Hello, fam! We are now officially in the month of August. And with it comes the month when football officially makes its return. Hopefully, my team can be able to win it all this year. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed. I feel like summer has gone by very quickly, and it won’t be much longer now until Fall starts. So while we wait, here’s the AT40 countdown post for you guys. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Wake Up by Travis Scott featuring The Weeknd (#28)
• Chlorine by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS (#32)
• Look Back At It by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (#37)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Talk by Khalid
40. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#40) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
39. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#38) [–1]
38. Trampoline by SHAED (DEBUT) 
37. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#36) [–1]
36. Only Human by Jonas Brothers (DEBUT)
35. Better by Khalid (#33) [–2]
34. Paradise by Bazzi (#35) [+1]
33. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (DEBUT)
32. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#31) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
31. Summer Days by Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump (#34) [+3]
30. Find U Again by Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello (#30) [=]
29. Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (#26) [–3]
28. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#27) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
27. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII (#25) [–2]
26. Just Us by DJ Khaled featuring SZA (#24) [–2]
25. Without Me by Halsey (#23) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
24. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#29) [+5]
23. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande (#22) [–1]
22. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG (#19) [–3]
21. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#20) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
20. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (#39) [+19]
19. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#18) [–1]
18. Speechless by Dan + Shay (#21) [+3]
17. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock (#15) [–2]
16. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#17) [+1]
15. Cool by Jonas Brothers (#12) [–3]
14. Nightmare by Halsey (#14) [=]
13. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#16) [+3]
12. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#9) [–3]
11. Never Really Over by Katy Perry (#11) [=]
10. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (#10) [=]
9. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#13) [+4]
8. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#8) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
7. Wow. by Post Malone (#7) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
6. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#6) [=]
5. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#5) [=]
4. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#4) [=] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
3. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#3) [=]
2. Talk by Khalid (#1) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#2) [+1] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Delicate by Taylor Swift (1^st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha, La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG, and Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (–3)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (+19)

New Entrants:
– Kicking things off this week is the first appearance of an alternative group named SHAED with their single Trampoline. I first heard this song on a commercial back in the fall of last year and I thought to myself, “this is pretty good”. I think this is unique overall. I like Chelsea’s voice quite a lot here. The chorus is solid and it has good instrumentals. Yeah, I’m impressed by this.

– Next is more of the Jonas Brothers with their latest single off of Happiness Begins, titled Only Human. With Sucker now on the decline and Cool thankfully on a free-fall, it was only a matter of time until this showed up. And I’m glad that it did because it’s a solid song overall. It’s slow-paced than Sucker, but it still has the catchiness of that song, something which Cool lacked. I like the beat here and the instrumentation is pretty good. Lyrically, it’s much better written than that of Cool and after hearing Only Human in its entirety, that one ended up only getting worse in part because I find the lyrics kinda offensive. I like the vocals we get from Nick Jonas as well. He shows that he has a good voice even though it isn’t particularly amazing. Yeah, this is enjoyable and I wouldn’t mind it sticking around.

– Last but not least, we have more of Ed Sheeran and he collaborates with Khalid in their single off of No. 6 Collaborations Project, by the name of Beautiful People. I’ve been kinda mixed on his latest album for the most part. I don’t think the song gets anywhere near the height of BLOW, which is easily the best song off of the album. But Beautiful People is still enjoyable in every way. It’s a lot better than Cross Me, which was simply not good. I like the beat and Ed sounds great here. Khalid makes a nice contribution as well. The chemistry between the two artists is there and it shows in the song. Yeah, I definitely like this and I do hope it has some success like its predecessor which has hit #1 this week, and I’ll get to in just a bit.

Best Debut Of The Week: Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid

Blurbin’ On A Trampoline
– On the note of exits, I didn’t really care for Wake Up that much. But it was a lot better than Sicko Mode. Chlorine was just a disappointment considering TWENTY ØNE PILØTS have had better in the past, but they did release The Hype which is an improvement. And Look Back At It I did kinda like for the most part, but I knew it wouldn’t last long given that it had been out for a while and the AT40 was late on picking this up.

– I Don’t Care gets the nod at #1, which doesn’t surprise me at all considering it’s from two big name artists (Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber). But it’s not all that great for me honestly. It may be catchy, but I feel like it lacks something that makes it stand out. I’ll give it to them that it’s better than the last two #1 songs that we’ve had this past month.

– I much prefer to have either If I Can’t Have You or Bad Guy at #1. To me, those are really the only great songs in the Top 5 at this moment. One of those songs deserve to spend some time at the top spot.

– To some people’s distaste, Truth Hurts makes its way into the Top 10 this week. I feel like this song is too overhated. Even though it’s not as good as Juice, I still kinda like it overall. I’m glad Lizzo is getting a hit. She deserves it.

– I would love for Never Really Over to enter the Top 10 soon. It’s definitely an amazing comeback single for Katy Perry and I feel it should be having more success than what it is ultimately getting right now.

– It was really only a matter of time until Goodbyes would make a massive jump this week. I already know it’s going to be here for a while. And that’s fine with me because I’m slightly growing into the song.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• The Git Up by Blanco Brown
• Mother’s Daughter by Miley Cyrus
• Hate Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Locked Out Of Heaven by Bruno Mars
• What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
• God’s Plan by Drake
• I Like Me Better by Lauv
• Please Me by Cardi B featuring Bruno Mars
• Attention by Charlie Puth
• Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
• ME! by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie
• Lean On by Major Lazer featuring DJ Snake and MØ
• The Hills by The Weeknd
• All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA
• How Long by Charlie Puth
• Stay by Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock
19. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

1 – Bad:
18. Cool by Jonas Brothers
17. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer
16. Wow. by Post Malone
15. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift

2 – Mediocre:
14. Talk by Khalid

3 – Decent:
13. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber
12. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
11. Nightmare by Halsey
10. Suckr by Jonas Brothers
9. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco
8. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
7. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
6. Speechless by Dan + Shay
5. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
4. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith
3. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Never Really Over by Katy Perry

Total Score: 68/100 = 68% (D+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey featuring Boyz II Men (1995)

Most Missed Song: Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: BLOW by Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Never Really Over by Katy Perry
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
3. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
4. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
5. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
2. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande
3. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG
4. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII
5. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Nevermind by Dennis Lloyd: Eh, it’s not really special. I like the groove, but the repetition gets boring after a while.
In My Feelings by Drake: Already talked about this one in my previous post. It just didn’t click with me and I much prefer some of his other singles off of Scorpion.
I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha: The title of the song speaks for itself. Between the grating guitars, no momentum from Bebe’s verses, and her voice being heavily drowned in auto tune, everything about the song is a mess, literally.

Hello, fam! Remember when I said that this countdown post was going to be delayed until Tuesday? Well, there’s been a sudden change of plans. Turns out, I’ll be super busy all next week with some other stuff and what not. Thus, I’d rather get this posted now than have it done later, because I don’t want to fall behind on my posts again. Anyway, I went to a concert this weekend to see The Isley Brothers. I watched them perform live and they were honestly just amazing. It was a really good experience. Now, I’m going to give out a reminder that I’ve extended the deadline for the 2012 Billboard Year-End Rankdown. You now have until August 31 to send me your submissions. I’ll be looking forward to that day. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired (#43)
• Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored (#45)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love
45. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (#37) [–8]
44. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#44) [=]
43. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#39) [–4]
42. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#42) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
41. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (#41) [=]
40. P!NK – Walk Me Home (#34) [–6]
39. Bazzi – Paradise (#28) [–11]
38. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#40) [+2]
37. Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days (#26) [–11]
36. Push Baby – Mama’s House (#38) [+2]
35. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#36) [+1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
34. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#35) [+1] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
33. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#32) [–1]
32. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#29) [–3]
31. Blanco Brown – The Git Up (#33) [+2]
30. P!NK – Hustle (#27) [–3]
29. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#14) [–15]
28. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#25) [–3]
27. Halsey – Without Me (#22) [–5] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
26. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#23) [–3]
25. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#31) [+6]
24. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#30) [+6]
23. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (DEBUT)
22. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#20) [–2]
21. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine (DEBUT)
20. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (#10) [–10]
19. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#19) [=]
18. Andy Grammer – Don’t Give Up On Me (#21) [+3]
17. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#17) [=]
16. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#12) [–4]
15. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#18) [+3]
14. Ava Max – So Am I (#24) [+10]
13. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#11) [–2]
12. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#16) [+4]
11. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#15) [+4]
10. Khalid – Talk (#13) [+3]
9. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#8) [–1]
8. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#4) [–4]
7. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#7) [=]
6. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (#9) [+3]
5. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#2) [–3] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
4. Halsey – Nightmare (#6) [+2]
3. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#5) [+2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#3) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Taylor Swift – Delicate (2^nd of 3 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (–15)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Ava Max – So Am I (+10)

New Entrants:
– Okay, let’s review the two new songs debuting higher this week. First up is the return of Post Malone not long after the departure of Wow. with his brand new single titled Goodbyes. It seems like Hits 1 is starting to fall in love with Post Malone recently, what with them picking up his latest music. Now, I’m still pretty mixed on Post Malone’s music. On one hand, he has some bad songs (e.g. Psycho). But on the flip side, he’s also had some good as well (e.g. Better Now). As for his latest single, my opinion kinda lands somewhere in the middle. Looking into the song, it’s supposed to be about wanting to say goodbye to someone. But at the same time, they still want them around, which we can all relate to. I think Post sounds good in the chorus and I like the verses. I’m not a big fan of Young Thug’s verse. Hits 1 did edit it out, which doesn’t exactly change my thoughts on the song. I can see this growing on me with time.

