Hello, fam!  Once again, here we go with another late post as far as Hits 1 goes.  This isn’t exactly how I envisioned starting off the new decade in terms of getting posts out on time.  So yeah, you’ll just have to bear with me on this one.  I can only hope to improve myself on this.  But as it stands right now, it’s not looking too good, at least for me.  I’m just going to roll with it and be done with this post.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers – Lonely (#34)
• Sofi Tukker – Purple Hat (#42)
• Marshmello featuring Kane Brown – One Thing Right (#44)
• AJR – Dear Winter (#45)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya
45. Halsey – Nightmare (#43) [–2]
44. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#41) [–3]
43. Lil Nas X – Panini (#40) [–3]
42. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#39) [–3]
41. 88Rising featuring Joji & Jackson Wang, Swae Lee, and Major Lazer – Walking (#36) [–5]
40. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#37) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
39. Blackbear – Hot Girl Bummer (DEBUT)
38. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype (#35) [–3]
37. Justin Bieber – Yummy (DEBUT)
36. Panic! At The Disco – Into The Unknown (#33) [–3]
35. Doja Cat – Say So (DEBUT)
34. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#32) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
33. Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby – My Oh My (DEBUT)
32. Hot Chelle Rae – I Hate (Love) LA (#27) [–5]
31. SHAED – Trampoline (#28) [–3]
30. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#30) [=]
29. OneRepublic – Wanted (#17) [–12]
28. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#25) [–3] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
27. The Chainsmokers – Push My Luck (#23) [–4]
26. Fall Out Boy – Bob Dylan (#29) [+3]
25. Tones & I – Dance Monkey (#38) [+13]
24. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#19) [–5]
23. Billie Eilish – Everything I Wanted (#31) [+8]
22. Arizona Zervas – Roxanne (#22) [=]
21. Why Don’t We – What Am I (#14) [–7]
20. Kesha featuring Big Freedia – Raising Hell (#24) [+4]
19. Maroon 5 – Memories (#12) [–7]
18. Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B – South Of The Border (#20) [+2]
17. Louis Tomlinson – We Made It (#21) [+4]
16. Taylor Swift – Lover (#3) [–13]
15. Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber – 10,000 Hours (#10) [–5]
14. Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now (#26) [+12]
13. Charlie Puth – Mother (#18) [+5]
12. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (#13) [+1]
11. Selena Gomez – Lose You To Love Me (#15) [+4]
10. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#8) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
9. Halsey – Graveyard (#11) [+2]
8. Lizzo – Good As Hell (#7) [–1]
7. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth (#6) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
6. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People (#9) [+3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
5. Harry Styles – Adore You (#16) [+11]
4. Post Malone – Circles (#4) [=]
3. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#5) [+2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Jonas Brothers – Only Human (#2) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya (#1) [=] [7^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Halsey – Without Me (2^nd of 5 Weeks At #1) 

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Taylor Swift – Lover (–13)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tones & I – Dance Monkey (+13)

New Entrants:
– Normally, I’d go in order.  But for this week, I’m going to save the first two debuts for last.  So, I’ll begin with newcomer Doja Cat with her single titled Say So.  I find this to be underwhelming as a whole.  I quite like the groove here and I think the beat is okay.  But the rest of the production leaves a lot to be desired.  Doja sounds unenthusiastic in the chorus and I don’t like the second verse where it transitions to hip-hop.  I think it was unnecessary and it doesn’t fit the song very well.  She does have another single in the form of Juicy, which really isn’t any better.  Personally, I’d rather hear Say So than its predecessor.  That said, I’m not feeling this song overall.  When this is the best debut of the week and it’s closer to red than it is green, yeah it’s not a good sign in a weak class of debuts.

– On the note of other weak debuts, we have more of Camila Cabello with her latest single from Romance, titled My Oh My.  I have not been impressed with what she has had to offer in her latest album outside of a few songs.  My Oh My is probably one of my least favorite songs off of Romance.  In my honest opinion, it’s just as bad as Never Be The Same.  There’s nothing I like about this.  Camila just does not sound good with her voice, which really has been a theme for most of her music save for a few songs like Havana and others.  The production is just underwhelming overall and I don’t like DaBaby’s verse.  What more can I say?  Yeah, I’m just not impressed with the song at all.

– Alright.  Now for the other two debuts.  And I’m going to get those over with.  We have newcomer Blackbear who makes his first appearance on the countdown with Hot Girl Bummer.  It was a few years back that he gave us a single in the form of Do Re Mi, which was rotten across the board.  It was just not a good first impression is what I want to say.   But here he is with this song and my goodness, it’s even worse.  Blackbear sounds like crap throughout the song and I don’t like the production.  He is just spouting nonsense with stupid lyrics and what not.  Why in the hell did he think it was a good idea to try and mimic what Megan Thee Stallion did?!?!   Yeah, everything about the song just blows.  He attempted to do something different with this song and it turns out to be complete shit.  I’ll never get the appeal to this song whatsoever because it is just asinine in every sense of the word.  PASS!

– Finally, we have Justin Bieber with his solo single titled Yummy.  I did a epic rant on this song when it made its appearance on Hit-Bound.  I’ve been fond of what he had to offer in recent years.  But Yummy is such a mess in every sense of the word.  I honestly don’t know what the hell he was going for here.  He is talking about a girl that has that “yummy, yummy” and all the nonsense I hear from him.  I looked at the lyrics and I just shook my head in disbelief.  Lyrically, it’s messy all over.  Justin sounds terrible with him being drenched in auto-tune and him trying to do a Chris Brown impression, which completely misses the mark because he shows virtually no personality of any kind whatsoever.  And I’m not even going to comment on the production, which is filled with brittle trap beats and no melody.  Simply put, everything about this song is just crap and it’s his worst single he has released since Baby, which I also detested.  I know Justin is capable of much better.  But this did not work out to my or anyone else’s liking at all.  It’s my second least favorite song on the countdown and it’s not too far behind Hot Girl Bummer, which I just talked about.

Best Debut Of The Week: Doja Cat – Say So (But really not by much)

If You Didn’t Blurb So
– In terms of our exits this week, good riddance to three of them.  First off, it’s about time we bid adieu to One Thing Right.  I’m glad it didn’t last very long.  That one was just a mess and it’s another new low for Marshmello.  Dear Winter was just not good and it’s no shock considering AJR has not impressed me at all with their music.  I was never fond of Lonely either.  Diplo’s work there was underwhelming and the drop is messy.  The Jonas Brothers’s didn’t do well vocally either.  Yeah, the collaboration didn’t turn out well for both parties.  The only song that I’ll be missing is Purple Hat by Sofi Tukker.  I thought that one was really cool overall.  But I knew it wouldn’t stay too long.  At least it made it to the countdown.

