Hello, fam!  I know it’s hard to believe.  But today is actually the 25th anniversary of Pokémon.  Man, it’s crazy.  I remember back when I LOVE to watch the anime (and I still do even today) and play the actual games on my console.  Those were good times.  I might end up doing a post regarding my thoughts on the franchise in general, if I have the time.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Take You Dancing by Jason Derulo (#22)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco
40. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles (#39) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
39. Girl Like Me by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira (DEBUT)
38. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi (#36) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
37. WITHOUT YOU by The KID LAROI (#38) [+1]
36. Dynamite by BTS (#34) [–2]
35. Best Friend by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat (#37) [+2]
34. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo (#32) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
33. Lasting Lover by Sigala featuring James Arthur (#33) [=]
32. ily (i love you baby) by Surf Mesa featuring Emilee (#30) [–2]
31. Goosebumps (Remix) by Travis Scott featuring HVME (#35) [+4]
30. Lifestyle by Jason Derulo featuring Adam Levine (#40) [+10]
29. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (#27) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
28. Dákati by Bad Bunny featuring Jhay Cortez (#29) [+1]
27. SO DONE by The KID LAROI (#28) [+1]
26. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth (#24) [–2]
25. My Head & My Heart by Ava Max (#31) [+6]
24. Laugh Now, Cry Later by Drake featuring Lil Turk (#21) [–3]
23. Monsters by All Time Low featuring Blackbear (#26) [+3]
22. Diamonds by Sam Smith (#13) [–9]
21. Body by Megan Thee Stallion (#25) [+4]
20. Willow by Taylor Swift (#23) [+3]
19. Kings & Queens by Ava Max (#15) [–4]
18. Afterglow by Ed Sheeran (#17) [–1]
17. Anyone by Justin Bieber (#19) [+2]
16. What You Know About Love by Pop Smoke (#18) [+2]
15. Golden by Harry Styles (#16) [+1]
14. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd (#20) [+6]
13. My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear (#14) [+1]
12. Bang! by AJR (#10) [–2]
11. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney (#12) [+1]
10. You Broke Me First by Tate McRae (#11) [+1]
9. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper (#5) [–4]
8. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish (#8) [=]
7. Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo (#9) [+2]
6. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby (#7) [+1]
5. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior (#4) [–1] [Spent 10 Weeks At #1]
4. Go Crazy by Chris Brown featuring Young Thug (#6) [+2] (…….)
3. Positions by Ariana Grande (#3) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
2. Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco (#1) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. 34+35 by Ariana Grande (#2) [+1] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Circles by Post Malone (6^th of 7 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Diamonds by Sam Smith (–9)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Lifestyle by Jason Derulo featuring Adam Levine (+10)

New Entrants:
– Another week of not-so-good debuts.  Well, we have only one new entrant actually.  It’s come from The Black Eyed Peas who collaborate with Shakira in Girl Like Me.  It was this time last year that Shakira teamed up with Jennifer Lopez for their performance in Super Bowl LIV.  They were honestly amazing overall.  In terms of her solo music, we haven’t seen much from her since 2014, when Can’t Remember To Forget You was her last big hit.  I loved that song and it was a huge favorite of mine back then.  I’m hoping we get some new solo music from her soon.  But right now, she is teaming up with The Black Eyed Peas in this song….and no, I don’t buy into this.  The production is basically nonexistent other than just the beat, which is very bland.  It literally goes nowhere and that’s not good.  Their versses have no momentum and I don’t like the chorus at all.  Here, she is singing “ayyy” in the chorus on top of being underwhelming.  Is this really the best you could do?  Not really, and don’t even get me started on will.i.am.  He just shows no personality here, and the lyrics are basically nonsense.  Simply put, this song is shit and worse than Mamacita and RITMO (Bad Boys For Life), both of which I also despised.  Huge disappointment for Shakira.  If this is the direction that she is going to take for her next album, then I’m good.

Where Have All The Blurbs Gone?
– As far as our exit goes, we say goodbye to Take You Dancing by Jason Derulo.  I didn’t particularly love the song, so I’m okay with it departing.  However, I much prefer that song over Jason Derulo’s two current representations still on the countdown, in part because it was better produced.

