Wow, just wow. This was a huge week in baseball land, Cardinals player Albert Pujols recorded is 700^th career home run this weekend, while Aaron Judge hit a career 61^st home run yesterday. Talk about greatness. Also in football land, the Falcons got their first win last Sunday against the Seahawks, while the Georgia Bulldogs keep on rolling. It was a thrill. Here’s to hoping they win some more games this year and maybe go to the playoffs. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Woman by Doja Cat (#39) [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
40. Heat Waves by Glass Animals (#40) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
39. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID (#39) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
38. Die For You by The Weeknd (DEBUT)
37. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa (#36) [–1]
36. Unstoppable by Sia (#37) [+1]
35. THAT’S WHAT I WANT by Lil Nas X (#33) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
34. Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean (#30) [–4]
33. Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez (#35) [+2]
32. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron (#27) [–5]
31. Can’t Stop Us Now by Pitbull featuring Zac Brown (#29) [–2]
30. Bad Decisions by Benny Blanco featuring BTS and Snoop Dogg (#31) [+1]
29. Big Energy by Latto (#25) [–4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
28. Super Freaky Girl by Nicki Minaj (#32) [+4]
27. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold (#20) [–7]
26. Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen (#28) [+2]
25. Victoria’s Secret by Jax (#26) [+1]
24. Hold Me Closer by Elton John featuring Britney Spears (#34) [+10]
23. Bones by Imagine Dragons (#22) [–1]
22. Grand by Kane Brown (#23) [+1]
21. Wait For U by Future featuring Drake and Tems (#21) [=]
20. Music For A Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles (#24) [+4]
19. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat (#18) [–1]
18. Don’t You Worry by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira (#19) [+1]
17. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy (#17) [=]
16. Break My Soul by Beyoncé (#8) [–8]
15. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo (#16) [+1]
14. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook (#15) [+1]
13. Glimpse Of Us by Joji (#14) [+1]
12. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid (#13) [+1]
11. So Good by Halsey (#12) [+1]
10. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy (#11) [+1]
9. First Class by Jack Harlow (#9) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
8. Vegas by Doja Cat (#10) [+2]
7. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic (#7) [=]
6. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush (#6) [=]
5. About Damn Time by Lizzo (#4) [–1] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
4. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat (#5) [+1]
3. As It Was by Harry Styles (#3) [=] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
2. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy (#2) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber (2^nd of 11 Weeks At #1) 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Break My Soul by Beyoncé (–8)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Hold Me Closer by Elton John featuring Britney Spears (+10)

New Entrants:
– Our one debut this week comes from the return of The Weeknd, not long after Out Of Time made its exit. It’s his older song titled Die For You. This song has actually been around since 2016 when it was featured on Starboy. But now here it is because it is starting to gain some ground in 2022. Even though there were songs from that album better than this, that’s not to say I won’t support it because I find it to be a good song. I didn’t think much of it at first when it was new back then, but I came around to it over time. The Weeknd sounds pretty good and he continues to show he is a talented singer. I quite like the beat here even if the rest of the production leaves something to be desired. I also like the lyrics about going through the pain of a past relationship. While it doesn’t quite hit hard like the other singles from Starboy, this is still a keeper.

I Would Blurb For You
– So, we say goodbye to Woman by Doja Cat this week. I’m sure there are some here who wanted to see it leave, and they got their wish. As for me, I still kinda like the song. But I’m alright with it departing.

– Hard to believe that Sweetest Pie is somehow still here. I feel like it’s countdown run is coming to an end soon. It’s kinda sad that Dua Lipa won’t have new music coming anytime soon. I’m just gonna enjoy it’s stay while it lasts.

– Welp. So much for Break My Soul becoming huge on the AT40 as it dropped out the Top 10. Quite a shame if you ask me. I would’ve thought it would do well here considering it hit #1 on Billboard. Never mind. That won’t be the case here. Not helping is that it’s faltering elsewhere, too.

– Before introducing About Damn Time, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Lizzo is more hands-on when it comes to the production of her music. Apparently, she likes things the way she sees fit when it comes to producing her own music. Whatever she was doing, I’m sure she did a fine job at it.

