Hello, fam! This week, I’ve decided to make a slight change. Instead of me doing a Top 20 review, I’ve expanded it into the Top 30 Breakdown. This only applies to Hits 1 due to them making this a Top 30 countdown a few months ago. So yeah, that’s all I wanted to say. Before we get to this week’s fresh 30, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Saint Jhn – Roses (#22)
• Miley Cyrus – Midnight Sky (#26)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Ashe featuring Niall Horan – Moral Of The Story
30. Drake featuring Lil Turk – Laugh Now Cry Later (DEBUT)
29. Ananya – Let There Be Love (#30) [+1]
28. Billie Eilish – My Future (#27) [–1]
27. Jack Harlow – WHATS POPPIN (#24) [–3]
26. Dan + Shay – I Should Probably Go To Bed (#29) [+3]
25. 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior – Mood (DEBUT)
24. Maroon 5 – Nobody’s Love (#21) [–3]
23. Topic featuring A7S – Breaking Me (#16) [–7]
22. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Old Me (#11) [–11]
21. Kane Brown featuring Swae Lee and Khalid – Be Like That (#23) [+2]
20. Zedd featuring Jasmine Thompson – Funny (#28) [+8]
19. Zoe Wees – Control (#25) [+6]
18. Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez – Past Life (#18) [=]
17. Kygo featuring OneRepublic – Lose Somebody (#19) [+2]
16. Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane – Like That (#14) [–2]
15. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Wildflower (#20) [+5]
14. Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello – Come & Go (#10) [–4]
13. Taylor Swift – Cardigan (#15) [+2]
12. DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch – ROCKSTAR (#12) [=]
11. Conan Gray – Heather (#13) [+2]
10. Benee featuring Gus Dapperton – Supalonely (#8) [–2]
9. Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar (#7) [–2] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
8. Alesso featuring Liam Payne – Midnight (#6) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
7. Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go (#9) [+2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
6. AJR – Bang! (#17) [+11] (You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…)
5. Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo – Savage Love (#4) [–1]
4. Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth – I Hope (#5) [+1]
3. Ava Max – Kings & Queens (#3) [=]
2. Blackbear – Me & Ur Ghost (#2) [=]
1. Ashe featuring Niall Horan – Moral Of The Story (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (8^th of 9 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Old Me (–11)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: AJR – Bang! (+11)

New Entrants:
– Up first is the return of Drake and he’s collaborating with Lil Turk in Laugh Now Cry Later. Right off the bat, I’m not fond of this. It’s not nearly as bad as the other two singles (Life Is Good and Toosie Slide). But it is flavorless and underwhelming. There’s not much to the production here and I don’t like his vocals for the most part. That’s really all I have to say about this one. So yeah, I find this to be bland overall.

– We have more of 24KGoldn, and he’s collaborating with Iann Dior in Mood.  I wasn’t exactly fond of his last single, City Of Angels, which lasted a mere two weeks on the countdown.  But I do find his newest single to be much more interesting.  I think the production is better here.  It has an awesome hook and I like his voice.  The lyrics are pretty solid.  I don’t have much else to say here except it’s pretty damn catchy.  Yeah, 24KGoldn managed to impress me with this song.  I highly recommend hearing it.

Best Debut Of The Week: 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior – Mood

Laugh Now, Blurb Later
– As far as our exits go, Roses wasn’t exactly too my liking, but it was still something I could tolerate. Midnight Sky left after only one week, but I’m not worried about it at all since it was just released. I’m sure it’ll re-enter the countdown next week.

– Wow, are you fucking shitting me? AJR – Bang! has decided to jump all the way to #6 in its second week. My fucking goodness. And here I was thinking it wouldn’t last very long on this countdown. This better not jump any higher, because if it does I will be very pissed.

– Old Me took a sizable drop this week. I’m fine with this, since I’m losing interest in the song. And the presence of Wildflower (which is the much better song) only accelerates the process.

– It’s nice to see Funny gain some momentum this week. I know Zedd has definitely had better, but it’s still a really good song and I enjoy it alot.

Hit-Bound:

• Claire Rosinkranz – Backyard Boy (DEBUT)
• Saweetie – Tap In
• Blu DeTiger – Figure It Out
• Harry Styles – Falling
• Juice WRLD – Wishing Well
• Niall Horan – Black & White
• Miley Cyrus – Midnight Sky (RE-ENTRY)
• BTS – Dynamite
• Zara Larsson – WOW (DEBUT)
• Avenue Beat – F2020
• Curtis Waters featuring Harm Franklin – Stunnin’
• Dixie D’Amelio – Be Happy
• Blackbear – Queen Of Broken Hearts
• jxdn – Angels & Demons
• Surf Mesa featuring Emilee – ily (i love you baby)

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
15. Saweetie – Tap In
14. Blackbear – Queen Of Broken Hearts

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
13. Avenue Beat – F2020
12. Blu DeTiger – Figure It Out
11. Curtis Waters featuring Harm Franklin – Stunnin’

3 – Decent:
10. Surf Mesa featuring Emilee – ily (i love you baby)
8. Claire Rosinkranz – Backyard Boy
7. Juice WRLD – Wishing Well

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
6. Dixie D’Amelio – Be Happy
5. Harry Styles – Falling
4. jxdn – Angels & Demons
3. Niall Horan – Black & White
2. Miley Cyrus – Midnight Sky

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. BTS – Dynamite

Overall Grade:

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout:

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. BTS –Dynamite
2. Miley Cyrus – Midnight Sky
3. Niall Horan – Black & White
4. jxdn – Angels & Demons
5. Harry Styles – Falling

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
30. Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane – Like That
29. AJR – Bang!
28. Blackbear – Me & Ur Ghost

1 – Bad:
27. Drake featuring Lil Turk – Laugh Now Cry Later
26. Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go

2 – Mediocre:
25. Conan Gray – Heather
24. Benee featuring Gus Dapperton – Supalonely