– Lightning won’t strike twice for Justin Bieber this time around as 34+35 by Ariana Grande gets the #1 spot this week.  Sure I’ll take it over Lonely, but this is still decent at best.  As I’ve referenced before, Ariana has done much better in the past with her first two albums and some of Sweetener.  But she’s also done a lot worse (cough *7 Rings* cough).  34+35 lands somewhere in the middle when ranking her songs in my opinion.  It’s not that exciting of a song, but it’s nothing I loathe in the big picture.

– Are you kidding me?!  Go Crazy magically rose to #4 this week.  Gross.  The only reason it’s up there is because Tik Tok.  I honestly can’t believe we’re letting this become a bigger hit than No Guidance (which I detested as well).  This has no business being in the Top 5.  Let’s hope that 34+35 can hold the #1 long enough for this to drop down soon.

– Here, we have You Broke Me First by Tate McRae enter the Top 10, which I’m also not really too thrilled about either.  This song continues less interesting with each and every additional listen.  Then again, it did kick Bang! by AJR out of the Top 10 for good, which is a nice plus.

– Gotta love how The Weeknd is continuing his momentum with Save Your Years jumping big to #14 this week.  That Super Bowl performance really helped the song get a boost.  Here’s to hoping it can get to the Top 10 soon.

– Of all the debuts from last week, Lifestyle of course ends up taking the Biggest Rise Of The Week despite it not being a good song.  However, we did see My Head & My Heart move up six spots so it’s nice to see it gain a little momentum.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Star by LOOΠΔ
• Talk About Love by Zara Larsson featuring Young Thug
• Skin by Sabrina Carpenter
• We’re Good by Dua Lipa
• The Business by Tiësto

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Coffee For Your Head by Powfu featuring Beabadoobe
• Don’t Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers featuring Daya
• Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
• Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller
• Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara
• Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
• ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
• The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
• High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
• Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash
• Falling by Trevor Daniel
• One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney
19. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper
18. Bang! by AJR
17. Go Crazy by Chris Brown featuring Young Thug
16. What You Know About Love by Pop Smoke

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
15. Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco
14. Afterglow by Ed Sheeran

3 – Decent:
13. You Broke Me First by Tate McRae
12. 34+35 by Ariana Grande
11. Willow by Taylor Swift

4 – Good:
10. My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear
9. Positions by Ariana Grande

5 – Great:
8. Anyone by Justin Bieber
7. Golden by Harry Styles
6. Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo
5. Kings & Queens by Ava Max
4. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish
3. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior
2. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd

Total Score: 62/100 = 62% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Where Have All The Cowboys Gone by Paula Cole (1996)

Most Missed Song: Get Lucky by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Overdrive by Conan Gray

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (#3)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
2. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby
3. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior
4. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish
5. Kings & Queens by Ava Max

My Bottom 5 Picks
TIE: 1. SO DONE by The KID LAROI (His voice is extremely annoying)
TIE: 1. WITHOUT YOU by The KID LAROI (Same applies here)
3. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney (Should not even exist)
4. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper (Should not still be in the Top 10)
5. Girl Like Me by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira (A terrible collaboration)

Congrats to both AJR and Travis Scott for somehow missing out on my Bottom 5 picks.

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Intentions by Justin Bieber featuring Quavo: Blech.  More Justin Bieber.  At least with Yummy, I somewhat find it amusing.  But my goodness, this is just a dumpster fire on so many levels.  Do I even need to say anymore?

Know Your Worth by Khalid featuring Disclosure: These two team up once more, this time with a more superior track.  Whereas Talk is just bland and underwhelming, this one is more upbeat and lively.  And I hear this song A LOT at work and I often dance to it whenever I’m not busy.  Good times.

Rare by Selena Gomez: A step down from Lose You To Love Me if you will.  There’s really not much to the production, and the verses don’t have any momentum here.

