Hello, fam! I want to say congrats to the Braves for winning yet another division title in the NL East. They’ve just been dominating that division. Though it wasn’t nearly as easy as in years past, I’m glad they were able to tough it out! Now it’s time for our next quest to win our 2nd World Series championship. I’m looking forward to seeing them win it all again. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• BREAK MY SOUL by Beyoncé (#27)
• Can’t Stop Us Now by Pitbull featuring Zac Brown (#31)
• Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID (#40) [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Sunroof by Nicky Your featuring dazy
40. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa (#38) [–2]
39. Maniac by Macklemore featuring Windser (DEBUT)
38. THAT’S WHAT I WANT by Lil Nas X (#37) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
37. Staying Alive by DJ Khaled featuring Drake and Lil Baby (DEBUT)
36. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron (#35) [–1]
35. Escape by Kx5 (Kaskade/deadmau5) featuring Hayla (DEBUT)
34. SNAP by Rosa Linn (#39) [+5]
33. Bad Decisions by Benny Blanco featuring BTS and Snoop Dogg (#29) [–4]
32. Big Energy by Latto (#30) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
31. Die For You by The Weeknd (#33) [+2]
30. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold (#28) [–2]
29. I’m Good (Blue) by David Guetta featuring Bebe Rexha (#36) [+7]
28. Unstoppable by Sia (#34) [+6]
27. Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez (#32) [+5]
26. Grand by Kane Brown (#24) [–2]
25. Bones by Imagine Dragons (#26) [+2]
24. Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen (#25) [+1]
23. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat (#21) [–2]
22. WAIT FOR U by Future featuring Drake and Tems (#20) [–2]
21. Victoria’s Secret by Jax (#22) [+1]
20. Super Freaky Girl by Nicki Minaj (#23) [+3]
19. Don’t You Worry by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira and David Guetta (#18) [–1]
18. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo (#17) [–1]
17. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy (#16) [–1]
16. First Class by Jack Harlow (#11) [–5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
15. Music For A Sushi Restaurant by Harry Styles (#19) [+4]
14. Hold Me Closer by Elton John featuring Britney Spears (#15) [+1]
13. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush (#9) [–4]
12. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook (#14) [+2]
11. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid (#13) [+2]
10. So Good by Halsey (#10) [=]
9. Glimpse Of Us by Joji (#12) [+3]
8. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy (#8) [=]
7. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic (#7) [=]
6. Vegas by Doja Cat (#6) [=]
5. As It Was by Harry Styles (#4) [–1] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
4. About Damn Time by Lizzo (#5) [+1] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
3. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles (#2) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy (#1) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber (4^th of 11 Weeks At #1) 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: First Class by Jack Harlow (–5)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: I’m Good (Blue) by David Guetta featuring Bebe Rexha (+7)

New Entrants:
– So, three debuts this week. We’ll kick things off with the return of Macklemore who teams up with Windser in Maniac. First off, I want to say that the music video for the song is pretty cool, mostly because of the fact that it is a parody of the classic game show, Match Game. I’ve been watching that show every now and then. It brings back memories to when I was a kid watching classic game shows all the time whenever I’m at home. I’ve been quite fond of the show for a while and even today, it’s still a lot of fun to watch. So yeah, I thought it was interesting. Anyway, it has definitely been a while since we’ve heard new music from Macklemore. I believe the last we saw from him was back in 2017-2018 when he had songs such as Glorious and Good Old Days (the latter being my #11 best song of 2018). In terms of how Maniac goes, it’s far from Macklemore’s best work. But it’s still pretty solid. I like Windser’s voice here. I think he’s somewhat talented and he put on a nice vocal performance here. Macklemore does well with his verses, showing that he still has it in him. The instrumentals sound good here and I quite like the rest of the production. Overall, it’s a good song, though I doubt it’ll last very long.

– Next is more of DJ Khaled and he collabs with Drake and Lil Baby in Staying Alive. Right off the bat, I’m not fond of the song. There’s very little about the song that’s seriously worth caring about. I get what it’s going for here, but I don’t think it was executed very well. Drake doesn’t sound his best with his voice. Plus, Lil Baby didn’t impress me, either. His auto-tuned vocals just annoys me. And I don’t like the vocal effects here. The beat is not interesting and everything else in the background is either not good or mediocre at best. So yeah, not really a fan of this.

– Lastly, we have Kx5 (which is a collaboration of deadmau5 and Kaskade) with Hayla in their new single called Escape. I don’t know much about deadmau5 mostly because he is irrelevant. But I’m familiar with some of Kaskade’s music. He had a couple of songs that were trending on the YouTube15 on Hits 1 at the time. Plus, he did have a countdown song in 2019 by the name of With You, which sucked for the most part. Now, I think Escape is somewhat enjoyable. I love the vocals we get from Hayla and I think she’s a good singer. The production doesn’t exactly stand out, but I think these guys did a nice job of not trying too hard. I don’t have much else to say beyond that. Overall, this is solid. But it won’t stick with me in the long run.

