Then, there’s three songs that will be missed by me. Never Really Over was a great comeback for Katy Perry and it’s a damn shame this didn’t get treated as such. She has an amazing voice. It’s pretty sad that one will end up missing the Billboard Year-End for 2019. This song definitely deserves much better. Then we have two other songs. Here With Me, despite it flopping elsewhere, had a respectable run on this countdown spending a week in the Top 5. It’s one of Marshmello’s few good songs that he had to offer. Finally, we have the departure of Bad Liar. And with it, that means we don’t have a song from Imagine Dragons on the countdown since 2017. It’s pretty sad we won’t be getting anymore singles from them for a while. But they had a good run.
– I want to say congrats to Taylor Swift on her new album, Lover going Platinum. It’s a good album that showed her artistic growth. It was well-deserved.
– By no surprise, Harder drops down to the Bottom 5, which is a good thing. Between the weird drop and the gutless production work by Jax Jones, the song is not a fun listen for me. Jax Jones had has better songs and it’s unfortunate that this is his first countdown song.
– Nice to see 3 Nights flopping as well. I’ll admit that it’s kinda catchy in a way. But I just couldn’t get into this one for some reason. I don’t know. I wasn’t that impressed with how it turned out.
– On the note of other good things that happened this week, both Boyfriend and Love Me Less took big drops this week! Thank the high heavens above! You have no idea how much this news pleases me!
– Before introducing Bad Guy, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Billie Eilish has been a fan of TWENTY ØNE PILØTS and says that she loved Blurryface. I’m glad me and her are in the same boat. I fell in love with their album as well and it had good songs, such as Stressed Out and some others I won’t mention right now.
– Speaking of Katy Perry, looks like Small Talk won’t last much longer. That I’m actually okay with since this doesn’t hit as hard as its predecessor. Like I referenced before, I’m very interested in what more Katy Perry has to offer in the future. But Small Talk is a little underwhelming for my tastes. I’m starting to grow into this a little bit, though it probably won’t last.
– Too bad Señorita was not a #1 hit on this countdown. It kinda makes me a sad panda because I LOVE the song more than I’m supposed to. Sure, it’s meaningless and all. But that Latin vibe is really cool and I like the chemistry between Shawn and Camila. Yeah, I can safely say that this has become a huge favorite of mine.
– Cool took quite a big drop out of the #1 spot quickly. Dang! But this has been getting worse with each additional listen. So yeah, good thing it only got one week at the top.
– Then there’s Graveyard, which of course has the honor of being the Biggest Jump Of The Week. That I’m actually fine with as opposed to Nightmare, which finally dropped down to the Bottom 5 this week.
– So, Shawn Mendes is deciding to grow his hair out long, huh? I’ve never seen him with long hair before. I wonder how it’ll turn out? I’ll be looking forward to it.
– Call You Mine entering the Top 5 is music to my ears despite it not doing well elsewhere. Looks like their love for The Chainsmokers hasn’t died down yet. Fortunately, I’ve been enjoying the song and it’s nice to see it reach a new peak.
– And then there’s our #1. Blech. This is another one that just continues to get worse with each and every additional listen. I’m hoping Truth Hurts or Call You Mine can get the top spot and fast. This is just not ideal at all.
Hit-Bound:
- Monsta X featuring French Montana – Who Do U Love?
- Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber – 10,000 Hours (DEBUT)
- Normani – Motivation (DEBUT)
- Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely
- Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s
- Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya (DEBUT)
- Liam Payne
featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie– Stack It Up - Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
- Lizzo – Good As Hell
- 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
- Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
- Billie Eilish – All The Good Girls Go Hell (DEBUT)
- Marshmello featuring Kane Brown – One Thing Right (DEBUT)
- NF – Time
- Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
Entrant Reviews:
– Instead of me going in order, I’m going to get the most displeasing debut out of the way first. We have more of Marshmello and he collaborates with country singer Kane Brown in One Thing Right. If you’ve been following my blog as of late, then you’ve probably seen me do a rant it out review of the song. You can check it out right here. Following his collaboration with Anne-Marie in Friends, things have taken a wrong turn. Most of his latest music (other than Here With Me) have not been to my liking. Now we have One Thing Right, which is another new low for him. Marshmello did not put forth any effort in the production aspect. Kane Brown sounds like shit from the very first line. I know he’s a good country singer and he has some things I like. But his performance is just abysmal with him being drowned in auto-tune in the chorus and toothless verses. Simply put, this song is one thing wrong about EDM. I was rooting for Marshmello following the release of Wolves. But now, I’m just not so sure anymore.
– Alright, now we’re going to talk about the other new songs entering Hit-Bound this week, and they’re much better than the one I just finished tearing apart. I’m going to start with more of Billie Eilish with her latest single titled All Good Girls Go To Hell. I like a good amount of what Billie had to offer this year.. Unfortunately, this song doesn’t exactly do it for me. The gutless beat and Billie’s okay vocal performance doesn’t make me like this immediately as her previous singles did. I might be able to grow into this with time. But as it is, not too impressed with this. I don’t know. I kinda expected more out of her.
– Then there are three debuts which are actually good. The first one comes from the return of country duo Dan + Shay not long after the departure of Speechless, and they team up with Justin Bieber. It took them 10,000 Hours to create this song. I find it interesting that they’re collaborating with Justin Bieber. But to me, what’s even more interesting is the title itself. I wonder did they really need that much time to be able to come up with music like this? Anyway, this turned out well. I’m not gonna say it’s as good as Tequila and Speechless. But it’s a good listen. Between the nice guitar, well-written lyrics, and the guys have good chemistry, everything about the songs works for me. I’ll have more on this come its debut.