– Before introducing I Like You (A Happier Song), Ryan Seacrest talked about Post Malone struggling with self-doubt while coming up with music of his own. I’m glad he’s able to overcome his struggles and just makes music for fun. Maybe he just has the will to go on.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• SNAP by Rosa Linn
• Escape by Kx5 (Kaskade/deadmau5) featuring Hayla
• I’m Good (Blue) by David Guetta featuring Bebe Rexha
• Make You Say by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and BEAUZ
• Staying Alive by DJ Khaled featuring Drake and Lil Baby

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Talk by Khalid
• Bad At Love by Halsey
• Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish
• Where Are You Now by Lost Frequencies featuring Calum Scott
• I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
• All She Wanna Do by John Legend
• Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
• 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
• New Rules by Dua Lipa
• Circles by Post Malone
• Telepatia by Kali Uchis
• Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
• Save Your Tears by The Weeknd

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat

1 – Bad:
19. Don’t You Worry by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira and David Guetta
18. Music For A Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles
17. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
16. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid

4 – Good:
15. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy
14. As It Was by Harry Styles
13. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat
12. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy

5 – Great:
11. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
10. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy
9. So Good by Halsey
8. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush
7. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo
6. First Class by Jack Harlow
5. Glimpse Of Us by Joji
4. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook
3. About Damn Time by Lizzo
2. Break My Soul by Beyoncé

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Vegas by Doja Cat

Overall Grade: 78/100 = 78% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Posion by Bell Biv DeVoe (1990)

Most Missed Countdown Song: HUMBLE. by Kendrick Lamar

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Talking To Yourself by Carly Rae Jepsen

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Take My Breath by The Weeknd (#9)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Vegas by Doja Cat
2. About Damn Time by Lizzo
3. Break My Soul by Beyoncé
4. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa
5. Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Victoria’s Secret by Jax
2. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron
3. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID
4. Heat Waves by Glass Animals
5. Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Essence by WizKid featuring Tems: A part of me likes this one. If you really think about it, I kinda wish this was a huge hit, especially since he hasn’t had one since his feature in One Dance back in 2016.

I Am Not A Woman, I’m A God by Halsey: You know, I liked this back then. And even today, it still hits harder. Although nothing from that album really caught on elsewhere, her current representation on the countdown is still somehow holding its own elsewhere.

Hello, fam! So, we’re two weeks into the NFL season and already it looks like the Bills are favorites to win the Super Bowl this year. I’ve watched that game on Monday night and my goodness, they dominated. I must say, they’re proving themselves to be the team to beat this season so far. Meanwhile, in baseball land, the Braves are back in the playoffs after winning the World Series last year. As a Braves fan, you know I’ll be watching, and I hope they win another championship this year. I’ll be looking forward to that. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

• Massive by Drake (#34)
• Love Me More by Sam Smith (#38)
• Ghost by Justin Bieber (#40) [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
40. Heat Waves by Glass Animals (#38) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
39. Woman by Doja Cat (#37) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
38. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID (#35) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
37. Unstoppable by Sia (DEBUT)
36. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa (#33) [–3]
35. Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez (#36) [+1]
34. Hold Me Closer by Elton John featuring Britney Spears (DEBUT)
33. THAT’S WHAT I WANT by Lil Nas X (#29) [–4] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
32. Super Freaky Girl by Nicki Minaj (DEBUT)
31. Bad Decisions by Benny Blanco featuring BTS and Snoop Dogg (#31) [=]
30. Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean (#30) [=]
29. Can’t Stop Us Now by Pitbull featuring Zac Brown (#28) [–1]
28. Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen (#27) [–1]
27. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron (#25) [–2]
26. Victoria’s Secret by Jax (#32) [+6]
25. Big Energy by Latto (#22) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
24. Music For A Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles (#26) [+2]
23. Grand by Kane Brown (#24) [+1]
22. Bones by Imagine Dragons (#23) [+1]
21. Wait For U by Future featuring Drake and Tems (#21) [=]
20. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold (#18) [–2]
19. Don’t You Worry by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira and David Guetta (#17) [–2]
18. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat (#16) [–2]
17. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy (#19) [+2]
16. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo (#20) [+4]
15. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook (#15) [=]
14. Glimpse Of Us by Joji (#13) [–1]
13. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid (#12) [–1]
12. So Good by Halsey (#14) [+2]
11. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy (#11) [=]
10. Vegas by Doja Cat (#10) [=]
9. First Class by Jack Harlow (#8) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
8. Break My Soul by Beyoncé (#7) [–1]
7. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic (#9) [+2]
6. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush (#5) [–1]
5. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat (#6) [+1]
4. About Damn Time by Lizzo (#3) [–1] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
3. As It Was by Harry Styles (#4) [+1] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
2. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy (#2) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber (1^st of 11 Weeks At #1) 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: THAT’S WHAT I WANT by Lil Nas X (–4)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Victoria’s Secret by Jax (+6)