3 – Decent:
23. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Old Me
22. Zoe Wees – Control
21. Maroon 5 – Nobody’s Love
20. Jack Harlow – WHATS POPPIN
19. Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo – Savage Love
18. Ashe featuring Niall Horan – Moral Of The Story

4 – Good:
17. Kane Brown featuring Swae Lee and Khalid – Be Like That

5 – Great:
16. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Wilderflower
15. Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar
14. Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez – Past Life
13. Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth – I Hope
12. Dan + Shay – I Should Probably Go To Bed
11. Topic featuring A7S – Breaking Me
10. Alesso featuring Liam Payne – Midnight
9. DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch – ROCKSTAR
8. 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior – Mood
7. Kygo featuring OneRepublic – Lose Somebody
6. Taylor Swift – Cardigan
5. Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello – Come And Go
4. Ava Max – Kings & Queens
3. Billie Eilish – My Future
2. Zedd featuring Jasmine Thompson – Funny

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Ananya – Let There Be Love

Overall Grade: 109/150 = 72.67% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (1983)

Most Missed Countdown Song: The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Taylor Swift – August

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine (#19)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Ananya – Let There Be Love
2. Zedd featuring Jasmine Thompson – Funny
3. Billie Eilish – My Future
4. Ava Max – Kings & Queens
5. Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello – Come And Go

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

Hello, fam.  It was few couple months ago when George Floyd was killed at the hands of police, thus sparking protests all across the nation.  This week, another black man (whose name is Jacob Blake) was shot by police.  Luckily, he’s alive today (though he’s paralyzed).  But still, it hurts my heart so bad.  As a black man writing this blog, I can’t fathom what his family has to go through.  Hopefully, there will be justice.  Also, just yesterday we sadly lost another celebrity named Chadwick Boseman, who starred in movies such as Black Panther.  It was only a couple years since it came out and I looked up to him.  It really hurts to see another legend gone so soon.  He will be dearly missed.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande (#18)
• 100 Ways by Jackson Wang (#28)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles
40. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear (#40) [=]
39. Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish (#38) [–1]
38. Daisies by Katy Perry (#32) [–6]
37. My Oh My by Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby (#36) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
36. The Other Girl by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Halsey (#37) [+1]
35. Kings & Queens by Ava Max (DEBUT)
34. Lose Somebody by Kygo featuring OneRepublic (#39) [+5]
33. ily (i love you baby) by Surf Mesa featuring Emilee (#35) [+2]
32. Don’t Rush by Young T & Bugsey featuring Headie One (#33) [+1]
31. Circles by Post Malone (#29) [–2] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
30. Bang! by AJR (#34) [+4]
29. My Future by Billie Eilish (DEBUT)
28. Savage (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé (#10) [–18] (Whoa there!)
27. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (#25) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
26. Breaking Me by Topic featuring A7S (#27) [+1]
25. Come And Go by Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello (#31) [+6]
24. Heartless by Diplo and Morgan Wallen featuring Julia Michaels (#24) [=]
23. WHATS POPPIN by Jack Harlow (#26) [+3]
22. Mamacita by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Ozuna and J. Rey Soul (#23) [+1]
21. Be Like That by Kane Brown featuring Swae Lee and Khalid (#22) [+1]
20. Cardigan by Taylor Swift (#30) [+10]
19. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane (#20) [+1]
18. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo (#17) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
17. Nobody’s Love by Maroon 5 (#21) [+4]
16. Past Life by Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez (#18) [+2]
15. Falling by Trevor Daniel (#12) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
14. Say So by Doja Cat (#14) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
13. If The World Was Ending by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels (#15) [+2]
12. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth (#16) [+4]
11. Blueberry Faygo by Lil Mosey (#13) [+2]
10. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo (#11) [+1]
9. Coffee For Your Head by Powfu featuring Bebadoobee (#8) [–1]
8. Supalonely by Benee featuring Gus Dapperton (#7) [–1]
7. ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch (#9) [+2]
6. Adore You by Harry Styles (#5) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi (#6) [+1]
4. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (#3) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
3. Roses by Saint Jhn (#4) [+1]
2. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa (#2) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (3^rd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Savage (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé (–18)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Cardigan by Taylor Swift (+10)

New Entrants:
– Two great songs are debuting this week.  Up first is the song that’s finally here!  It comes from the return of Ava Max with her single titled Kings & Queens!  You all know that I adore her last hit Sweet But Psycho (my #4 favorite song of 2019).  So it comes as no shock that I adore this song as well.  Ava has an amazing voice and this song is just further proof of how great of a singer she is.  The chorus is absolutely divine.  But then comes the electric guitar that comes in after the second chorus.  It pulls me in.  In addition, it has a awesome beat that I can’t help but dance to.  This song is honestly just amazing and yet, it’s not even the best debut of the week.  That honor actually goes to…

– Billie Eilish!  With Everything I Wanted on its way out, it was only a matter of time until she would give us another new single.  It’s titled My Future, and boy this song rocks.  It starts out sow, but then the song really picksI really like her dark, whispery voice.  She is extrodinarily talented and always uses it to the best of her abilities.  But the thing that makes this much better than Kings & Queens is the lyrics.  Here, she reflects on her past and talks about her future.  I love how she is able to go in depth about what she was before and what she has become now.  This single shows just how much she has evolved from last year.  I’m so happy this song is here and I’m rooting for its success.

Best Debut Of The Week: My Future by Billie Eilish

I, I’m In Love With My Blurbs
– In terms of our exits this week, I didn’t exactly cared for 100 Ways, so I don’t have any complaints about it leaving. Rain On Me was honestly just divine in every sense of the word and I’m glad it was a #1 hit on Billboard. Too bad it didn’t last very long on the countdown. It’s a shame, really.

– Bang! has decided it reaches to move up a little bit. Can we not with this song? It’s bad enough I have to deal with AJR on Hits 1. But now it’s gaining momentum elsewhere? I can’t.