– After making her presence known the past two years, Normani gives us a little Motivation with her solo single. First off, I like the music video she put together. It has a nice throwback feel to it and it reminds me of the days I watch BET (I still do watch it even today). This song was a grower for me initially, but now I’ve finally got into it. The beat is pretty cool and I like Normani’s voice overall. Interestingly, Ariana Grande had a hand in producing the song and she did a fine job here. Yeah, this is just a bop and it’s proof that Normani is the best single out of all the Fifth Harmony members.
– And finally, we have the big return of Niall Horan. He gives us his brand new single titled Nice To Meet Ya. I expected him to lean more towards acoustic-pop. But this is something different, and in a good way. Niall sounds good and I like everything else it has to offer. I’ll save my words for when it inevitably debuts.
Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Normani – Motivation
Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Marshmello featuring Kane Brown – One Thing Right
1 – Bad:
14. Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely
2 – Mediocre:
13. Liam Payne featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Stack It Up
3 – Decent:
12. Billie Eilish – All The Good Girls Go To Hell
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
10. Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s
4 – Good:
9. NF – Time
5 – Great:
8. Monsta X featuring French Montana – Who Do U Love?
7. Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber – 10,000 Hours
6. Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
5. Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya
4. Normani – Motivation
3. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
2. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Lizzo – Good As Hell
Overall Grade: 57/75 = 76% (B)
Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: BØRNS – Electric Love
My Top 5 Picks
1. Lizzo – Good As Hell
2. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
3. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
4. Normani – Motivation
5. Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya
YouTube 15:
- Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
- Tiësto featuring Mabel – God Is A Dancer
- Becky G featuring J-Hope – Chicken Noodle Soup
- NF – Time
- OneRepublic – Wanted
- Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
- Paulo Londra featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Party
- Post Malone – Circles
- Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey – Don’t Call Me Angel
- Lizzo – Truth Hurts
- Bebe Rexha – You Can’t Stop The Girl
- Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
- Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
- Khalid – Talk
- Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers – Lonely
Song Reviews:
– There’s really not a whole lot to like here. First is more of Becky G and she teams up with J-Hope in Chicken Noodle Soup. I’ve not been very fond of what she has to offer and this is not doing her any favors. Terrible production work and underwhelming vocals from Becky G makes this an unpleasant listen. I’m not sure what has happened to her. Shower and Can’t Stop Dancing were amazing and showed her potential. Her latest stuff isn’t doing anything for me. I can’t decide which is worse between Chicken Noodle Soup and Dollar, both of which show that her talent has gone to waste.
– Next, there’s Paulo Londra who teams up with rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie in Party. Right off the bat, this is just not good. I don’t like the production here with trap elements and a thin guitar. Paulo sounds bad vocally. I also don’t like A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s contribution. Yeah, it’s better than two of Becky G’s recent songs. But I’m not a fan. NEXT!
– More of Bebe Rexha is nice, as she gives us You Can’t Stop The Girl from the Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil movie soundtrack. I think this a bit of a step up from her other solo singles. She sounds great here and I like the piano work. The rest of the song get better as it goes along. Yeah, I’m in love with this and one of the best she has to offer.
– Finally, we have Diplo collaborating with the Jonas Brothers in their latest single titled Lonely. I like the vocals and the beat is okay, but then there’s the weird drop which ruins it’s potential. I wanted to like this, but it didn’t work out for me. I have it in blue, but it’s closer to red.
YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Tiësto featuring Mabel – God Is A Dancer
14. Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
13. Becky G featuring J-Hope – Chicken Noodle Soup
12. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
1 – Bad:
11. Paulo Londra featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Party
2 – Mediocre:
10. Khalid – Talk
9. Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers – Lonely
3 – Decent:
8. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
7. OneRepublic – Wanted
4 – Good:
6. NF – Time
5 – Great:
5. Post Malone – Circles
4. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
2. Bebe Rexha – You Can’t Stop The Girl
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey – Don’t Call Me Angel
Overall Grade: 41/75 = 55% (C)
Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey – Don’t Call Me Angel
2. Bebe Rexha – You Can’t Stop The Girl
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
4. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
5. Post Malone – Circles
Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Jonas Brothers – Cool
19. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
1 – Bad:
18. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
2 – Mediocre:
17. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love
3 – Decent:
16. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
15. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me
14. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other
13. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes
4 – Good:
12. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
11. Halsey – Graveyard
5 – Great:
10. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
9. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
8. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
7. Charlie Puth – Mother
6. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
4. Zara Larsson – All The Time
3. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
2. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
Overall Grade: 74/100 = 74% (B)
Throwback Pick Of The Week: LeAnn Rimes – Can’t Fight The Moonlight (2000)
Most Missed Countdown Song: Lauren Daigle – You Say
#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ally Brooke featuring Matoma – Higher
Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#32) and Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#10)
My Top 5 Picks
1. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
2. Taylor Swift – Lover
3. SHAED – Trampoline
4. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
5. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
2. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
3. Jonas Brothers – Cool
4. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
5. Halsey – Nightmare
Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity: By this point, people were getting tired of Dua Lipa. But regardless, it’s still a solid song because it has good production work from Mark Ronson and Diplo (who both formed Silk City) and Dua’s exceptional vocal performance.
Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan: This was released in the same day as In My Blood. I like the groove here and Shawn sounds good with his smooth voice. It’s a shame that one didn’t really take off.
The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling: The follow-up to Side Effects, I think this is their best release since Closer, which remains a huge favorite of mine. Kelsea sounds amazing here and these guys did a fine job as an EDM duo.
Music Reviews + More 