Best Debut Of The Week: Maniac by Macklemore featuring Windser

Blurbing Alive
– In terms of this week’s exits, Can’t Stop Us Now is another in a long line of underwhelming singles from Pitbull. So, I’m glad it didn’t end up getting huge. I’ll stick with his older material for the most part. Also, good riddance to Enemy by Imagine Dragons and JID. It’s about time that one left! I just could not stand the chorus with the “everybody wants to be my enemyyyyyyyy!”. BREAK MY SOUL, on the other hand, will surely be missed by me. It was such a bop and a awesome comeback from Beyoncé. I’m glad this was a #1 hit on Billboard although it didn’t fare quite as well on the American Top 40.

– Sigh…so, our new #1 this week is something I’m not thrilled about in the slightest. I Like You (A Happier Song) notches the top sport because of course even though the song itself is straight up trash. Seriously, I’d rather see something else at #1 because this does not make me happier whatsoever.

– As far as the Top 10 goes, we get a new entrant from Glimpse Of Us by Joji much to the dismay of some people here. I know my take on this is going to be unpopular, but I actually do like this song. I think it’s a nice piano ballad I didn’t know I needed this year. So yeah, it’s nice to see it getting a little momentum.

– Last week’s debuts (SNAP and I’m Good (Blue)) both made some reasonable jumps this week. I’m down for both of those becoming hits because I like those songs overall. Hopefully, I’m right. But we’ll see what happens from here on out.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Make You Say by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and BEAUZ
• Forget Me by Lewis Capaldi
• Bigger Than Me by Louis Tomlinson
• STAR WALKIN’ by Lil Nas X
• Pink Venom by BLACKPINK

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Heat Waves by Glass Animals
• Truth Hurts by Lizzo
• Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
• POV by Ariana Grande
• Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean
• Can’t Stop The Feeling! by Justin Timberlake
• That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars
• Dynamite by BTS
• 10 Things I Hate About You by Leah Kate
• Flowers by Lauren Spencer-Smith
• Heartless by The Weeknd
• Dakati by Bad Bunny featuring Jhay Cortez
• Into You by Ariana Grande
• ily (i love you baby) by Surf Mesa featuring Emilee

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

2 – Mediocre:
17. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic

3 – Decent:
16. Super Freaky Girl by Nicki Minaj

4 – Good:
15. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
14. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid
13. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy

5 – Great:
12. Hold Me Closer by Elton John featuring Britney Spears
11. So Good by Halsey
10. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook
9. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy
8. As It Was by Harry Styles
7. Glimpse Of Us by Joji
6. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush
5. First Class by Jack Harlow
4. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy
3. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo
2. About Damn Time by Lizzo

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

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Tubthumping by Chumbawamba (1997)

Most Missed Countdown Song: 24K Magic by Bruno Mars (Happy 6 years!)

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Looking For Somebody (To Love) by The 1975

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Love Again by Dua Lipa (#12)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Vegas by Doja Cat
2. About Damn Time by Lizzo
3. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo
4. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa
5. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Victoria’s Secret by Jax
2. Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen
3. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat
4. Bones by Imagine Dragons
5. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron

Hello, fam! I know it’s hard to believe. But the Seattle Mariners have finally clinched a playoff spot for the first time in over two decades. Crazy, I know. I’m happy for their fanbase though, because it’s been a long time coming. I wonder will they do big things in the MLB postseason? We’ll find out during the coming weeks. I’m sure they’re going to be fun to watch. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

• Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean (#34)
• Heat Waves by Glass Animals (#40) [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

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

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber (3^rd of 11 Weeks At #1) 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: BREAK MY SOUL by Beyoncé (–11)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Hold Me Closer by Elton John featuring Britney Spears (+9)

New Entrants:
– We have two new songs debuting to start off the month of October. I’ll start our new round of debuts with Rosa Linn, a singer from Armelia. She brings us SNAP. I found out about her existence a couple months ago and I decided to look into a couple of her songs. SNAP was the first one I listened on and I found it to be pretty divine. Here, she mentions how she is depressed and angry, wanting to move on from that. I can appreciate what she is doing here and it works for me. As for the production, it sorta reminds me of the indie-pop from the early 2010’s when it exploded in popularity. That’s mostly based on the instrumentals themselves, which is fine because I like the guitar. Rosa sounds good with her vocals here. I think she’s talented and I like the chorus here, especially towards the end. The way she can hit those high notes is mesmerizing. So yeah, consider me impressed.

– Our second (and final) debut for this week comes from the return of a longtime EDM act. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from David Guetta. I believe it was back in 2018 when he gave us Don’t Leave Me Alone with Anne-Marie. He’s mostly been irrelevant since then, even though he’s released some music which never took off elsewhere. This week, he makes his comeback, and he teams up with Bebe Rexha in I’m Good (Blue). It uses a sample from Eiffel 65’s song titled Blue (Da Be Dee), which I’ve never really heard until recently. In terms of how the rest of the song goes, I quite like what it’s going for here. Sure, David himself has done much better and he’s had gems from the past that I often revisit. But he does a fine job here as the drop sounds good and the production is solid. Bebe is somewhat talented and I love her vocals here. There is momentum in the verses and I like the buildup leading to the chorus. To put it easy, it’s a good song. That’s not to say it’ll stick with me in the long run, but it’s enjoyable enough. We’ll see how long it lasts.