– Whoa there! Savage took a huge drop all the way down to #28 this week.  Wow.  And I was thinking earlier this week that it would stick around since it was such a massive hit.  But I was proven to be wrong.  I have a bad feeling it’ll leave us soon.

– And Cardigan takes the biggest jump of the week.  Shocker.  Though, I don’t envision this being #1 here, I do expect that it’ll stick around.  I enjoy this song quite a lot, but I do hope Exile can debut soon.

– Savage Love enters the Top 10 by no surprise.  It was already gaining momentum on Hits 1, but now it looks like it’ll become a hit elsewhere, too.  This will be Jason Derulo’s first big hit since Want To Want Me back in 2015.  We’ll see how far it goes.

– I’m not thrilled about Before You Go entering into the Top 5.   I’ll give Lewis Capaldi the benefit of the doubt here because the instrumention is much more interesting than its predecessor.  But aside from that, the rest of the song does nothing for me and I’m not a fan of the lyrics.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• POPSTAR by DJ Khaled featuring Drake
• Funny by Zedd featuring Jasmine Thompson
• F2020 by Avenue Beat

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Be Kind by Marshmello featuring Halsey
• One Call Away by Charlie Puth
• Moral Of The Story by Ashe featuring Niall Horan
• Heartless by The Weeknd
• The Bones by Maren Morris
• Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles
• Roxanne by Arizona Zervas
• Drinks by CYN
• Dance Monkey by Tones And I
• Sunday Best by Surfaces
• Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter
• Stressed Out by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
19. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane
18. Say So by Doja Cat
17. Blueberry Faygo by Lil Mosey
16. Coffee For Your Head by Powfu featuring Beabadoobee

1 – Bad:
15. Falling by Trevor Daniel
14. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi

2 – Mediocre:
13. If The World Was Ending by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels
12. Supalonely by Benee featuring Gus Dapperton

3 – Decent:
11. Nobody’s Love by Maroon 5
10. Roses by Saint Jhn
9. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
8. Past Life by Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez
7. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth
6. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles
5. ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
4. Cardigan by Taylor Swift
3. Adore You by Harry Styles
2. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa

Total Score: 56/100 = 56% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Billie Jean by Michael Jackson (1983) (Today was his 62^nd Birthday)

Most Missed Song: Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Let There Be Love by Ananya

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (#20)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa
2. My Future by Billie Eilish
3. Kings & Queens by Ava Max
4. The Other Girl by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Halsey
5. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear
2. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
3. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane
4. Heartless by Diplo and Morgan Wallen featuring Julia Michaels
5. Mamacita by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Ozuna featuring J. Rey Soul

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Rescue Me by OneRepublic: I quite liked this, mainly because of the slick groove. Not their best by any means, but it’s pretty enjoyable.

Panini by Lil Nas X: Though I could never get on board with it’s predecessor, I kinda liked this one right from the start. It can be underwhelming at times, but it’s pretty interesting for the most part.

Time by NF: Yeah, I don’t find this too interesting. Sure, the lyrics are okay. But nothing really stands out here, and NF sounds unenthusiastic throughout the song. Yeah, this didn’t age well for me.

Hello, fam! I was finally able to get this out on time.  Can you believe we’re almost at the end of August already?  This year is flying by really fast (and rightfully so, given how this year has gone so far).  2021 will be here before you know it.  There was quite a lot for me to talk about for this week, so let’s jump right in.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 30, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Dua Lipa – Break My Heart (#13)
• Katy Perry – Daisies (#16)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Alesso featuring Liam Payne – Midnight
30. Ananya – Let There Be Love (#28) [–2]
29. Dan + Shay – I Should Probably Go To Bed (#29) [=]
28. Zedd featuring Jasmine Thompson – Funny (#26) [–2]
27. Billie Eilish – My Future (#27) [=]
26. Miley Cyrus – Midnight Sky (DEBUT)
25. Zoe Wees – Control (#18) [–7]
24. Jack Harlow – WHATS POPPIN (#23) [–1]
23. Kane Brown featuring Swae Lee and Khalid – Be Like That(#) []
22. Saint Jhn – Roses (#17) [–5]
21. Maroon 5 – Nobody’s Love (#20) [–1]
20. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Wildflower (#24) [+4]
19. Kygo featuring OneRepublic – Lose Someobdy (#22) [+3]
18. Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez – Past Life (#21) [+3]
17. AJR – Bang! (DEBUT)
16. Topic featuirng A7S – Breaking Me (#30) [+14]
15. Taylor Swift – Cardigan (#14) [–1]
14. Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane – Like That (#19) [+5]
13. Conan Gray – Heather (#12) [–1]
12. DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch – ROCKSTAR (#11) [–1]
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Old Me (#8) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
10. Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello – Come And Go (#15) [+5]
9. Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go (#6) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
8. Benee featuring Gus Dapperton – Supalonely (#9) [+1]
7. Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar (#2) [–5] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
6. Alesso featuring Liam Payne – Midnight (#1) [–5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
5. Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth – I Hope (#10) [+5]
4. Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Deurlo – Savage Love (#7) [+3]
3. Ava Max – Kings & Queens (#5) [+2]
2. Blackbear – Me & Ur Ghost (#4) [+2]
1. Ashe featuring Niall Horan – Moral Of The Story (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (7^th of 9 Weeks At #1) 

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Zoe Wees – Control (–7)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Topic featuring A7S – Breaking Me (+14)

New Entrants:
– We get the return of Miley Cyrus with her latest single in the form of Midnight Sky.  Last year, she gave us Mother’s Daughter which I enjoyed overall.  Not long before that, she collaborated with Mark Ronson in Nothing Breaks Like A Heart, which was divine in every sense of the word.  As far as her new single goes, I’m in love with this.  I like how she is going for a more 80’s disco pop sound.  The beat here is pretty amazing and her voice is great.  The lyrics are nicely written as well. She shows how talented she is as a songwriter overall.  Yeah, this song rocks and I hope it sticks around.