– We get yet another song from the The Chainsmokers and it’s with Bebe Rexha in Call You Mine. I’ve talked about this one before. It doesn’t exactly live up to their previous singles. I was close to loving Call You Mine. But the drop kinda killed the potential, mainly because it’s a rehash of the one used in Closer and This Feeling (both of which are my two favorite songs from them). I like Bebe’s voice here. I think she sounds good here, which is why the song is good vocally. But it’s really not all that special. I’ve had an interesting relationship when it comes to their music overall. Back when Roses became their first huge hit, I stood up to those guys because I thought they were unique in every way. Closer and Something Just Like This really showed me their potential as an EDM duo. Like I said, those songs, along with This Feeling, are huge favorites of mine even to this day. Call You Mine doesn’t really live up to that. Despite this, it’s actually closer to green. I think I might like this more.

Best Debut Of The Week: The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine

So I Blurb You Mine
Normally, I would begin with the exits. But there’s a certain topic I want to touch on first. Just a fair warning: you might not like what you’re about to read.

– Old Town Road has tied the record for most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it looks destined to break the record next week, surpassing the ones held by both One Sweet Day and more recently, Despacito (with Justin Bieber). I’m going to be straight up and simply say that I’m not very thrilled by this at all. I’ve made it no secret that I didn’t like the song from the beginning and you’ve seen me put it as my least favorite song on the countdown for each week it was still here (up until last week, when my thoughts have kinda changed on the song, but still). And no, I don’t say that because I’m older and I have more knowledge in music. I have my reasons, but I can’t pinpoint them right now. I’m going to make this loud and clear in case I haven’t already. There’s no doubt that One Sweet Day is easily the best out of those three and it’s not up for debate. That song is iconic and inspirational. Old Town Road is just a meme song with virtually no meaning and came out of nowhere for some reason that unbeknownst to me. It’s a shame that this is the song that’ll break the record. Again, One Sweet Day is the best out of those three songs that spent 16 weeks at #1. I know I’m tired of having to defend my opinions all the time. But at the end of the day, this is how I feel right now. I’m going to stop right there for now because I feel like it’s not worth a discussion at this time.

So yeah. That’s my topic I wanted to discuss for this week.

– Anyway, now let’s talk about our two exits, and good riddance to both of them. I’m So Tired thankfully did not last too long here. Lauv has mostly been a miss when it comes to his music and that song was no different compared to what he’s had before. And Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored was terrible. That song also showed how much Ariana has evolved for the worse and I’m extremely disappointed to say this about her considering she’s talented. Yeah, neither of those exits will be missed. NEXT!

– Speaking of Ariana Grande, it’s nice to see 7 Rings back into the Bottom 5 after that unnecessary jump last week. I don’t know who still supports this. But I guess since it’s still on some charts, I’m not surprised to see this one still here.

– Not too thrilled to see Summer Days falling big this week. Of course, this comes after I started to absolutely enjoy the song. Lovely. Meanwhile, Paradise also took a big fall as well. That song didn’t exactly appeal to me the same way Mine did. So, I’m okay with this not blowing up elsewhere.

– Before introducing The Git Up, Spyder Harrison told his story about him doing some line dancing. I wonder what kind of dance moves you’ve got there, Spyder? Maybe he should teach me so I can learn.

– Ouch! Sweet But Psycho has taken a massive drop this week after spending a seemingly long time in the Top 20. This may finally be the end of the road for this one. I’m glad it was a success elsewhere.

– Before introducing You Need To Calm Down, Spyder Harrison mentioned about the movie Cats, which comes out in December, and Taylor Swift is in it. I’ll bet she’s looking forward to it. I’m interested to see how it turns out. Some cool stuff that I’ll hopefully look at!

– As one song from Ava Max falls, another comes to take its place. So Am I enters the Top 20 this week. Seriously, am I the only one who seems to like it? It appears that people here don’t really like it, in part because it sounds so similar to its predecessor. Oh well.

– Before introducing Bad Guy, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Billie Eilish has started to do some modeling. With her popularity soaring, it’s not all that surprising to me. That said, I do hope Bad Guy hits #1 on the American Top 40 soon!

– Someone You Loved took a small drop out of the Top 5 this week, which I’m cool with since I’m not too fond of the song vocally, though it doesn’t infuriate me like some here.

– Before introducing Hey Look Ma, I Made It, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Brendon Urie would rather live stream on Twitch than take a tour. Apparently, he just obsessed with playing Fortnite. Heh, I get into video games as well, but not as much as I used to.

– I figured Who Do You Love would stay at #1, considering Hits 1 still loves The Chainsmokers and 5 Seconds Of Summer. But I much prefer If I Can’t Have You back at #1, or Hey Look Ma, I Made It. I’ll take Nightmare even those many will disagree. I’ll even take Sucker for its 14^th Week at #1. I’m just hoping Who Do You Love doesn’t stay up there for too long given that I’m starting to grow out of the song.

Hit-Bound:

• SHAED – Trampoline
• Stephen Puth – Look Away
• Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter
• Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (DEBUT)
• AJR – 100 Bad Days
• Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me
• Asher Angel – One Thought Away
• Zara Larsson – All The Time
• Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW (DEBUT)
• OneRepublic – Rescue Me
• Jonas Brothers – Only Human
• Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder (DEBUT)
• Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again
• Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
• Dominic Fike – 3 Nights

Entrant Reviews:
– Up first, we have more of Sam Smith with his new single titled How Do You Sleep?. I was pretty underwhelmed by the song when I first heard it. His voice is okay. But the production is what ruins the song. I’m not feeling the beat here and I don’t like the drop. I have it in blue. But unlike Call You Mine, it’s much closer to red than it is green.

– Ed Sheeran replaces himself this week with a more superior song from No. 6 Collaborations Project, titled BLOW. I talked about this one in full detail when it was trending on the YouTube 15 a couple weeks back. To briefly recap, I love the rock vibe here and the chemistry between the three artists is just awesome. I do hope it ends up making its debut.

– Hits 1 finally picks up a song from Jax Jones. Here, he collaborates with Bebe Rexha in Harder. I talked about this one on the YouTube 15 last week. The drop here is a little weird and I’m not exactly feeling the rest of the song outside of Bebe’s voice, which I think is good. But other than that, it’s not exactly doing it for me. Then again, that’s based on my initial reaction. My thoughts may change with more listens.

Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. AJR – 100 Bad Days

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
14. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights
13. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?

3 – Decent:
12. Asher Angel – One Thought Away
11. Stephen Puth – Look Away
10. Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder
9. Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
8. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me
7. Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter
6. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
5. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
4. SHAED – Trampoline
3. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
2. Zara Larsson – All The Time

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW

Overall Grade: 57/75 = 76% (C)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Little Mix – Shout Out To My Ex

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW
2. Zara Larsson – All The Time
3. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
4. SHAED – Trampoline
5. OneRepublic – Rescue Me

YouTube 15:

• Lizzo – Truth Hurts
• Alan Walker featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko – On My Way
• Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA
• Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
• Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
• Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
• NCT 127 – Highway To Heaven
• Khalid – Talk
• Ed Sheeran featuring Travis Scott – Antisocial
• Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
• Charli XCX featuring Christine And The Queens – Gone
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
• Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
• Hayley Kiyoko – I Wish

Song Reviews:
– We have more of Alec Benjamin, this time with Jesus In LA. My thought process is pretty much the same as it was when Let Me Down Slowly first came around. There’s not a whole lot to the production outside of the guitar and Alec doesn’t exactly sound good here. Yeah, not really digging this one. Let’s move on.

– Next, we have another K-Pop boy band making an appearance on the YouTube 15. The group, NCT 127 give us their new single titled Highway To Heaven. I’m actually starting to realize how good K-Pop music can be sometimes. I’m in love with this one. The production is just amazing and I really like the beat here. These guys have good vocals and they show it in the chorus. Their verses flow very nicely. Yeah, this is some good stuff. I highly recommend it!

– Following that, we have more of Charli XCX and this time she collaborates with Christine And The Queens in their new single, Gone. I like this one a fair amount. It kinda reminds me of 1999 in a way. Charli and Christine both sound decent with their vocals and I like the beat here. Not much else I can say beyond that.

– Lastly, we have Hayley Kiyoko with I Wish. I feel like the song should be better. I kinda like the beat, but her voice doesn’t exactly do it for me. Yeah, I’m not exactly loving this one.

YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
14. Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar

1 – Bad:
13. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down

2 – Mediocre:
12. Khalid – Talk
11. Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA

3 – Decent:
10. Alan Walker featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko – On My Way
9. Ed Sheeran featuring Travis Scott – Antisocial
8. Hayley Kiyoko – I Wish

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
7. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
6. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
5. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
4. Charli XCX featuring Christine And The Queens – Gone
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
2. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. NCT 127 – Highway To Heaven

Overall Grade: 51/75 = 68% (D+)

Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Louis Berry – Stumbling

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. NCT 127 – Highway To Heaven
2. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
4. Charli XCX featuring Christine And The Queens – Gone
5. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)

1 – Bad:
19. Jonas Brothers – Cool
18. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
17. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down

2 – Mediocre:
16. Khalid – Talk
15. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved

3 – Decent:
13. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care
12. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love
11. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other

4 – Good:
11. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime
10. Jonas Brothers – Sucker

5 – Great:
9. Halsey – Nightmare
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
7. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me 
6. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
5. Ava Max – So Am I
4. Andy Grammer – Don’t Give Up On Me
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
2. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Katy Perry – Never Really Over

Overall Grade: 70/100 = 70% (C–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: The Isley Brothers – That Lady (1973)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Ed Sheeran – The A Team

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Jumpsuit (#21) and Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#19)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
2. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
3. Dan + Shay – Speechless
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
5. Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
2. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
3. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
4. Push Baby – Mama’s House
5. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies: Taken from the Love, Simon movie soundtrack, this song became their biggest hit up to that point. The chemistry between the two artists works well and I like the lyrics. Yeah, it’s something that I enjoyed even though it gained momentum later on in 2018.
Drake – In My Feelings: Again, I have nothing against Drake. But this song just didn’t click with me. I like his voice here, but there’s nothing to the production. So yeah, not a big fan.
Imagine Dragons – Natural: The song pretty much came out of nowhere, especially for these guys coming off of Evolve. Everything about it works well here, and I like how Dan can hit those high notes. It’s a shame that this, along with Bad Liar, are really the only good singles off of the mess that is of Origins.

Hello, fam! This week, I’ve decided to extend the deadline for my 2012 Billboard Year-End Rankdown. You will now have until August 31 to send me your submissions. Those of you who have not send me your rankings need to get to work as soon as possible. Also, I’m still in the process of working on my Q&A post. I’ll try to get it ready within the next couple of weeks. That’s something I’ll be looking forward to. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• ME! by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie (#33)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Talk by Khalid
40. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#39) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
39. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (DEBUT)
38. Close To Me Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#37) [–1]
37. Look Back At It by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (#40) [+3]
36. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#35) [–1]
35. Paradise by Bazzi (#38) [+3]
34. Summer Days by Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump (#36) [+2]
33. Better by Khalid (#31) [–2]
32. Chlorine by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS (#34) [+2]
31. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#29) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
30. Find U Again by Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello (#30) [=]
29. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#32) [+3]
28. Wake Up by Travis Scott featuring The Weeknd (#25) [–3]
27. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#27) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
26. Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (#28) [+2]
25. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII (#26) [+1]
24. Just Us by DJ Khaled featuring SZA (#23) [–1]
23. Without Me by Halsey (#24) [+1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
22. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande (#21) [–1]
21. Speechless by Dan + Shay (#22) [+1]
20. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#19) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
19. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG (#20) [+1]
18. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#15) [–3]
17. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#17) [+1]
16. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#18) [+2]
15. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock (#14) [–1]
14. Nightmare by Halsey (#13) [–1]
13. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#17) [+4]
12. Cool by Jonas Brothers (#10) [–2]
11. Never Really Over by Katy Perry (#11) [=]
10. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (#12) [+2]
9. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#9) [=]
8. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#8) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
7. Wow. by Post Malone (#6) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
6. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#7) [+1]
5. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#5) [=]
4. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#3) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
3. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#4) [+1]
2. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#2) [=]
1. Talk by Khalid (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (1^st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between Wake Up by Travis Scott featuring The Weeknd and Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (–3)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Truth Hurts by Lizzo (+4)

New Entrants:
– We get more of Post Malone once again with his latest single titled Goodbyes, which features Young Thug, who as you can recall was involved his biggest hit of his career when he collaborated with Camila in Havana. Like most of his music, my initial reaction isn’t exactly the best. Some of his singles took time to get into (e.g. Sunflower) and some I find to be outright bad (e.g. Psycho). As far as his new song goes…I’m kinda split on this one. Basically, this is a story of wanting to say goodbye. But at the same time, he’s wanting to keep someone around, which we can relate to. I like the chorus for the most part and Post sounds good with his voice. But I’m not huge on Young Thug’s contribution here. I feel like he sounds high-pitched and not necessarily giving his best effort. This may grow on me and I might like this with time and more listens. I think this has a very good chance of becoming another hit for Post Malone. We’ll see how far it ultimately goes.

I’m No Good At Blurbs
– Obviously, the big story this week is the departure of ME!. It was really only a matter of time until the song would leave seeing as it’s virtually died out elsewhere. It was catchy even though I didn’t exactly love the lyrics. Taylor Swift did release another single from Lover titled The Archer. I’m interested to see what her album has in store.

– So, not much really happened this week outside of You Need To Calm Down entering the Top 10, which I’m not too thrilled about. Hopefully, it doesn’t end up sticking around for too long. But you never really know what happens for sure.

– Like Spyder Harrison did last week, Ryan Seacrest also mentioned that Panic! At The Disco wanted to collaborate with the band Green Day. That would indeed be a dream come true. It’s been a while since I’ve heard from them. I hope to hear new music from them someday.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
• Only Human by Jonas Brothers
• Trampoline by SHAED
• Mother’s Daughter by Miley Cyrus

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
• Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara
• Walk Me Home by P!NK
• I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
• Talk Dirty by Jason Derulo featuring 2 Chainz
• Better Now by Post Malone
• Sorry by Justin Bieber
• All My Friends by AJ Mitchell
• Chandelier by Sia
• Natural by Imagine Dragons
• So Close by NOTD, Felix Jaehn, & Captain Cuts featuring Georgia Ku
• One More Night by Maroon 5

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
19. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG
18. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock
17. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

1 – Bad:
16. Cool by Jonas Brothers
15. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer
14. Wow. by Post Malone
13. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift


2 – Mediocre:
12. Talk by Khalid

3 – Decent:
11. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber

4 – Good:
10. Sucker by Jonas Brothers

5 – Great:
9. Nightmare by Halsey
8. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco
7. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
6. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
5. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
4. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith
3. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Never Really Over by Katy Perry

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Smooth by Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999)

Most Missed Song: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: BLOW by Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Backstreet Boys (#18) and One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Never Really Over by Katy Perry
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
3. Speechless by Dan + Shay
4. Summer Days by Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump
5. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
2. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande
3. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG
4. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII
5. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Lie by NF: A step up from Let You Down. I think the song shows that he can be a good songwriter and a good rapper. That’s all I’ll have to say about this one.

Hello, fam! We’re closing in on the month of August. I feel like summer is going by very quickly. Fall will be here before you know it. I’m sure this was the week that many here were not expecting. A lot of things happened on this week’s countdown, and that includes a rather unexpected (in a way) new #1. I’ll have more on that in just a bit. There are no songs leaving the countdown this week, so let’s get right to it!

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
45. Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored (#35) [–10]
44. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#44) [=]
43. Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired… (#43) [=]
42. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#42) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
41. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (#41) [=]
40. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#31) [–9]
39. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#39) [=]
38. Push Baby – Mama’s House (#40) [+2]
37. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (#45) [+8]
36. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#34) [–2] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
35. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#37) [+2] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
34. P!NK – Walk Me Home (#29) [–5]
33. Blanco Brown – The Git Up (#32) [–1]
32. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#36) [+4]
31. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#25) [–6]
30. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#33) [+3]
29. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#28) [–1]
28. Bazzi – Paradise (#23) [–5]
27. P!NK – Hustle (#38) [+11]
26. Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days (#30) [+4]
25. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#15) [–10]
24. Ava Max – So Am I (#20) [–4]
23. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#27) [+4]
22. Halsey – Without Me (#12) [–10] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
21. Andy Grammer – Don’t Give Up On Me (#24) [+3]
20. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#21) [+1]
19. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#10) [–9]
18. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#16) [–2]
17. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#22) [+5]
16. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#18) [+2]
15. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#8) [–7]
14. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#13) [–1]
13. Khalid – Talk (#6) [–7]
12. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#9) [–3]
11. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#11) [=]
10. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (#26) [+16]
9. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (#5) [–4]
8. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#14) [+6]
7. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#17) [+10]
6. Halsey – Nightmare (#4) [–2]
5. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#1) [–4] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
4. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#19) [+15]
3. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#7) [+4] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#3) [+1] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
1. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#2) [+1] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (2^nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Tie between Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored, Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME!, and Halsey – Without Me (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (+16)

Blurb Hurts
– Yes, you’re reading it correctly. I’m So Tired is now my new least favorite song on the countdown. I may have said Old Town Road was annoying in general and I still kinda stand by that. But this song feels more like an unfinished product more than anything else and I don’t know what I was thinking when I didn’t put it in orange. I give Lil Nas X the benefit of the doubt here because even though that song is not good, at least he’s not drowned in auto-tune. Lauv just sounds terrible and Troye isn’t much help either. Thankfully, it appears that song will be leaving very soon.