New Entrants:
– We have a new round of arrivals this week. To begin, we have the return of Sia with a song that’s currently gaining momentum right now. Enter Unstoppable. It has actually been around since 2016 when it was featured on This Is Acting. Older songs getting new traction everywhere has become a theme for the past few years, in part because of Tik Tok and what not. A good example of that is Good As Hell by Lizzo, which despite being released in 2016, became a #1 hit. I won’t go in depth on that one for the sake of trying to speed things through. Let’s get on with the reviewing, shall we? I liked quite a bit of what This Is Acting had to offer, with songs such as Alive or Move Your Body being the best. Even Cheap Thrills was a fine, catchy tune despite it being a little too overrated. I do not like Unstoppable, however. I find it very generic and bland for the most part. The production is cheap as hell with the brittle snares at the beginning and an uninteresting beat. I don’t like the build-up leading the chorus and Sia does not sound good here. Lyrically, it’s nonsensical with her saying that she’s unstoppable (hence the title). Whatever she was going for here did not work out to my liking. Yeah, this is terrible and I hope it doesn’t last long.

– Next is the return of Elton John not long after the departure of Cold Heart, which was a few months back. She collaborates with Britney Spears in their new single titled Hold Me Closer. We have seen a resurgence in his career this year with him working with Dua Lipa in Cold Heart. I thought that one was pretty cool all things considered. So, where does Hold Me Closer stack up? Well, first off there’s this good beat and the melody, which I find pretty divine. The chemistry between the two is just great, what with Britney putting on a good vocal performance and Elton John making use of his classic hits, like Tiny Dancer and The One, both of which were mashed together. Yeah, I find this one to be a good song. We’ll see if it ends up being a replica of Cold Heart as far as its chart success goes.

– Finally, we get the big return of Nicki Minaj. She brings us Super Freaky Girl. We haven’t really heard much from her aside from her collaborations in recent years, most of which were god-awful in the own unique way. As for her latest single, I can say I’m a little indifferent on this one. It samples Rick James’s single Super Freak. I find the production to be interesting at times, but the beat doesn’t quite pull me in. Nicki Minaj has always been somewhat of a good rapper and I quite like her verses here. I’m pretty split on this overall. This could be a grower, but we’ll see what ultimately happens.

Best Debut Of The Week: Hold Me Closer by Elton John featuring Britney Spears

Ba-Dee-Ya, Blurbin’ In September
– As always, we’ll begin with our exits. First off, I didn’t care much for Love Me More at all, so no complaints about it leaving. Massive I was starting to grow into and it was closer to being green, but it’s not that a big loss. Finally, we saw the departure of Ghost, and with that it concludes the countdown run for Justin Bieber after two years. What a long tenure it has been. That’s the last we’ll hear from him, at least for a while.

– Yeah, folks. Victoria’s Secret is now my new least favorite song on the countdown right now. This just makes me rage every time it comes on. And of course, this is the week it has the Biggest Rise Of The Week. Not very thrilled about this at all.

– Before introducing Left And Right, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that the two had difficulty putting together this song. Was there some kind of disagreement on how it should turn out or something like that? 😛

– Yes, you’re reading it right. I have indeed grown into Bad Habit by Steve Lacy. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but something about it just pulls me in. We’ll see how long it ends up sticking with me.

– Before introducing Vegas, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Doja Cat posed herself dressing up in Halloween costumes at the start of September. I mean, really? Halloween isn’t for another month, but I guess she’s ready to get the party started.