– Ugh, here we go again with AJR making their return once again.  This time, they bring us Bang!.  Everything these guys have released have ranged from mediocre to downright putrid.  Bang! is no different.  Production-wise, it is just weird, and not in a good way.  I don’t like the obnoxious piano throughout the song and the instrumentation is pretty damn grating.  The lyrics are basically nonsensical, which is nothing new since they’re terrible songwriters.  And don’t get me started on the chorus, because it is just simply annoying.  So yeah, this is just a mess overall and it’s no surprise considering AJR has never impressed me with their music.

Best Debut Of The Week: Miley Cyrus – Midnight Sky

Midnight Blurbs
– So we have two exits here which will both be missed by me, especially Break My Heart.  It was another amazing song off of the divine album that is of Future Nostalgia and I’m glad it became another hit for Dua Lipa.  Daisies was pretty good as well and I enjoyed it for a while.  I’m interested to see what else Katy Perry will bring in the near future.

– It’s the second consecutive week in which we have a new #1, this time with Moral Of The Story.  I honestly didn’t see it coming when it first debuted on the countdown.  But thanks to the remix with Niall Horan (and the fact Hits 1 loves all things One Direction), I figured it would happen at some point in time.  It’s a fine song overall, and I’m okay with it being #1 for the time being.

– Me & Ur Ghost has reached a dangerous peak of #2.  As you probably can tell, I’m not fond of the song at all.  Really the only good thing about it is the groove itself.  Everything else is underwhelming in my opinion.  My reaction will not be kind if this hits #1.  Blackbear just hasn’t impressed me with his music.

– The Top 5 has gotten a bit of a makeover this week.  First off, Kings & Queens hits a new peak of #3!  I adore this song with a burning passion.  Everything about the song from her amazing voice to the awesome production is just divine.  I think it’s just as good as Sweet But Psycho, which was also a huge favorite of mine from 2019.  I hope this song can hit #1 at some point.  But I’m happy that it’s successful on this countdown.

– Second, we have two new songs entering the Top 5: Savage Love and I Hope.  The former is okay, but it’s not that special to me.  I won’t be surprised if this ends up becoming a massive hit given that it’s currently gaining momentum.  I’ll probably have to get used to it.  The latter is pretty good and I’m quite shocked that it’s doing pretty well so far.  I hope (no pun intended) that this can hit #1 soon.

– Speaking of which, Midnight was one and done as it has slipped out of the #1 pretty quickly, and Watermelon Sugar left the Top 5  after hogging the #1 just two weeks ago.  Dang!

– Come And Go has made it’s way into the Top 10.  I enjoy this song quite a lot since it came out, so I’m very pleased about this.  This and Be Kind are two of the best things Marshmello has done this year.  I’m glad he’s redeeming himself after the disaster that was of One Thing Right, which I did not like.

Hit-Bound:

• Dixie D’Amelio – Be Happy
• Juice WRLD – Wishing Well
• Harry Styles – Falling
• Diplo and Morgan Wallen featuring Julia Michaels – Heartless
• Curtis Waters featuring Harm Franklin – Stunnin’ (DEBUT)
• Niall Horan – Black & White
• Surf Mesa featuring Emilee – ily (i love you baby)
• jxdn – Angels & Demons
• 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior – Mood (DEBUT)
• Saweetie – Tap In
• Blu DeTiger – Figure It Out (DEBUT)
• Blackbear – Queen Of Broken Hearts
• Avenue Beat – F2020
• BTS – Dynamite (DEBUT)
• Drake featuring Lil Durk – Laugh Now Cry Later (DEBUT)

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
15. Diplo and Morgan Wallen featuring Julia Michaels – Heartless
14. Saweetie – Tap In
13. Blackbear – Queen Of Broken Hearts

1 – Bad:
12. Drake featuring Lil Durk – Laugh Now, Cry Later

2 – Mediocre:
11. Avenue Beat – F2020
10. BluDeTiger – Figure It Out
9. Curtis Waters featuring Harm Franklin – Stunnin’

3 – Decent:
8. Surf Mesa featuring Emilee – ily (i love you baby)
7. Juice WRLD – Wishing Well

4 – Good:
6. Dixie D’Amelio – Be Happy

5 – Great:
5. jxdn – Angels & Demons
4. Niall Horan – Black & White
3. Harry Styles – Falling
2. 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior – Mood

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. BTS – Dynamite

Overall Grade: 43/75 = 57% (C)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Kygo featuring Rita Ora – Carry On

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. BTS – Dynamite
2. 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior – Mood
3. Harry Styles – Falling
4. Niall Horan – Black & White
5. jxdn – Angels & Demons

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane – Like That
19. AJR – Bang!
18. Blackbear – Me & Ur Ghost

1 – Bad:
17. Conan Gray – Heather
16. Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go

2 – Mediocre:
15. Benne featuring Gus Dapperton – Supalonely

3 – Decent:
14. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Old Me
13. Jawsh featuring Jason Derulo – Savage Love
12. Ashe featuring Niall Horan – Moral Of The Story

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
11. Topic featuring A7S – Breaking Me
10. Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar
9. Alesso featuring Liam Payne – Midnight
8. Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez – Past Life
7. DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch – ROCKSTAR
6. Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth – I Hope
5. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Wildflower
4. Taylor Swift – Cardigan
3. Kygo featuring OneRepublic – Lose Someobdy
2. Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello – Come And Go
1. Ava Max – Kings & Queens

Overall Grade: 68/100 = 68% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Allanah Myles – Black Velvet (1989)

Most Missed Countdown Song: The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – Closer

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Taylor Swift – August

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Zara Larsson – All The Time (#32) and Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#12) (Amazing songs!)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Zedd featuring Jasmine Thompson – Funny
2. Ava Max – Kings & Queens
3. Ananya – Let There Be Love
4. Billie Eilish – My Future
5. Miley Cyrus – Midnight Sky

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her: This is pretty good, even though it’s more pop sounding than his other singles, such as Marry Me which I adore with a burning passion.