– Someone You Loved needs to seriously start moving down.  Who the hell is still supporting this?!?!  This isn’t what I want to hear whenever I’m driving in the car.  Whoever is still voting for this song needs to stop!

– Adore You is welcome in the Top 5.  This is Harry Styles’s highest peaking single as a solo artist.  I wouldn’t object to seeing this become a #1 song at some point in time.  That shouldn’t be much of a problem given that Hits 1 has started back loving all things One Direction.

– Don’t Start Now made a big jump this week into the Top 20.  I’m glad this song is doing much better elsewhere because it’s an amazing comeback for Dua Lipa.  I’m here for this becoming another hit for her.

– With Lover taking a massive fall this week after spending only one week in the Top 3, I have a feeling the end is near for the song.  A little saddening.  But the song has basically faltered elsewhere, so I’m not shocked by the big drop.

– Dance Monkey finally makes a big move I’ve been waiting for by jumping this week into #25, after spending weeks in the Bottom 10.  Looks like Hits 1 came to their senses and they’ve finally realized that it’s actually a hit.  Hopefully, it continues its momentum.

Hit-Bound:

• Tayla Parx featuring Florida Georgia Line – Fight
• Halsey – You Should Be Sad
• X Lovers – Play Your Game
• Khalid – Up All Night (DEBUT)
• Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go
• Post Malone featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott – Take What You Want
• Zedd featuring Kehlani – Good Thing
• Niall Horan – Put A Little Love On Me
• Alec Benjamin – Demons (DEBUT)
• Lizzo – Cuz I Love You
• BTS featuring Lauv – Make It Right (DEBUT)
• Rex Orange County – 10/10
• Selena Gomez – Rare (DEBUT)
• Jonas Brothers – What A Man Gotta Do (DEBUT)

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
14. Tayla Parx featuring Florida Georgia Line – Fight

1 – Bad:
13. BTS featuring Lauv – Make It Right
12. Lizzo – Cuz I Love You

2 – Mediocre:
11. Rex Orange County – 10/10

3 – Decent:
10. Alec Benjamin – Demons
9. Halsey – You Should Be Sad
8. Selena Gomez – Rare
7. Zedd featuring Kehlani – Good Thing

4 – Good:
6. Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go

5 – Great:
5. Jonas Brothers – What A Man Gotta Do
4. Khalid – Up All Night
3. X Lovers – Play Your Game
2. Niall Horan – Put A Little Love On Me

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Post Malone featuring Ozzy Osborune and Travis Scott – Take What You Want

Overall Grade: 46/70 = 66% (C)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Alesso featuring Nico & Vinz – I Wanna Know

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Post Malone featuring Ozzy Osborune and Travis Scott – Take What You Want
2. Niall Horan – Put A Little Love On Me
3. X Lovers – Play Your Game
4. Khalid – Up All Night
5. Jonas Brothers – What A Man Gotta Do

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved

1 – Bad:
19. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
18. Maroon 5 – Memories

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
16. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?
15. Charlie Puth – Mother

4 – Good:
14. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
13. Post Malone – Circles

5 – Great:
12. Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B – South Of The Border
11. Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber – 10,000 Hours
10. Halsey – Graveyard
9. Louis Tomlinson – We Made It
8. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
7. Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya
6. Harry Styles – Adore You
5. Kesha featuring Big Freedia – Raising Hell
4. Lizzo – Good As Hell
3. Taylor Swift – Lover
2. Selena Gomez – Lose You To Love Me

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now

Overall Grade: 82/100 = 82% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Etta James – At Last (1960)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Rihanna – We Found Love

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ally Brooke – No Good (Once again, not a lot of good music to recommend)

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now
2. Selena Gomez – Lose You To Love Me
3. Taylor Swift – Lover
4. Lizzo – Good As Hell
5. Kesha featuring Big Freedia – Raising Hell

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Blackbear – Hot Girl Bummer
2. Justin Bieber – Yummy
3. Halsey – Nightmare
4. Arizona Zervas – Roxanne
5. Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby – My Oh My

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Jennifer Lopez – Limitless:
Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely:

Hello, fam!  My remaining Year-End posts should be coming out within the next few days.  I’m just about done with those.  Other than that, I don’t have much else to say here.  Let’s just get to the AT40 countdown.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Slow Dance by AJ Mitchell featuring Ava Max (#35)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Good As Hell by Lizzo
40. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#40) [=] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
39. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#38) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
38. Good Thing by Zedd featuring Kehlani (DEBUT)
37. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#36) [–1]
36. RITMO (Bad Boys For Life) by The Black Eyed Peas featuring J Balvin (#39) [+3]
35. Talk by Khalid (#34) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
34. Make It Right by BTS featuring Lauv (#37) [+3]
33. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#32) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
32. Highest In The Room by Travis Scott (#33) [+1]
31. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (#29) [–2]
30. What Am I by Why Don’t We (#30) [=]
29. My Type by Saweetie (#28) [–1]
28. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#26) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
27. Raising Hell by Kesha featuring Big Freedia (#25) [–2]
26. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#24) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
25. Nice To Meet Ya by Niall Horan (#21) [–4]
24. Teeth by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#27) [+3]
23. South Of The Border by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B (#31) [+8]
22. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (#19) [–3]
21. Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish (#22) [+1]
20. Adore You by Harry Styles (#23) [+3]
19. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith (#16) [–3]
18. Lover by Taylor Swift (#17) [–1]
17. Time by NF (#9) [–8]
16. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear (#20) [+4]
15. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#14) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
14. Heartless by The Weeknd (#18) [+4]
13. Only Human by Jonas Brothers (#13) [=]
12. Roxanne by Arizona Zervas (#15) [+3]
11. Graveyard by Halsey (#8) [–3]
10. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (#10) [=]
9. 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber (#11) [+2]
8. Dance Monkey by Tones & I (#12) [+4]
7. Trampoline by SHAED (#7) [=]
6. Panini by Lil Nas X (#6) [=]
5. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#5) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
4. Memories by Maroon 5 (#4) [=]
3. Good As Hell by Lizzo (#1) [–2] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
2. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez (#3) [+1]
1. Circles by Post Malone (#2) [+1] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (3^rd of 4 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Time by NF (–8)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: South Of The Border by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B (+8)

New Entrants:
– We get only one debut this week and it comes from the return of Zedd.  He collaborates with Kehlani in Good Thing.  I liked quite a bit of what Zedd has had to offer in recent years.  The Middle was my #1 favorite song of 2018 and he did collaborate with Katy Perry in 365, which I enjoyed as well.  Good Thing isn’t quite my thing compared to what he’s done in the past.  Zedd’s work here isn’t too bad.  I like the production here, but he uses the ticking clock which has been overused.  I may have been okay with it the first few times around.  But it gets annoying having to hear that after a while, and it shows his lack of creativity.  I think Kehlani sounds pretty good here.  I don’t have much more to say.  Overall, it’s a fine song and it may grow on me.  But I probably won’t remember it after it leaves.