– Yeah…so Easy Lover is now tied for my new favorite song, along with Break My Soul. In terms of the former, it reminds me so much of the Ellie Goulding I know and love. Thanks for impressing me yet again, Ellie. And Break My Soul just continues to be an absolute jam, maybe my song of the summer. It’s nice to have Beyoncé back. 🙂

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• SNAP by Rosa Linn
• Escape by Kx5 (Kaskade/deadmau5) featuring Hayla
• Die For You by The Weeknd

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber
• Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish
• She’s All I Wanna Be by Tate McRae
• Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
• Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
• Live Your Life by T.I. featuring Rihanna
• Easy On Me by Adele
• Break My Heart by Dua Lipa
• Laugh Now, Cry Later by Drake featuring Lil Durk
• Savage Love by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo
• Trampoline by SHAED
• Latch by Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
• Fingers Crossed by Lauren Spencer-Smith

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat

1 – Bad:
19. Don’t You Worry by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira and David Guetta
18. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy
16. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid

4 – Good:
14. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy
13. As It Was by Harry Styles
12. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat

5 – Great:
12. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
11. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo
10. So Good by Halsey
9. Glimpse Of Us by Joji
8. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy
7. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold
6. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush
5. First Class by Jack Harlow
4. About Damn Time by Lizzo
3. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook
2. Vegas by Doja Cat

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Break My Soul by Beyoncé

Overall Grade: 81/100 = 81% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: September by Earth, Wind & Fire (1979)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Adventure Of A Lifetime by Coldplay

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Talking To Yourself by Carly Rae Jepsen

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Take My Breath by The Weeknd (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean
TIE: 1. Break My Soul by Beyoncé
3. Vegas by Doja Cat
4. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook
5. About Damn Time by Lizzo

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Victoria’s Secret by Jax
2. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron
3. Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen
4. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID
5. Heat Waves by Glass Animals

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
HIT IT by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Saweetie and Lele Pons:

Need To Know by Doja Cat:

Hello, fam. Welcome to this week’s edition of the American Top 40. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s been 21 years since the attacks that occurred on this day. Over 3,000 lost their lives that morning. It was a senseless act that left everyone (including myself) in shock. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, we’re going to take a moment of silence.

Alright. Now with that, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

• 10 Things I Hate About You by Leah Kate (#35)
• Where Are You Now by Lost Frequencies featuring Calum Scott (#37)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy
40. Ghost by Justin Bieber (#40) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
39. Heat Waves by Glass Animals (#38) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
38. To Love Me More by Sam Smith (#32) [–6]
37. Woman by Doja Cat (#36) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
36. Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez (#39) [+3]
35. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID (#33) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
34. Massive by Drake (#23) [–11]
33. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa (#30) [–3]
32. Victoria’s Secret by Jax (DEBUT)
31. Bad Decisions by Benny Blanco featuring BTS and Snoop Dogg (DEBUT)
30. Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean (#31) [+1]
29. THAT’S WHAT I WANT by Lil Nas X (#27) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
28. Can’t Stop Us Now by Pitbull featuring Zac Brown (#29) [+1]
27. Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen (#28) [+1]
26. Music For A Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles (#34) [+8]
25. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron (#24) [–1]
24. Grand by Kane Brown (#26) [+2]
23. Bones by Imagine Dragons (#22) [–1]
22. Big Energy by Latto (#19) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
21. Wait For U by Future featuring Drake and Tems (#21) [=]
20. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo (#25) [+5]
19. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy (#20) [+1]
18. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold (#16) [–2]
17. Don’t You Worry by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira ad David Guetta (#18) [+1]
16. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat (#9) [–7]
15. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook (#15) [=]
14. So Good by Halsey (#11) [–3]
13. Glimpse Of Us by Joji (#13) [=]
12. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid (#12) [=]
11. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy (#17) [+6]
10. Vegas by Doja Cat (#14) [+4]
9. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic (#10) [+1]
8. First Class by Jack Harlow (#7) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
7. Break My Soul by Beyoncé (#8) [+1]
6. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat (#6) [=]
5. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush (#5) [=]
4. As It Was by Harry Styles (#4) [=] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
3. About Damn Time by Lizzo (#3) [=] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
2. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy (#1) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles (#2) [=] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Good 4 U by Olivia Rodrigo (7^th And Final Week At #1) 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Massive by Drake (–11)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Music For A Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles (+8)