Hello, fam!  So, it’s ice cold where I am right now.  And there was a snowstorm in Texas in all places.  My goodness!  I thought we might get an early spring with the warm weather that we had recently.  But boy, I was wrong big time.  Yeah, it doesn’t look like it’ll get warmer anytime soon.  So brace yourselves, everyone.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Prisoner by Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa (#28)
• Break My Heart by Dua Lipa (#39) [Spent 1 Week At #1]
• ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Positions by Ariana Grande
40. Lifestyle by Jason Derulo featuring Adam Levine (DEBUT)
39. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles (#37) [–2] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
38. WITHOUT YOU by The KID LAROI (DEBUT)
37. Best Friend by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat (#38) [+1]
36. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi (#35) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
35. Goosebumps (Remix) by Travis Scott featuring HVME (#36) [+1]
34. Dynamite by BTS (#33) [–1]
33. Lasting Lover by Sigala featuring James Arthur (#34) [+1]
32. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo (#31) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
31. My Head & My Heart by Ava Max (DEBUT)
30. ily (i love you baby) by Surf Mesa featuring Emilee (#27) [–3]
29. Dakiti by Bad Bunny featuring Jhay Cortez (#32) [+3]
28. SO DONE by The KID LAROI (#29) [+1]
27. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (#25) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
26. Monsters by All Time Low featuring Blackbear (#30) [+4]
25. Body by Megan Thee Stallion (#26) [+1]
24. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth (#23) [–1]
23. Willow by Taylor Swift (#22) [–1]
22. Take You Dancing by Jason Derulo (#15) [–7]
21. Laugh Now Cry Later by Drake featuring Lil Turk (#20) [–1]
20. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd (#21) [+1]
19. Anyone by Justin Bieber (#19) [=]
18. What You Know About Love by Pop Smoke (#24) [+6]
17. Afterglow by Ed Sheeran (#16) [–1]
16. Golden by Harry Styles (#18) [+2]
15. Kings & Queens by Ava Max (#12) [–3]
14. My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear (#17) [+3]
13. Diamonds by Sam Smith (#10) [–3]
12. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney (#13) [+1]
11. You Broke Me First by Tate McRae (#11) [=]
10. Bang! by AJR (#8) [–2]
9. Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo (#14) [+5]
8. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish (#9) [+1]
7. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby (#7) [=]
6. Go Crazy by Chris Brown featuring Young Thug (#6) [=]
5. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper (#2) [–3]
4. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior (#3) [–1] [Spent 10 Weeks At #1]
3. Positions by Ariana Grande (#1) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
2. 34+35 by Ariana Grande (#5) [+3]
1. Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco (#4) [+3] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Memories by Maroon 5 (1^st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Take You Dancing by Jason Derulo (–7)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: What You Know About Love by Pop Smoke (+6)

New Entrants:
– We have more Jason Derulo, and he teams up with Adam Levine of Maroon 5 in their latest single titled Lifestyle.  I didn’t exactly cared for Savage Love and Take You Dancing, while better, isn’t that special either.  But this new song is probably worse than the other two.  Something about it just bugs me for some reason.  I don’t like the “la la la’s” in the chorus.  There’s really no vocal chemistry between the two and some of the lyrics put me off.  I don’t know.  Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not feeling this overall.  If anything though, it’s better than…

– Dear Jesus, help me with this one.  We have more of The KID LAROI with his new single WITHOUT YOU.  I honestly don’t get the appeal here.  His current representation on the countdown, SO DONE is just a mess and WITHOUT YOU is no different.  I will say that I kinda like the guitar here.  But Dear Odin, his voice is just god awful.  He sounds whiny all throughout the song and it just makes the song unlistenable.  He is basically just talking about a toxic relationship.  I don’t get what he’s going for here.  He should’ve takena different approach because the lyrics are shit.  Nobody wants to hear him whine about going through a bad relationship.  It doesn’t work.  And I don’t buy into this crap because he comes off as a whiny guy.  Simply put, this song blows.  NEXT!

– With Kings & Queens dying down, it was only a matter of time until we get more of Ava Max.  This time around, she brings us My Head & My Heart.  She has impressed me with her music for the most part.  Sweet But Psycho was my #4 best song of 2019 and I adored Kings & Queeens as well.  Do I think My Head & My Heart is her best?  No, but I still love it.  She has a good voice and it shows in the song.  The production is very good, I quite like the lyrics, and the chorus is awesome.  I don’t have much more to say beyond that.  I’m looking forward to seeing this become a hit.  I’ll be waiting.