Best Debut Of The Week: SNAP by Rosa Linn

Blurbin’ One Two, Where Are You?
– So, we have two exits. First, Heat Waves had no business becoming as big as it was. As someone who never liked the song, I found nothing interesting about it and it overstayed it’s welcome big time. Of course, this’ll end up becoming #1 of the year on Billboard despite how underwhelming the song is as a whole. On a sad note, we say farewell to Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding and Big Sean. It was such a jam from the beginning and it reminded me of the Ellie Goulding that I know and love. It’s disappointing to see that one not become a hit. Who knows what else Ellie will have in store? So yeah, that song will definitely be missed by me.

– Sunroof back at #1? That’s fine with me. I still kinda like the song. I’m cool with this and I prefer this over our #2 and #3 songs.

– So Good by Halsey has hit a new peak of #10. It’s her first Top 10 since 2019 when she had Without Me. I’ve been fond of that song for a while and I’m glad it’s hitting new peaks. I doubt it’ll get any higher, but it’s nice to see Halsey somewhat getting a hit out of that song.

– This is the second week in a row where Hold Me Closer has had the Biggest Rise Of The Week. Something tells me that this’ll end up sticking around for a while. It’s catching on fast.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Escape by Kx5 (Kaskade/deadmau5) featuring Hayla
• Staying Alive by DJ Khaled featuring Drake and Lil Baby
• Make You Say by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and BEAUZ

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Jealous by Nick Jonas
• Love Me More by Sam Smith
• Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco
• Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd
• I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin
• Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
• Ghost by Justin Bieber
• Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine
• Break Free by Ariana Grande featuring Zedd
• Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior
• Savage by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
• Attention by Charlie Puth

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

2 – Mediocre:
17. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic

3 – Decent:
16. WAIT FOR U by Future featuring Drake and Tems

4 – Good:
15. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
14. Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy

5 – Great:
13. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy
12. As It Was by Harry Styles
11. Hold Me Closer by Elton John featuring Britney Spears
10. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy
9. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook
8. So Good by Halsey
7. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush
6. 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo
5. Glimpse Of Us by Joji
4. First Class by Jack Harlow
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: 81/100 = 81% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: End Of The Road by Boyz II Men (1992)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Tequila by Dan + Shay

#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 (#8)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Vegas by Doja Cat
2. BREAK MY SOUL by Beyoncé
3. About Damn Time by Lizzo
4. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa
5. First Class by Jack Harlow

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

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Fancy Like by Walker Hayes: A terrible country song all around. Everything about this song just blows. Awful instrumentals, horrible vocals from Walker. Overall, just not a fun listen.

Shivers by Ed Sheeran: The follow-up to Bad Habits, and a fine one at that. There’s some good elements and his vocals are better here. And this became the longest running #1 hit on Hits 1 (at 14 weeks) because they stan this guy.

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.

Hello, fam! It’s hard to believe we’re approaching the end of summer. Time just moves by so fast. The MTV VMAs aired last night, but I didn’t get to watch it at all because of work and stuff. Also, football season is finally here. It’s my favorite time of the year. I’m interested to see what the Falcons will do this season. I’m hoping that I get to go to one of the games. But we’ll see what ultimately happens. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs dropping out of the countdown this week:

• SUPERMODEL by Måneskin (#35)
• Out Of Time by The Weeknd (#37)
• One Right Now by Post Malone featuring The Weeknd (#40)

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

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Good 4 U by Olivia Rodrigo (5^th of 7 Weeks At #1) 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Thousand Miles by The Kid LAROI (–15)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Bad Habit by Steve Lacy (+9)

New Entrants:
– To start our new round of arrivals, we have an EDM produced named Lost Frequencies. He collaborates with Calum Scott in their single titled Where Are You Now. So, we haven’t heard anything from Calum Scott since he gave us the cover of Dancing On My Own back in 2016, which is loathed by many YouTube critics and bloggers alike. As far as this song goes, I can’t say I care for this one too much. Sure, I like the production here and Lost Frequencies did a fine job with his work. I’m not exactly feeling Calum’s voice, though. I don’t know why, but I find it underwhelming and that brings it down for me. I can see it growing on me in the future.

– Next, we have the return of Kane Brown with his latest single, Grand. It looks like he’s going for a different sound here, which I’m okay with given that he’s experimenting with something new. I can’t say I’m necessarily fond of the song though. I feel like he’s done better in the past. I think his voice sounds okay here. But I’m not all that wild on the production though. That’s really all I have to say about this one. We’ll see how long it stays.