Zara Larsson – All The Time: It’s the better of the two singles Zara released last year.  Everything about it is just divine from the fun beat on down to her amazing voice.  Plus, the computerized vocals were really cool!  Yeah, she definitely impressed me with this one

Hello, fam!  For once, I actually got this post out on time!  Finally!  It’s definitely been a while.  I’m still working on playing catch up with some other stuff.  So, please bear with me on those.  Shaggy became the guest host this week in place of Ryan Seacrest, who was off this weekend.  As far as the countdown went, we got rid of three pieces of junk and replaced them with good stuff.  And there was some movement, mostly for the better.  There was one thing that did upset me, though.  But overall, this was a pretty good week for the most part.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• RITMO (Bad Boys For Life) by The Black Eyed Peas featuring J. Balvin (#34)
• Drinks by CYN (#39)
• Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#40) [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles
40. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear (#38) [–2]
39. Lose Somebody by Kygo featuring OneRepublic (DEBUT)
38. Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish (#36) [–2]
37. The Other Girl by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Halsey (#37) [=]
36. My Oh My by Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby (#30) [–6] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
35. ily (i love you baby) by Surf Mesa featuring Emilee (#35) [=]
34. Bang! by AJR (#33) [–1]
33. Don’t Rush by Young T & Bugsey featuring Headie One (#32) [–1]
32. Daisies by Katy Perry (#28) [–4]
31. Come And Go by Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello (DEBUT)
30. Cardigan by Taylor Swift (DEBUT)
29. Circles by Post Malone (#27) [–2] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
28. 100 Ways by Jackson Wang (#25) [–3]
27. Breaking Me by Topic featuring A7S (#29) [+2]
26. WHATS POPPIN by Jack Harlow (#26) [=]
25. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (#21) [–4] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
24. Heartless by Diplo and Morgan Wallen featuring Julia Michaels (#22) [–2]
23. Mamacita by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Ozuna and J. Rey Soul (#23) [=]
22. Be Like That by Kane Brown featuring Swae Lee and Khalid (#24) [+2]
21. Nobody’s Love by Maroon 5 (#31) [+10]
20. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane (#20) [=]
19. Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande (#11) [–8]
18. Past Life by Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez (#19) [+1]
17. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo (#16) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
16. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth (#18) [+2]
15. If The World Was Ending by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels (#17) [+2]
14. Say So by Doja Cat (#12) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
13. Blueberry Faygo by Lil Mosey (#14) [+1]
12. Falling by Trevor Daniel (#7) [–5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
11. Savage Love by Jaws featuring Jason Derulo (#15) [+4]
10. Savage (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé (#6) [–4]
9. ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch (#13) [+4]
8. Coffee For Your Head by Powfu featuring Beabadoobee (#10) [+2]
7. Supalonely by Benee featuring Gus Dapperton (#9) [+2]
6. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi (#8) [+2]
5. Adore You by Harry Styles (#5) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
4. Roses by Saint Jhn (#4) [=]
3. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (#3) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
2. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa (#2) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (2^nd of 3 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande (–8)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Nobody’s Love by Maroon 5 (+10)

New Entrants:
– Up first is the return of Kygo with his collaboration with the band OneRepublic in Lose Somebody.  Kygo has consistently impressed me with almost every single he has released.  Last year, he gave me Higher Love with the late Whitney Houston, which I adored.  Lose Somebody is just as good.  I like Ryan Tedder’s vocals here.  He has showed me time and time again that he’s a good singer overall.  In fact, I enjoyed a lot of OneRepublic’s music mostly because of him.  And as usual, Kygo does a great job with his work as a DJ.  While it may be my least favorite debut of the week, this is still enjoyable overall.

– So, it’s been almost a year since Juice WRLD has passed on, and we’ll never get to see his potential.  But he does give us his collaboration with Marshmello in Come And Go.  Coming into the song, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.  But after repeated listens, it grew on me.  It basically talks about not ruining his relationship and wanting to see things in a optimistic light.  I like his voice here and the chorus sounds pretty good.  That combined with the guitar riffs and the awesome work from Marshmello makes this an enjoyable listen.  Yeah, this song rocks and I’m glad it’s here.

– Lastly, we get the brand new single from Taylor Swift titled Cardigan.  It was this time last month that Taylor surprised us with her new album, Folklore.  It appears that she is going for a more indie sound here.  I think she has a good voice and it fits well with the vibe.  The instrumentation is fine and I quite like the simplistic beat.  It’s one of those romance songs which talks about their love for someone and the lyrics are something we can relate to.  Taylor has consistently shown that she’s a good songwriter and it shows throughout the song, as well as her entire album.  Yeah, I definitely like the song overall.

Best Debut Of The Week: Come And Go by Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello

Blurb And Go
– Good riddance to three of our exits.  First off, I didn’t care for Drinks by CYN at all so no complaints there.  RITMO (Bad Boys For Life) was never good from the start and it was very overrated.  I got tired of hearing that weak ass beat and the terrible vocals didn’t do any favors.  Yeah, I’m glad to see that one off.  But more importantly, we must celebrate as Someone You Loved has finally left the countdown!  Hallelujah!  It’s about damn time we bid adieu to that song!  It will never be missed!

– It’s nice to see ROCKSTAR make it’s way into the Top 10.  I really dig the guitar throughout the song and the verses are pretty good here.  So yeah, it’s one of the best trap music has had to offer this year.

– So, Falling by Trevor Daniel is literally, falling on the countdown.  Heh, looks like that one may leave sooner than we think, eh?

– On that note, I’m pretty sad about the drop from Rain On Me.  Yeah, I don’t like seeing it flop on this countdown.  And sadly, it died out elsewhere.  I don’t see it being much longer with us, unfortunately.

– Like That doesn’t appear to be doing too much of anything on this countdown or anywhere else, which is a good thing.  This song is just a asinine mess.  Honestly, can we get it off the countdown, please?  Doja Cat has not wowed me with her music at all.