Best Debut Of The Week: My Head & My Heart by Ava Max

My Head & My Blurbs
– As far as the exits go, all of them were great songs and will certainly be missed.  Prisoner was a flop and it’s disappointing to see Miley Cyrus not get a hit.  Seems like it’s been a long time since she’s had one.  Oh well.  The other two songs, however, were successful.  Break My Heart was something I loved and it wasanother hit for Dua.  I’m glad it got the #1 even if it was only for one week.  Finally, we sadly bid adieu to ROCKSTAR.  This was actually my song of the summer and I enjoyed it a lot.  I would’ve loved for that one to hit #1, but a peak of #4 was good enough.

– It’s no shock that Justin Bieber got the #1 this week, this time with Lonely.  It’s not exactly what I wanted to see at the top spot given that I’ve been losing interest in the song right now.  But even though I don’t love the song, I’ll take it over Holy, which has thankfully peaked and now appears to be falling down.

– Ariana replaces herself in the Top 2 with the 34+35.  I can definitely see this as a #1 in the near future.  However, I much prefer Positions over this, but it’s not a bad song overall.  But I feel like it lacks something that makes it stand out.  Ariana definitely has had better.

– Before introducing Therefore I Am, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Billie will release her new album if fans don’t stop talking about her green hair.  Heh, I guess she might want to change her hair color.  Maybe then, people will stop talking about it lol.

– Not a shock at all that Driver’s License rises into the Top 10.  This song has slowly been getting better with each and every additional listen.  I find that Olivia has a good voice and she’s pretty talented.  This will be #1 in weeks time.  I’m calling it now.

– I knew Diamonds was not going to last very long in the Top 10, given that it’s been dying out elsewhere.  I wonder will it stick around long enough to be eligible for the AT40 Year-End Countdown for 2021.

– Take You Dancing tanked this week.  Safe to say this won’t become a hit after Savage Love.  It’s better than that song, but it’s decent at best.  It won’t be much longer with us.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Girl Like Me by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira
  
• Star by LOOΠΔ
• Talk About Love by Zara Larsson featuring Young Thug
• Skin by Sabrina Carpenter

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Truth Hurts by Lizzo
• Cake By The Ocean by DNCE
• Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon
• New Rules by Dua Lipa
• Can’t Stop The Feeling! by Justin Timberlake
• Rain On Me by Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande
• Me, Myself & I by G-Eazy featuring Bebe Rexha
• Without Me by Halsey
• We Found Love by Rihanna
• Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
• Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney
19. Bang! by AJR
18. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper
17. Go Crazy by Chris Brown featuring Young Thug
16. What You Know About Love by Pop Smoke

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
15. Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco
14. Afterglow by Ed Sheeran
13. You Broke Me First by Tate McRae
12. 34+35 by Ariana Grande

4 – Good:
11. My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear
10. Positions by Ariana Grande

5 – Great:
9. Anyone by Justin Bieber
8. Golden by Harry Styles
7. Diamonds by Sam Smith
6. Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo
5. Kings & Queens by Ava Max
4. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior
3. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish
2. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd

Total Score: 66/100 = 66% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Unwell by Matchbox Twenty (2003)

Most Missed Song: All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Love Story (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa

My Top 5 Picks
1. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
2. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby
3. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish
4. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior
5. Kings & Queens by Ava Max

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney
2. Bang! by AJR
3. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper
4. Goosebumps (Remix) by Travis Scott featuring HVME
5. SO DONE by The KID LAROI

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
The Man by Taylor Swift: While I much prefer her other singles from Lover, I can appreciate the song for what it is.  Too bad that one failed to take off as she would surprise us with Folklore later on.

Hello, fam!  So Tom Brady has won yet another Super Bowl.  What else is new?  I mean, they dominated Kansas City from start to finish.  My goodness!  But knowing Kansas City, I’m sure they’ll be back.  March Madness is coming up soon, and so is baseball.  I’m hoping to see the Braves make the playoffs again and eventually win the World Series.  I’ll be looking forward to that.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Holiday by Lil Nas X (#27)
• Lemonade by Internet Money featuring Gunna, Don Toliver, and Nav (#34)
  