– Before introducing High Hopes, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Panic! At The Disco would love to collaborate with Green Day someday. That sounds very interesting. We haven’t heard from Green Day in a while. Maybe we’ll hear new music from them soon.

– Three songs all took big drops this week. But apparently, Spyder Harrison made a mistake once again as they were not announced as the “Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week”. Better wake up, Spyder and stay focused!

– Looks like I may have spoken too soon about Señorita being in the Top 5 as it has taken a dip down to #15. I guess the voters realized that one week in the Top 10 was too much, especially since it debuted way too high at #8.

– Hits 1’s love for Panic! At The Disco continues as it makes a massive jump all the way to #10 this week. I wonder do they have eyes on another #1? Hmm…we’ll have to just wait and see!

– We have two unwelcome entrants into the Top 10 this week. I’ve gotten used to Old Town Road being here and becoming an annoyance. As far as Easier goes, I know my thoughts on the song have changed over the course of this past month. But the song showed me that it lacks a band and it is underwhelming for the most part. Yeah, not thrilled about seeing that in the Top 10. 

– I’m also not too thrilled about Someone You Loved entering the Top 5 with that big jump. I don’t hate this unlike many people here. But I just don’t like his voice overall in this one. I guess it could be worse, though.

– Which brings us to our new #1 song. Who Do You Love has been here for what seems to be forever and has just now reached the top spot. I’ve would been happy with this maybe about a couple months ago. Now, I’m kinda starting to get over that song. I much prefer to have If I Can’t Have You back at #1. But Hits 1 can be weird sometimes, so we never know how long Who Do You Love can stay at #1.

Hit-Bound:

• Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me
• OneRepublic – Rescue Me
• Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again
• Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter
• Asher Angel – One Thought Away
• The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
• Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes
• Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
• Jonas Brothers – Only Human
• AJR – 100 Bad Days
• Dominic Fike – 3 Nights
• Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock – Cross Me
• Zara Larsson – All The Time (DEBUT)
• Stephen Puth – Look Away
• SHAED – Trampoline
• Bryce Vine – La La Land (DEBUT)

Entrant Reviews:
– Up first is the return of Zara Larsson with her latest single titled All The Time. I think this is a little bit of a step up from Ruin My Life earlier this year, which was solid. I like the beat here and she sounds better with her voice. I do hope to see it on the countdown soon.

– Next is the return of Bryce Vine with La La Land. Fortunately, Hits 1 did edit out the verse from YG. But this is still asinine in pretty much every way. Bryce’s voice isn’t very good and I’m not feeling the production. The lyrics are not good, either. That’s all I’m going to say about this one.

Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Zara Larsson – All The Time

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
16. Bryce Vine – La La Land
15. AJR – 100 Bad Days
14. Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock – Cross Me

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
13. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights

3 – Decent:
12. Stephen Puth – Look Away
11. Asher Angel – One Thought Away
10. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes
9. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine

4 – Good:
8. Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again

5 – Great:
7. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me
6. Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter
5. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
4. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
3. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
2. Zara Larsson – All The Time

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. SHAED – Trampoline

Overall Grade: 54/80 = 68% (D+)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut To The Feeling

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. SHAED – Trampoline
2. Zara Larsson – All The Time
3. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
4. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
5. OneRepublic – Rescue Me

YouTube 15:

• Billie Eilish featuring Justin Bieber – Bad Guy (Remix)
• Ali Gatie – It’s You
• Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
• Khalid – Talk
• Surfaces – Sunday Best
• Halsey – Nightmare
• Nicki Minaj – MEGATRON
• Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
• Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
• Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
• Alan Walker featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko – On My Way
• Lizzo – Truth Hurts
• Ed Sheeran featuring Travis Scott – Antisocial

Song Reviews:
– To start things off, we have more of Jax Jones. This time, he brings along Bebe Rexha for his new single titled Harder. I was juggling between blue and green for this one, and I decided to go with the former. Production is underwhelming and a little too weird. I like Bebe’s voice here, though. Not bad, but Jax Jones has had better.

– Next, we have a unknown group named Surfaces with Sunday Best. There’s not a lot that seriously worth caring about. I don’t like their voice and the rest of the song is underwhelming, and not in a good way. Yeah, I’m not sold on this one. NEXT!

– We have more of Becky G and she collaborates with Myke Towers in Dollar. Yeah, I can’t say I’m loving this one either. Everything about this one is weak all around and both artists don’t have good chemistry here. I’d rather listen to her 2014 hit, Shower, than this underwhelming song. NEXT!

– Finally, we have more of Ed Sheeran with another single from his latest album, titled Antisocial. This is a step up from Cross Me, but it’s not exactly saying much. Production is decent here, but I don’t really like everything else about it. Yeah, I much prefer BLOW over this one. Sorry.

YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
14. Becky G featuring My Towers – Dollar

1 – Bad:
13. Surfaces – Sunday Best
12. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down

2 – Mediocre:
11. Khalid – Talk
10. Ed Sheeran featuring Travis Scott – Antisocial

3 – Decent:
9. Alan Walker featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko – On My Way
8. Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder
7. Ali Gatie – It’s You

4 – Good:
6. Halsey – Nightmare

5 – Great:
5. Nicki Minaj – MEGATRON
4. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
3. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
2. Billie Eilish featuring Justin Bieber – Bad Guy (Remix)

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

Overall Grade: 45/75 = 60% (D–)

Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Steve Aoki featuring Lauren Jauregui – All Night

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
2. Billie Eilish featuring Justin Bieber – Bad Guy (Remix)
3. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
4. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
5. Nicki Minaj – MEGATRON

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. MAX featuring Quinn XCII –  Love Me Less
19. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)

1 – Bad:
18. Jonas Brothers – Cool
17. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
16. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down

2 – Mediocre:
15. Khalid – Talk
14. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved

3 – Decent:
13. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other
12. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care
11. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love

4 – Good:
10. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
9. Halsey – Nightmare
8. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime

5 – Great:
7. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
6. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me 
5. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
4. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
2. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
1. Katy Perry – Never Really Over

Overall Grade: 63/100 = 63% (D+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Linkin Park – In The End (2001) (Two years since Chester Bennington passed.)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Linkin Park – One More Light

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Cheryl – Let You

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Jumpsuit (#29) and Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (#18)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days
2. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
3. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
4. Dan + Shay – Speechless
5. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired…
2. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
3. Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored
4. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
5. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
MNEK featuring Hailee Steinfeld – Colour: This is pretty good for the most part. I like the chemistry between these two. It’s not memorable, but I do like what it has to offer.
Post Malone – Better Now: A step up from his two predecessors which I disliked. But if it’s anything, I much prefer to listen to Sunflower, which is easily the best song he’s put out.
Madison Beer – Home With You: Not special by any means, but I do like what the song is going for. Madison made a nice first impression here.
TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Jumpsuit: Ah yes, the big comeback single from these guys. Although this never became a massive hit, everything about this song works well. This song is probably one of the my favorites from them.

Hello, fam! I feel like summer is going by too quickly. Normally, this would be the point where the summer lull would start to set in. But this week’s countdown doesn’t really reflect that as there were a lot of interesting moves. In addition, Ryan Seacrest is back on the job this week after a while. I’m working on my Q&A post and I should have it out before the month ends. We’ll see what ends up happening. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

• All My Friends by AJ Mitchell (#23)
• Walk Me Home by P!NK (#27)
• So Close by NOTD, Felix Jaehn, & Captain Cuts featuring Georgia Ku (#35)
• Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Talk by Khalid
40. Look Back At It by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (DEBUT)
39. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#37) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
38. Paradise by Bazzi (DEBUT)
37. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo (#34) [–3]
36. Summer Days by Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump (DEBUT)
35. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#32) [–3]
34. Chlorine by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS (#38) [+4]
33. ME! by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie (#12) [–21]
32. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (DEBUT)
31. Better by Khalid (#30) [–1]
30. Find U Again by Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello (#39) [+9]
29. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#28) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
28. Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (#36) [+8]
27. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#25) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
26. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII (#33) [+7]
25. Wake Up by Travis Scott featuring The Weeknd (#29) [+4]
24. Without Me by Halsey (#20) [–4] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
23. Just Us by DJ Khaled featuring SZA (#31) [+8]
22. Speechless by Dan + Shay (#24) [+2]
21. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande (#17) [–4]
20. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG (#21) [+1]
19. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#16) [–3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
18. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#26) [+8]
17. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#19) [+2]
16. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#18) [+2]
15. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#11) [–4]
14. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock (#15) [+1]
13. Nightmare by Halsey (#14) [+1]
12. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (#22) [+10]
11. Never Really Over by Katy Perry (#13) [+2]
10. Cool by Jonas Brothers (#10) [=]
9. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#5) [–4]
8. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#7) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
7. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#9) [+2]
6. Wow. by Post Malone (#3) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
5. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#8) [+3]
4. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#6) [+2]
3. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#2) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
2. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#4) [+2]
1. Talk by Khalid (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Mine by Bazzi (1^st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: ME! by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie (–21)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (+10)

New Entrants:
– To start things off in our new round of arrivals, we have A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie with Look Back At It. The American Top 40 has been late to the party when it comes to picking this song up, seeing as it has been out for a while. Coming into the song, I wasn’t really expecting much. But after hearing it, I was actually impressed a little. I kinda like his voice here for the most part. Although I do question the lyrics, the production here is decent, mainly because of the dark atmosphere. Overall, this is pretty good, but I doubt this’ll stick with me in the big picture.

