Hello, fam!  I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.  Hopefully within the next couple of weeks, I plan on posting my Year-End review for 2019.  I’m about half-way through with one of them, so I should have it ready soon.  In the meantime, I have the AT40 countdown post.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• No Guidance by Chris Brown featuring Drake (#29)
  
• Good Things Fall Apart by ILLENIUM featuring Jon Bellion (#36)
  

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
40. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#39) [–1]
39. Higher Love by Kygo featuring Whitney Houston (#32) [–7]
38. Teeth by 5 Seconds Of Summer (DEBUT)
37. Wow. by Post Malone (#37) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
36. Slow Dance by AJ Mitchell featuring Ava Max (#40) [+4]
35. Rooting For You by Alessia Cara (#35) [=]
34. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#33) [–1]
33. Lonely by Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers (#34) [+1]
32. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#31) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
31. My Type by Saweetie (#38) [+7]
30. Dance Monkey by Tones & I (DEBUT)
29. Ran$om by Lil Tecca (#26) [–3]
28. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#27) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
27. What Am I by Why Don’t We (#30) [+3]
26. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#25) [–1]
25. Don’t Call Me Angel by Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey (#22) [–3]
24. Nice To Meet Ya by Niall Horan (#23) [–1]
23. All The Good Girls Go To Hell by Billie Eilish (#24) [+1]
22. Talk by Khalid (#20) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
21. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown (#19) [–2]
20. Lover by Taylor Swift (#18) [–2]
19. 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber (#21) [+2]
18. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez (#28) [+10]
17. Graveyard by Halsey (#18) [+1]
16. Liar by Camila Cabello (#15) [–1]
15. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#14) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
14. Panini by Lil Nas X (#17) [+3]
13. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (#11) [–2]
12. Time by NF (#12) [=]
11. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#9) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
10. Memories by Maroon 5 (#13) [+3]
9. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith (#10) [+1]
8. Trampoline by SHAED (#7) [–1]
7. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#5) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
6. Good As Hell by Lizzo (#8) [+2]
5. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (#6) [+1]
4. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#3) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
3. Only Human by Jonas Brothers (#4) [+1]
2. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#1) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. Circles by Post Malone (#2) [+1] [1st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (3rd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Higher Love by Kygo featuring Whitney Houston (–7)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez (+10)

New Entrants:
– We have more of 5 Seconds Of Summer here, and they give us their latest single in the form of Teeth, which is taken from the soundtrack of 13 Reasons Why for season three.  Since the start of 2018, they’ve been a pretty big name in music, what with Youngblood become their biggest hit of their career so far.  In terms of their new single, I think it’s pretty decent.  I do quite like the rock vibe it’s going for and the instrumentation is fine.  But what brings the song down for me a little bit is their vocal work.  I feel like they didn’t really impress me with the chorus.  It doesn’t live up to what they had to offer in the past, but it’s a lot better than Easier, which was not very good because there was no band there and their performance was pretty bad there.  I’m okay with it sticking around, though I really don’t care either way.

– We have a newcomer making her first appearance on the countdown.  It’s from Australian act Tones & I with a song titled Dance Monkey.  I remember when I first heard the song initially that I didn’t like it, in part because it was annoying from a vocal standpoint.  But within the past month or so, it has done a complete 180 on me.  I think her voice is unique and I kinda like the beat here.  The rest of the production is pretty damn solid too.  It’s a catchy song overall.  It was a huge hit overseas and now it looks destined to try to do the same in the United States and I’m here for it.

Best Debut Of The Week: Dance Monkey by Tones & I

Bad Blurbs Is What I Need
– On the note of exits, Good Things Fall Apart was pretty good vocally because Jon Bellion is a good singer and I like ILLENIUM’s work here.  But it was not destined to last.  Good riddance to No Guidance.  That one thankfully didn’t stick around for too long.  But since it did well on the Billboard Hot 100 (only because of Drake), I know it’ll be on their Year-End list, which is bad news.

– We get a new #1 in the form of Circles.  I saw it coming from about 10,000 miles away.  Post Malone is still relevant, so it was bound to happen at some point.  I do like the song, so I’m perfectly fine with it taking the top spot over the mediocre at best Someone You Loved.

– And of course, we get the Top 10 entry from Memories by Maroon 5.  I knew it was going to happen because people still can’t get enough of these guys.  But this is not interesting in the slightest and Adam sounds unenthusiastic.  This is for sure going to stick around for a while, and that’s not good.

– We do get the big rise of Lose You To Love Me in the Top 20, which is very good news.  I think the song is amazing.  Selena really impressed me here with her voice.  I’m glad this one is gaining momentum.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa
• Lonely by Lauv featuring Anne-Marie
• Take What You Want by Post Malone featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott
• Raising Hell by Kesha featuring Big Freedia
• Writing On The Wall by French Montana featuring Post Malone, Cardi B, and Rvssian

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
• Let You Down by NF
• Sugar by Maroon 5
• Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
• Delicate by Taylor Swift
• Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara
• Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay
• How Long by Charlie Puth
• Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
• Clarity by Zedd featuring Foxes
• No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
• It Ain’t Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez

 

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
None!

1 – Bad:
20. Memories by Maroon 5
19. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi

2 – Mediocre:
18. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber

3 – Decent:
17. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug
16. Time by NF
15. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith
14. Liar by Camila Cabello
13. Panini by Lil Nas X

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
12. Only Human by Jonas Brothers
11. Circles by Post Malone
10. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
9. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
8. Graveyard by Halsey
7. 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber
6. Good As Hell by Lizzo
5. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
4. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
3. Trampoline by SHAED
2. Lover by Taylor Swift

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Selena Gomez – Lose You To Love Me

Total Score: 80/100 = 80% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Bad Medicine by Bon Jovi (1988)

Most Missed Song: Come At Me Now by Kongos

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#9)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez
2. Lover by Taylor Swift
3. Trampoline by SHAED
4. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
5. Nice To Meet Ya by Niall Horan

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown
2. My Type by Saweetie
3. Ran$om by Lil Tecca
4. Lonely by Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers
5. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara: This is one of my least favorite singles Alessia has put out.  The awkward production and some questionable lyrics doesn’t make this a fun listen for me.  Alessia has had much better.

Be Alright by Dean Lewis: It’s nothing I loathe, really.  I do like what it’s going for lyrically and I kinda like Dean’s voice, but it didn’t stick with me in the big picture.

Better by Khalid: The follow-up to Love Lies.  It’s another one of Khalid’s best solo singles to date.  It’s a shame that Talk had to be his biggest hit and not this, because there’s quite a bit I like about the song.