– Lastly, we have more of Lizzo with the follow-up to About Damn Time, by the name of 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready). I’ll say right off the bat, it’s a pretty good song for the most part. However, I feel like there were better single choices from the album. But 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) has decent vocals and an interesting beat. That’s pretty much what I like about it. Looking at the lyrics here, this is basically the sequel to Truth Hurts in a way. It reflects on whether she wants to be in a relationship and we’ve seen a lot of songs with those. There might be some cheesy lines for sure, but it’s catchy for the most part. We’ll see if it ends up becoming another hit for Lizzo.

Best Debut Of The Week: 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo

The Way You Make Me Blurb
– For our exits, I was never fond of SUPERMODEL at all, so no complaints about its exit. I was ready to move on from One Right Now. As for Out Of Time, I thought it was a great song and easily the best off of Dawn FM. Too bad it never gained any momentum. That song deserved much better.

– Both songs from The Kid LAROI are now sitting at the bottom of the countdown. Stay has been annoying me for a very long time, but I’m glad it’s finally on its way out. And Thousand Miles had the Biggest Fall Of The Week, much to my pleasure. They need to leave this countdown now.

– Ghost, on the other hand, is something I loved and even today, I’m not sick of it yet. It’s run is sadly closer to the end, though. We’ll see how much longer is it with us.

– Last week’s debuts jumped a reasonable amount this week. It’s good to see Easy Lover gaining a little momentum. Then, there’s Betty (Get Money) and Bad Habit jumping pretty big as well. Seriously? I mean, I can get the appeal. But I’m not exactly feeling either song. It could be worse, though.

– It’s good to see that Boyfriend finally dropped out of the Top 10. That song just continues to annoy me to no end. I’ll be glad when the song is out of the countdown, like right now.

– So, Running Up That Hill reaches a new peak of #5 this week! Never in my entire life would I have thought a song from 1985 would blow up 37 years later. But now here we are. I’m definitely pleased about it, though. I wonder how much farther will it go?

– Finally, we have a cool new #1 in the form of Sunroof! This song has been one of my jams for the summer and it’s nice to see someone new gain recognition. Nicky Youre has impressed me with this song. Now the question is: how long will it stay at the top?

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen
• Bad Decisions by Benny Blanco featuring BTS and Snoop Dogg
• Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez

Extras/Optional Extras:

• When You’re Gone by Shawn Mendes
• Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia
• In Da Club by 50 Cent
• Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande
• Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear
• 2Step by Ed Sheeran featuring Lil Baby
• Dance Monkey by Tones And I
• TO THE MOON by JNR Choi
• Skyline by Khalid
• Love It When You Hate Me by Avril Lavigne featuring Blackbear
• Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake
• I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At The Disco
• My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear
• Pon De Replay by Rihanna
• Potion by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa and Young Thug
• Monsters by All Time Low featuring Blackbear

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat
19.Love Me More by Sam Smith

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

2 – Mediocre:
16. Big Energy by Latto

3 – Decent:
15. As It Was by Harry Styles
14. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat
13. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid
12. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy

4 – Good:
11. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles

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

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

Overall Grade: 71/100 = 71% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson (1987)

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

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

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Levitating by Dua Lipa (#10)

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

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron
2. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID
3. Heat Waves by Glass Animals
4. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat
5. Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Cloudy Day by Tones And I: It’s too bad that Tones And I will only be a one-hit wonder. But everything about this song (and most of her music in general) works well for me.

Beggin’ by Måneskin: I probably would’ve found this decent at best if it was sung by someone else because I loved the instrumentation. But I don’t. My goodness, their vocals are horrendous.

Take My Breath by The Weeknd: As I’ve talked about when Out Of Time left this week, nothing from Dawn FM really caught on to the public, including this single. It’s another one of those songs from Abel himself that I adored, mostly because he channels his inner Michael Jackson.

Hello, fam! So, this week’s countdown was hosted by songwriter Oak Felder, who is subbing for Ryan Seacrest. We’ve had quite a bit of activity here and there. I’m running out of things to say, so let’s just get right into it. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Potion by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa and Young Thug (#28)
• 2Step by Ed Sheeran featuring Lil Baby (#31)
• When You’re Gone by Shawn Mendes (#39)

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

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

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Out Of Time by The Weeknd (–16)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Vegas by Doja Cat (+11)

New Entrants:
– Well, what do we have here? It’s the return of Ellie Goulding, and she collaborates with Big Sean in Easy Lover. In case I haven’t really made it clear, I’m very fond of her music. Ever since she gave us Lights back in 2011, she has impressed me with almost every single she’s released. Along with Lights, I adored songs such as Anything Can Happen, Burn, Love Me Like You Do, Something In The Way You Move, and others. It was almost four years ago that she made her comeback with Close To Me, which is also a favorite of mine. However, I was pretty mixed on the rest of her last album as a whole. Although I did enjoy songs like Close To Me and Flux, there were some others such as Hate Me, which I was very indifferent on after a while, and Worry About Me, which was just a mess and easily my least favorite single from her. As far as her new single goes, it is just divine. This song reminds me of the Ellie that I know in the past. She’s basically returning to her electropop roots here. I find the beat to be very interesting and she sounds great in the chorus. I love the way she can hit those high notes, which proves that she hasn’t lost a step vocally. Big Sean made a good contribution here even though he only sings just one verse. Yeah, I’m in love with this song and it’s great comeback for Ellie.