– Up next, Bazzi makes his return with his latest single titled Paradise. Unlike some people here in the blogging community, I actually did like what Bazzi had to offer in Mine (which was the #1 song this time last year as you can see) and some other singles from Cosmic. As for his new single…I can say I was a little underwhelmed. The first verse is a little weird, at least for me. The rest of the song is okay, both in terms of the production and his vocal performance. Looking deeper into the song, I actually found out that it’s about a feeling and not a place, which I can say does make sense to some degree when people really analyze it. Overall, I’m not necessarily a big fan and I much prefer his singles from Cosmic.

– Martin Garrix also makes his return, and he’s teamed up with Macklemore and Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump in their new single titled Summer Days. Now, Martin Garrix is an EDM artist that’s isn’t relevant in mainstream music. But he does have good songs as his disposal, such as In The Name Love, which was a huge favorite back in 2016. His new song is very different compared to what he’s done in the past, and it’s pretty cool. I love the groove here and I think he put together some form of art as a producer. I like the verses we get from Macklemore and Patrick Stump. The chorus is awesome when combined with the groove I just mentioned and I like the drop as well. This is a good song that’ll give people summery vibes.

– Finally, we get a newcomer in the form of Lewis Capaldi (a Scottish native) with a song that’s been around for a while, titled Someone You Loved. Unlike a good number of people in the blogging community, I don’t really hate the song. But there’s not a whole lot this song has to offer. I like the piano here and the first thirty or so seconds of the song. But I’m not huge on his voice. It sounds like he’s screeching and trying so hard to hit those high notes, which essentially bought the song down for me. The lyrics are okay, but I think it’s lacking in depth in some places. Yeah, this is simply mediocre mainly because his voice. But it’s not the worst thing I’ve heard.

Best Debut Of The Week: Summer Days by Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump

Blurb Back At It
– We’ll begin with our exits. To start, Youngblood finally makes its departure after a year of being on the countdown. So Close leaving wasn’t much of a surprise, and I’m okay with it. All My Friends was pretty good and I like what AJ Mitchell had to offer. But it was nothing for me to feel sad about. Finally, there’s Walk Me Home, which I kinda liked even though it wasn’t her best work. But I didn’t quite envision it dropping a little early. It looks like we won’t be getting anymore songs from P!NK on this countdown for a while.

– As expected, ME! takes a massive fall from #12 all the way down to #31. Yeah, this is very likely the end of the road for this one. It was only a month ago that this one was in the Top 10 and looked destined to take the #1 spot. But now? It has lost all of its momentum elsewhere.

– Can we not with Love Me Less gaining steam? This has been getting worse every time I hear it. I hope this doesn’t become a hit elsewhere because the last thing we need is this song to become the next Lights Down Low.

– It was only a matter of time until Señorita made its way into the Top 20. I already know it’s going to be here for a long while. I’m cool with this being tied the highest-peaking single on Billboard from Shawn Mendes.

– And we have Easier hanging around in the Top 20. I know my thoughts on the song have changed quickly. But like Love Me Less, I’m finding that there’s nothing about the song that’s seriously worth caring about. There’s no band here nor is there any melody. This is not as good as their other singles they’ve had recently.

– As one song from Taylor Swift drops big, another comes to take its place. You Need To Calm Down makes its unwelcome arrival to the Top 20. This song also doesn’t really have much to offer other than the concept itself. I do have a feeling that it may not last very long either. I hope I’m right.

– We get quite a fresh chance of pace in the Top 5 as two new songs enter the region this week. If I Can’t Have You and Bad Guy are both good songs that I still enjoy. I do hope to see one of them take the top spot pretty soon.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Trampoline by SHAED
• Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug
• Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
• Mother’s Daughter by Miley Cyrus

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Who Do You Love by The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer
• Cold Water by Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber and MØ
• Habits by Tove Lo
• Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
• When The Party’s Over by Billie Eilish
• We Found Love by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
• The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
• Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
• I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin
• Stressed Out by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
• Con Calma by Daddy Yankee & Katy Perry featuring Snow
• Hotline Bling by Drake
• No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
19. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG
18. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock
17. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

1 – Bad:
16. Cool by Jonas Brothers
15. Wow. by Post Malone
14. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift
13. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer

2 – Mediocre:
12. Talk by Khalid

3 – Decent:
11. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber

4 – Good:
10. Sucker by Jonas Brothers

5 – Great:
9. Nightmare by Halsey
8. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco
7. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
6. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
5. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
4. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith
3. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Never Really Over by Katy Perry

Total Score: 59/100 = 59% (F) (Not good.  :()

Throwback Pick Of The Week: In The End by Linkin Park (2001) (Two years since Chester Bennington passed)

Most Missed Song: Airplanes by B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: BLOW by Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa (#11)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Never Really Over by Katy Perry
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
3. Speechless by Dan + Shay
4. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
5. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
2. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande
3. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG
4. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock
5. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Let You Be Right by Meghan Trainor: A step up from No Excuses. The production works well here and I like her voice. Shame this didn’t become a success.
Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine: Sorry Bryce, but you didn’t make a good first impression here. If I was the actress herself, I probably would not take it kindly.
Remind Me To Forget by Kygo featuring Miguel: This is basically It Ain’t Me 2.0, although not quite as good. It shows how talented Kygo is as an EDM producer. It’s a shame that he’s not getting the success he deserves in the US.

Hello, fam! I’m currently working on my Q&A post as part of my 200,000 Pageview Special. I do hope to have it out within the next few weeks. You can still ask me questions on any topic, whether it’s music-related or anything else. Right here is the link to send me your questions. I’ll be happy to answer them. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Ciara – Thinkin Bout You (#27)
• Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend (#34)*
• NOTD, Felix Jaehn, & Captain Cuts featuring Georgia Ku – So Close (#37)
• Post Malone – Wow. (#41)
• Billie Eilish – When The Party’s Over (#45)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
45. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (#44) [–1]
44. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#43) [–1]
43. Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired… (#42) [–1]
42. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#40) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
41. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (#25) [–16]
40. Push Baby – Mama’s House (#38) [–2]
39. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#39) [=]
38. P!NK – Hustle (DEBUT)
37. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#33) [–4] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
36. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (DEBUT)
35. Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored (#31) [–4]
34. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#35) [+1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
33. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#28) [–5]
32. Blanco Brown – The Git Up (DEBUT)
31. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#18) [–13]
30. Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days (#23) [–7]
29. P!NK – Walk Me Home (#28) [=]
28. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#21) [–7]
27. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#26) [–1]
26. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (#24) [–2]
25. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (DEBUT)
24. Andy Grammer – Don’t Give Up On Me (#32) [+8]
23. Bazzi – Paradise (#36) [+13]
22. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#17) [–5]
21. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#30) [+9]
20. Ava Max – So Am I (#19) [–1]
19. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#20) [+1]
18. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#22) [+4]
17. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#10) [–7]
16. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#16) [=]
15. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#6) [–9]
14. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#14) [=]
13. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#8) [–5]
12. Halsey – Without Me (#12) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
11. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#13) [+2]
10. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#15) [+5]
9. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#11) [+2]
8. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (DEBUT)
7. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#9) [+2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
6. Khalid – Talk (#7) [+1]
5. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (#5) [=]
4. Halsey – Nightmare (#2) [–2]
3. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#4) [+1] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
2. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#3) [+1]
1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (1^st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (–16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Bazzi – Paradise (+13)

New Entrants:
– To kick off our new round of arrivals, we have more of P!NK with her latest single from Hurts 2B Human, in the form of Hustle. I personally think that there are much better songs from the album. But this is still pretty good overall. I like the instrumentation here and P!NK sounds good with her vocals, especially when she sings the chorus. Looking into the song, it talks about not wanting to be messed with. I guess P!NK has turned herself into a tough girl, heh. Anyway, my thought process was the same when Walk Me Home came around. We’ll see if it sticks with me.

– Next, we have the band named PUBLIC with a song that’s actually been around since 2014. It’s called Make You Mine. I like what the song is going for here. Their vocals are pretty good and I like the production. I don’t have too much else to say about it. Overall, I think this is pretty good. I hope it can stick around for a little while.

– Having country cross-over hits are becoming a trend this year as Old Town Road has been a major success, and it looks destined to break the record for most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, something which I don’t want. But I won’t get into that right now. Instead, I’ll talk about another country cross-over hit that’s on the rise. It’s from Blanco Brown and he brings us The Git Up. I will say that it’s better than Old Town Road in a way mainly because it has more of a country vibe. I’m not exactly huge on his voice overall, but at least he sounds slightly better than Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. Yeah, this is okay for now. My opinion may change.