– On that note, both Mamacita and Heartless are fucking abysmal in every sense of the word.  The former is so much worse than RITMO (Bad Boys For Life) because of even worse vocals and even terrible production.  My goodness, I cannot stand that song.  And don’t even get me started on the latter, because it is such a joke to the country genre.  In all honesty, I find the remix to be even more grating than the original because Julia Michaels just does not help matters in any way.  Seriously, both of those songs need to leave, like now.

– And finally…Hot Girl Bummer is now at the bottom of the countdown!  Hallelujah!  It’s about time!!!

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Funny by Zedd featuring Jasmine Thompson
• Kings & Queens by Ava Max
• My Future by Billie Eilish
• POPSTAR by DJ Khaled featuring Drake

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo
• Angel by Shaggy featuring Sting
• Love Yourself by Justin Bieber
• Nothin’ On You by B.o.B. featuring Bruno MarsIt Wasn’t Me by Saggy featuring Rayvon
• Sexyback by Justin Timberlake
• I Need Your Love by Shaggy featuring Mohombi, Faydee and Costi
• Don’t Wanna Know by Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Luv Me Luv Me by Shaggy featuring Amber Lee
  

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
19. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane
18. Coffee For Your Head by Powfu featuring Beabadoobee
17. Say So by Doja Cat
16. Blueberry Faygo by Lil Mosey

1 – Bad:
15. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi
14. Falling by Trevor Daniel

2 – Mediocre
13. If The World Was Ending by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels

3 – Decent:
12. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo
11. Roses by Saint Jhn
10. Supalonely by Benne featuring Gus Dapperton

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
9. Past Life by Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez
8. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth
7. ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
6. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles
5. Savage (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
4. Adore You by Harry Styles
3. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa
2. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande

Total Score: 59/100 = 59% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Black Velvet by Alannah Myles (1989)

Most Missed Song: Style by Taylor Swift

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Let There Be Love by Ananya

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Never Really Over by Katy Perry (#11)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa
2. Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande
3. The Other Girl by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Halsey
4. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa
5. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear
2. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
3. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane
4. Heartless by Diplo and Morgan Wallen featuring Julia Michaels
5. Mamacita by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Ozuna and J. Rey Soul

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown: Do I even need to explain this?  This is just fucking abysmal on so many levels.  From the asinine lyrics to the weak effort put forth by Marshmello, this was another new low for him.  NEXT!

All The Time by Zara Larsson: This was easily the better of the two singles Zara released last year.  The production and the beat are so awesome and her voice is just divine.  I even like the addition of the robotic vocals that appear throughout the chorus.  Yeah, this song is honestly just a bop all around.

Mother’s Daughter by Miley Cyrus: Although not as good as her collaboration she did last year with Mark Ronson, this is still enjoyable to some degree.  However, I much prefer her newer song Midnight Sky, which just came out this week.

Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House: This song shows how much Ariana has been selling out last year.  It’s better than her two predecessors (both of which ended up appearing in My Bottom 10 Songs Of 2019), but that isn’t saying much.  Terrible production, hardly no contribution from the members of Social House, and underwhelming vocals from Ariana herself makes this an unpleasant listen.  Good thing she did much better this year with Stuck With U and Rain On Me.

Hello, fam!  The NBA Playoffs start this week.  I’m excited and I’ll be watching.  I’m interested to see who wins it all during the bubble.  Also, football season (well, the NFL) starts next month, though I won’t be attending any games this year due to the pandemic.  But I’ll still watch the Falcons play.  I’m sure it’ll be fun.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Sunday Best by Surfaces (#18)
• The Bones by Maren Morris (#27)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Break My Heart by Dua Lipa
40. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#40) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
39. Drinks by CYN (#30) [–9]
38. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear (#37) [–1]
37. The Other Girl by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Halsey (#38) [+1]
36. Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish (#36) [+1]
35. ily (i love you baby) by surf mesa featuring Emilee (#36) [+1]
34. RITMO (Bay Boys For Life) by The Black Eyed Peas featuring J Balvin (#33) [–1]
33. Bang! by AJR (#34) [+1]
32. Don’t Rush by Young T & Bugsey featuring Headie One (#32) [=]
31. Nobody’s Love by Maroon 5 (DEBUT)
30. My Oh My by Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby (#29) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
29. Breaking Me by Topic featuring A7S (#39) [+10]
28. Daisies by Katy Perry (#28) [=]
27. Circles by Post Malone (#24) [–3] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
26. WHATS POPPIN by Jack Harlow (#31) [+5]
25. 100 Ways by Jackson Wang (#26) [+1]
24. Be Like That by Kane Brown featuring Swae Lee and Khalid (DEBUT)
23. Mamacita by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Ozuna and J. Rey Soul (#23) [=]
22. Heartless by Diplo and Morgan Wallen featuring Julia Michaels (#25) [+3]
21. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (#17) [–4] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
20. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane (#22) [+2]
19. Past Life by Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez (#20) [+1]
18. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth (#21) [+3]
17. If The World Was Ending by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels (#16) [–1]
16. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo (#13) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
15. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo (#19) [+4]
14. Blueberry Faygo by Lil Mosey (#15) [+1]
13. ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch (#14) [+1]
12. Say So by Doja Cat (#9) [–3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
11. Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande (#10) [–1]
10. Coffee For Your Head by Powfu featuring Beabadoobee (#12) [+2]
9. Supalonely by Benee featuring Gus Dapperton (#11) [+2]
8. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi (#8) [=]
7. Falling by Trevor Daniel (#4) [–3]
6. Savage (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé (#6) [=]
5. Adore You by Harry Styles (#7) [+2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
4. Roses by Saint Jhn (#5) [+1]
3. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (#3) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
2. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa (#1) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles (#2) [+1] [1st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (1st of 3 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Drinks by CYN (–9)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Breaking Me by Topic featuring A7S (+10)

New Entrants:
– Another week with two debuts.  I’ll start with Maroon 5 making their return once again, and this time they give us Nobody’s Love.  Last time, they tried to bring back Memories with their predecessor.  But I found that one to be lifeless and it didn’t have very much to offer.  Nobody’s Love is slightly better, mainly because of the production.  I do like Adam’s voice somewhat.  He sounds a little more enthusiastic here as opposed to Memories where he sounded like he was falling asleep.  But the lyrics are still quite questionable.  Some of the lines here aren’t exactly to my liking, and the lyrics lack some depth.  Overall, this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  But it’s still nothing compared to what these guys had before.