New Entrants:
– Two debuts for this week. First, we have an artist I’ve heard on Hits 1 for quite sometime. Her name is Jax and she brings us Victoria’s Secret. I didn’t know much else about her at the time I’ve heard 90’s Kids, which I thought was okay even though it wasn’t memorable. But recently, I’ve found out that she was on American Idol some years ago, which I find interesting. I haven’t really watched that show in a long time. Nowadays, most artists are gaining recognition via Tik Tok with their own music, which has been a trend for the past few years. So, that’s something. Enough about that, onto the song itself. Right off the bat, I’m going to be straight up and say that this song sucks ass. I find it fascinating that she would name a song after the store retailer. Anyway, the story behind it was that she had some kind of body issues or something like that, I don’t know. But the lyrics are asinine in every sense of the word as most of the lines are cringe-worthy as hell. “Selling skin and bones”, just….eck. Just writing incompetence at its finest. Even at that, Jax herself doesn’t do much of anything to save this song because for the most part, she was underwhelming and lacks the vocal range. There’s just no uniqueness of any kind whatsoever. Simply put, it’s terribly written, produced, and sung. Who would’ve thought that naming a song after a brand would result in this song being a fucking incompetent mess? Not me, and I hoping it leaves soon.

– So, Benny Blanco has been a big name since he gave us Eastside, which was a huge hit back in 2019. He did collaboration with Justin Bieber not too long ago with Lonely and it was also a hit. This week, he makes his return with an interesting collaboration with K-Pop boy band BTS and rapper Snoop Dogg in their new single titled Bad Decisions. Coming into the song, I didn’t know what to expect. But after hearing this…wow. Yeah, I’ll go ahead and say this is just catchy and fun! It’s groovy and I like the beat here. They sound good vocally and everyone has good chemistry together. But I think Snoop Dogg stole the show here. His presence made the song a lot more to my liking with his good rapping skills. I’m enjoying this song overall. I’m all for this becoming a hit.

Best Debut Of The Week: Bad Decisions by Benny Blanco featuring BTS and Snoop Dogg

Let’s Make Some Bad Blurbs
– Neither of those exits are really going to be missed by me. Where Are You Now was pretty generic for the most part, but it’s certainly not a bad song by any means. 10 Things I Hate About You I was kinda growing into and I wouldn’t mind seeing it become a hit. But it wasn’t to be, so not a major loss there.

– We have a new #1 song this week and it goes to Late Night Talking by Harry Styles. I predicted that it would be #1 at some point because he’s been a big name and can’t seem to go without a hit nowadays. I find Late Night Talking to be pretty good, so I don’t mind it being #1. Harry seems to be the only One Direction member that’s getting hits lately as opposed to the other members of the band.

– Rising into the Top 10 this week is Vegas by Doja Cat. Similar to Harry Styles, Doja Cat is also a big name in music. Nothing really shocking about this jump. Vegas is a pretty enjoyable song, so I’m cool with it being around for a while.

– Yup, so I started to grow back into Get Into It (Yuh) and of course, it leaves the Top 10 this week. Sounds about right.

– I’m not really okay with Music For A Sushi Restaurant having the Biggest Rise Of The Week, especially since it’s one of Harry Styles’s worst songs. I’m afraid I’ll have to get used to it. That one will be here to stay.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Baby Boo by Muni Long featuring Saweetie
• Hold Me Closer by Elton John featuring Britney Spears
• Super Freaky Girl by Nicki Minaj
• Unstoppable by Sia

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
• Take My Breath by The Weeknd
• S&M by Rihanna
• You Broke Me First by Tate McRae
• Wow. by Post Malone
• Thousand Miles by The Kid LAROI
• You by Regard featuring Troye Sivan and Tate McRae
• One Dance by Drake featuring WizKid and Kyla
• Roses by Saint Jhn
• Temperature by Sean Paul
• She’s All I Wanna Be by Tate McRae
• Let You Down by NF
• Working by Khalid featuring Tate McRae

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat

1 – Bad:
19. Don’t You Worry by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira and David Guetta
18. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy
16. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid
15. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy

4 – Good:
14. As It Was by Harry Styles
13. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat

5 – Great:
12. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
11. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo
10. Vegas by Doja Cat
9. So Good by Halsey
8. Glimpse Of Us by Joji
7. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy
6. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold
5. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush
4. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook
3. First Class by Jack Harlow
2. About Damn Time by Lizzo

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Break My Soul by Beyoncé

Overall Grade: 80/100 = 80% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Dreamlover by Mariah Carey (1993)

Most Missed Countdown Song: I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Coast by Hailee Steinfeld featuring Anderson.Paak

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Take My Breath by The Weeknd (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Break My Soul by Beyoncé
2. About Damn Time by Lizzo
3. Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean
4. First Class by Jack Harlow
5. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron
2. Enemy by Imagine Dragons
3. Heat Waves by Glass Animals
4. I Like That (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat
5. Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Sweet Dream by Alessia Cara: While there isn’t much about the song that’s worth caring about, I kinda wished that it caught on given that Alessia hasn’t had a hit since her collaboration with Zedd in 2017.

Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish: A different sound for Billie, but this is divine. Her leaning more rock worked well here.

Psycho by Dixie featuring Rubi Rose: I may not care much about Dixie’s music, but this is easily her best song as of right now and there’s really no competition.

Summer Of Love by Shawn Mendes featuring Tainy: Shawn hasn’t really been impressing me in recent years outside of When You’re Gone. This song is another example of such.

Hello, fam! September is officially here. Fall is almost upon us. And that means football, sweaters, pumpkin spice, etc. All that good stuff. I’ll be getting started on my Year-End posts within the next week or so. It’s going to be time consuming as always, and I’m hoping to get this all of those done in time. But first, I’m going to be doing this post because I’m not going to have time to do it as I’m going to be busy during this Labor Day Weekend. So, here it is. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

• Flowers by Lauren Spencer-Smith (#29)
• Thousand Miles by The Kid LAROI (#39)
• Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber (#40) [Spent 11 Weeks At #1] (!!!!!!!!!!!)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy
40. Ghost by Justin Bieber (#38) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
39. Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez (DEBUT)
38. Heat Waves by Glass Animals (#35) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
37. Where Are You Now by Lost Frequencies featuring Travis Scott (#37) [=]
36. Woman by Doja Cat (#33) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
35. 10 Things I Hate About You by Leah Kate (#21) [–14]
34. Music For A Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles (DEBUT)
33. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID (#31) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
32. Love Me More by Sam Smith (#17) [–15]
31. Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean (#32) [+1]
30. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa (#27) [–3]
29. Can’t Stop Us Now by Pitbull featuring Zac Brown (#30) [+1]
28. Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen (DEBUT)
27. THAT’S WHAT I WANT by Lil Nas X (#25) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
26. Grand by Kane Brown (#36) [+10]
25. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo (#34) [+9]
24. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron (#23) [–1]
23. Massive by Drake (#24) [+1]
22. Bones by Imagine Dragons (#22) [=]
21. Wait For U by Future featuring Drake and Tems (#26) [+5]
20. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy (#28) [+8]
19. Big Energy by Latto (#13) [–6] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
18. Don’t You Worry by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira and David Guetta (#19) [+1]
17. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy (#20) [+3]
16. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold (#10) [–6]
15. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook (#16) [+1]
14. Vegas by Doja Cat (#18) [+4]
13. Glimpse Of Us by Joji (#15) [+2]
12. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid (#14) [+2]
11. So Good by Halsey (#11) [=]
10. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic (#12) [+2]
9. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat (#6) [–3]
8. Break My Soul by Beyoncé (#9) [+1]
7. First Class by Jack Harlow (#7) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
6. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat (#8) [+2]
5. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush (#5) [=]
4. As It Was by Harry Styles (#4) [=] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
3. About Damn Time by Lizzo (#3) [=] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
2. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles (#2) [=]
1. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy (#) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Good 4 U by Olivia Rodrigo (6^th of 7 Weeks At #1) 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Love Me More by Sam Smith (–15)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Grand by Kane Brown (+10)

New Entrants:
– To start our new round of debuts, we have Stephen Sanchez who makes his first appearance on the countdown. His single is titled Until I Found You. I’ve heard this song quite a few times while I was out and I recalled it being a good song. It’s another in a long line of love songs, this time talking about trying to get together with someone after a long while. I like the vocals we get from Stephen. He reminds me a little bit of Paul McCartney. The instrumentation is also really nice here. Anything that harkens back to the soft rock of the 50’s and 60’s is a win for me. I’m hoping to see this one stick around.

– To the surprise of nobody, we get more of Harry Styles on the AT40 countdown. As It Was is still going strong as it just took back the #1 spot on Billboard this week. It pretty much has its sights set on the record for most weeks in the Top 5. And Late Night Talking also looks poised to take the #1 spot since it’s continuing to gain momentum. So, he brings us Music For A Sushi Restaurant as his next single. To put it short, I’m not a fan. Looking at the lyrics, what I’m getting at is that he makes sushi while making music in which it pertains to a special someone he loves. I find the chorus to be weird, and not the good kind of weird. The “ba, ba-ba” can get on my nerves a lot and Harry doesn’t showcase his vocal talent very well here. I don’t know. I expected more out of him. I like that it has a funky groove and the beat is fine. But that’s really the only redeeming quality in an otherwise bad song. Harry has made plenty of stuff I like for sure, but this unfortunately isn’t one of them. We’ll see how far this goes.