– Not long after the departure of Juice, we get more of Lizzo with Truth Hurts. Believe it or not, the song has been around for about two years now. I did fell in love with this when I first listened to it. But my thoughts have kinda changed a little bit. I kinda like her voice for the most part, but the trap beat just doesn’t mesh well with her voice. I prefer if she had something along the lines of Juice, which had a disco-throwback feel. I’m kinda happy she’s getting success, though. But that song may not stick with me in the long run.

– So, Shawn Mendes has been going more Latin ever since the release of There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, which remains to this day as a huge favorite of mine. This is further proven as he gives us his latest single with Camila Cabello titled Señorita, which makes its big debut all the way to #8. With that, the song now has its second highest debut in Hits 1 Weekend Countdown history, which was held by Jonas Brothers – Cool just a few weeks ago. Dang! This year has seen many songs debuting much higher on this countdown. There are rumors going around that these two are dating. And from what I’ve heard, it looks like they are. But anyway, onto the song. It incorporates many Latin elements, such as the guitar and some other instruments. I like the chemistry between the two artists. Shawn sounds better here than Camila. The song is about being in a relationship. The lyrical content and the music video perfectly describes the song. It’s better than I Know What You Did Last Summer in most ways. Yeah, I’m digging this one overall. I have a feeling it’s going to be here for a long while, and I’m rooting for its success.

Best Debut Of The Week: Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita

I Love It When You Call Me Blurborita
– We’ll begin with our exits. To start, it’s about time Post Malone – Wow. dropped out of the countdown. I could never get into the song for some reason. I was losing interest in So Close, but it was better than its predecessor. And dang, I didn’t really expect Thinkin Bout You to leave from a relatively high position! I thought it might hang around for at least a few more weeks. But I guess according to Hits 1 logic, a few weeks was too much. Finally, we say goodbye to two songs from Billie Eilish: When The Party’s Over and Bury A Friend, the latter which was not announced by Spyder for some reason. Apparently, either he made a mistake there or he didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that Billie Eilish had a bad week 😛 (something which another certain act is about to have).

– Spyder Harrison made the mistake during the introduction of Here With Me that it was down 2 to #9. Big mistake there, Spyder. That song did not jump last week. You better stop daydreaming about Mary Jane or whatever’s on your mind and wake up. 😛

– Some good things happened this week. In the Top 10, we get the entry from Never Really Over! This is definitely pleasing. But even more pleasing is the fact that it replaced Old Town Road, which made a scary jump into the Top 10 last week. I don’t care what anyone says. And no, I don’t say that because I love Katy Perry, either. Everything about the song is just spot on. Hopefully, it keeps up its momentum.

– Sweet But Psycho finally took a drop out of the Top 10. I’m sure some here are happy about it, mainly because “it’s overplayed”, etc. I mean, seriously. I know people are going to attack me for this, but I don’t blame overplay at all like some others do. I still love Sweet But Psycho, and I loved it when it first came out. I’m glad it was a success.

– As I just mentioned, another certain act has had a bad week, also. Taylor Swift has ME! dropping out of the Top 10, meaning its shot at #1 is effectively over. That song has virtually lost momentum elsewhere and it is on a free-fall. I still love the song, but not as much as I used to. Then, there’s You Need To Calm Down which also dropped this week. That one is just underwhelming overall, especially since she’s had much better.

– I knew Love Me Less would makes a quick comeback. In fact, it jumped the exact same number of spots it dropped last week. Like I said, I really don’t see anything about the song that’s seriously worth caring about, and it’s slightly been getting worse with each listen. It needs to start moving back down at the very least.

– Paradise is making a comeback after not doing very much the first few weeks, though I have a feeling it may not last very long. The song’s not that memorable for the most part. I prefer to hear something along the lines of Mine. But I guess some people think differently.

– It appears as though the life of Bad Liar is beginning to die out. It seems like yesterday when Imagine Dragons first made their comeback with Believer two years ago. Need I should point out that they’ve been on the countdown since then. Now, we’ll see how long Bad Liar sticks around.

– Dancing With A Stranger dropping big was not pleasing. But at the same time, it’s not a surprise given that the song’s momentum has finally stalled. Again, I do not blame overplay like some other still do. I still enjoy the song no matter what. It had a nice run while it lasted.

Hit-Bound:

• Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter
• Stephen Puth – Look Away (DEBUT)
• Dominic Fike – 3 Nights (DEBUT)
• Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock – Cross Me
• SHAED – Trampoline
• Jonas Brothers – Only Human (DEBUT)
• Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me (DEBUT)
• AJR – 100 Bad Days
• Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again
• Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (DEBUT)
• Asher Angel featuring Wiz Khalifa – One Thought Away
• Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her (DEBUT)
• The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
• OneRepublic – Rescue Me
• In Real Life – Crazy AF

Entrant Reviews:
– While we wait on Charlie Puth to release new music, his brother Stephen Puth has a new single in its stead, titled Look Away. Right from the jump, this is definitely not as good as its predecessor. I much prefer his deeper voice in Sexual Vibe over his voice in Look Away. I do like the guitar for the most part, so I’ll give him that. This is okay, but not what I was hoping for.

– Next, we have Florida native and newcomer Dominic Fike with his song called 3 Nights. I don’t really see much in this one that’s seriously worth caring about. There’s no melody here. His voice is underwhelming for the most part and the instrumentation is mediocre. It might grow on me, but I doubt it somehow.

– We have more of the Jonas Brothers with their new single from Happiness Begins, in the form of Only Human. The production is cute and I like their vocals quite a bit. I’ll save most of my words for when it inevitably debuts.

– Immediately following that, we have Ellie Goulding who collaborates with Juice WRLD in her latest single titled Hate Me. I talked about this one when it was trending on the YouTube 15 last week. Objectively, the production is better than Close To Me. I kinda like Juice WRLD’s verses here and Ellie sounds nice. This is nowhere near her best work, but it’s still pretty good.

– As one song from Post Malone leaves the countdown, another is looking to take its place. Enter Goodbyes, his latest single which features Young Thug. I find this one to be better than Wow., but not as good as Sunflower. So, this song kinda lands in the middle for me. I like his voice and I think the beat is pretty decent. The only thing that concerns me is Young Thug’s verse, which I find to be a little grating. Still, not a bad song.

– It’s about time Hits 1 picked up a song from Thomas Rhett. Last year, he had Marry Me which despite being a hit on Billboard, never made it to Hits 1. That one was a huge favorite among YouTube critics and myself. This week, he brings us Look What God Gave Her. I like what it has to offer and he proves that he is a talented singer. While it’s not as good as Marry Me, it’s still enjoyable. I do hope to see it on the countdown soon.

Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock – Cross Me

1 – Bad:
14. AJR – 100 Bad Days

2 – Mediocre:
13. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights
12. In Real Life – Crazy AF

3 – Decent:
11. Stephen Puth – Look Away
10. Asher Angel featuring Wiz Khalifa – One Thought Away
9. Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again
8. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
6. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me
5. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
4. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
3. Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter
2. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. SHAED – Trampoline

Overall Grade: 51/75 = 68% (D+)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Steve Aoki & Boehm featuring Walk The Moon – Back 2 U

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. SHAED – Trampoline
2. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
3. Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter
4. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
5. OneRepublic – Rescue Me

YouTube 15:

• Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
• Alan Walker featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko – On My Way
• Dermot Kennedy – Outnumbered
• Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
• Nicki Minaj – MEGATRON
• Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
• Jaafar Jackson – Got Me Singing
• Halsey – Nightmare
• Ali Gatie – It’s You
• Post Malone – Wow.
• Runaway June – Buy My Own Drinks
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
• Khalid – Talk
• Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW

Song Reviews:
– To start things off, we have Irish native Dermot Kennedy with his single titled Outnumbered. I can’t say I care for this one too much. Looking into the song, it tells us one is overwhelmed and needs somebody to comfort that person, which people can relate to. The acoustic guitar is nice, but the trap beat comes in and it kinda ruins the song. Acoustic guitars and trap beats don’t mix well. I’m not exactly feeling his voice. This is okay, but it could’ve been better.

– Next is the son of Jermaine Jackson, named Jaafar Jackson. He brings us Got Me Singing. This feels like a little under-produced song as a whole that’s not exactly exciting. It doesn’t have very much to offer outside of some nice elements, and I find his voice to be okay. I personally think he has potential, but the song doesn’t exactly do it for me.

– Oh, look. We have more country music in the fold. This time, a country girl group Runaway June give us Buy My Own Drinks. To put it short, it’s one of the better country songs at the moment, though it’s not nearly as good as a certain song I won’t mention. They have good vocals and I like the lyrical content. That’s all I have to say about this one.