– For our second (and final) debut, we have country singer Kane Brown who collaborates with Swae Lee and Khalid in Be Like That.  As you recall, he collaborated with Marshmello in One Thing Right last year, which I did not like at all.  Those who’ve followed my blog should know that it was my #5 least favorite song of 2019.  But I’ll forget about that.  Let’s dive right in to his newer single. Basically, he talks about being in a relationship where he has mixed feelings for this person.  I find it to be pretty relatable.  Kane sounds good here and the guitar is well-used.  Then, you have Khalid putting in a nice performance here vocally, though I can’t say that about Swae Lee. Obviously, this is not his best and he’s done better.  But I quite like this song overall.

Best Debut Of The Week: Be Like That by Kane Brown featuring Swae Lee and Khalid

Sometimes It Blurbs Like That
– We’ll start with two exits.  First off, it’s about damn time we bid adieu to the garbage that is of Sunday Best.  Yippee!  I’m glad I don’t have to suffer through this atrocity ever again.  The Bones, on the other hand, was another really good single for Maren Morris and I’m glad it stuck around for a while.  It’s locked in for the Year-End list on Billboard and I’m very happy about that.  🙂

– And just like that, Harry Styles gets his second #1 this year, this time with Watermelon Sugar.  Interestingly, it’s also the second time that he dethroned Dua Lipa, this time with different songs.  Watermelon Sugar isn’t quite as good as Adore You.  But I still like it overall.  He has impressed me with his latest music.  I’m glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves.  I’m very happy for him.

– Speaking of Adore You, that song apparently just doesn’t know when to quit as it jumps back in to the Top 5.  Talk about longevity, man.  It’s having a strong run on this countdown even after it has virtually died down elsewhere.  I certainly don’t mind because it’s a divine song.  I’m glad it’s still here.

– I’m not necessarily thrilled about Supalonely being in the Top 10.  The song has slowly been getting less interesting with each and every additional listen.  Really the only good thing I can say about this is the groove itself.  Everything else about it is pretty underwhelming.  I’ll give these guys here the benefit of the doubt because it did kick Say So out of the Top 10, which was long overdue.

– I’m definitely not okay with Coffee For Your Head in the Top 10.  That song is vocally annoying.  I really don’t see the appeal to this.  It has no business being up there. I’m hoping it doesn’t last very long in that region.

– Drinks by CYN appears to be flopping hard as it pretty much didn’t take off.  Fine by me since it’s not a very good song.  I’m not very fond of her voice here and the rest of the song doesn’t work for me.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Funny by Zedd featuring Jasmine Thompson
• Lose Somebody by Kygo featuring OneRepublic
• Come And Go by Juice WRLD featuring Marshmello
• Kings & Queens by Ava Max
• Cardigan by Taylor Swift

Extras/Optional Extras:

• I Like Me Better by Lauv
• One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa
• 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
• When The Party’s Over by Billie Eilish
• Moral Of The Story by Ashe
• Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
• All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor
• Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
• Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
• Only Human by Jonas Brothers

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
19. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane
18. Coffee For Your Head by Powfu featuring Beabadoobee
17. Say So by Doja Cat
16. Blueberry Faygo by Lil Mosey

1 – Bad:
15. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi
14. Falling by Trevor Daniel

2 – Mediocre
13. If The World Was Ending by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels:

3 – Decent:
12. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo
11. Roses by Saint Jhn
10. Supalonely by Benne featuring Gus Dapperton

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
9. Past Life by Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez
8. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth
7. ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
6. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles
5. Savage (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
4. Adore You by Harry Styles
3. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa
2. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande

Total Score: 59/100 = 59% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Like A Virgin by Madonna (1984) (Happy 62^nd Birthday to her!)

Most Missed Song: There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back by Shawn Mendes

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Let There Be Love by Ananya

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (#21)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande
2. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa
3. The Bones by Maren Morris
4. The Other Girl by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Halsey
5. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear
2. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
3. Heartless by Diplo & Morgan Wallen featuring Julia Michaels
4. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane
5. Mamacita by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Ozuna and J. Rey Soul

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith: I wasn’t fond of this at first, mainly because of the weird production.  But I did eventually kinda warmed up to it with time.  Despite this, I much prefer his predecessor Dancing With A Stranger, which is my favorite song from Sam.