Good Blurbs
– So, we said goodbye to Slow Dance this week.  For a collaboration between two artists, I didn’t really find it special in the long run.  Though I’ll say that these guys did have a nice year in 2019 with their respective hits.  I’m looking forward to seeing what else they have in store.

– The return of Circles to #1 kinda surprises me for some reason.  But at the same time, it shouldn’t be a shock considering it’s still going strong elsewhere.  I still like the song, so I’m okay with it being up there so long as it blocks any mediocrity from #1.  I do hope Lose You To Love Me will get the nod soon.  But really anything helps to keep Memories out of #1.

– Dance Monkey makes a move into the Top 10.  It’s good to see this becoming a sleeper hit in the US.  Tones & I is getting the recognition she deserves.  I’m looking forward to potentially see this one make the Top 5 eventually.

– The drop from Time by NF out of the Top 10 was a good thing (no reference to Zedd and Kehlani).  I’ve really been losing interest in the song lately and it’s likely that I’ll forget about it when it leaves.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
My Oh My by Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby
We Made It by Louis Tomlinson
Yummy by Justin Bieber

Extras/Optional Extras:

Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie
Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
MIA Bad Bunny featuring Drake
Lonely by Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers
Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash
Writing On The Wall by French Montana featuring Post Malone, CARDI B, and Rvssian
All The Good Girls Go To Hell by Billie Eilish
Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj
Work From Home by Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla $ign
Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding
Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B
1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear
19. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
18. Roxanne by Arizona Zervas

1 – Bad:
17. Memories by Maroon 5

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
16. Time by NF
15. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith
14. Panini by Lil Nas X

4 – Good:
13. Circles by Post Malone

5 – Great:
12. Graveyard by Halsey
11. Only Human by Jonas Brothers
10. 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber
9. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
8. Trampoline by SHAED
7. Adore You by Harry Styles
6. Dance Monkey by Tones & I
5. Heartless by The Weeknd
4. Lover by Taylor Swift
3. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez
2. Good As Hell by Lizzo

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa

Total Score: 75/100 = 75% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: At Last by Etta James (1960)

Most Missed Song: Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: No Good by Ally Brooke (there’s not a lot of good music to recommend)

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa
2. Good As Hell by Lizzo
3. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez
4. Lover by Taylor Swift
5. Raising Hell by Kesha featuring Big Freedia

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear
2. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
3. My Type by Saweetie
4. Roxanne by Arizona Zervas
5. RITMO (Bad Boys For Life) by The Black Eyed Peas featuring J Balvin

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Let You Love Me by Rita Ora:
Wake Up In The Sky by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black:

Hello, fam! This isn’t really what I was hoping for when I said I was going to get my posts out on time.  Lack of motivation and some other stuff played a key role in my late post, as well as why my remaining Year-End posts aren’t out yet.  Hopefully, all of that will be fixed in the coming weeks.  Also, the Grammy Awards are coming up and I plan on watching.  I may finally end up doing a review of the performances for that night.  But we’ll see how it ultimately plays out.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up) (#35)
• NF – Time (#40)
• Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#42) [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
• Camila Cabello – Liar (#45)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya
45. AJR – Dear Winter (#44) [–1]
44. Marshmello featuring Kane Brown – One Thing Right (#43) [–1]
43. Halsey – Nightmare (#41) [–2]
42. Sofi Tukker – Purple Hat (#36) [–6]
41. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#39) [–2]
40. Lil Nas X – Panini (#38) [–2]
39. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#34) [–5]
38. Tones & I – Dance Monkey (#32) [–6]
37. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#37) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
36. 88Rising featuring Joji & Jackson Wang, Major Lazer, and Swae Lee – Walking (DEBUT)
35. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype (#33) [–2]
34. Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers – Lonely (#29) [–5]
33. Panic! At The Disco – Into The Unknown (#31) [–2]
32. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#22) [–10] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
31. Billie Eilish – Everything I Wanted (DEBUT)
30. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#30) [=]
29. Fall Out Boy – Bob Dylan (DEBUT)
28. SHAED – Trampoline (#28) [=]
27. Hot Chelle Rae – I Hate (Love) LA (#27) [=]
26. Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now (#24) [–2]
25. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#25) [=] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
24. Kesha featuring Big Freedia – Raising Hell (#26) [+2]
23. The Chainsmokers – Push My Luck (DEBUT)
22. Arizona Zervas – Roxanne (#20) [–2]
21. Louis Tomlinson – We Made It (#21) [=]
20. Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B – South Of The Border (#18) [–2]
19. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#17) [–2]
18. Charlie Puth – Mother (#19) [+1]
17. OneRepublic – Wanted (#23) [+6]
16. Harry Styles – Adore You (#15) [–1]
15. Selena Gomez – Lose You To Love Me (#16) [+1]
14. Why Don’t We – What Am I (#14) [=]
13. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (#13) [=]
12. Maroon 5 – Memories (#10) [–2]
11. Halsey – Graveyard (#6) [–5]
10. Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber – 10,000 Hours (#12) [+2]
9. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People (#7) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
8. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#9) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
7. Lizzo – Good As Hell (#8) [+1]
6. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth (#3) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#2) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
4. Post Malone – Circles (#4) [=]
3. Taylor Swift – Lover (#11) [+8]
2. Jonas Brothers – Only Human (#5) [+3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya (#1) [=] [6^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Halsey – Without Me (1^st of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Taylor Swift – Lover (+8)

New Entrants:
– We have four new songs entering the countdown to start the new decade.  Up first is the least interesting debut of the week.  It comes from 88Rising with a collaboration between Joji & Jackson Wang, Major Lazer, and French Montana in Walking.  Not a whole lot I can say about this one.  The production is just underwhelming overall and I’m not feeling the vocals.  There’s really no momentum in the verses and they dont’ have any sort of chemistry to show for it.  So yeah, I wasn’t impressed overall.  It’s likely that I’ll forget about this in a month or so.