• Hawái by Maluma featuring The Weeknd (#37)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Positions by Ariana Grande
40. ROCKSTAR by Dababy featuring Roddy Ricch (#40) [=]
39. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa (#38) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
38. Best Friend by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat (DEBUT)
37. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles (#35) [–2] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
36. Goosebumps (Remix) by Travis Scott featuring HVME (DEBUT)
35. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi (#33) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
34. Lasting Lover by Sigala featuring James Arthur (DEBUT)
33. Dynamite by BTS (#30) [–3]
32. Dakiti by Bad Bunny featuring Jhay Cortez (#39) [+7]
31. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo (#28) [–3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
30. Monsters by All Time Low featuring Blackbear (#32) [+2]
29. SO DONE by The KID LAROI (#31) [+2]
28. Prisoner by Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa (#26) [–2]
27. ily (i love you baby) by Surf Mesa featuring Emilee (#25) [–2]
26. Body by Megan Thee Stallion (#36) [+10]
25. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (#23) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
24. What You Know About Love by Pop Smoke (#24) [=]
23. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth (#18) [–5]
22. Willow by Taylor Swift (#21) [–1]
21. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd (#22) [+1]
20. Laugh Now Cry Later by Drake featuring Lil Durk (#14) [–6]
19. Anyone by Justin Bieber (#19) [=]
18. Golden by Harry Styles (#17) [–1]
17. My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear (#20) [+3]
16. Afterglow by Ed Sheeran (#15) [–1]
15. Take You Dancing by Dancing by Jason Derulo (#13) [–2]
14. Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo (#29) [+15]
13. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney (#16) [+3]
12. Kings & Queens by Ava Max (#10) [–2]
11. You Broke Me First by Tate McRae (#12) [+1]
10. Diamonds by Sam Smith (#11) [+1]
9. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish (#9) [=]
8. Bang! by AJR (#7) [–1]
7. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby (#5) [–2]
6. Go Crazy by Chris Brown featuring Young Thug (#6) [=]
5. 34+35 by Ariana Grande (#8) [+3]
4. Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco (#4) [=]
3. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior (#2) [–1] [Spent 10 Weeks At #1]
2. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper (#3) [+1]
1. Positions by Ariana Grande (#1) [=] [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez (2^nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Laugh Now Cry Later by Drake featuring Lil Turk (–6)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo (+15)

New Entrants:
– Yeah…I’m not very thrilled by this week’s debuts.  Up first is more of Saweetie (Ugh…) who collaborates with Doja Cat (also ugh…) in their new single Best Friend.  I’m not very fond of Doja Cat’s singles, and the same can certainly be said for Saweetie.  I wasn’t expecting to like this song at all and sure enough, I was right.  Upon hearing it at the first listen, I find that it is very poorly produced with trap elements and a horrendous beat that are not to my liking.  The verses we get from them are shit because they show no charisma or any sort of personality.  I’m not even going to comment on the rest of the song because this song just isn’t worth my time.  It blows on so many levels and given that they haven’t been impressing me with their music, it’s no shock that these two coming together would end up with this shitty song.  NEXT!

– Oh, great.  We have more of Travis Scott, and he collaborates with producer HVME in the remix of Goosebumps.  Yes, this is the remix of the song from 2017, which had Kendrick Lamar.  I was very mixed on the original overall, but at least it was tolerable thanks to Kendrick.  The remix on the other hand…blech.  The production is extremely basic, the beat is watered down and the rest is not very interesting.  Travis just sounds terrible with his vocals and Kendrick’s verse is omitted in the song.  Was it really necessary to leave him out?  I’d think not.  I hope it dies out really fast because this blows in more ways than one.  NEXT!

– Finally, we have EDM producer Sigala and singer James Arthur with their single titled Lasting Lover.  I’ve been pretty familiar with Sigala’s music for a while and he’s pretty good for the most part.  James Arthur is mostly remembered for his 2016 hit Say You Won’t Let Go, which many YouTube critics hated.  Believe it or not, this was actually written by Lewis Capaldi, whose song has lasted a full year on the countdown.  We’ll get to that in just a bit.  As far as Lasting Lover goes, I’m a little indifferent on this song.  James has a good voice and I like the chorus.  He’s a pretty decent singer.  My only problem is that the production is a little too generic and the beat is okay.  Sigala has done better in the past with songs like Lullaby in my opinion.  But this isn’t his best work here.  So yeah, it’s a decent song.  But not something I’ll remember in about a year or so.