– Up next is newcomer Yung Gravy who brings us his single titled Betty (Get Money). Right off the bat, I’m pretty split on this. This samples Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, which is used for most of the song. I can’t say it’s a bad thing because I kinda like the production here, and his voice is okay. But the lyrics are questionable somewhat, in part because it has some cheesy lines (for the lack of a better word). That’s really all I can say for this one. It might grow on me with more listens, I don’t know.

– Lastly, we have another newcomer, by the name of Steve Lacy. He makes his first appearance with Bad Habit. So, he comes from the band called The Internet (no joke), which he had been a part of. I’m not really familiar with their music, in part because they’re very irrelevant. I recently found out that he got into music all thanks to spending countless hours playing Guitar Hero. Heh, I myself never really played Guitar Hero back in my childhood, and I say this as someone who is a hardcore gamer. But anyway, onto the song. Here, he mentions about loving someone and that he wishes the person would feel the same. The production basically consists of synths and a groove which resembles that of the 80’s, which is a nice plus considering that it was executed well. I think Steve is an decent singer and that he has potential. But I feel like something is missing here because I find that he doesn’t quite shine in the chorus. I came close to putting this song in green, but it didn’t quite do it for me, at least not right now. We’ll see how far this one goes.

Best Debut Of The Week: Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean

Easy Blurber
– Let’s first talk about our exits. First off, Potion wasn’t exactly to my liking. I don’t know. I just felt like it was underwhelming at times. I do hope to see Calvin’s newest single, Stay With Me debut soon. Also, good riddance to 2Step. That one will never be missed. And When You’re Gone deserved better. It’s one of the few songs from Shawn Mendes I liked recently. But it just didn’t take off. Oh well.

– Are you kidding me? Out Of Time tanked hard all the way down to the Bottom 5 this week. I’m afraid this is going to end up being another flop for The Weeknd given that it has died down elsewhere. Definitely not ideal, since I enjoy that song a lot. It’s a shame that it and Sacrifice didn’t become hits off of Dawn FM.

– Can we please get Enemy out of the countdown? What is it still doing here? The song has been annoying me for months on end. Same applies to Bones.

– We have two unwelcome new entrants in the Top 20: Don’t You Worry and I Ain’t Worried. The latter looks like it’s going to become OneRepublic’s first hit since I don’t know how long and I’m not looking forward to that.

– In better news, Break My Soul enters the Top 10! This song is just a bop and I’m glad to see Beyoncé get another hit. It just recently hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, much to my pleasure. Plus, it kicked Boyfriend by Dove Cameron to the curb, so that’s good.

– New to the Top 5 this week is the entry from Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy. Sure, I’ll gladly take it! The song has its sights set on potentially getting the #1 and I wouldn’t mind seeing it happen.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen
• Where Are You Now by Lost Frequencies featuring Calum Scott
• 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) by Lizzo
• Grand by Kane Brown
• SUBSTANCE by Demi Lovato

Extras/Optional Extras:

• One Last Time by Ariana Grande
• Hot In Herre by Nelly
• Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato
• Only Human by Jonas Brothers
• Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara
• Dynamite by Taio Cruz
• Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug
• Who Do You Love by The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer
• Sue Me by Sabrina Carpenter

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron
19. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat
18. Love Me More by Sam Smith:

1 – Bad:
17. Don’t Worry About Me by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira and David Guetta
16. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic:

2 – Mediocre:
15. Big Energy by Latto

3 – Decent:
14. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat
13. As It Was by Harry Styles
12. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid

4 – Good:
11. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Junk Kook
10. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
9. Vegas by Doja Cat

5 – Great:
8. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy
7. So Good by Halsey
6. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold
5. Glimpse Of Us by Joji
4. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush
3. First Class by Jack Harlow
2. Break My Soul by Beyoncé

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

Overall Grade: 66/100 = 66% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Phyiscal by Olivia Newton-John (1981)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Stay With Me by Calvin Harris featuring Justin Timberlake, Halsey, and Pharrell

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Levitating by Dua Lipa (#9)

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

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron
2. Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber
3. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat
4. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID
5. Heat Waves by Glass Animals

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Wild Side by Normani featuring Cardi B: Although the rest of Fifth Harmony are mostly nonexistent as far as making music (Save for Camilla, of course), Normani still keeps going. As far as the song goes, I like the chemistry between her and Cardi B and the rest is pretty divine. Too bad it ended up flopping, but oh well.

Skate by Silk Sonic: Not quite as divine as its predecessor, but I still like what this song is going for. As opposed to the slow but awesome Leave The Door Open, this one is more fun and upbeat. And both Bruno and Anderson.Paak shine vocally.

Traitor by Olivia Rodrigo: Can’t say it’s one of the best Sour has had to offer, but it’s certainly not bad. Lyrically, it does showcase her talent as a songwriter. However, it can be a little underwhelming at times. That’s just my opinion, though.