– I’ve kept my thoughts quiet about this next song until it showed up on the YouTube 15 this week. Ed Sheeran has recently released his latest album titled No.6 Collaborations Project. One of those songs that I’ll talk about is the collaboration between Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars in BLOW. I’m not going to mince words here: I was pretty mixed of his first two singles he released prior to the album. I Don’t Care is decent, but I didn’t like Cross Me. The latter just didn’t feel like Ed Sheeran to me. But BLOW is something much different, and in a good way. I love the rock feel and it reminded me of some of the classic rock music I grew up with. The chemistry between those three is just excellent. In fact, they all sound great in the chorus. I like the guitar solo in every way. This is just a powerful track and I can consider it to be the best off of the album.

YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)

1 – Bad:
14. Post Malone – Wow.
13. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down

2 – Mediocre:
12. Khalid – Talk
11. Jaafar Jackson – Got Me Singing

3 – Decent:
10. Dermont Kennedy – Outnumbered
9. Alan Walker featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko – On My Way

4 – Good:
8. Ali Gatie – It’s You

5 – Great:
7. Nicki Minaj – MEGATRON
6. Halsey – Nightmare
5. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
3. Runaway June – Buy My Own Drinks
2. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW

Overall Grade: 52/75 = 69% (D+)

Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Nick Jonas featuring Anne-Marie and Mike Posner – Remember I Told You

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW
2. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
3. Runaway June – Buy My Own Drinks
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
5. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)

1 – Bad:
19. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
18. Jonas Brothers – Cool

2 – Mediocre:
17. Khalid – Talk
16. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
15. Halsey – Without Me

3 – Decent:
14. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other
13. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care
12. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love

4 – Good:
11. Jonas Brothers – Sucker

5 – Great:
10. Halsey – Nightmare
9. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
8. Ava Max – So Am I
7. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me 
6. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME!
5. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
4. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
TIE: 1. Katy Perry – Never Really Over

Overall Grade: 73/100 = 73% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Toto – Africa (1982)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Harry Styles – Sign Of The Times

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#8)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
TIE: 1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
3. Dan + Shay – Speechless
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
5. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
2. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
3. Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired…
4. Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored
5. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Alessia Cara – Growing Pains: It was nice to see Alessia come back with this single, which just so happens to be one of the few good songs off The Pains Of Growing. I like the production here and her vocals are great. Too bad this never had the same popularity as her previous singles.
Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones: Easily a masterpiece off of MANIA. ‘Nuff said. Oh, and I should mention that their music video resembles that of Kayne West’s Flashing Lights. That’s probably where they got that idea from.
Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart: Ah yes, the big comeback single from these guys. Everything about this just works to perfection. And I think this did well on Hits 1 because, “OMG, Backstreet Boys are back!”

Hello, fam! This is the third week in a row in which we have a guest host, only this time with Ava Max filling in for Ryan Seacrest. As for the countdown itself, it was pretty meh. We have a new #1 which isn’t all that exciting. But at least we’re finally getting some competition for the top spot, so that’s something I guess. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• When The Party’s Over by Billie Eilish (#16)
• Con Calma by Daddy Yankee & Katy Perry featuring Snow (#22)
• Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#37) [Spent 1 Week At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Wow. by Post Malone
40. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#39) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
39. Find U Again by Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello (DEBUT)
38. Chlorine by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS (#40) [+2]
37. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#35) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
36. Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (#38) [+2]
35. So Close by NOTD, Felix Jaehn, and Captain Cuts featuring Georgia Ku (#36) [+1]
34. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#33) [–1]
33. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII (#34) [+1]
32. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#31) [–1]
31. Just Us by DJ Khaled featuring SZA (#32) [+1]
30. Better by Khalid (#29) [–1]
29. Wake Up by Travis Scott featuring The Weeknd (#30) [+1]
28. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#27) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
27. Walk Me Home by P!NK (#28) [+1]
26. Senorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (DEBUT)
25. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#25) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
24. Speechless by Dan + Shay (#26) [+2]
23. All My Friends by AJ Mitchell (#24) [+1]
22. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (DEBUT)
21. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG (#21) [=]
20. Without Me by Halsey (#20) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
19. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#23) [+4]
18. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#19) [+1]
17. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande (#13) [–4]
16. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#15) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
15. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock (#18) [+3]
14. Nightmare by Halsey (#14) [=]
13. Never Really Over by Katy Perry (#17) [+4]
12. ME! by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie (#7) [–5]
11. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#8) [–3]
10. Cool by Jonas Brothers (#12) [+2]
9. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#11) [+2]
8. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#9) [+1]
7. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#5) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
6. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#10) [+4]
5. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#4) [–1]
4. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#6) [+2]
3. Wow. by Post Malone (#1) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
2. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#2) [=] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
1. Talk by Khalid (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (4^th And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: ME! by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie (–5)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Never Really Over by Katy Perry and Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (+4)

New Entrants:
– We have three new songs entering the countdown this weekend. Kicking things off is the return of Camila Cabello in the first of two songs she appears in. Here, she collaborates with Mark Ronson in Find U Again. Earlier this year, Mark Ronson gave us Nothing Breaks Like A Heart, which featured Miley Cyrus. That one was amazing. I can’t really say that about Find U Again, in part because of Camila. I’m not huge on her vocal performance in the song. But the production is decent here. This may grow on me with more listens, so it’s possible that my opinion may change. We’ll see.

– Up next, Camila Cabello collaborates with another artist in this next single. This time, it’s with Shawn Mendes in Senorita. Last time, they worked together in I Know What You Did Last Summer, and during that time they rose to popularity. It appears that they may be dating again, as I’ve heard the news about them wanting to get back to together. But anyway, I find this song to be better than that of I Know What You Did Last Summer. I definitely like the Latin vibe here and their vocals mesh well together in the chorus. I’ll have more on this in the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown post this weekend. But yeah, this is a nice song all around.

– With ME! falling off a cliff, it was only a matter of time until Taylor Swift’s next single would make an appearance. She brings us You Need To Calm Down. I explained this song in full detail in my previous posts. But to sum it all up, I’m not a fan. Taylor sounds underwhelming in the chorus and the beat is not interesting for the most part. I do like the lyrical content and I get what the song is going for. The music video is nicely done. But I feel that the song itself was executed rather poorly in terms of her vocal performance and the production itself. Overall, this is not good and probably my first song I legitimately dislike from Taylor Swift. I’m still looking forward to what Lover brings us. Hopefully, her future singles won’t sound similar to this one.

Best Debut Of The Week: Senorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello

Baby, I Know I’ll Never Blurb U Again
– In terms of our exits this week, When The Party’s Over left from a high position, which was expected since that one has died down in favor of Bad Guy. Con Calma was destined to leave and it’s pretty sad since I like the song. Daddy Yankee is likely a one-hit wonder, I’m afraid. And finally, Thank U, Next was due to leave for some time. Though I did kinda liked the song, this was actually the first sign of Ariana Grande beginning to sell out. But I just didn’t realize it at the time given that I was still excited for her new album back then, only to be very disappointed in the end.

– This is the second week in a row in which we have a new #1. But it’s not what I was hoping for, unfortunately. Talk is just weak for Khalid’s standards, mainly because the production doesn’t mesh well with his voice. It’s pretty disappointing that it’s his highest peaking single on the Billboard Hot 100, especially since he’s had better (no pun intended).

– The Top 5 entry from I Don’t Care was expected. But I’m not all that wild about it either. Sure, it’s pretty decent and I’m slightly growing back into this. But I think it lacks something to make it memorable. That’s just my opinion. I won’t be too disappointed if it ended up at #1.

– Turns out, Hey Look Ma, I Made It is doing the exact same thing High Hopes did when it entered the AT40. It’s gaining popularity outside of Hits 1 now. I can’t be certain if it’ll end up hitting #1 here as well. But it would be nice if it did. I loved the song when it first came out and I still do now. I’m glad it’s finally catching on, even if it’s nearly a year old.

– Then, there’s Cool making it’s unwelcome entry into the Top 10. Not ideal, since the song doesn’t offer much of anything. Though, it’s finally starting to lose momentum, so I won’t get too concerned.