– Next, we have more of Billie Eilish here with her latest single, and it’s basically Everything I Wanted.  I already talked about this in depth in my AT40 post when it debuted on the countdown.  But to recap, it’s the type of song that I like to hear from her.  The sentiment in this song is pretty sad as it basically talks about nobody caring for her anymore and her brother supporting her during the difficult time.  I think her voice is dark and unique and she uses it well.  The beat is pretty solid and it meshes well with the muted piano and drums.  Is it her best?  No, I prefer her singles from her last album.  But it’s solid and I’m fine with this potentially being another hit for her.

– Fall Out Boy replaced themselves this week with the song named after the singer himself, Bob Dylan.  Right off the bat, I quite like this.  It goes without saying that this is nowhere near their best work, but it’s still good for what it’s trying to do.  I like Patrick’s voice here and he shines in the chorus.  The rock vibes here are pretty cool even though there are parts of the production I can do without.  So yeah, I’m fine with this sticking around although I have my doubts.

– As Who Do You Love finally makes its way out (and I’ll have more on that in just a bit), we get another song from The Chainsmokers, and they’re trying to push their luck with their latest single titled Push My Luck.  I do quite like this for the most part.  I think Drew has a nice voice and he sounds pretty good here.  The chorus is decent as well.  Obviously, the drop isn’t the best and there are parts that I can do without.  But it’s better than the drop from Who Do You Love, which got annoying after a while.  Overall, it’s a good song.  But I won’t really picture myself coming back to this in the long run.

Best Debut Of The Week: Billie Eilish – Everything I Wanted

I’ve Got Everything I Blurbed
– Like I do every week, I always start with the exits.  In fact, we bid adieu to four songs this week.  NF – Time wasn’t really worth caring about in the long run.  The same can be said for Liar.  Even though I didn’t love the song, it’s a lot more interesting than the majority of what Romance had to offer.  Dear Future Self (Hands Up) was an interesting collaboration between Fall Out Boy and Wyclef Jean.  I think the song is pretty cool, but ultimately it didn’t last very long.  Finally, we have the big one.  Sucker, the longest-running #1 song in Hits 1 countdown history, is officially no more.  It seemed like yesterday that everyone in the music world was excited about their reunion.  Now, it’s just a distant memory.  Sucker was something that I enjoyed for a while, and it’ll be somewhat missed by me.

– It doesn’t look like Purple Hat will be around for much longer as it has now fallen into the Bottom 5 this week.  I think the song is pretty cool and it would’ve been nice if that had been a success elsewhere.  Sofi Tukker definitely deserves some recognition.

– The same can be said for Dance Monkey.  The only difference between this and Purple Hat is that it’s actually a success elsewhere.  It’s a damn shame that Hits 1 doesn’t treat it the same way.  But oh well.  Can’t really do anything about that.

– It’s about time Who Do You Love made the big drop I was waiting for!  It’s been around for way too long for a song that wasn’t really good in the long run.  Now, let’s get this out of here soon!

– On the note of mediocrity, I would appreciate if I Hate (Love) LA would start making its way down soon at least.  I’m starting to get annoyed by the “La La La’s” in the chorus.  And the lyrics aren’t really helping either.

– In Top 3 news, Lover has finally made it to that region.  It would be really nice to see it hit #1 like soon.  I think it’s the best Taylor has had to offer in her album.  Too bad that one failed to continue its momentum elsewhere.  But at least Hits 1 is treating it well.

Hit-Bound:

• Lizzo – Cuz I Love You
• Alec Benjamin – Mind Is A Prison
• Zedd featuring Kehlani – Good Thing
• Doja Cat – Say So (DEBUT)
• Post Malone featuring Travis Scott and Ozzy Osbourne – Take What You Want
• Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go
• Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby – My Oh My
• Niall Horan – Put A Little Love On Me
• Tayla Parx featuring Florida Georgia Line – Fight (DEBUT)
• Halsey – You Should Be Sad (DEBUT)
• Justin Bieber – Yummy (DEBUT)
• AJ Mitchell featuring Ava Max – Slow Dance
• Rex Orange County – 10/10 (DEBUT)
• Blackbear – Hot Girl Bummer
• X Lovers – Play Your Game

New Entrants:
– There’s not a whole lot of new stuff to like here.  I’m going to start things off with newcomer Doja Cat who brings us Say So.  I think the beat here is pretty groovy, but I’m not feeling her voice overall.  And the lyrics…it’s basically her wanting her friend to confess his love to her.  It doesn’t interest me lyrically and not helping matters is the depth here is pretty shallow.  Yeah, this is just underwhelming at best.  It’s in blue, but it’s much closer to red for me than it is green.  Let’s move on.

– Next, we have another newcomer here.  It’s Tayla Parx and she collaborates with country duo Florida Georgia Line in their new single titled Fight.  Right off the bat, I’m not feeling the song.  It sorta reminds me of Meant To Be, which I detested.  Her voice is no good and there’s virtually no chemistry between the two to show for it.  And here we go again with the trap production mixed in with country elements.  No, this isn’t working for me.  Nothing about the song is appealing and frankly, not worth my time.  NEXT!

– Immediately following that we get more of Halsey as her new album Manic draws closer.  This week, she replaces herself on Hit-Bound with her new single titled You Should Be Sad.  I’m going to simply be straight up and say that this is the best debut of the week and even then, it’s decent at best.  Nightmare was her attempt at going rock, which failed miserably.  You Should Be Sad is her attempt at going country.  I think Halsey sounds fine here and I quite like the guitar.  But my concern is that it’s missing some country elements to make it stand out.  Overall, it’s okay.  But when your best debut of the week is in blue and is only decent at best, yeah it’s a not a good sign.

– Dear Jesus, please help me with this one.  We have Justin Bieber with his new single in the form of Yummy.  Unlike most people, I actually kinda liked what Justin has had to offer in recent years.  I personally think he is talented.  But my goodness, Yummy is an absolute fucking mess.  First off, his voice.  It’s basically him being drowned in auto-tune and not only that, he also tries to make a Chris Brown impression and it backfires on him horribly because he has no personality here at all.  That, coupled with the trap production that’s totally out of date makes this an unpleasant listen.  And don’t even get me started with the lyrics.  Why would he tell a girl she has that “yummy, yummy”?!  My goodness! Honestly, this song just blows on so many levels.  I’m not sure what the hell he was going for here because this is one of the worst songs he’s released since Baby.  If this is the direction he’s going for, then I’m less enthusiastic about his new album.

– Lastly, we have Rex Orange County with 10/10.  This song is definitely not a 10/10 whatsoever.  His voice doesn’t really sound good with him singing in monotone and the production isn’t really my thing.  So yeah, I’d say this is a 5/10 at best for me.