Hello, fam!  Sports are back in action!  Man, it feels so good to be watching live sports again, alebit with no fans sadly.  Well, the MTV VMAs do take place this month and I plan on watching.  I think it’ll be different considering there will be no crowds to watch live performances.  It’s still sad considering we’re in the middle of a pandemic.  But it is what it is.  Let’s get right into things.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Be Kind by Marshmello featuring Halsey (#18)
• Heartless by The Weeknd (#38)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Falling by Trevor Daniel
40. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#40) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
39. Breaking Me by Topic featuring A7S (DEBUT)
38. The Other Girl by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Halsey (DEBUT)
37. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear (#36) [–1]
36. ily (i love you baby) by surf mesa featuring Emilee (#39) [+3]
35. Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish (#34) [–1]
34. Bang! by AJR (#35) [+1]
33. RITMO (Bay Boys For Life) by The Black Eyed Peas featuring J Balvin (#32) [–1]
32. Don’t Rush by Young T & Bugsey featuring Headie One (#37) [+5]
31. WHATS POPPIN by Jack Harlow (#33) [+2]
30. Drinks by CYN (#31) [+1]
29. My Oh My by Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby (#28) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
28. Daisies by Katy Perry (#29) [+1]
27. The Bones by Maren Morris (#25) [–2]
26. 100 Ways by Jackson Wang (#30) [+4]
25. Heartless by Diplo and Morgan Wallen featuring Julia Michaels (#27) [+2]
24. Circles by Post Malone (#20) [–4] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
23. Mamacita by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Ozuna and J. Rey Soul (#24) [+1]
22. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane (#22) [=]
21. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth (#21) [=]
20. Past Life by Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez (#23) [+3]
19. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo (#26) [+7]
18. Sunday Best by Surfaces (#12) [–6]
17. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (#14) [–3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
16. If The World Was Ending by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels (#19) [+3]
15. Blueberry Faygo by Lil Mosey (#16) [+1]
14. ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch (#17) [+3]
13. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo (#9) [–4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
12. Coffee For Your Head by Powfu featuring Beabadoobee (#15) [+3]
11. Supalonely by Benee featuring Gus Dapperton (#13) [+2]
10. Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande (#11) [+1]
9. Say So by Doja Cat (#8) [+1]
8. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi (#10) [+2]
7. Adore You by Harry Styles (#7) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
6. Savage (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé (#6) [=]
5. Roses by Saint Jhn (#4) [–1]
4. Falling by Trevor Daniel (#1) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
3. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (#2) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
2. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles (#5) [+3]
1. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (2^nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Sunday Best by Surfaces (–6)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo (+7)

New Entrants:
– We’ll kick things off with new EDM artist Topic and singer A7S making their first appearance on the countdown with Breaking Me.  I didn’t really care for the song at first.  But with repeated listens, I came around to the song.  I quite like the guy’s voice here and the beat is pretty solid.  Not much else I can say outside of that.  It’s a pretty fine song.  We’ll see how long it lasts.

– For our secont debut, we have a very interesting collaboration between Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey in a pop-country crossover single titled The Other Girl.  Each of these artists have had songs of their own that I adore with a fiery passion.  I enjoyed Kelsea’s solo music, as well as her feature with The Chainsmokers in This Feeling.  Halsey has been pretty good for the most part with her music as well, though I’ve had mixed feelings with her recent singles.  So, how did this collaboration turn out?  Well, I found it to be honestly just amazing.  I love the chemistry between the two artists.  The production is top-notch and I love the guitar here.  Kelsea shows that she has a really good voice and she uses it very well here.  The same can be said for Halsey.  In fact, they both sound divine in the chorus.  So yeah, I’m in love with this song.  I’m glad it’s here.

Best Debut Of The Week: The Other Girl by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Halsey

Ain’t It Shocking What Blurbs Can Do?
– So, we have two exits, both of which were really good songs.  Be Kind was honestly just amazing and it was such a shame that it had to flop.  It was the best song Marshmello has done since Wolves (which as you can recall was my #2 song in 2018).  Heartless was just as good and it lasted for as long as it did.  I’m glad this was a hit for The Weeknd.  So yeah, both songs will definitely be missed by me.

– Before introducing Circles, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Post Malone has been at home since the pandemic working on his new album.  I’m interested to see what he has cookin’ up.  I wonder does he have another hit in store?

– I’m pleased to see Rain On Me enter the Top 10.  I enjoyed a lot of what Chromatica had to offer and this song is no different.  It’s honestly catchy and just a jam.  Even better is the fact that it replaced the shitty Intentions in the Top 10.  It’s about time!

– Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles reaches a new peak of #2.  I have a good feeling that Harry will end up getting another #1 at some point in time.  It’s a pretty divine song, though not quite as good as Adore You.  He’s really having a good year so far.

– On that note, Dua Lipa gets her second #1 this year with Break My Heart!  You honestly have no idea how much I adore that song.  In fact, it’s just as good as Don’t Start Now.  I’m sure it won’t last long at the top since Harry will take over soon.  But regardless, I’m very happy for Dua and this song deserves the #1 spot!  🙂

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Kings & Queens by Ava Max
• Lose Somebody by Kygo featuring OneRepublic
• Be Like That by Kane Brown featuring Swae Lee and Khalid
• Nobody’s Love by Maroon 5
• Funny by Zedd featuring Jasmine Thompson

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Stitches by Shawn Mendes
• In My Feelings by Drake
• Sugar by Maroon 5
• The Scotts by The Scotts
• Thunder by Imagine Dragons
• Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Into You by Ariana Grande
• Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay
• One Dance by Drake featuring WizKid and Kyla
• We Found Love by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
19. Sunday Best by Surfaces
18. Coffee For Your Head by Powfu featuring Beabadoobee
17. Say So by Doja Cat
16. Blueberry Faygo by Lil Mosey

1 – Bad:
15. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi
14. Falling by Trevor Daniel

2 – Mediocre:
13. If The World Was Ending by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels

3 – Decent:
12. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo
11. Roses by Saint Jhn
10. Supalonely by Benne featuring Gus Dapperton

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
9. Past Life by Trevor Daniel featuring Selena Gomez
8. ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
7. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles
6. Savage (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
5. Adore You by Harry Styles
4. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa
3. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
2. Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande

Total Score: 59/100 = 59% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: So Emotional by Whitney Houston (1987)

Most Missed Song: No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Exile by Taylor Swift

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#4)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande
2. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa
3. The Bones by Maren Morris
4. The Other Girl by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Halsey
5. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear
2. Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
3. Sunday Best by Surfaces
4. Heartless by Diplo & Morgan Wallen featuring Julia Michaels
5. Like That by Doja Cat featuring Gucci Mane

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Hate Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD: This song does not fit Ellie’s style whatsoever.  I’m not sure why I liked it at first.  But if anything, I’d much rather hear this than the atrocity that is of Worry Bout Me.

The Git Up by Blanco Brown: After Old Town Road’s massive success, it was a no brainer that someone would capitalize on this opportunity.  And Blanco Brown was the guy to do it.  It’s probably one of the fun country songs I can dance to.