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) [=] [3rd Week At #1]
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Lose You To Love Me by Selena Gomez (1st 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.
Music Reviews + More 