Best Debut Of The Week: Halsey – You Should Be Sad

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Blackbear – Hot Girl Bummer
14. Justin Bieber – Yummy
13. Tayla Parx featuring Florida Georgia Line – Fight
12. Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby – My Oh My

1 – Bad:
11. Lizzo – Cuz I Love You

2 – Mediocre:
10. Doja Cat – Say So
9. Rex Orange County – 10/10

3 – Decent:
8. AJ Mitchell featuring Ava Max – Slow Dance
7. Halsey – You Should Be Sad
6. Zedd featuring Kehlani – Good Thing

4 – Good:
5. Alec Benjamin – Mind Is A Prison

5 – Great:
4. Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go
3. X Lovers – Play Your Game
2. Niall Horan – Put A Little Love On Me

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Post Malone featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott – Take What You Want

Overall Grade: 39/75 = 52% (D+)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Little Mix – Touch

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Post Malone featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott – Take What You Want
2. Niall Horan – Put A Little Love On Me
3. X Lovers – Play Your Game
4. Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go
5. Alec Benjamin – Mind Is A Prison

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved

1 – Bad:
19. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
18. Maroon 5 – Memories

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. OneRepublic – Wanted
16. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
15. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?
14. Why Don’t We – What Am I
13. Charlie Puth – Mother

4 – Good:
12. PUBLIC – Make You Mine
11. Post Malone – Circles

5 – Great:
10. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
9. Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B – South Of The Border
8. Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber – 10,000 Hours
7. Halsey – Graveyard
6. Louis Tomlinson – We Made It
5. Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya
4. Harry Styles – Adore You
3. Lizzo – Good As Hell
2. Taylor Swift – Lover
1. Selena Gomez – Lose You To Love Me

Overall Grade: 75/100 = 75% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: David Bowie – Rebel Rebel (1974)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (Remix)

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ally Brooke – No Good (there’s not a lot of good music to recommend)

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#2)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now
2. Selena Gomez – Lose You To Love Me
3. Taylor Swift – Lover
4. Lizzo – Good As Hell
5. Kesha featuring Big Freedia – Raising Hell

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Marshmello featuring Kane Brown – One Thing Right
2. Halsey – Nightmare
3. Arizona Zervas – Roxanne
4. AJR – Dear Winter
5. Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers – Lonely

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Dan + Shay – Speechless: I won’t say this is as good as Tequila, but it’s still good mostly because of their vocals, the well-written lyrics, and the solid instrumentation.  I think it’s the perfect song for any wedding.

Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life: It was a nice comeback for Zara Larsson after a while.  But it’s not much compared to her singles such as Never Forget You.  I like the production and Zara sounds good, even if the chorus is a little repetitive.

Khalid – Better: I don’t have a lot to say about this one.  I love the R&B vibe and his voice meshes well together.  Yeah, it’s a pretty good song.  Probably one of his best singles from him, along with Love Lies.

Imagine Dragons – Machine: Yeah, this is my least favorite single from these guys.  Between Dan Reynolds’s obnoxious yelling and the messy guitars, everything about the song is just a mess all around.

Hello, fam! I did say I was going to get my remaining Year-End posts out this week. But I was a little unmotivated. Hopefully, I should have them ready by next week. Also, I just want to remind everyone that the Grammy Music Awards are coming up on January 26. I’ll definitely be watching and I may end up doing a review hopefully. But we’ll see what ultimately happens. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown (#19)
• Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Good As Hell by Lizzo
40. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#38) [–2] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
39. RITMO (Bad Boys For Life) by The Black Eyed Peas featuring J Balvin (DEBUT)
38. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
37. Make It Right by BTS featuring Lauv (#39) [+2]
36. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#33) [–3]
35. Slow Dance by AJ Mitchell featuring Ava Max (#37) [+2]
34. Talk by Khalid (#30) [–4] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
33. Highest In The Room by Travis Scott (#35) [+2]
32. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#26) [–6] [SPent 3 Weeks At #1]
31. South Of The Border by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B (DEBUT)
30. What Am I by Why Don’t We (#27) [–3]
29. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (#24) [–5]
28. My Type by Saweetie (#28) [=]
27. Teeth by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#34) [+7]
26. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#22) [–4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
25. Raising Hell by Kesha featuring Big Freedia (#32) [+7]
24. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#18) [–6] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
23. Adore You by Harry Styles (#31) [+8]
22. Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish (#29) [+7]
21. Nice To Meet Ya by Niall Horan (#21) [=]
20. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear (#25) [+5]
19. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (#16) [–3]
18. Heartless by The Weeknd (#23) [+5]
17. Lover by Taylor Swift (#17) [=]
16. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith (#10) [–6]
15. Roxanne by Arizona Zervas (#20) [+5]
14. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#12) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
13. Only Human by Jonas Brothers (#7) [–6]
12. Dance Monkey by Tones & I (#14) [+2]
11. 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber (#15) [+4]
10. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (#13) [+3]
9. Time by NF (#9) [=]
8. Graveyard by Halsey (#11) [+3]
7. Trampoline by SHAED (#6) [–1]
6. Panini by Lil Nas X (#8) [+2]
5. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#5) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
4. Memories by Maroon 5 (#4) [=]
3. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez (#3) [=]
2. Circles by Post Malone (#2) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Good As Hell by Lizzo (#1) [=] [6^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (2^nd of 4 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between Bad Guy by Billie Eilish, Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello, and Only Human by Jonas Brothers (–6)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Adore You by Harry Styles (+8)

New Entrants:
– Our first of two debuts for the week come from the unexpected return of The Black Eyed Peas and they team up with J Balvin in their latest single in the form of RITMO (Bad Boys For Life). It’s definitely been a while since I’ve heard new music from these guys. But I’m not fond of the song. The vocals are not good here and I don’t really like the verses we get from either artist. I don’t like the reggae production. It is pretty underwhelming overall, and the lyrics aren’t helping. I don’t why this is here. But I hope it dies out soon.

– I was indifferent on Ed Sheeran’s album No.6 Collaborations Project for the most part. Most of the singles we’re nothing conspired to what he had in the previous two albums. But there were some good songs, such as BLOW and Beautiful People. This week, making its debut on the AT40 this week, he collaborates with Camila Cabello and Cardi B in South Of The Border. I don’t necessarily find the production to be interesting. But I like the beat regardless. These guys sound good in their verses. I like how Camila doesn’t try to hard to hit those high notes and Cardi B did fine here. Yeah, it’s a good song and I wouldn’t mind seeing it stick around.