I Like That by Bazzi: Yeah, there’s not much about the song that’s seriously worth caring about. Bazzi doesn’t sound his best here and I’m not feeling the beat. It’s quite a shame we’ll never get something that hits the height of Cosmic.

INDUSTRY BABY by Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow: Yeah, I love the use of the trumpets here. That combined with their good chemistry together makes this a fun listen for me.

Hello fam! Yeah…so this has been a wet summer. I mean, it has been raining almost every day where I live. Cold weather isn’t coming for another month or so. The leaves haven’t even started fallen yet. But I’m here, so let’s get into things. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Bam Bam by Camilla Cabello featuring Ed Sheeran (#36)
• Need To Know by Doja Cat (#40) [Spent 1 Week At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: About Damn Time by Lizzo
40. One Right Now by Post Malone featuring The Weeknd (#38) [–2]
39. When You’re Gone by Shawn Mendes (#31) [–8]
38. SUPERMODEL by Mãneskin (DEBUT)
37. Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber (#35) [–2] [Spent 11 Weeks At #1]
36. Can’t Stop Us Now by Pitbull featuring Zac Brown (#39) [+3]
35. Ghost by Justin Bieber (#32) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
34. WAIT FOR U by Future featuring Drake and Tems (34) [=]
33. Flowers by Lauren Spencer-Smith (#33) [=]
32. Heat Waves by Glass Animals (#30) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
31. 2Step (Remix) by Ed Sheeran featuring Lil Baby (#14) [–17]
30. Vegas by Doja Cat (#37) [+7]
29. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID (#27) [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
28. Potion by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa and Young Thug (#26) [–2]
27. Massive by Drake (#29) [+2]
26. I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic (DEBUT)
25. Woman by Doja Cat (#22) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
24. Bones by Imagine Dragons (#24) [=]
23. Don’t You Worry by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira and David Guetta (#23) [=]
22. 10 Things I Hate About You by Leah Kate (#21) [–1]
21. Out Of Time by The Weeknd (#18) [–3]
20. That’s What I Want by Lil Nas X (#19) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
19. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook (#28) [+9]
18. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid (#25) [+7]
17. Glimpse Of Us by Joji (#20) [+3]
16. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa (#16) [=]
15. So Good by Halsey (#17) [+2]
14. Love Me More by Sam Smith (#15) [+1]
13. Thousand Miles by The Kid LAROI (#12) [–1]
12. Break My Soul by Beyoncé (#13) [+1]
11. Big Energy by Latto (#9) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
10. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron (#8) [–2]
9. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat (#11) [+2]
8. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush (#10) [+2]
7. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold (#6) [–1]
6. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy (#7) [+1]
5. First Class by Jack Harlow (#3) [Spent 1 Week At #1]
4. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat (#4) [=]
3. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles (#5) [+2]
2. As It Was by Harry Styles (#2) [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
1. About Damn Time by Lizzo (#1) [5^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Good For U by Olivia Rodrigo (2^nd of 7 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: 2Step by Ed Sheeran featuring Lil Baby (–17)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook (+9)

New Entrants:
– We have two not-so good debuts this week. I was not looking forward to the return of Mãneskin after they didn’t impress me at all with Beggin’ last year. But alas, here they are with their latest single titled SUPERMODEL. I don’t really get the appeal to this song. I didn’t buy into their predecessor last year because their vocals are absolute shit. Here, they don’t sound any better. In fact, they basically sound like nails on a chalkboard. Basically, it’s like they’re trying to emulate Nirvana with music of their own. But it’s not working to my liking as the instrumentation is simply not good. Yeah, this is pretty bad and I hope it doesn’t last long.

– Taken from the Top Gun: Maverick movie soundtrack, we have the return of OneRepublic with I Ain’t Worried. We haven’t heard much from them since 2019 when they gave us Rescue Me. Quite frankly, they haven’t really been relevant since 2015 when I Lived was a hit. As far as their new single goes, I’m not really fond of this. There’s not much in terms of the instrumentation. All there is is a guitar, a generic beat, and that’s about it. Their vocals are underwhelming in the chorus, especially for their standards. And the whistling that comes after it is unnecessary. Simply put, this isn’t good and I’m disappointed to say this about OneRepublic, who have had some good songs in the past like Counting Stars and Good Life. I Ain’t Worried doesn’t live up to those and I doubt it’ll be around for long.

Best Debut Of The Week: I Ain’t Worried by OneRepublic (but not by much)

Superblurb
– As far as our two exits go, Need To Know was never really my thing. It wasn’t the worst I’ve heard from Doja Cat, but I just couldn’t get into it. Bam Bam was a pretty good song overall and I’m glad that it stuck around for as long as it did. It will somewhat be missed by me.

– Good to see 2Step take a massive drop this week. Hopefully, this means it can go soon.

– Before introducing Boyfriend, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Dove Cameron is taking a hands-on approach when it comes to her album. Yeah, I can’t say I’m looking forward to it, especially if all of her songs in the album sound anything like Boyfriend, which has become my new least favorite song on the countdown at this moment. Yeah, I legit cannot stand that song. I’m hoping it leaves us soon.