– This is likely the beginning of the end for ME! as it is now out of the Top 10. It has pretty much died out elsewhere right now. I still love the song (though not quite as much as I used to), but I’m not too sad about it even if it leaves soon. But if anything, I prefer this over her latest single.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Summer Days by Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump
• Paradise by Bazzi
• Look Back At It by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
• Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Umbrella by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z
• Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean
• Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
• Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars
• Tik Tok by Kesha
• Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus
• Whatever You Like by T.I.
• Lose Yourself by Eminem
• Toxic by Britney Spears
• Time Of Our Lives by Pitbull featirng Ne-Yo
• SexyBack by Justin Timberlake
• Part Of Me by Katy Perry

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
19. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
18. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande
17. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock

1 – Bad:
16. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer
15. Cool by Jonas Brothers
14. Wow. by Post Malone

2 – Mediocre:
13. Talk by Khalid
12. Without Me by Halsey

3 – Decent:
11. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber

4 – Good:
10. Sucker by Jonas Brothers

5 – Great:
9. Nightmare by Halsey
8. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco
7. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
6. ME! by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie
5. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
4. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith
3. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Never Really Over by Katy Perry

Total Score: 60/100 = 60% (D–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: My Girl by The Temptations (1965)

Most Missed Song: The A Team by Ed Sheeran

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Higher Love by Kygo featuring Whitney Houston

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#3)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Never Really Over by Katy Perry
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
3. Speechless by Dan + Shay
4. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
5. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
2. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
3. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG
4. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande
5. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Bed by Nicki Minaj featuring Ariana Grande: This is more of snooze-fest with a dull premise and both of these artists don’t have good chemistry here. I much prefer something along the lines of Side To Side and Bang Bang.
Dinero by Jennifer Lopez featuring DJ Khaled and Cardi B: One of Jennifer Lopez’s weakest singles. I’m not feeling the lyrics here. That, coupled with her lack of personality in the song, makes this an unpleasant listen.
Home With You by Madison Beer: This is pretty solid, especially for a newcomer in Madison Beer. I like the beat and her vocals are good. Not necessarily a stand-out, but it’s better than Hurts Like Hell.
Growing Pains by Alessia Cara: Not quite as good as Here and some earlier singles. But it’s still enjoyable, because I love the beat and Alessia sounds great in the chorus. Too bad this didn’t become the hit I wanted it to be.

Hello, fam! Today, I am doing a new Top 10 from another artist who I adore since I was a kid: Christina Aguilera! She has been relevant ever since the start of the century. Her voice is just fantastic and I love the way she can hit those high notes. The effort she puts into her songwriting is just incredible. Simply put, she is a talented singer and a great songwriter as well. Even though her birthday isn’t until December, I feel like now is still a good time for me to countdown some of my favorite songs from her. So with that, I’m ready to begin. Here are my Top 10 favorite songs from Christina Aguilera:

10. I Turn To You (from Christina Aguilera)

9. Ain’t No Other Man (from Back To Basics)

8. Fall In Line (featuring Demi Lovato) (from Liberation)

7. Hurt (from Back To Basics)

6. Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) (from Christina Aguilera)

5. Say Something (featuring A Great Big World) (from Is There Anybody Out There?)

4. Fighter (from Stripped)

3. What A Girl Wants (from Christina Aguilera)

2. Genie In A Bottle (from Christina Aguilera)

1. Beautiful (from Stripped)

And so, those are my personal favorite songs from Christina Aguilera. What is your favorite song from her? Just let me know. As always, I like to see what you guys think of the list I put together. Again, thank you all for taking the time to read this. I hope everyone has a good day!

Hello, fam! Welcome to the second half of 2019. I feel like this year has gone by pretty fast. In fact, we’re one step closer to the new decade. It won’t be much longer until it rolls around. So yeah, that’s something I’ll be looking forward to. Again, I want to remind everyone that the 2012 Billboard Year-End Rankdown is still happening. You have until the end of this month to submit your rankings. If I have to, I’ll extend the deadline. So with that, let’s begin the second half of 2019! Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Jordan McGraw – Flexible (#44)

Hello, fam! Welcome to the second half of 2019. I hope you all had a good 4th of July weekend! I just want to remind everyone that the 2012 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 rankdown is still happening. You have until the end of this month to send me your submissions. More details are right here, as well as the link to submit your rankings. It’s likely that I’ll extend the deadline. We’ll see. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#37)
• Medicine by Jennifer Lopez featuring French Montana (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Sucker by Jonas Brothers
40. Chlorine by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS (DEBUT)
39. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#39) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
38. Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (DEBUT)
37. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#32) [–5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
36. So Close by NOTD, Felix Jaehn, & Captain Cuts featuring Georgia Ku (#36) [=]
35. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#34) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
34. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII (#38) [+4]
33. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#30) [–3]
32. Just Us by DJ Khaled featuring SZA (#35) [+3]
31. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#28) [–3]
30. Wake Up by Travis Scott featuring The Weeknd (#31) [+1]
29. Better by Khalid (#26) [–3]
28. Walk Me Home by P!NK (#29) [+1]
27. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#24) [–3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
26. Speechless by Dan + Shay (#33) [+7]
25. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#22) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
24. All My Friends by AJ Mitchell (#27) [+3]
23. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#25) [+2]
22. Con Calma by Daddy Yankee & Katy Perry featuring Snow (#19) [–3]
21. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG (#23) [+2]
20. Without Me by Halsey (#16) [–4] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
19. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#20) [+1]
18. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock (#18) [=]
17. Never Really Over by Katy Perry (#21) [+4]
16. When The Party’s Over by Billie Eilish (#17) [+1]
15. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#12) [–3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
14. Nightmare by Halsey (#15) [+1]
13. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande (#11) [–2]
12. Cool by Jonas Brothers (#14) [+2]
11. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#13) [+2]
10. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#10) [=]
9. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#9) [=]
8. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#6) [–2]
7. ME! by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie (#8) [+1]
6. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#7) [+1]
5. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#3) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
4. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#4) [=]
3. Talk by Khalid (#5) [+2]
2. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#1) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
1. Wow. by Post Malone (#2) [+1] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (3^rd of 4 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (–5)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Speechless by Dan + Shay (+7)

New Entrants:
– We have two entrants this week. Up first is the return of TWENTY ØNE PILØTS with Chlorine. Now these guys have impressed me with their music for the most part. But I feel like Chlorine is one of their weakest singles. I don’t really hate the song, but it’s just not interesting to me. Tyler Joseph sounds okay, but I’m not exactly feeling the chorus. I just find it underwhelming. So yeah, this is mediocre. But if anything, I rather hear this than Legend, which is bad all around.

– The Chainsmokers are back once again, and they collaborate with Bebe Rexha in Call You Mine. Personally, I think this is inferior compared to songs like This Feeling and Closer. It’s basically a attempt to recreate those songs, but I think it falls short of that. I like Bebe’s voice here. She shows that she is a talented singer, especially when hearing the chorus. But I’m not feeling the drop here, which kinda affected my overall thoughts on the song. I feel like these guys have done better. This may grow on me, but I’m not all that impressed for now. It’s good vocally, but the production kills the potential.

Best Debut Of The Week: Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha

So I Blurb You Mine
– It’s about time we said goodbye to Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake. That song was not good at all and I’ll probably never get the appeal for this. Medicine, on the other hand, I did love and it was one of the best songs Jennifer Lopez has put out. But I knew it wouldn’t last long. In fact, this only lasted one week, making it the shortest-tenured song of the year on the AT40.

– So, we get a new #1 song this week and it comes from Post Malone with Wow.. I’m not wild about it being up there. I personally think Sunflower is better, yet that one didn’t end up going to #1. Wow. is just underwhelming. Oh well.

– Talk has reached a new peak which I’m not excited about, either. I’m sure this is going to be our next #1, and that bugs me since it’s not good. The weird production just doesn’t fit well with Khalid’s voice. But that’s just me.

– ME! is still hanging around in the Top 10. I highly doubt this’ll end up getting any higher since it has started to free-fall elsewhere. I don’t quite love it as much when it was brand new, so I’m not totally sad about it. But honestly, I was expecting this to be a #1 hit on this countdown. I guess not.

– Speechless made a nice jump this week into the Top 30. It’s nice to see the song gain at least some steam. I guess the remix with Tori Kelly might’ve helped fuel the momentum after all. We’ll see how long it lasts.

– This week marks one year since Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer made its debut. So, Happy Anniversary to this song! It feels like we’ve been getting a lot of those lately.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Summer Days by Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump
• Find U Again by Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello
• Paradise by Bazzi
• You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift
• Look Back At It by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Just A Dream by Nelly
• Don’t Give Up On Me by Andy Grammer
• Good For You by Selena Gomez featuring A$AP Rocky
• Boy With Luv by BTS featuring Halsey
• Here With Me by Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES
• Airplanes by B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams
• Honey, I’m Good by Andy Grammer
• Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo
• Super Bass by Nicki Minaj
• Down by Jay Sean featuring Lil’ Wayne
• Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
19. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
18. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande
17. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock

1 – Bad:
16. Cool by Jonas Brothers
15. Wow. by Post Malone
14. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer

2 – Mediocre:
13. Talk by Khalid
12. Without Me by Halsey

3 – Decent:
11. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber

4 – Good:
10. Sucker by Jonas Brothers

5 – Great:
9. Nightmare by Halsey
8. When The Party’s Over by Billie Eilish
7. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco
6. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
5. ME! by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie
4. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith
3. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
2. Never Really Over by Katy Perry

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes

Total Score: 60/100 = 60% (D–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Alone by Heart (1987)

Most Missed Song: A Sky Full Of Stars by Coldplay

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Higher Love by Kygo featuring Whitney Houston

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#4)

My Top 5 Picks
1. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
2. Never Really Over by Katy Perry
3. Speechless by Dan + Shay
4. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
5. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
2. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
3. La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG
4. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande
5. Cross Me by Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Move To Miami by Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull: This is pretty cool, even though these guys have done better in the past. The Latin vibe pulls me in.
Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer: I much prefer Jet Black Heart, which is easily their best single. But this is still solid all around. I’m glad this song helped them have a huge hit through the course of 2018.