Best Debut Of The Week: South Of The Border by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B

Blurbs In The Room
– Thank the high heavens above for the departure of One Thing Right! You have no idea how happy I am to see this dreck of a song leave! It’s about time we bid adieu to it! The other exit comes from Panic! At The Disco with Hey Look Ma, I Made It. That one I actually still kinda like to some degree and I’m glad it lasted as long as it did. This’ll probably be the last we’ll see of Brendon Urie and company for a while.

– It’s a thrill to see Don’t Start Now entering the Top 10. Dua Lipa looks like she has another hit under her belt and I’m here for it! Everything about the song is just divine. I can’t wait to see what her new album has in store.

– Graveyard by Halsey enters the Top 10 as well. It’s better than some of Halsey’s latest music and I like it quite a bit, actually. I’m not sure what her new album will bring. Hopefully, we’ll get more good songs from her.

– It’s interesting to see Dancing With A Stranger still being here on the countdown. Even after spending only 1 week at #1, the song manages to stay strong and it has the potential to last a year on the countdown. I’m still in love with the song, so I’m here for it staying for as long as it wants.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Yummy by Justin Bieber
• I’m Not Alright by Loud Luxury featuring Bryce Vine
• We Made It by Louis Tomlinson
• Good Thing by Zedd featuring Kehlani

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla Sign
• One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa
• Wait by Maroon 5
• Now Or Never by Halsey
• Latch by Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
• 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
• Hotline Bling by Drake
• Mi Gente by J Balvin featuring Willy William
• Demons by Imagine Dragons
• Dear Winter by AJR
• Sorry by Justin Bieber

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear
19. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
18. Roxanne by Arizona Zervas

1 – Bad:
17. Memories by Maroon 5

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
16. Time by NF
15. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith
14. Panini by Lil Nas X

4 – Good:
13. Circles by Post Malone

5 – Great:
12. Graveyard by Halsey
11. Only Human by Jonas Brothers
10. 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber
9. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
8. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
7. Trampoline by SHAED
6. Dance Monkey by Tones & I
5. Heartless by The Weeknd
4. Lover by Taylor Swift
3. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez
2. Good As Hell by Lizzo

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa

Total Score: 75/100 = 75% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Rebel Rebel by David Bowie (1974)

Most Missed Song: Paradise by Coldplay

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#19)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa
2. Good As Hell by Lizzo
3. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez
4. Lover by Taylor Swift
5. Raising Hell by Kesha featuring Big Freedia

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear
2. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
3. My Type by Saweetie
4. Roxanne by Arizona Zervas
5. RITMO (Bad Boys For Life) by The Black Eyed Peas featuring J Balvin

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max: My #4 favorite song of 2019.  Already talked about this in my Year-End posts.  It’s catchy and I adore Ava’s voice, especially in the chorus.  I can’t wait to see what her debut album will bring.

MIA by Bad Bunny featuring Drake: Yeah…I find this not very interesting overall.  I don’t think the collaboration worked out well for both of these guys.  That’s all I have to say for now.

Hello, fam!  Happy New Year in Hits 1 Countdown land! Or let me put it this way: Happy New Decade because we’re now in the 2020’s!  I can’t wait to see what new trends come up and what kinds of music will be getting.  I have a couple of Year-End posts that I’m still working on.  They should be up sometime by the end of this week.  Right now, let’s dive in to the first countdown of the new decade!  There are no songs leaving us this week, which isn’t a surprise.  So, let’s get right to it!

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya
45. Camila Cabello – Liar (#44) [–1]
44. AJR – Dear Winter (#45) [+1]
43. Marshmello featuring Kane Brown – One Thing Right (#21) [–22]
42. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#43) [+1] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
41. Halsey – Nightmare (#41) [=]
40. NF – Time (#26) [–14]
39. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#39) [=]
38. Lil Nas X – Panini (#40) [+2]
37. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#36) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
36. Sofi Tukker – Purple Hat (#42) [+6]
35. Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up) (#37) [+2]
34. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#30) [–4]
33. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype (#31) [–2]
32. Tones & I – Dance Monkey (#38) [+6]
31. Panic! At The Disco – Into The Unknown (#28) [–3]
30. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#19) [–11]
29. Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers – Lonely (#25) [–4]
28. SHAED – Trampoline (#17) [–11]
27. Hot Chelle Rae – I Hate (Love) LA (#35) [+8]
26. Kesha featuring Big Freedia – Raising Hell (#34) [+8]
25. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#20) [–5] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
24. Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now (#32) [+8]
23. OneRepublic – Wanted (#33) [+10]
22. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#16) [–6] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
21. Louis Tomlinson – We Made It (#27) [+6]
20. Arizona Zervas – Roxanne (#29) [+9]
19. Charlie Puth – Mother (#16) [–3]
18. Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B – South Of The Border (#23) [+5]
17. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#24) [+7]
16. Selena Gomez – Lose You To Love Me (#13) [–3]
15. Harry Styles – Adore You (#18) [+3]
14. Why Don’t We – What Am I (#22) [+8]
13. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (#12) [–1]
12. Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber – 10,000 Hours (#9) [–3]
11. Taylor Swift – Lover (#11) [=]
10. Maroon 5 – Memories (#15) [+5]
9. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#8) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
8. Lizzo – Good As Hell (#10) [+2]
7. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People (#5) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
6. Halsey – Graveyard (#7) [+1]
5. Jonas Brothers – Only Human (#4) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
4. Post Malone – Circles (#6) [+2]
3. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth (#2) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
2. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#3) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya (#1) [=] [5^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (4^th of 7 Weeks At #1) 

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Marshmello featuring Kane Brown – One Thing Right (–22)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: OneRepublic – Wanted (+10)

New Decade’s Blurbs
– Let’s start things off by talking about One Thing Right getting the Biggest DRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week this week.  You honestly have no idea how much I’m thrilled by this move.  I’m glad that this thankfully didn’t get very far on this countdown.

– Can we get Nightmare to leave soon?  It’s still irritating having to hear this each and every week.  It’s Halsey worst single since New Americana.  Hopefully, when she releases a new album this month, we won’t get anymore songs like this.

– It looks like we’re seeing the end of songs such as Time, Trampoline, and Truth Hurts as they had big drops this week.  The former I was losing interest in, so seeing it leave doesn’t really affect me.  The latter two I enjoyed for a while and I’m happy that these songs were successful.

– The big jump from Wanted isn’t exactly what I wanted to see.  OneRepublic has had better music in the past and the song doesn’t really come close to topping what they had before.  I would prefer if it ended up leaving soon, but I don’t really care what happens either way.