– In the Top 10, we get an unwelcome entry from I Like You (A Happier Song). Can we not make this a thing, please? There’s nothing about the song that appeals to me, and it’s been getting worse with each and every additional listen. Stop this madness, now.

– Nothing really has changed in the Top 5 other than a few songs moving spots. We still have the same #1 which I’m thrilled about. It can stay there for as long as it like, and that’s fine by me. 🙂

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Bad Habit by Steve Lacy
• Where Are You Now by Lost Frequencies featuring Calum Scott
• Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen
• Easy Lover by Ellie Goulding featuring Big Sean
• Betty (Get Money) by Yung Gravy

Extras/Optional Extras:

• One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa
• Sucker by Jonas Brothers
• Want To Want Me by Jason Derulo
• Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
• Right Round by Flo Rida
• Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
• Maybe You’re The Problem by Ava Max
• Disturbia by Rihanna

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron
19. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat
18. Love Me More by Sam Smith

1 – Bad:
17. Thousand Miles by The Kid LAROI

2 – Mediocre:
16. Big Energy by Latto
15. That’s What I Want by Lil Nas X

3 – Decent:
14. Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat
13. As It Was by Harry Styles
12. Numb by Marshmello featuring Khalid

4 – Good:
11. Left And Right by Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook
10. So Good by Halsey

5 – Great:
9. Sunroof by Nicky Youre featuring dazy
8. Late Night Talking by Harry Styles
7. Glimpse Of Us by Joji
6. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush
5. Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold
4. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa
3. First Class by Jack Harlow
2. Break My Soul by Beyoncé

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

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston (1992)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Praying by Kesha

#1 Recommendation for The American Top 40: Stay With Me by Calvin featuring Justin Timberlake, Halsey, and Pharrell

My Top 5 Picks
1. About Damn Time by Lizzo
2. Break My Soul by Beyoncé
3. First Class by Jack Harlow
4. Out Of Time by The Weeknd
5. Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Boyfriend by Dove Cameron
2. Stay by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber
3. I Like You (A Happier Song) by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat
4. Enemy by Imagine Dragons featuring JID
5. Heat Waves by Glass Animals

We’re officially in the month of May, everyone. I feel like this year is going by pretty fast. Probably the most interesting thing for me is the Hawks are doing so well right now in basketball. They’re one step closer to the playoffs and I feel good about it. We’ll see what happens at the end. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Girl Like Me by The Black Eyed Peas featuring Shakira (#26)
• I Hope by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish
40. MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) by Lil Nas X (DEBUT)
39. Kings & Queens by Ava Max (#38) [–1]
38. Sacrifice by Bebe Rexha (#39) [+1]
37. Bang! by AJR (#36) [–1]
36. Good Days by SZA (#35) [–1]
35. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper (#33) [–2]
34. Hold On by Justin Bieber (#37) [+3]
33. Way Less Sad by AJR (#34) [+1]
32. Dákati by Bad Bunny featuring Jhay Cortez (#21) [–11]
31. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby (#28) [–3]
30. The Business by Tiësto (#31) [+1]
29. Bad Girl by Daya (#30) [+1]
28. Lil Bit by Nelly featuring Florida Georgia Line (#29) [+1]
27. Kiss Me More by Doja Cat featuring SZA (DEBUT)
26. Lonely by Justin Bieber featuring Benny Blanco (#25) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
25. Deja Vu by Olivia Rodrigo (#32) [+7]
24. POV by Ariana Grande (#27) [+3]
23. Up by Cardi B (#24) [+1]
22. Anyone by Justin Bieber (#11) [–11]
21. Heat Waves by Glass Animals (#22) [+1]
20. Go Crazy by Chris Brown featuring Young Thug (#18) [–2]
19. My Head & My Heart by Ava Max (#17) [–2]
18. Best Friend by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat (#23) [+5]
17. Astronaut In The Ocean by Masked Wolf (#20) [+3]
16. Beautiful Mistakes by Maroon 5 featuring Megan Thee Stallion (#15) [–1]
15. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior (#12) [–3] [Spent 10 Weeks At #1]
14. Goosebumps (Remix) by Travis Scott featuring HVME (#16) [+2]
13. We’re Good by Dua Lipa (#14) [+1]
12. Leave The Door Open by Silk Sonic (starring Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak) (#13) [+1]
11. Peaches by Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caeser and Giveon (#19) [+8]
10. WITHOUT YOU by The Kid LAROI (#10) [=]
9. What You Know About Love by Pop Smoke (#9) [=]
8. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney (#5) [–3]
7. 34+35 by Ariana Grande (#8) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
6. My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear (#7) [+1]
5. Positions by Ariana Grande (#6) [+1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
4. You Broke Me First by Tate McRae (#4) [=]
3. Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo (#2) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
2. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd (#3) [+1]
1. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (1^st of 5 Weeks At #1) 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between Dákati by Bad Bunny featuring Jhay Cortez and Anyone by Justin Bieber (–11)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Peaches by Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caeser and Giveon (+8)

New Entrants:
– To start our new round of debuts, we have the return of Lil Nas X. I’m sure everyone remembers his biggest hit, Old Town Road which broke the record for most weeks at #1 back in 2019. Today in 2021, here he is with his newest single. Enter MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name). I’ve been hearing controversy about this new song of his, mainly with the music video that just recently came out. But I won’t get into detail right now. Those who’ve been following my blog the past couple of years know that I was not fond of Old Town Road. But MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) is a different story. I really like the instrumentals that open up the song. The guitars sound great here. Lil Nas X showcases his talent better here. I love the chorus with the guitars all throughout the background. Overall, I’m really enjoying this.