– Sigh…I wasn’t looking forward to the return of Morgan Wallen. But alas, here he is with his latest single making the countdown. Enter Wasted On You. I haven’t been fond of what he has to offer. I’ll admit, he’s capable of making good songs (i.e. 7 Summers). But they’re few and far between. Here, we have this song which was actually released in 2021. Right off the bat, the song is just crap. His vocals don’t sound good at all. The instrumentation is just underwhelming and when you combine that with trap elements, it makes for a undesirable listen. It’s supposed to be some kind of song in which his past relationship didn’t work out. But he should’ve taken a different approach because there’s just no lyrical depth and some of the lines put me off. Whatever he was going for did not work out to my liking at all. So basically for me, this is a skip.

Best Debut Of The Week: Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez

Blurbs For A Sushi Restaurant
– I have to say, this was an important week in terms of the exits. Well, first there’s Flowers by Lauren Spence-Smith, which I didn’t really find interesting. But more importantly, let us celebrate as we have both songs from The Kid LAROI departing! Thousand Miles wasn’t any good and it’s nice to see that one off. But the big exit happens to be Stay, as it is finally out of the countdown! It’s about time.

– The massive drop we get from 10 Things I Hate About You is one I saw coming. I was growing out of that song though, so I guess you can say I’m okay with it.

– On that note, I find it pleasing to see Love Me More tank hard alongside it. Yeah, that song just didn’t meet my expectations when it comes to Sam Smith. Thankfully, that one is dying elsewhere.

– So, I’ve grown into Left And Right within the course of the past week. Something about it just pulls me in. I think it’s the chorus where Charlie sings. I wouldn’t mind seeing this last a little bit longer.

– I Ain’t Worried entered the Top 10 rather quickly. I’m not really looking forward to this being a hit. As someone who has been fond of those guys, it just seems inferior compared to what they’ve done before.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Hold Me Close by Elton John featuring Britney Spears
• Baby Boo by Muni featuring Saweetie
• Victoria’s Secret by Jax
• Bad Decisions by Benny Blanco featuring BTS and Snoop Dogg

Extras/Optional Extras:

• The Hills by The Weeknd
• Give Me Everything by Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo and Afrojack
• Title by Meghan Trainor
• SUPERMODEL by Måneskin
• Crazy In Love by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z
• Toxic by Britney Spears
• All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor
• abcedfu by GAYLE
• Mine by Bazzi
• Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
• Lips Are Movin’ by Meghan Trainor
• Bad For Me by Meghan Trainor featuring Teddy Swims
• Like I’m Gonna Lose You by Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend

– With Meghan Trainor being the guest host this week, it’s no shock to see some of her songs being listed as Extras.

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat

1 – Bad:
19. Don’t You Worry by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira and David Guetta
18. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic

2 – Mediocre:
17. Big Energy by Latto

3 – Decent:
16. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy
15. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid
14. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy

4 – Good:
13. As It Was by Harry Styles
12. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat

5 – Great:
11. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook
10. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
9. Vegas by Doja Cat
8. So Good by Halsey
7. Glimpse Of Us by Joji
6. Sunroof by Nicky
5. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold.
4. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush
3. Break My Soul by Beyoncé
2. First Class by Jack Harlow

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. About Damn Time by Lizzo

Overall Grade: 77/100 = 77% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Dancing Queen by ABBA (1976)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Talking Body by Tove Lo

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Million Dollar Baby by Ava Max

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Take My Breath by The Weeknd (#21)

My Top 5 Picks
1. About Damn Time by Lizzo
2. Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean
3. First Class by Jack Harlow
4. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa
5. Break My Soul by Beyoncé

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron
2. Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen
3. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID
4. Heat Waves by Glass Animals
5. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Saturday by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS: I much prefer Shy Away over this, but this is still pretty solid. And did I mention that Saturday is actually my favorite day of the week.

Rumors by Lizzo featuring Cardi B: An interesting collaboration if I do say so myself. But sadly, it never took off elsewhere. Luckily, Lizzo came back roaring this year with her current representation on the countdown.