Best Debut Of The Week: Lasting Lover by Sigala featuring James Arthur

Lasting Blurber
– We’ll begin with our exits.  To start, it’s about time we bid adieu to the monstrosity that is of Lemonade.  What a fucking mess that song was.  I’m glad I don’t have to deal with it anymore.  As for Holiday, I didn’t necessarily cared for it.  But it wasn’t something I hated.  Finally, there’s Hawái which I’m sad to see it drop off.  But I knew it wasn’t going to last very long given that it died down elsewhere.

– We did see the big jump from Body this week.  I don’t mind Body for the most part, even though I much prefer Savage over that song any day.  We’ll see how long it can keep up its momentum.

– Before introducing Monsters, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Demi has been friends with the band All Time Low and that they’ve been working on the song for about ten years.  Wait, 10 Years?!?!  Wow, that’s a pretty long time to work on a song.  I guess they were working on trying to make this as perfect as possible.

– On the mote of jumps, Driver’s License got a massive boost this week by no surprise given the song’s imennse success elsewhere.  It won’t be much longer until the song reaches the Top 5.  I already know it’s going to be here for a long while, so brace yourselves everyone.

– So yeah, Put Your Records On is now my new least favorite song on the countdown.  I legitimately cannot stand this song.  His voice is just awful and the production is no good at all.  This is just a terrible cover of the 2006 single from Corinne Bailey Rae.  We don’t need this to become a hit in 2021.  It needs to drop soon.

– On the flip side, Therefore I Am is my new favorite song.  Billie Eilish has been impressing me with her music lately.  I’m sure she has better songs objectively.  But I like Therefore I Am enough to put it in purple.  I’ve been enjoying this song a lot lately.  I’m glad the song’s momentum is still going strong.  We’ll see if it ends up in the Top 5 in the near future.

– Diamonds entering the Top 10 on the countdown is nice to see, despite it losing momentum elsewhere.  Obviously, it’s not quite as good as Dancing With A Stranger, which is easily Sam Smith’s best song.  But Diamonds is still a bop in and of itself.  Sam has a good voice and it’s well-produced.  So I’m happy that it’s still hanging around.

– Sigh….this is just great.  Holy has hit a scary new peak at #2.  I will be livid if this becomes a #1 hit.  I have to hold out hope that Positions can hold at #1.  I’ll glady take Mood at #1 again (not very likely, though).  Hell, I’ll even have Lonely at #1 even though I don’t love it so long as it blocks Holy from getting there.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Girl Like Me by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira
• My Head & My Heart by Ava Max
• Star by LOOΠΔ
• Skin by Sabrina Carpenter
• Lifestyle by Jason Derulo featuring Adam Levine
• WITHOUT YOU by The KID LAROI

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Lose Somebody by Kygo featuring OneRepublic
• Love On The Brain by Rihanna
• 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
• Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
• One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa
• Dance Monkey by Tones And I
• Nothin’ On You by B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars
• Memories by Maroon 5
• Heather by Conan Gray
• Say So by Doja Cat

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney
19. Bang! by AJR
18. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper
17. Go Crazy by Chris Brown featuring Young Thug

1 – Bad:
16. Laugh Now Cry Later by Drake featuring Lil Turk

2 – Mediocre:
15. Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco

3 – Decent:
14. Afterglow by Ed Sheeran
13. You Broke Me First by Tate McRae
12. 34+35 by Ariana Grande
11. Take You Dancing by Jason Derulo

4 – Good:
10. Positions by Ariana Grande
9. My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear

5 – Great:
8. Anyone by Justin Bieber
7. Golden by Harry Styles
6. Diamonds by Sam Smith
5. Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo
4. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior
3. Kings & Queens by Ava Max
2. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish

Total Score: 64/100 = 64% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: What’s Love Got To Do With It by Tina Turner (1984)

Most Missed Song: Renegades by X Ambassadors

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Inside Out by Zedd featuring Griff

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (#4)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish
2. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby
3. Kings & Queens by Ava Max
4. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
5. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney
2. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper
3. Bang! by AJR
4. Goosebumps (Remix) by Travis Scott featuring HVME
5. SO DONE by The KID LAROI

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Yellow Hearts by Ant Saunders: This is easily forgettable, in large part because there’s no lyrical depth and the guy’s voice isn’t very interesting.  Let’s move on.

Cuz I Love You by Lizzo: Yeah…this was not a good follow-up to her previous two hits (Truth Hurts and Good As Hell).  The loud, noisy instrumentation and Lizzo screaming doesn’t sit well with me at all.  I’m sorry, but I wasn’t impressed by this.

Make You Mine by PUBLIC: This song actually came out in 2014.  But it gained a little bit of momentum last year because of a certain app I won’t mention.  I hear this at work a lot, too.  So at some point, I kinda started to get sick of it for a while.  But despite this, pretty much everything about the song works well.  I think the instrumentation is fine here and the vocals are solid.  Not memorable on its own, but still a easy listen every now and then.

Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi: A little bit of a step up from its predecessor, but not by much.  Lewis’s voice still irritates me, especially when he tries to hit those high notes, and the lyrics…eh.  The only good thing I can say about this is it has good instrumentation.

Hello, fam! This week, I’ve officially turned 29 on Thursday. I’m only one year away from being 30!  I’ll be enjoying my last full year of being in my 20’s.  I want to say thank you for all the birthday wishes, everyone.  Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday.  I’m sure it will be an epic matchup.  I’ll definitely be watching to see who wins it all.  That’s something to look forward to.  Now with that in mind, let’s get right into the AT40 countdown!  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Monster by Shawn Mendes featuring Justin Bieber (#30)
• Heather by Conan Gray (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Positions by Ariana Grande
40. ROCKSTAR by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch (#38) [–2]
39. Dakati by Bad Bunny featuring Jhay Cortez (DEBUT)
38. Break My Heart by Dua Lipa (#36) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
37. Hawái by Maulma featuring The Weeknd (#37) [=]
36. Body by Megan Thee Stallion (#39) [+3]
35. Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles (#34) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
34. Lemonade by Internet Money featuring Gunna, Don Toliver, and Nav (#31) [–3]
33. Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi (#32) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
32. Monsters by All Time Low featuring Blackbear (#35) [+3]
31. So Done by The KID LAROI (#33) [+2]
30. Dynamite by BTS (#29) [–1]
29. Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo (DEBUT)
28. Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo (#27) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
27. Holiday by Lil Nas X (#24) [–3]
26. Prisoner by Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa (#25) [–1]
25. ily (i love you baby) by Surf Mesa featuring Emilee (#23) [–2]
24. What You Know About Love by Pop Smoke (#28) [+4]
23. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (#19) [–4] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
22. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd (#22) [=]
21. Willow by Taylor Swift (#21) [=]
20. My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear (#20) [=]
19. Anyone by Justin Bieber (#26) [+7]
18. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth (#16) [–2]
17. Golden by Harry Styles (#17) [=]
16. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney (#18) [+2]
15. Afterglow by Ed Sheeran (#15) [=]
14. Laugh Now Cry Later by Drake featuring Lil Turk (#11) [–3]
13. Take You Dancing by Jason Derulo (#13) [=]
12. You Broke Me First by Tate McRae (#14) [+2]
11. Diamonds by Sam Smith (#12) [+1]
10. Kings & Queens by Ava Max (#8) [–2]
9. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish (#10) [+1]
8. 34+35 by Ariana Grande (#9) [+1]
7. Bang! by AJR (#7) [=]
6. Go Crazy by Chris Brown featuring Young Thug (#6) [=]
5. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby (#4) [–1]
4. Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco (#5) [+1]
3. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper (#3) [=]
2. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior (#1) [=] [Spent 10 Weeks At #1]
1. Positions by Ariana Grande (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez (1^st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (–4)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Anyone by Justin Bieber (+7)

New Entrants:
– So, two debuts on my birthday weekend. We’ll start with Bad Bunny who is collaborating with Jhay Cortez in their latest single titled Dakati. My initial reaction to the song wasn’t the best. I put it in red for about a couple weeks. But now I’ve sorta came around to it. I think Bad Bunny is a pretty good Latin rapper and he shows why by singing the entire song in Spanish. I have concerns about the production which can be underwhelming at times mostly because of the beat. I feel like more could’ve been done. Then, we have Jhay Cortez here who makes a decent contribution to the song. I think the chemistry is there. Overall, not bad. But it could’ve been better.

– Now onto the big one. We have newcomer Olivia Rodrigo who makes her very first appearance with the debut single titled Driver’s License. She actually stars in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. I’m not familiar with the show itself since I don’t really watch TV shows, even on streaming. I mostly watch sports nowadays, and guess what? The Super Bowl is this Sunday. I’m sure everyone will be watching Mahomes vs. Brady play against each other. Anyway, on to the song itself. It took me a few listens, but I quickly grew into it. It’s basically a breakup song about moving on from a relationship. I like her voice overall and the chorus is pretty divine, especially when she is able to hit those high notes. The production is pretty solid mostly because of the piano work and the percussion. She made a good first impression with this song overall. I’m almost certain this will become a #1 hit on this countdown in record time given that it’s a massive hit elsewhere, and I’m definitely okay with that because it’s a good song.

Best Debut Of The Week: Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo

Blurber’s License
– Good riddance to both of our exits. Monster was a wretched mess and probably my least favorite single Shawn Mendes has released. He’s so much better than this. And Heather by Conan Gray was just straight up bland and mediocre. Like I said last week, Maniac should’ve debuted instead of this. Yeah, none of those songs will be missed. NEXT!

– So, we have Watermelon Sugar and Lemonade back-to-back at #35 and #34, respectively. That reminds me: I’m in the mood for some lemonade right now, along with some watermelon. Ah, they taste so good!

– Can So Done like not move up any further?! I really don’t want to see it become a hit. It’s only been getting worse everytime I hear it. How did we let such a monstrosity appear on the countdown?! This is seriously not okay.

– Blinding Lights finally drops out of the Top 20, this time for good. Man, what a run it has had! It just seemed like it was going to be on this countdown forever, what with the INSANE run it has had in the Top 10. Now, it’s time is almost up. It was fun while it lasted.

– Replacing it in the Top 20 is Anyone by Justin Bieber. I’m almost certain that this will enter the Top 10 in a matter of weeks because of course. But at least it’s better than his recent singles. So, I’ll be happy if it ends up being successful.

– Not much has changed as far as the Top 10 goes other than a few songs moving spots.

– For my birthday weekend, our #1 remains the same. I’m happy with Positions staying at the top. With the kind of run that it’s having and there appears to be no song that will replace it, I have a good feeling it’s going to be #1 for a while at least.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Daisy by Ashnikko
• Girl Like Me by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira
• Lasting Lover by Sigala featuring James Arthur
• Goosebumps (Remix) by Travis Scott featuring HVME
• Best Friend by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Mirrors by Justin Timberlake
• Back To You by Selena Gomez
• Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
• Circles by Post Malone
• Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
• If The World Was Ending by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels
• Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo
• Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
• Don’t by Ed Sheeran
• That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Bang! by AJR
19. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney
18. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper
17. Go Crazy by Chris Brown featuring Young Thug
16. I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth

1 – Bad:
15. Laugh Now Cry Later by Drake featuring Lil Turk

2 – Mediocre:
14. Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco

3 – Decent:
13. Afterglow by Ed Sheeran
12. You Broke Me First by Tate McRae
11. 34+35 by Ariana Grande
10. Take You Dancing by Jason Derulo

4 – Good:
9. Positions by Ariana Grande
8. My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear

5 – Great:
7. Anyone by Justin Bieber
6. Golden by Harry Styles
5. Diamonds by Sam Smith
4. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish
3. Kings & Queens by Ava Max
2. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: The Middle by Jimmy Eat World (2001)

Most Missed Song: The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Inside Out by Zedd featuring Griff

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (#6)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Levitating by Dua Lipa
2. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior
3. Kings & Queens by Ava Max
4. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
5. Prisoner by Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bang! by AJR
2. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney
3. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper
4. Lemonade by Internet Money featuring Gunna, Don Toliver, and Nav
5. So Done by THE KID LAROI

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Falling by Trevor Daniel: Not a good first impression here. I find his voice to be annoying and the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. Yeah, I’m not fond of this. NEXT!

Underdog by Alicia Keys: Despite her not making a lot of music in part because she has been hosting the Grammy Music Awards for a few years, she hasn’t really lost a step when it comes to making music and this song shows why she is talented. It’s upbeat and her voice is amazing.

What A Man Gotta Do by Jonas Brothers: This one didn’t stick with me like Sucker and Only Human did. I may have liked it at first, but now I find it kinda bland and not very interesting. They can definitely do better.