– I’m not surprised to see Memories enter the Top 10.  But it does not make me happy.  This is probably one of the most boring songs I’ve heard from them.  I normally don’t classify songs as “boring”.  But this one just puts me to sleep mostly because of Adam’s voice.  I want something more along the lines of their older singles and some of V.

– And then we have Nice To Meet Ya still at #1.  I’d say this is a good start to the new decade.  I’m glad Hits 1 is treating it well.  I’m still interested in Niall’s new album, which we should be getting soon.

Hit-Bound:

• X Lovers – Play Your Game
• Halsey – Finally // Beautiful Stranger
• Blackbear – Hot Girl Bummer
• Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby – My Oh My (DEBUT)
• Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go
• Lizzo – Cuz I Love You
• The Chainsmokers – Push My Luck
• Billie Eilish – Everything I Wanted
• Zedd featuring Kehlani – Good Thing
• Niall Horan – Put A Little Love On Me
• 88Rising featuring Joji & Jackson Wang, Major Lazer, and Swae Lee – Walking
• Fall Out Boy – Bob Dylan
• Post Malone featuring Travis Scott and Ozzy Osbourne – Take What You Want
• Alec Benjamin – Mind Is A Prison
• AJ Mitchell featuring Ava Max – Slow Dance

Entrant Reviews:
– The world of Hit-Bound enters the new decade!  We’re kicking things off with Camila Cabello who replaces herself this week with My Oh My.  I’ve listened to the majority of her latest album, Romance, and I was not impressed for the most part.  My Oh My is not one of those songs I like unfortunately.  Camila doesn’t sound good here and DaBaby’s verse doesn’t help matters.  I’ll have more on this when it debuts.

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Blackbear – Hot Girl Bummer
14. Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby – My Oh My

1 – Bad:
13. Lizzo – Cuz I Love You

2 – Mediocre:
12. 88Rising featuring Jojo & Jackson Wang, Major Lazer, and Swae Lee – Walking

3 – Decent:
11. Alec Benjamin – Mind Is A Prison
10. Halsey – Finally // Beautiful Stranger
9. Zedd featuring Kehlani – Good Thing
8. AJ Mitchell featuring Ava Max – Slow Dance

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
7. Lewis Capaldi– Before You Go
6. The Chainsmokers – Push My Luck
5. X Lovers – Play Your Game
4. Fall Out Boy – Bob Dylan
3. Niall Horan – Put A Little Love On Me
2. Post Malone featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott – Take What You Want

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Billie Eilish – Everything I Wanted

Overall Grade: 51/75 = 68% (C)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Wild Things – Don’t Wanna Feel It

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Billie Eilish – Everything I Wanted
2. Post Malone featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott – Take What You Want
3. Niall Horan – Put A Little Love On Me
4. Fall Out Boy – Bob Dylan
5. X Lovers – Play Your Game

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
19. Arizona Zervas – Roxanne

1 – Bad:
18. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
17. Maroon 5 – Memories

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
16. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
15. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?

4 – Good:
14. PUBLIC – Make You Mine
13. Charlie Puth – Mother
12. Post Malone – Circles
11. Why Don’t We – What Am I

5 – Great:
10. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
9. Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B – South Of The Border
8. Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber – 10,000 Hours
7. Halsey – Graveyard
6. Louis Tomlinson – We Made It
5. Niall Horan – Nice To Meet Ya
4. Harry Styles – Adore You
3. Lizzo – Good As Hell
2. Taylor Swift – Lover
1. Selena Gomez – Lose You To Love Me

Overall Grade: 74/100 = 74% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Kool & The Gang – Celebration (1980)

Most Missed Countdown Song: BΔSTILLE – Pompeii

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: The Weeknd – Heartless

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#1)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now
2. Selena Gomez – Lose You To Love Me
3. Taylor Swift – Lover
4. Lizzo – Good As Hell
5. Kesha featuring Big Freedia – Raising Hell

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Marshmello featuring Kane Brown – One Thing Right
2. Halsey – Nightmare
3. Arizona Zervas – Roxanne
4. AJR – Dear Winter
5. Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers – Lonely

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

Hello, fam!  It’s a brand new decade in the world of the American Top 40!  I can’t wait to see what the new decade has in store in terms of music, trends, and some other stuff.  Anyway, I’m almost done with my Year-End posts.  I have two that’ll be posted within the next week or so.  If you missed any of my Year-End posts, you can check those out right here and hopefully catch up on those.  With that, let’s dive right into the first AT40 countdown of the decade!  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• All The Good Girls Go To Hell by Billie Eilish (#21)
• Lonely by Diplo featuring Jonas Brothers (#29)
• Writing On The Wall by French Montana featuring Post Malone, Cardi B, and Rvssian (#33)
• Wow. by Post Malone (#40) [Spent 1 Week At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Good As Hell by Lizzo
40. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#39) [–1]
39. Make It Right by BTS featuring Lauv (DEBUT)
38. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#37) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
37. Slow Dance by AJ Mitchell featuring Ava Max (#35) [–2]
36. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#34) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
35. Highest In The Room by Travis Scott (#36) [+1]
34. Teeth by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#38) [+4]
33. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#31) [–2]
32. Raising Hell by Kesha featuring Big Freedia (#30) [–2]
31. Adore You by Harry Styles (DEBUT)
30. Talk by Khalid (#28) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
29. Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish (DEBUT)
28. My Type by Saweetie (#26) [–2]
27. What Am I by Why Don’t We (#25) [–2]
26. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#24) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
25. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear (#27) [+2]
24. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (#22) [–2]
23. Heartless by The Weeknd (DEBUT)
22. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#20) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
21. Nice To Meet Ya by Niall Horan (#23) [+2]
20. Roxanne by Arizona Zervas (#32) [+12]
19. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown (#16) [–3]
18. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#11) [–7]
17. Lover by Taylor Swift (#17) [=]
16. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (#6) [–10]
15. 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber (#15) [=]
14. Dance Monkey by Tones & I (#18) [+4]
13. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (#19) [+6]
12. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#7) [–5] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
11. Graveyard by Halsey (#14) [+3]
10. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith (#10) [=]
9. Time by NF (#13) [+4]
8. Panini by Lil Nas X (#12) [+4]
7. Only Human by Jonas Brothers (#5) [–2]
6. Trampoline by SHAED (#4) [–2]
5. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#3) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
4. Memories by Maroon 5 (#8) [+4]
3. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez (#9) [+6]
2. Circles by Post Malone (#2) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Good As Hell by Lizzo (#1) [=] [5^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (1^st of 4 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (–10)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Roxanne by Arizona Zervas (+12)

New Entrants:
– Kicking things off, we have the return of K-Pop band BTS and they’re collaborating with Lauv in Make It Right.  I was hoping we didn’t hear more from Lauv himself.  But here he is in their new song.  I’ll admit that I’ve begun to see why BTS are talented.  Granted, there was a moment in time when I disliked Boy With Luv.  But I grew into that song since it left and I consider that to be one of my favorites from them.  I can’t really say I’m loving Make It Right.  I find the song not very interesting.  The production is lifeless in some parts and I don’t really like the beat.  Lauv doesn’t make a lot of contribution to the song.  I’m not fond of his verse and the guys sound pretty underwhelming vocally.  So yeah, I’m not feeling this one.

– The comeback of Harry Styles is something that I was waiting for to happen.  It was a few years ago that he gave us Sign Of The Times and I was wowed by what he had to offer.  I fell in love with his last album and there are plenty of stuff that I liked.  This week, he starts off the new decade by bringing us Adore You.  He did release his other two singles prior to this in the form of Lights Up and Watermelon Sugar, both of which took me a while to get into.  Adore You, on the other hand, is one that I fell in love with right from the start.  First off, I love the soft rock production.  It has a groovy throwback vibe to it.  Harry’s voice works very well here.  The lyrics are well-written for the most part and I can appreciate what the song is going for.  Yeah, this is solid overall.  Although I haven’t listened to his new album Fine Line yet, I would highly recommend doing so.

– Next, Billie Eilish replaces herself this week with her latest single.  In terms of my opinion on the song, it’s Everything I Wanted to hear from her.  Well, not exactly.  Basically, what the song talks about is her committing suicide and nobody caring for her anymore, as well as her relationship with her brother during her struggles.  I quite like the production with the muted piano and drums.  Billie has a dark, unique voice and she shows her vocal talent here. Like I said, this isn’t her best and I prefer her singles from When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. But Everything I Wanted comes pretty close to topping those.

– Now for the big one.  The Weeknd makes his return with his brand new solo single in the form of Heartless.  So, the last time we saw him was a year ago when he collaborated with Gesafflestein in Lost In The Fire.  That one was just terrible and I didn’t know what I was thinking when I said I liked it before.  Now, after hearing Heartless, it appears he’s going in a different direction for his new album.  I’ve been fond of his music for a while and this song is no exception.  It goes without saying that this isn’t his best work by any means.  I prefer songs such as The Hills, In The Night, Starboy, and I Feel It Coming.  His last two albums are where the gems are located.  But Heartless does everything it needs to do to make it a fun listen for me.  First off, The Weeknd’s voice.  He reminds me of the late Michael Jackson and I can actually hear how much he sounds like him.  The production and the hip-hop vibe fits very well with The Weeknd’s style.  Yeah, I’m digging this song overall and if his album sounds anything like this, then I’m excited for what he has in store.

Best Debut Of The Week: Heartless by The Weeknd

‘Cause I’m Blurbless
– We bid adieu to four songs, but neither of those are seriously worth caring about.  So I’ll try to speed those through.  All The Good Girls Go To Hell was not the best choice for a single, so I’m kinda glad this ended up flopping.  But it’s not bad overall, so I guess that’s saying something.  The other three exits will certainly not be missed.  Writing On The Wall was a mess and I’m very disappointed to have to say that about French Montana, especially since he had Unforgettable which was a favorite of mine back in 2017.  Lonely is also terrible production-wise.  Diplo didn’t put forth the effort and the Jonas Brothers don’t sound good vocally.  Finally, it’s about time we bid adieu to Wow..  That one was overdue.  I’m glad to see it gone.

– Memories and Lose You To Love Me both enter the Top 5.  The former I’m not thrilled about, since there’s nothing interesting about it.  But the very latter is one I love and it’s a nice comeback for Selena Gomez.  I’m holding out hope that it can become a #1 hit in the near future.

– On the note of the rest of the Top 10, we get new arrivals from Panini by Lil Nas X and Time by NF.  I wasn’t a fan of Old Town Road personally, but I do kinda like Panini in a way.  So I’m okay with this being in that region.  Time isn’t something I want to see in the Top 10.  It’s better than Let You Down.  But I’m really starting to lose interest in that song.  I would prefer if it started moving down soon.

– I’m not sure why we’re letting Roxanne gain momentum.  But it certainly does not make me happy whatsoever.  We’re looking for better music in 2020 and this song is not going to help matters.  His voice is drenched in auto-tune and the rest of the song is awful.  Hopefully, it dies out really fast because I’m not okay with this.

– At least we’re seeing the end of One Thing Right.  This is just Marshmello hitting another new low.  Kane’s terrible vocals doesn’t do the song any favors, either.  I’m glad it didn’t get very far on this countdown.  It has no business being here.

Breakouts/On The Verge

• South Of The Border by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B
  
• Mother by Charlie Puth
• I’m Not Alright by Loud Luxury featuring Bryce Vine
• Good Thing by Zedd featuring Kehlani
• RITMO by Black Eyed Peas featuring J Balvin

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Just A Dream by Nelly
• Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter
• Down by Jay Sean
• Thumbs by Sabrina Carpenter
• Why by Sabrina Carpenter
• Sue Me by Sabrina Carpenter

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
19. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown
18. Roxanne by Arizona Zervas

1 – Bad:
17. Memories by Maroon 5

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
16. Time by NF
15. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith
14. Panini by Lil Nas X

4 – Good:
13. Circles by Post Malone

5 – Great:
12. Graveyard by Halsey
11. Only Human by Jonas Brothers
10. 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber
9. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
8. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
7. Trampoline by SHAED
6. Dance Monkey by Tones & I
5. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
4. Lover by Taylor Swift
3. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez
2. Good As Hell by Lizzo

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa

Total Score: 75/100 = 75% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Celebration by Kool & The Gang (1980)

Most Missed Song: Pompeii by BΔSTILLE

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#2)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa 
2. Good As Hell by Lizzo
3. Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez
4. Lover by Taylor Swift
5. Raising Hell by Kesha featuring Big Freedia

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear
2. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
3. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown
4. My Type by Saweetie
5. Roxanne by Arizona Zervas

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson: It’s pretty good for a comeback single from Zara.  But it’s really not much compared to her older singles.  She sounds good with her voice and the production is fine, so I’ll give her that.

8 Letters by Why Don’t We: I think this is their best song thus far.  Everything about the song works pretty well here.  These guys put on a nice performance vocally and I like the instrumentation here.

Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus: Another pop masterpiece for Mark Ronson, the same guy behind Uptown Funk.  Everything about this works well to perfection from the production to the vocals.