– Having not been a big fan of what Doja Cat had to offer in 2020, I wasn’t really looking forward to hearing anymore of her music. Say So was extremely generic and Like That was my #9 least favorite song of 2020. This week, she collaborates with SZA in their new single, Kiss Me More. After listening to the song in its entirety, I find that this is actually pretty darn awesome. I love the production here. The guitar sounds pretty good and I like the beat here. Doja Cat better showcases her vocal talent here, which was something that was lacking in her previous singles. In addition, we get great vocals from SZA like always. In the chorus, I find that they both have good chemistry together. I’m in love with this song and Doja Cat finally managed to impress me here.

Best Debut Of The Week: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) by Lil Nas X

Can You Blurb Me More
– Yeah, so I have absolutely no complaints at all about either of those exits. Girl Like Me was just putrid and downright terrible in every sense of the word. It’s a good thing that one never took off, thankfully. And the departure of I Hope was long overdue. I know I used to like that song, but my love for it died out fast because I realized how bad it truly is. So yeah, I’m glad to see that one off. None of those exits will be missed in the slightest. NEXT!

– Quite a bit has changed as far as the Top 5 goes. We did see Save Your Tears reaching a new peak of #2, which is a nice plus. Also, Positions makes its re-entry into the Top 5. Heh, it just seems like that song just doesn’t want to give up yet. Not that I’m complaining since I still like it and the fact that it kicked Put Your Records On out of that region.

– Of course, Peaches continues its momentum as it jumped big this week. It’s all but certain that this’ll be in the Top 10 next week and I certainly wouldn’t mind that.

– As one song from Justin Bieber rises, another takes a big drop. Anyone is certainly one of the best he’s had to offer. It’s disappointing to see that one not get as much success as his other singles. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.

– Bad Girl by Daya doesn’t seem to be doing much of anything on this countdown since it debuted last month. It’s one of her better songs, but I don’t envision it becoming a hit since she’s not relevant.

– I see that Dákati tanked hard this week as well. I started to slightly come around to that song a little more, so I’m not necessarily happy about it. But it won’t be a major loss if it did end up leaving us so soon.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Calling My Phone by Lil TJay featuring 6LACK
• Heartbreak Anniversary by Giveon
• Arcade by Duncan Lawrence
• I’m Not Pretty by JESSIA
• Provide by G-Eazy featuring Chris Brown and Mark Morrison

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Golden by Harry Styles
• DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love by Usher featuring Pitbull
• Lifestyle by Jason Derulo featuring Adam Levine
• Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
• Trampoline by SHAED
• Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
• Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
• Met Him Last Night by Demi Lovato featuring Ariana Grande
• Now Or Never by Halsey
• Me, Myself, & I by G-Eazy featuring Bebe Rexha
• Perfect by Ed Sheeran
• S&M by Rihanna
• Mirrors by Justin Timberlake

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. WITHOUT YOU by The KID LAROI
19. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney
18. Goosebumps (Remix) by Travis Scott featuring HVME
17. Go Crazy by Chris Brown featuring Young Thug
16. Best Friend by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat

1 – Bad:
15. We’re Good by Dua Lipa
14. Beautiful Mistakes by Maroon 5 featuring Megan Thee Stallion
13. What You Know About Love by Pop Smoke

2 – Mediocre:
12.You Broke Me First by Tate McRae

3 – Decent:
11. Astronaut In The Ocean by Masked Wolf
10. 34+35 by Ariana Grande
9. My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Blackbear

4 – Good:
8. Positions by Ariana Grande

5 – Great:
7. My Head & My Heart by Ava Max
6. Peaches by Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caeser and Giveon
5. Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo
4. Mood by 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior
3. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish
2. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Leave The Door Open by Silk Sonic (starring Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak)

Overall Grade: 54/100 = 54% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: This Is How We Do It by Montell Jordan (1995)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Blame by Calvin Harris featuring John Newman

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Shy Away by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (#1)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Leave The Door Open by Silk Sonic (starring Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak)
2. Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish
3. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
4. MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) by Lil Nas X
5. Levitating by Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. WITHOUT YOU by The KID LAROI
2. Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney
3. Holy by Justin Bieber featuring Chance The Rapper
4. Bang! by AJR
5. Lil Bit by Nelly featuring Florida Georgia Line

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
What If I Told You I Love You by Ali Gatie:

Roses by Saint Jhn: