AT40: Ariana Grande (2) – Week Of November 17, 2018

/ dhill92 / 4 Comments

What’s up, guys? I don’t have a whole lot to say for my introduction. I’ve been struggling to try and come up with something interesting lately. What I can say however, is that I’m going to start working on my Q&A post this weekend. It should be coming within the next week or so, hopefully before Thanksgiving. Anyway, this was quite another eventful week on the American Top 40. We did rid of two songs that were not worthy of my time, though there is still plenty of garbage we need to clean up. Though that might not come until the beginning of next year, but we’re making progress. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

  • Taste by Tyga featuring Offset (#25)
  • Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#40) [Spent 5 Weeks At #1] 

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
40. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (DEBUT)
39. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#38) [–1]
38. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#13) [–25]
37. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#36) [–1]
36. Song About You by Mike Posner (#39) [+3]
35. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#34) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
34. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#35) [+1]
33. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#32) [–1]
32. Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper (#37) [+5]
31. Mine by Bazzi (#29) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
30. Don’t Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson (#31) [+1]
29. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#30) [+1]
28. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#27) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
27. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (DEBUT)
26. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#33) [+7]
25. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#22) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
24. Thunderclouds by LSD (#28) [+4]
23. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#24) [+1]
22. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#26) [+4]
21. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#19) [–2]
20. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone (#16) [–4]
19. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#17) [–2]
18. Without Me by Halsey (#23) [+5]
17. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (#20) [+3]
16. Broken by lovelytheband (#18) [+2]
15. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#15) [=]
14. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#21) [+7]
13. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#5) [–8]
12. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#10) [–2]
11. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#11) [=]
10. Eastside by Benny Blano featuring Halsey and Khalid (#12) [+2]
9. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#14) [+5]
8. Lie by NF (#9) [+1]
7. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#8) [+1]
6. Better Now by Post Malone (#4) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#7) [+2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#6) [+2]
3. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#3) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#2) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#1) [=] [2nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (2nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (–25)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Consequences by Camila Cabello and High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (+7)

New Entrants
– Our first of two new songs making its debut this week comes from a new EDM duo by the name of Loud Luxury and vocalist brando with their single titled Body. I’ve been hearing this song quite a bit on the radio and I do think it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s one of those songs that I can’t really explain why I lean towards that way. Sure, brando’s voice is a little underwhelming. But at the same time, there’s something about it that pulls me in. I do like the bassline in the song, which I think is the reason why I feel this way. To put it short, I’m fine with this. It probably won’t stick around for long, though.

– We have more Post Malone once again, and this time he teams up with Swae Lee in Sunflower, taken from the Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse movie soundtrack, which comes out next month. Now, I can say that I’ve slightly grown into the song. I remember first hearing it and saying that I initially didn’t like it. But after a couple of listens, I’ve gotten around to it. I do think the vocals are decent. But I feel like the production is a little generic and it’s underwhelming in some parts of the song. Although it’s in blue for now, it’s not really that far off from being red again.

Best Debut Of The Week: Body by Loud Luxury featuring brando

Believe It Or Not, I’m Blurbing On Air
– It’s about time we bid adieu to two songs this week. Never Be The Same was long overdue, and Taste I was never fond of from the start. NEXT!

– Good to see No Brainer taking a massive drop down 25 spots (Yes, 25 spots) out of the Top 20 all the way down to the Bottom 5. If I’m correct, this is the biggest drop in the history of the American Top 40 since…I don’t know how long.

– Before introducing Electricity, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that when Dua Lipa writes music, it feels like she’s writing from her diary. I guess she has a diary of her own which is why she came up with the idea to make a song.

– Before introducing Without Me, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Halsey that while recording the song, she actually cried during a recording session of the song. Of course, the song is about her relationship with G-Eazy. So I’m not surprised by her emotion when working on the song. It kinda leaves me feeling sad in some ways.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

  • Be Alright by Dean Lewis
  • Better by Khalid
  • Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara 

Extras/Optional Extras:

  • Africa by Weezer
  • 7 Years by Lukas Graham
  • Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
  • Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
  • Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter
  • All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor
  • The Way I Am by Charlie Puth
  • Goodbye by Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William
  • Cold Water by Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber and MØ
  • All Night by Big Boi
  • Photograph by Ed Sheeran 


Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
19. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

1 – Bad:
18. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine
17. Without Me by Halsey

2 – Mediocre:
16. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
15. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
14. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Post Malone and Preme
13. Broken by lovelytheband

5 – Great:
12. Back To You by Selena Gomez 
11. Lie by NF
10. Better Now by Post Malone
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
3. Natural by Imagine Dragons
2. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 

Total Score: 76/100 = 76% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Believe It Or Not by Joey Scarbury (1981)

Most Missed Song: Something Better by Audien featuring Lady Antebellum

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha (#9)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
TIE: 1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
4. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
5. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
4. Thunderclouds by LSD
5. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
He Like That by Fifth Harmony: I may not care too much about Fifth Harmony nowadays after the departure of Camila. Although I do like the latin-based vibe and the vocals, it’s not something memorable in the long run.
Faking It by Calvin Harris featuring Kehlani and Lil’ Yatchy: Although I do prefer his two predecessors from that year, I do like what the song has to offer. All of the artist do well with their verses. It deserved better success than what it had.

Marshmello & Bastille (1) – Week Of November 10, 2018

/ dhill92 / 3 Comments

What’s up, guys? Welcome to the Veteran’s Day edition of the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. As far as this week went, it was pretty bad. There were quite a few things that did go right and some others…well, not so much. But we did get some activity on Hit-Bound with one big debut. I’ll have more on that later on. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

  • Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#41)
  • Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#44)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Imagine Dragons – Natural
45. NF – Lie (#45) [=]
44. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#42) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
43. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (#39) [–4]
42. George Ezra – Shotgun (#28) [–14]
41. Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone – Jackie Chan (#35) [–6]

40. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#34) [–6] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
39. Kim Petras – Heart To Break (#23) [–16]
38. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#30) [–8] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
37. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore (#25) [–12]
36. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#36) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
35. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams (#43) [+8]
34. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – My Blood (#38) [+4]
33. LSD – Thunderclouds (#21) [–12]
32. Alex Aiono – Big Mistake (DEBUT)
31. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#27) [–4]
30. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#33) [+3] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
29. Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (DEBUT)
28. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#32) [+4]
27. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#26) [–1]
26. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#20) [–6]
25. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body (#37) [+12]
24. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (#15) [–9]
23. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#12) [–11]
22. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#40) [+18]
21. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#17) [–4]
20. Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free (#31) [+11]
19. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (#24) [+5]
18. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (#29) [+11]
17. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#18) [+1]
16. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#16) [=]
15. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#22) [+7]
14. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#19) [+5]
13. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You (#13) [=]
12. Halsey – Without Me (#14) [+2]
11. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#8) [–3]
10. lovelytheband – Broken (#11) [+1]
9. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#9) [=]
8. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#1) [–7] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#6) [–1]
6. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#5) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#7) [+2]
4. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#10) [+6]
3. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#3) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#2) [=] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
1. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#4) [+3] [1st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (1st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Kim Petras – Heart To Break (–16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (+18)

New Entrants
– We have two new songs making their arrival to this week’s countdown. First, there’s a new artist named Alex Aiono who makes his first appearance on the countdown, with Big Mistake. I first heard this on the YouTube 15 and I did a brief review on the song. To sum it up, there’s a lot I like about the song as a whole. It talks about not being in love anymore and admitting it was a mistake. Alex impresses me with his vocals. He proves that he is capable of being a good singer. There’s quite a bit going on in terms of the production and the instrumentation. I’m really liking this song right now. Hopefully it sticks around.

– Replacing herself on the countdown this week, Ariana Grande has her next single off of Sweetener titled Breathin’. Ariana is one of the few artists nowadays that almost impresses me with her music on a consistent basis. And no, I do not stan nor am I a fangirl. I don’t use that reason as to why I like her so much. I like her simply because she has a excellent voice overall. Breathin’ is no different. To put it short, this is just a jam. Every aspect of the song is just divine from the top down bottom up. Ariana has a great voice and she uses it very well here. Looking deeper into the song, I find that it’s basically about anxiety. She did an interview with Jimmy Fallon and talked about it in detail. She had said that when she was writing the song, it felt like she couldn’t breathe. I get that feeling sometimes, especially when I’m trying to write a story and a lot of ideas are just popping up in my mind. Putting that aside, it’s easily the best single off of Sweetener. And even though she just released her lead single off of her new album (and I’ll have more on it in just a bit), this one is gaining momentum elsewhere. Thus, it looks destined to become another hit for Ariana, and I’m looking forward to that.

Best Debut Of The Week: Ariana Grande – Breathin’

Blurbin’ On A Prayer
– So we had two exits this week. First off, I’m very sad that we had to say goodbye to Happy Now just two weeks after it spend some time in the Top 10. While I’m sure almost everyone here will be celebrating the departure of the song, I’m going to do the exact opposite. I do have an very unpopular opinion when it comes to the song, but Happy Now was just absolutely amazing to me. Even though it never became the huge hit I wanted it to be, I still enjoyed every bit of the song when it came on the radio. I really love Elley Duhé’s voice and I find her to be a great singer overall. I would LOVE to hear more from her again. As for No Tears Left To Cry, I can say that it was a favorite of mine as well. It was not surprising to see it as big as it was. While I’m sure some people are happy about it as well, I’m not one of them.

– Too bad songs like Shotgun and Heart To Break took big drops this week. It looks like they weren’t meant to be huge hits after all. They won’t be much longer with us, unfortunately.

– On the flip side, Body Talks would of course get it’s second week jump, and a big one at that. I don’t expect it to last long either, but it’s nice to see it gain a little momentum here.

– Before introducing Shallow, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Lady Gaga is secretly a gamer. Who would’ve known one of the biggest stars of this decade has a passion for video games? I’ll bet she owns all kinds of home consoles. I wonder what other games could she add to her collection?

– So, I just recently found out that the music video for Lost In Japan is very similar to that of the movie Lost In Translation. Shawn Mendes does the majority of the scenes actor Bill Murray does. I guess Shawn wanted to get creative a little bit with the music video. I don’t know whose idea it was, but it sure was a clever one.

– Did we really need I’m A Mess back in the Top 5?!?! How about NO! But apparently Hits 1 seems to have a thing for Bebe Rexha, despite that the song is extremely mediocre. It’s a shame that her other singles (outside of her predecessor, of course) didn’t get this far.

– Though I’m A Mess isn’t #1, I’m not wild about Happier being up there. I can definitely understand why people like it. As someone who fell in love with Wolves, it’s just not really all that good to me. But if anything, I’ll certainly take this over its predecessor any day.

Hit-Bound:

  • Camila Cabello – Consequences
  • TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
  • Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me
  • Imagine Dragons – Machine (DEBUT)
  • Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
  • 5 Seconds Of Summer – Killer Queen
  • Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way
  • Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
  • Olly Murs – Moves (DEBUT)
  • Lauren Jauregui – Expectations (DEBUT)
  • Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
  • Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
  • David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
  • Shawn Mendes – Nervous
  • Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (DEBUT)

Entrant Reviews:
– Okay, so let’s get the most displeasing debut out of the way first. We have Imagine Dragons with probably my least favorite single we get from them, by the name of Machine. This is just bad in almost every aspect. Dan’s vocals are not good at all. I’ll talk more about it when it debuts.

– Up next, Olly Murs makes his return with Moves. This song also features rapper Snoop Dogg, whose verse was edited out on Hits 1 because of course. It has a nice groove to it. It kinda reminds me of Hundred Handed – Too Good in a way. Overall, it’s a good song.

– Next, we have Lauren Jauregui with her solo single titled Expectations. I talked about this on the YouTube 15 last week. I think Lauren has the best voice out of all the members of Fifth Harmony and she uses it well in the song. Hopefully, it ends up debuting soon.

– Finally, we have more of Ariana Grande who replaces herself on Hit-Bound. And guess what? She has the lead single off of her new album, titled Thank U, Next. Although I can say it’s one of her weakest lead singles to start things off, it’s still a good song, mainly because of Ariana’s vocals. I’ll save most of my words for this when it inevitably debuts.

Best Debut On Hit-Bound: Lauren Jauregui – Expectations

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
2. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
3. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
4. Camila Cabello – Consequences
5. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me

YouTube 15:

  • Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
  • Cher Lloyd – None Of My Business
  • Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby
  • Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It
  • Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
  • Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
  • Gnash – Nobody’s Home
  • Post Malone – Better Now
  • Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
  • Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
  • Anne-Marie – Perfect To Me
  • Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You
  • Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
  • Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
  • Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – Found You

Song Reviews:
– Clean Bandit has yet another new single in the form of Baby, which features Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi. I won’t quite say it’s the best they’ve done. But it still shows that these guys know how to make good music. I love the verses we get from Marina and Luis. They sound great together. Overall, it’s a good song. Clean Bandit didn’t disappoint me there.
– Next, we have Gnash with Nobody’s Home. You probably remember him when he did I Hate U, I Love U and was featured on Lights Down Low. There’s not a whole lot that appeals to me. Gnash’s vocals are underwhelming and in some parts of the song, annoying. While it’s in blue, it’s closer to red than it is green.
– Anne-Marie has another new single titled Perfect To Me. This is a step up from her predecessor. It talks about her imperfections and accepting them. Her vocals are pretty good overall and I like the production. It’s still quite a far cry from Rockabye, but it’s still enjoyable to some degree.
– Finally, we have Benny Blanco with his new single Found You, which features Calvin Harris who does the vocals. The music video does feature artists such as Halsey who dances along with him. As for the song itself, I can say that I find this to be okay. I’m a little underwhelmed by Calvin’s voice and that it’s kinda repetitive, but the rest of the song isn’t too bad in terms of the production. It’s not nearly as good as Eastside. Overall, it’s a decent song.
My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
2. Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
3. Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
4. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby
5. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess

1 – Bad:
19. Halsey – Without Me

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You
16. Anne-Marie – 2002

4 – Good:
15. Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free
14. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am
13. lovelytheband – Broken

5 – Great:
12. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises
11. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. Dan + Shay – Tequila
8. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
7. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
6. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
5. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow
4. Imagine Dragons – Natural
3. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity
2. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

Overall Grade: 82/100 = 82% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer (1986)

Most Missed Countdown Song: The Lumineers – Ho Hey

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Disturbed – The Sound Of Silence

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Kesha – Praying (#13)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
4. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
5. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. LSD – Thunderclouds
2. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
3. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
4. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore
5. Halsey – Without Me

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be: This is simply just a country crossover song that’s terribly produced. Not to mention that Bebe only gets one verse, and even she sounds underwhelming. Compare this to songs such as I Got You and I can easily tell the difference. But if it’s anything, I’d rather hear this than her current representation.
ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn: This is the best song ZAYN has done to date. It just moves me. The way their vocals blend together pulls me in. And as a bonus, the music video reminds me of a 90’s action movie.
Lauv – I Like Me Better: His debut single, and a horrific one at that. Seriously, the production and the lyrics are just cringeworthy. That’s basically all I’m going to say about this one (At least for now. I’ll have more when I do my Year-End posts).

QOTW: What do you guys think of Ariana Grande’s new single, Thank U, Next?

AT40: Ariana Grande (1) – Week Of November 10, 2018

/ dhill92 / 2 Comments

What’s up, guys? Welcome to the Veteran’s Day Weekend edition of the American Top 40. I would like to thank all the men and women who helped served and protect our country. I do have Year-End posts that I’ll be working on, plus my Q&A which I still plan on doing. They’ll hopefully be out next month. Anyway, this week was interesting in more ways than one. I’ll have more to say about it in the blurbs. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying good-bye to this week:

  • Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter (#23)
  • The Way I Am by Charlie Puth (#27)
  • Goodbye by Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William (#29)
  • Africa by Weezer (#36)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
40. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#39) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
39. Song About You by Mike Posner (#40) [+1]
38. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#37) [–1]
37. Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper (DEBUT)
36. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#35) [–1]
35. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (DEBUT)
34. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#33) [–1]
33. Consequences by Camila Cabello (DEBUT)
32. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#31) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
31. Don’t Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson (DEBUT)
30. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#38) [+8]
29. Mine by Bazzi (#28) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
28. Thunderclouds by LSD (#32) [+4]
27. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#26) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
26. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#34) [+8]
25. Taste by Tyga featuring Offset (#25) [=]
24. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#22) [–2]
23. Without Me by Halsey (#30) [+7]
22. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#19) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
21. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#21) [=]
20. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (#24) [+4]
19. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#13) [–6]
18. Broken by lovelytheband (#18) [=]
17. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#16) [–1]
16. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone (#15) [–1]
15. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#17) [+2]
14. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#20) [+6]
13. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#7) [–6]
12. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#14) [+2]
11. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#10) [–1]
10. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#11) [+1]
9. Lie by NF (#12) [+3]
8. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#8) [=]
7. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#6) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
6. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#9) [+3]
5. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#5) [=]
4. Better Now by Post Malone (#2) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#3) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#1) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#5) [+4] [1st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato (1st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper and I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (–6)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake and Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (+8)

New Entrants
– We have some new arrivals this week. To start, we get the song from the soundtrack to the movie A Star Is Born. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper collaborate in their single, Shallow. I don’t really have too much to say about the song except it’s a nice collaboration between the two artists. I do like Lady Gaga’s voice. She uses it well in a slow ballad like this. Bradley doesn’t sound bad either. I like the use of the acoustic guitar. While I can’t say it’s better than I’ll Never Love Again, this one is still enjoyable all around.

– Next, we have the return of The Chainsmokers. And this time, they collaborate with the country star Kelsea Ballerini in their single titled This Feeling. Right off the bat, this is a step up from Side Effects. The song is basically Closer 2.0. First off, I absolutely love Kelsea’s voice. She sounds amazing all throughout the song. Drew’s voice has improved. It doesn’t sound quite as mediocre as in the singles from Sick Boy. Their vocals blend together really well in the chorus. Yeah, this is just divine.

– As we finally get ready to say goodbye to Never Be The Same, Camila Cabello gives us her next single from her self-titled album. This time, we get a ballad called Consequences. Coming into the song, I was hoping to hear something along the lines of Havana and not Never Be The Same. Hearing this in full, my opinion on this lies somewhere positive. I do like how Camila can showcase her voice without her trying too hard to hit those high notes. The piano here is pretty good. It tells a story about loving someone and that it can have pros and cons. It’s a nice song from her and a step up from her predecessor overall.

– Finally, we get more of Drake with his latest single titled Don’t Matter To Me, which features vocals from the late Michael Jackson. Personally, I think this is the best single off of Scorpion. Drake has proven that he can sing well. But the best part about the song is the vocals we get from the late Michael Jackson, which is actually a sample which is added to the song when Drake was working on the song. I recently found out that he was a huge fan of him back in the day. I’m sure we all can relate. After all, we did grow up listening to Michael Jackson almost every single day. Between the nice production and the Michael Jackson sample, I actually love this. I wouldn’t mind if it sticks around.

Best Debut Of The Week: This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

It Don’t Matter To Blurbs
– We’ll start with our exits. To begin, we say goodbye to um, well…Goodbye. I did kinda like the song, but I’m not all that disappointed in its departure given that Jason Derulo hasn’t done much since Want To Want Me. Then, there’s The Way I Am which didn’t do much on this countdown. My guess is that Attention and How Long will forever remain as his two big hits off of Voicenotes. Almost Love I did kinda like and I was starting to grow into it, but it wasn’t something I’d remember in the long run. Finally, good riddance to Africa. That was a terrible cover of the 1982 song from Toto. At least it didn’t last long.

– This week, Ariana Grande managed to achieve her second #1 this year with God Is A Woman! I must say, I’m thrilled about this. Although it’s not her best off of Sweetener, it’s still something that I enjoy and I love Ariana. She’s dominated this week overall, what with releasing the music video for Breathin’ and she has a new single which came out last week and it could be headed for #1 next week! I’m proud of Ariana for coming this far.

– We get a new Top 10 entrant in the form of Lie by NF. Not really surprising since he had a previous song which stayed in that territory for a while. It’s a nice and calm song, so I wouldn’t mind if it sticks around in the Top 10.

– It’s nice to see No Brainer dropping out of the Top 10. Hopefully, this means the song will be on its way out soon. DJ Khaled has had better in the past.

– Speaking of Ariana, she released the new music video for Breathin’. Only this time, it doesn’t feature her pet pig, Piggy Smallz. I have to say it was a pretty cool music video. I recommend you check it out.

– We had a few songs taking big jumps this week, notably Electricity (Yay!) and Sicko Mode (Blech). Speaking of the former, the song is only getting better with each listen. I sure would like to see it rise into the Top 10 soon.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

  • Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
  • Be Alright by Dean Lewis
  • Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara
  • Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando

Extras/Optional Extras:

  • Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
  • Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid
  • Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
  • Lean On by Major Lazer featuring DJ Snake and MØ
  • Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William
  • Maps by Maroon 5
  • One Day by Logic featuring Ryan Tedder
  • End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future
  • Stitches by Shawn Mendes

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
19. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha

1 – Bad:
18. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine
17. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper

2 – Mediocre:
16. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
15. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin
14. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
13. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Post Malone and Preme
12. Broken by lovelytheband

5 – Great:
11. Lie by NF
10. Better Now by Post Malone
9. Back To You by Selena Gomez
8. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
3. Natural by Imagine Dragons
2. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 

Total Score: 74/100 = 74% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Rock With You by Michael Jackson (1979)

Most Missed Song: Somebody That I Used To Know by Goyte featuring Kimbra

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
3. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
4. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
5. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
4. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
5. Thunderclouds by LSD

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Find You by Nick Jonas: Along with Right Now, I find this to be one of his most interesting singles. And hearing this again, it does remind me of Perfect Illusion by Lady Gaga.
Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan: The follow-up to Slow Hands, this is a sweet song. I like how Niall talks about asking for love. I’d say this is probably one of the more low-key songs off of Flicker.

Imagine Dragons (1) – Week Of November 3, 2018

/ dhill92 / 9 Comments

What’s up, guys? We’re already in the month of November. Man, it sure feels like this year has gone by pretty fast. We’re one step closer to 2019. Hopefully, we can be able to end the year on a high note. As far as the countdown went, it was an interesting week to start out November. I’ll have more to say about it in the blurbs. Let’s get on with it! Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

  • Lady Gaga – I’ll Never Love Again (#36)
  • Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (#37)
  • The Vamps – Just My Type (#41)
  • Post Malone – Better Now (#42)
  • Weezer – Africa (#43)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
45. NF – Lie (#44) [–1]
44. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#45) [+1]
43. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams (#38) [–5]
42. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#32) [–10]
41. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#10) [–31]

40. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (DEBUT)
39. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (#40) [+1]
38. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – My Blood (DEBUT)
37. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body (#35) [–2]
36. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#39) [+3]
35. Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone – Jackie Chan (DEBUT)
34. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#34) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
33. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#33) [=] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
32. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#28) [–4]
31. Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free (DEBUT)
30. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#30) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
29. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (#31) [+2]
28. George Ezra – Shotgun (#15) [–13]
27. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (DEBUT)
26. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#26) [=]
25. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore (#27) [+2]
24. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (#20) [–4]
23. Kim Petras – Heart To Break (#24) [+1]
22. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#13) [–9]
21. LSD – Thunderclouds (#18) [–3]
20. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#21) [+1]
19. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#22) [+3]
18. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#25) [+7]
17. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#8) [–9]
16. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#16) [=]
15. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (#23) [+8]
14. Halsey – Without Me (#29) [+15]
13. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You (#17) [+4]
12. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#14) [+2]
11. lovelytheband – Broken (#11) [=]
10. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#5) [–5]
9. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#12) [+3]
8. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#19) [+11]
7. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#3) [–4]
6. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#7) [+1]
5. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#9) [+4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
4. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#2) [–2]
3. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#4) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#1) [–1] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
1. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#6) [+5] [1st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (3rd of 4 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (–31)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Halsey – Without Me (+15)

New Entrants
– To kick off this week’s new arrivals, we have a band called The Struts, who are collaborating with Kesha in their single Body Talks. It’s quite an interesting collaboration between these guys, but it worked out well. As always, I love to hear Kesha’s voice. She sounds really good in the chorus. The Struts themselves did a nice job at handling the production of the song. I like the use of the guitars. Overall, this is divine on all levels.

– TWENTY ØNE PILØTS made their comeback a few months ago with Jumpsuit, which unfortunately failed to really do anything. It was definitely a phenomenal song that deserved a lot better. So, I was waiting for something else they had to offer. And this week, they give us My Blood. This one doesn’t quite have a lot in terms of the production. However, I do like to hear Tyler’s voice. His vocals are unique in pretty much every way and he shows it in the song. Looking at the lyrics, it supposedly talks about a member of the family. It’s something people can relate to. It’ll be interesting to see how well this does on Hits 1. Whether it’ll have a similar run like The Last Of The Real Ones or just simply hang around for a short time, I don’t know yet.

– We have an interesting collaboration between four artists (Tiesto, Dzeko, Preme, and Post Malone) in their single titled Jackie Chan. I fell in love with this one when it just came out, but it did fade on me just a little bit. I do like what Tiesto has done here and the verses are pretty good, which is why I found it enjoyable to begin. The thing that brings it down for me is the lyrical content, which I’m not all that big on. Tiesto has done better in the past. It’s not his best work, but it’s something that I can dance to every once in a while.

– Next, Pitbull makes his return. And he’s collaborating with Theron Theron in their single Free Free Free. This was on the YouTube 15 about a couple months ago and I did a brief review of the song. I can say that I do like the vocals quite a bit and the production is pretty decent. But it’s really not all that special in comparison to his previous singles. I think Pitbull has probably lost what made him stand out, though I can say it’s not much of a bad song. I don’t really expect it to stick around for long.

– And finally, we have a song that’s been on Hit-Bound for a while. Benny Blanco makes his first appearance on the countdown, collaborating with Halsey and Khalid in Eastside. Although the song itself may be short, I love just everything about it. I love the verses we get from both Halsey and Khalid. Here, Halsey sounds great and she doesn’t try too hard to hit those high notes. I love the lyrics. In fact, it basically reminds me of the days back when I was in high school.

Best Debut Of The Week: The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks

We Will, We Will Blurb You
– We’ll start with our exits this week. To begin, we say good-bye to I’ll Never Love Again after only one week. This is the first time that’s happened since May 2017, when Good Life also lasted one week. As for the other exits, good riddance to Africa. That was a terrible cover of the 1982 song from Toto. I’m glad it didn’t stay for too long. Just My Type leaving wasn’t surprising at all, though I find the song to be pretty good in comparsion to the other singles we get from The Vamps. Both Better Now and One Kiss had a nice run on the countdown and I enjoyed these songs. They will be missed by me.

– Are you kidding me?! Happy Now took a massive drop out of the Top 10 all the way down to the Bottom 5. How is this even okay? So not cool, Hits 1.

– Before introducing Drew Barrymore, Spyder Harrison mentioned that the actress herself is actually working on a new talent show which debuts next year. I wonder will she try to copy The Voice or will it be something different entirely? We’ll just have to find out what she has in store.

– I’m not thrilled about the big jump from Without Me. Of course, because it’s gaining momentum in sales (coupled with the fact that Hits 1 love some Halsey), I have a bad feeling that it’ll be here to stay.

– Spyder Harrison just mentioned during the introduction for Back To You that Selena Gomez has just recently lost her title as most followed person on Instagram to a soccer star named Cristiano Ronaldo. Talk about a run. That soccer star must have took some notes as to how to accomplish that feat. I guess he wants to be more famous himself.

– I just recently watched the music video for Lost In Japan this week and I thought it was pretty cool. I like the idea of Shawn Mendes actually hanging out in Japan for the music video (hence the title). They played the original and then transition to the remix with Zedd. That’s some awesome stuff. It’s no surprise to see this one enter the Top 10 so soon. I’m looking forward to seeing it in the Top 5 soon and potentially hit #1.

– The Last Of The Real Ones has somehow regained its momentum as it’s back in the Top 5. We could potentially see it at #1 again after a short while, though I doubt it somehow. Also, I learned that their music video is similar to that of Kayne West’s Flashing Lights. I wonder is that where they got this idea from.

– It was only natural (no pun intended) that Imagine Dragons would enter the Top 5 and hit #1 with their latest single off of their new album coming out next week. It’s refreshing (in a way) to see a song not from Panic! At The Disco at the top spot. Natural is different, but it’s an enjoyable song and I think it’s a great way to start the new era for these guys. I wouldn’t object to seeing it stay there for a while.

Hit-Bound:

  • Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
  • Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
  • Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
  • TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (DEBUT)
  • Ariana Grande – Breathin’
  • Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way
  • 5 Seconds Of Summer – Killer Queen (DEBUT)
  • Camila Cabello – Consequences
  • Alex Aiono – Big Mistake
  • Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me (DEBUT)
  • Shawn Mendes – Nervous
  • David Guetta featuring Anne–Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
  • Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me

Entrant Reviews:
– Yet again, we get another song from TWENTY ØNE PILØTS from Trench, by the name of Chlorine, replacing Legend. It sounds like Hits 1 is going back to loving TWENTY ØNE PILØTS. As for the song itself, I’m not really feeling this at the moment. I personally think there are better songs from the album. Maybe it’ll grow on me, but I kinda doubt it.

– We get more 5 Seconds Of Summer with the single from the Bohemian Rhapsody movie soundtrack, titled Killer Queen, which is the cover of the song from Queen. I can’t say I’m liking this one. I don’t think they did good with the cover overall. This is based on my initial reaction, but it could change.

– Last but not least, we have the return of Ellie Goulding! She makes her comeback with her new single titled Close To Me, which features Diplo and Swae Lee. It’s been a while since we heard from her. I love Ellie’s voice in the song. She sounds awesome when she hits those high notes. I’ll save my words for this should it debut. I hope to see it graduate to the countdown soon.

Best Debut On Hit-Bound: Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
2. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me
3. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
4. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
5. Camila Cabello – Consequences

YouTube 15:

  • Post Malone – Better Now
  • Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
  • Cher Lloyd – None Of My Business
  • Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
  • Jonas Blue featuring Liam Payne and Lennon Stella – Polaroid
  • Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You
  • Lauren Jauregui – Expectations 
  • Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
  • Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
  • Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
  • Normani featuring Calvin Harris – Slow Down
  • Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
  • Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
  • Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It
  • A Great Big World – You

Song Reviews:
– To start things off, we have Cher Lloyd with her latest single titled None Of My Business. We haven’t heard much from her since she collaborated with Demi Lovato in Really Don’t Care back in 2014. There’s not a whole lot I like about this one. The production is pretty weird and nothing about Cher’s voice stands out. The song is pretty underwhelming. While it’s in blue, it’s closer to red for me than it is green.
– Next, we have Lauren Jauregui with her first solo single titled Expectations. Out of all the members of Fifth Harmony, I personally think Lauren is superior. She has a amazing voice and she uses in the song very well. Overall, it’s a nice start for her solo career.
– Zara Larsson is back with her solo single titled Ruin My Life. It was a little over two years ago she brought us Never Forget You, which was amazing. This is no different. I absolutely love her voice and she shines in the chorus. The lyrical content is well-written. Simply put, this song is just divine.
– We have more of Normani, this time collaborating with Calvin Harris in her new single titled Slow Down. Along with Lauren Jauregui, Normani is one of the best in terms of her vocals and she uses it very well in the song. The only part I don’t like is the weird voice after the chorus. But overall, it’s still a good song.
– Finally, A Great Big World has a new single titled You. The song basically reminds me of Ed Sheeran – Perfect. This is just beautiful in every sense of the world. It’s definitely something I would recommend for a wedding or a special occasion.
My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
2. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
3. Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
4. Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
5. Jonas Blue featuring Liam Payne and Lennon Stella
Top 20 Review:

0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess

1 – Bad:
19. Halsey – Without Me

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You

4 – Good:
16. lovelytheband – Broken
15. Anne-Marie – 2002
14. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am

5 – Great:
13. Selena Gomez – Back To You
12. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
11. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
10. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
9. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze
8. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
7. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman
6. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
4. Imagine Dragons – Natural
3. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity
2. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

Overall Grade: 84/100 = 84% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Queen – We Will Rock You (1977)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Ellie Goulding – Lights

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Ellie Goulding – Still Falling For You

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Gryffin featuring Elley Duhé – Tie Me Down

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Kesha – Praying

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
4. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
5. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. LSD – Thunderclouds
2. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
3. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
4. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore
5. Halsey – Without Me

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask: It may not be the best off of Flicker, but it was a sweet song overall and I like how Niall can showcase his voice with emotion.
Dua Lipa – New Rules: Although Hits 1 didn’t treat this one as well as everybody else, it was nice to see they picked probably her best single off of her self-titled album.

QOTW: With the movie Bohemian Rhapsody being released this week, what are your favorite songs from Queen?

AT40: 5 Seconds Of Summer (3) – Week Of November 3, 2018

/ dhill92 / Leave a comment

Hey, guys! It sure feels good to finally have a post out on time! We’re now into the month of November. 2018 really has flown by fast! That means I’ll have to continue working on my Year-End posts. Also, I have extended the deadline to the end of this month for those who want to submit any questions you want to ask me for my future Q&A post. The place to submit is right here. I should have it ready by then. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying good-bye to this week:

  • 2002 by Anne-Marie (#33)
  • One Day by Logic featuring Ryan Tedder (#39)
  • Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
40. Song About You by Mike Posner (DEBUT)
39. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#38) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
38. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (DEBUT)
37. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#36) [–1]
36. Africa by Weezer (#31) [–5]
35. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#34) [–1]
34. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#37) [+3]
33. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#32) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
32. Thunderclouds by LSD (#35) [+3]
31. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#30) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
30. Without Me by Halsey (DEBUT)
29. Goodbye by Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William (#28) [–1]
28. Mine by Bazzi (#27) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
27. The Way I Am by Charlie Puth (#17) [–10]
26. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#24) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
25. Taste by Tyga featuring Offset (#25) [=]
24. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (#26) [+2]
23. Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter (#22) [–1]
22. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#23) [+1]
21. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#29) [+8]
20. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#21) [+1]
19. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#18) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
18. Broken by lovelytheband (#20) [+2]
17. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#19) [+2]
16. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#16) [=] 
15. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone (#15) [=]
14. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#14) [=]
13. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#12) [–1]
12. Lie by NF (#13) [+1]
11. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#10) [–1]
10. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#9) [–1]
9. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#11) [+2]
8. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#7) [–1]
7. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#8) [+1]
6. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#6) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#5) [=]
4. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#4) [=]
3. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#2) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Better Now by Post Malone (#3) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#1) [=] [3rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (1st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: The Way I Am by Charlie Puth (–10)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (+8)

New Entrants
– We have three new songs entering the countdown which are not so interesting in my eyes. First off, we have the return of Mike Posner after about two years since he had his biggest hit I Took A Pill In Ibiza, which was a huge favorite of mine. His new single making its debut is titled Song About You. I can say that I don’t really find this one to be interesting for the most part. I do kinda like the production in the song, and the lyrics are decent. But my concern is that Mike’s vocals are a little underwhelming. I feel like he could’ve done better. While it’s not a bad song, it’s not something I’ll remember in a year or so.

– Our next debut is probably one of my least favorite songs at this moment. Travis Scott makes his appearance with Sicko Mode. I’m going to be straight up and just simply say the song sucks ass. To start, his voice is just awful and it’s hard to understand the lyrics. But even without that, I find the lyrical content itself to be just terrible. I could go on and on about just how bad the lyrics are. Drake himself didn’t do any favors to try and salvage the song. I find his verses in the song to be underwhelming. Yeah, this is a mess. NEXT!

– Finally, we have more of Halsey with her latest solo single, by the name of Without Me. If you’ve read my review when it debuted on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown last week, then you probably recall that I wasn’t on board with what she had to offer. Don’t get me wrong. I love Halsey and she’s had plenty of songs that I do like (except for New Americana). But this song just doesn’t do it for me. It basically talks about her relationship with G-Eazy in general. I find the lyrical content to be well-written. However, my problem with the song is Halsey herself. I feel like she’s trying too hard to hit those high notes in the song and it just didn’t work out to my liking. The production here is okay, but it’s really nothing special. So yeah, this song is just underwhelming. It’s sad because as I just mentioned, I absolutely love Halsey. I unfortunately expect it to do well, but I could be wrong.

Best Debut Of The Week: Song About You by Mike Posner

Bohemian Blurbs
– As far as our exits go, One Day unfortunately lasted a short and sweet time here. I did like the collaboration between Logic and Ryan Tedder. 2002 was interesting to me, but not something I’ll remember in the big picture. Finally, we lost Whatever It Takes, which was probably the best song off of Evolve. With its departure, that era has come to end. But a new era for Imagine Dragons is upon us because their new album comes out next week. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us.

– No Brainer is officially bad. Get out, now.

– Looks like the American Top 40 (and everybody else) realized they were late to the party with High Hopes seeing that it’s still huge on Hits 1. So, it’s no surprise that it’s gaining the momentum it deserves. Now the other question is: can it do the same on this countdown? We’ll just have to wait and see.

– So, I just recently watched the music video for Lost In Japan and I thought it was pretty cool seeing Shawn Mendes actually hang out in Japan (hence the title). They actually played the original and then transition to the remix with Zedd. It’s some fun stuff.

– So much for Charlie Puth looking to get another hit. The Way I Am drops big out of the Top 20. I guess Attention will forever remain as his biggest hit as a solo artist (until proven otherwise).

– Before introducing Thunderclouds, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Sia is involved in some movie projects. Looks like Halsey isn’t the only one getting into the movie business. Almost every singer wants to get into the fun. I’m interested to see how that works out.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

  • Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
  • This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
  • I Love It by Kayne West featuring Lil’ Pump
  • Don’t Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson

Extras/Optional Extras:

  • Just Like Fire by P!NK
  • Stressed Out by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
  • Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato
  • Sorry by Justin Bieber
  • Earned It by The Weeknd
  • 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
  • In My Feelings by Drake
  • Worth It by Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink
  • How Long by Charlie Puth
  • New Rules by Dua Lipa

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
19. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha

1 – Bad:
18. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine
17. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper

2 – Mediocre:
16. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
15. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin
14. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
13. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Post Malone and Preme
12. Broken by lovelytheband

5 – Great:
11. Lie by NF
10. Better Now by Post Malone
9. Back To You by Selena Gomez
8. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
3. Natural by Imagine Dragons
2. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 

Total Score: 74/100 = 74% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (1975)

Most Missed Song: Army by Ellie Goulding

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
TIE: 1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
4. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
5. Natural by Imagine Dragons

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. Thunderclouds by LSD
4. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
5. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha: I’ll have more on this when I do my Year-End posts. But simply put, this is just beautiful in almost every aspect.
Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid: Nowadays, I find this as something most people can relate to. It kinda reminds me of the days when I was in high school.
How Long by Charlie Puth: Again, more on this in my Year-End posts. But this song is one of many examples of how much Charlie has improved from the days of Nine Track Mind

AT40: 5 Seconds Of Summer (2) – Week Of October 27, 2018

/ dhill92 / 2 Comments

Hello, fam! I’m so sorry if this post was late. My apologies, I’m hoping this doesn’t become a new thing. But as I mentioned before, I’ve just not had the motivation to do any blogging as of late. I’ve been very busy with other things lately. That’s what happens when you have a life outside of doing weekly posts. Here’s to hoping next week’s posts won’t be as late, but I can’t make any promises right now. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

  • In My Feelings by Drake (#14)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
40. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (#39) [–1]
39. One Day by Logic featuring Ryan Tedder (#38) [–1]
38. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#37) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
37. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#40) [+3]
36. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#35) [–1]
35. Thunderclouds by LSD (#36) [+1]
34. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#33) [–1]
33. 2002 by Anne-Marie (#34) [+1]
32. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#31) [–1][Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
31. Africa by Weezer (#30) [–1]
30. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#29) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
29. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#32) [+3]
28. Goodbye by Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William (#28) [=]
27. Mine by Bazzi (#26) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
26. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (DEBUT)
25. Taste by Tyga featuring Offset (#27) [+2]
24. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#24) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
23. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#25) [+2]
22. Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter (#23) [+1]
21. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#22) [+1]
20. Broken by lovelytheband (#21) [+1]
19. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#20) [+1]
18. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#18) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
17. The Way I Am by Charlie Puth (#17) [=]
16. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#19) [+3]
15. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone (#16) [+1]
14. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#15) [+1]
13. Lie by NF (#13) [=]
12. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#9) [–3]
11. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#12) [+1]
10. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#10) [=]
9. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#11) [+2]
8. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#7) [–1]
7. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#8) [+1]
6. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#4) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#6) [+1]
4. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#5) [+1]
3. Better Now by Post Malone (#3) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
2. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#2) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#1) [=] [2nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift (1st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (–3)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Electricty by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa, High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco, and Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (+3)

New Entrants
– We have only one new song entering this week’s countdown. Shawn Mendes has released the follow-up to In My Blood titled Lost In Japan. He did recently released the remix with Zedd, but I’ll be reviewing the original version (which is superior in my opinion). The song is basically about romance in general. I love Shawn’s vocals. He sounds so smooth in the song. The production is just divine all around. I love the groove and it fits Shawn’s voice very well. It pretty much reminds me of a song from Justin Timberlake. Overall, it’s easily the best song off of his self-titled album. I’m sure it’ll do well here.

Blurbs In Japan
– It’s about time we said good-bye to In My Feelings, which left us from a high position. Drake has had better songs, but this was not one of them. I’m glad it didn’t last too long.

– It’s nice to see God Is A Woman in the Top 5. I still do enjoy the song, though not as much as I used to. It would be nice if it can hit #1 soon, though I much prefer to listen to Breathin’ at this point.

– That’s all the blurbs I’ve got for now. Nothing else really interesting happened this week.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

  • Without Me by Halsey
  • Sicko Mode by Travis Scott
  • Song About You by Mike Posner

Extras/Optional Extras:

  • In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
  • Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia
  • Let You Down by NF
  • Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding
  • Alone by Halsey featuring Big Sean and Stefflon Don
  • Slow Hands by Niall Horan
  • Too Good by Drake featuring Rihanna
  • One Dance by Drake featuring Wizkid featuring Kyla
  • Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
19. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha

1 – Bad:
18. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine

2 – Mediocre:
17. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille
16. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper

3 – Decent:
15. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin
14. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
13. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Post Malone and Preme
12. Broken by lovelytheband
11. The Way I Am by Charlie Puth

5 – Great:
10. Lie by NF
9. Better Now by Post Malone
8. Back To You by Selena Gomez
7. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
6. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
5. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
4. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
3. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
2. Natural by Imagine Dragons
1. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid

Total Score: 73/100 = 73% (C–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Thriller by Michael Jackson (1983)

Most Missed Song: Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha

My Top 5 Picks
1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
4. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Thunderclouds by LSD
3. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
4. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
5. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Do Re Mi by Blackbear: No, taking a nursery rhyme and making it a song does not sit well with me, especially with grating vocals and subpar lyrical content. I’m sorry, but this is just a mess.
Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage: I may be coming around to Post Malone’s music, but I never liked this song. I’ll probably have more to say about this in a couple of months or so.

Panic! At The Disco (7) – Week Of October 27, 2018

/ dhill92 / 4 Comments

Hello, fam! I haven’t really had the motivation to do any blogging lately. Sometimes, it can be stressful trying to balance between life and doing posts. I’ll try to improve on that as quickly as possible. Anyway, welcome to the Halloween edition of the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown, where spooky things awaits us! Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying good-bye to this week:

  • AJR – Burn The House Down (#36)
  • Sabrina Carpenter – Almost Love (#43)
  • Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends (#45)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
45. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#45) [–4] 
44. NF – Lie (#40) [–4] 
43. Weezer – Africa (#42) [–1] 
42. Post Malone – Better Now (#44) [+2] 
41. The Vamps – Just My Type (#25) [–16]
40. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (#35) [–5]

39. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#38) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
38. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams (DEBUT)
37. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (#39) [+2]
36. Lady Gaga – I’ll Never Love Again (DEBUT)
35. Loud Luxury featuring brando – Body (#37) [+2]
34. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#31) [–3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
33. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#34) [+1] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
32. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#29) [–3]
31. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (#28) [–3]
30. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#21) [–9] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
29. Halsey – Without Me (DEBUT)
28. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#6) [–22]
27. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore (#26) [–1]
26. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#24) [–2]
25. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#16) [–9]
24. Kim Petras – Heart To Break (#30) [+6]
23. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (#33) [+10]
22. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#22) [=]
21. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#23) [+2]
20. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (#27) [+7]
19. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#20) [+1]
18. LSD – Thunderclouds (#32) [+14]
17. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You (#19) [+2]
16. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#18) [+2]
15. George Ezra – Shotgun (#17) [+2]
14. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#13) [–1]
13. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#14) [+1]
12. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#11) [–1]
11. lovelytheband – Broken (#12) [+1]
10. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#7) [–3]
9. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#10) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
8. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#15) [+7]
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#9) [+2]
6. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#8) [+2]
5. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#2) [–3]
4. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#1) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
3. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#5) [+3]
2. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#4) [+2]
1. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#3) [+2] [7th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Imagine Dragons – Thunder (1st of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (–22)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: LSD – Thunderclouds (+14)

New Entrants
– Let’s start with the least displeasing debut of the week. Juice WRLD makes his first appearance on the countdown with Lucid Dreams. I’m going to be straight up and just say this song is not good at all. First off, the lyrical content is poorly written. Second, the production is underwhelming and in some parts of the song, just annoying. His vocals are okay, so I can say that’s a redeeming quality. But overall, it’s not good. I hope it doesn’t last too long.

– We get another single from A Star Is Born soundtrack. Lady Gaga has her second song on the countdown with I’ll Never Love Again. Between this and Shallow, I’d say that this is the superior of the two songs. It’s a slow ballad where Lady Gaga really shows how well she can sing. Her vocals are just phenomenal across the board. I also like the production to the song. I think it’s very well done. Finally, I love the lyrics. Overall, it’s the best song on the soundtrack. Lady Gaga did a nice job with this one.

– Lastly, we have the return of Halsey with her latest single titled Without Me. After the departure of Alone a month ago, I was anticipating any new release from Halsey. Coming into the song, I was expecting her to deliver. But after listening to the song in its entirety, it just didn’t work out that way. It’s basically tells about her relationship with G-Eazy as evidenced in the lyrics for the song, which is pretty good. But the rest of the song is just not good. The problem is Halsey herself from a vocal standpoint. She sounds like she’s trying too hard to hit those high notes and it doesn’t sound good. I find the production to be pretty underwhelming at times. There’s just not much to it. So yeah, it’s just simply not a good song overall and I was hoping for better. This is probably one of the few songs I legitimately dislike from Halsey (other than New Americana), and it’s just makes me very sad because I really, really like her. Oh well.

Best Debut Of The Week: Lady Gaga – I’ll Never Love Again

I’ll Never Blurb Again
– Neither of those three exits will be missed by me. Both Friends and Burn The House The Down deserve to go. Those songs were atrocious from the beginning. But at the least they’re both gone. Almost Love I did just start to grow into and probably the best we’ll ever hear from Sabrina Carpenter, but it’s not something I’ll miss in the long run.

– High Hopes is back at #1, which I’m fine with. Hopefully, it can stay at #1 for as long as it possibly can be so that it can block songs like Happier and I’m A Mess, which have hit new peaks.

– We get a Top 10 entrant in the form of God Is A Woman. I still love the song, though not quite as much lately since I found Breathin’ to be the best song off of Sweetener, though it’s still on Hit-Bound. I would like for that to debut soon.

– Blech, Thunderclouds decides to make a big jump back in the Top 20 just to infuriate me. How great. I’m hoping it can get back to where it was and maybe leave us soon, but it’s likely not going to happen.

– I Wanna Know has been here longer than it should have. Who still supports this? It’s not something that should be sticking around for too long. I may have liked it when it was new, but now I’m just extremely tired of the song. It needs to leave soon.

Hit-Bound:

  • Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me (DEBUT)
  • Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way
  • Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
  • TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Legend (DEBUT)
  • David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
  • Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
  • Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (DEBUT)
  • Shawn Mendes – Nervous
  • Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me (DEBUT)
  • Camila Cabello – Consequences
  • Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free
  • Ariana Grande – Breathin’
  • Alex Aiono – Big Mistake
  • Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone – Jackie Chan

Entrant Reviews:
– Our first of four new songs on Hit-Bound starts with the return of Steve Aoki who is collaborating with BTS in Waste It On Me. Now it’s actually not a bad song at all. I do like the vocals we get from BTS and the production is pretty decent. I can see myself growing into this one.

– We have TWENTY ØNE PILØTS with yet another new single from Trench, in the form of Legend. To say the least, I think this one is pretty weak, mainly because the vocals are a little underwhelming, even for Tyler Joseph. That’s my initial reaction, but it may change with more listens.

– We have more Post Malone yet again, this time with Swae Lee in Sunflower. Much like his previous singles, I do not like this one at the first listen. The vocals are pretty annoying. Maybe I’ll grow into it, but I kinda doubt it.

– Finally, we have the return of Little Mix and they’re collaborating with Nicki Minaj in their new single Woman Like Me from their upcoming album. Little Mix usually doesn’t disappoint me with their music, and this song is pretty much not an exception. I like their vocals and Nicki sounds pretty good as well. I’ll have more on this when it debuts.

Best Debut On Hit-Bound: Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
2. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
3. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
4. Alex Aiono – Big Mistake
5. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me 

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. LSD – Thunderclouds
19. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You

4 – Good:
16. lovelytheband – Broken
15. Anne-Marie – 2002

5 – Great:
14. Selena Gomez – Back To You
13. George Ezra – Shotgun
12. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
11. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
10. Dan + Shay – Tequila
9. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
8. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
7. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman
6. Imagine Dragons – Natural
5. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow
4. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
3. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now

Overall Grade: 85/100 = 85% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Michael Jackson – Thriller (1983)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Katy Perry – Teenage Dream (since her birthday was this week. So Happy Birthday to her!)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Alesso featuring Nico and Vinz – I Wanna Know

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Gryffin featuring Elley Duhé – Tie Me Down

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Kesha – Praying (#15)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
4. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
5. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. LSD – Thunderclouds
2. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
3. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
4. Weezer – Africa
5. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

5 Seconds Of Summer (3) – Week Of October 20, 2018

/ dhill92 / 12 Comments

What’s up, guys? I was a little busier than normal this week. So, I was unable to look up the performances from the American Music Awards so I could post a review. I’m hoping to get the post out sooner, but I’m not going to make any promises. You’ll just have to be patient with me. As far as this week’s countdown went, we had a lot of action. And I mean a WHOLE lot of action going on including some big moves and a round of new songs entering this week. Let’s get into reviewing the whole thing! Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying good-bye to this week:

  • Brown & Gray – Top Down (#40)
  • Niall Horan – On The Loose (#42)
  • Foster The People – Sit Next To Me (#44)
  • DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper – No Brainer (#45)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
45. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends (#43) [–2]
44. Post Malone – Better Now (#32) [–12]
43. Sabrina Carpenter – Almost Love (#39) [–4]
42. Weezer – Africa (#18) [–24]
41. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#41) [=]

40. NF – Lie (#9) [–31]
39. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (#36) [–3]
38. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#37) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
37. Loud Luxury featuring brando – Body (DEBUT)
36. AJR – Burn The House Down (#35) [–1]
35. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (#35) [=]
34. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#33) [–1] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
33. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (DEBUT)
32. LSD – Thunderclouds (#26) [–6]
31. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#25) [–6]
30. Kim Petras – Heart To Break (#28) [–2]
29. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#31) [+2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
28. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (DEBUT)
27. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (DEBUT)
26. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore (#24) [–2]
25. The Vamps – Just My Type (#27) [+2]
24. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#30) [+6]
23. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#38) [+15]
22. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#19) [–3]
21. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#22) [+1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
20. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#23) [+3]
19. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You (#20) [+1]
18. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#11) [–7]
17. George Ezra – Shotgun (#12) [–5]
16. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#6) [–10]
15. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#15) [=]
14. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#29) [+15]
13. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#3) [–10]
12. lovelytheband – Broken (#16) [+4]
11. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#17) [+6]
10. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#14) [+4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
9. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#21) [+12]
8. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#11) [+3]
7. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#7) [=]
6. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#8) [+2]
5. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#13) [+8]
4. Marshemello featuring Bastille – Happier (#4) [=]
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#1) [–2] [Spent 6 Weeks At #1]
2. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#5) [+3]
1. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#2) [+1] [3rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (2nd of 4 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: NF – Lie (–31)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie between Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It and Dan + Shay – Tequila (+15)

New Entrants
– We have a new round of arrivals this week. To start things off, we have Loud Luxury and brando with the song titled Body, which I heard on Venus quite a few times. There are quite a few things that I do like, such as the production. However I do find brando’s voice to be a little underwhelming. But for some reason when we get to the chorus, I can’t help but pull myself in. While I have a mixed opinion about the song, there’s just something about it that makes me kinda-sorta like it. Yeah, this is probably one of the few guilty pleasures of mine at this moment.

– After One Foot, we get the next single from Walk The Moon titled Kamikaze, from their album What If Nothing. The intro to the songs basically resembles Happy Now. When I first heard it, I knew it would turn out to be a good song. Sure, it’s not as good as its predecessor, but it’s still enjoyable to some degree. The vocals and the chorus here is on point for most of the song. I love the production. These guys have proven that they don’t disappoint when it comes to their music. I first heard Shut Up And Dance back when it was huge and it was phenomenal. I’m glad Walk The Moon are still around to make good music. Overall, it’s enjoyable.

– With One Kiss likely on its last legs, we have Calvin Harris with his new single titled Promises, which features Sam Smith. Personally, I think One Kiss is the better song of the two he’s released this year. Though if I’m being honest, Promises is still a good song in and of itself. Sam Smith is mostly the type of artists who often does ballads such as Stay With Me and Too Good At Goodbyes. But he has been featured in some songs done by EDM artists, such as Disclosure who collaborated with him in Latch. That one I thought was pretty good. I can say the same for Promises. I do like Sam’s voice in the song. He doesn’t particularly shine, but he does a nice job with the chorus. Calvin does well with the production. I like that he’s trying something new and I’m glad it’s working for him so far. Overall, it’s an enjoyable song.

– Finally, we get a single from A Star Is Born movie soundtrack. Lady Gaga collaborates with the star of the movie Bradley Cooper in Shallow. Although I haven’t really listened to the soundtrack in its entirety, it does have some good songs, including this one and the one made a re-entry to Hit-Bound. But we’ll get to that later. Now, I’ll say that Lady Gaga is the one who mostly impresses me with her music. I like how her voice sounds in this one, which is a slow ballad. Bradley doesn’t sound bad for an actor. He’s proven to have a good voice in the song. I like the lyrics, and the production is nicely done. So yeah, I definitely love this collaboration and I would like to see it do well.

Best Debut Of The Week: Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow

Un-Break My Blurbs
– We’ll start with our exits. To begin, No Brainer was getting less interesting. Thus I don’t have any complains about it leaving. I kinda grew out of Sit Next To Me a while ago. Top Down I thought was good, but it was underrated. Finally, we lost On The Loose. And because of that, this is the first countdown in two years that we don’t have a solo song from any One Direction member. Talk about a good run for these guys.

– So earlier this week, Ariana Grande and Pete Davison decided to break up. I guess that means that we won’t be able to see Ariana in her wedding dress anytime soon.

– NF – Lie had probably the biggest drop of the year so far tanking from the Top 10 all the way down to near the bottom 5. Wow. I definitely did not see it coming. I guess the voters decided that two weeks in the Top 10 was too much.

– After a few weeks of dropping, Hey Look Ma, I Made It finally makes a big move up in the Top 30. It’s nice to see the song finally gain momentum on this countdown. I knew Hits 1 wasn’t going to let this song leave us so soon.

– And then, we get a big jump from Tequila as well. It almost seemed like the song’s decline was short-lived. Now the real question is, I wonder how long will that resurgence last?

– This Feeling entered the Top 10 much faster than Side Effects did. Definitely thrilled about this. Though I’m not exactly sure how long it’ll stay in that region, but I’m grateful for its early run so far.

– Blech. I’m A Mess has entered the Top 5 just to annoy me. Just great. I have a bad feeling that the song is going to be here to stay for a long while much like its predecessor. I never thought it would come to this, but songs like High Hopes need to stay higher for as long as possible.

-On that note, Youngblood is back at #1 this week. A part of me is relieved to see a song from Panic! At The Disco not hold the #1 spot this week. But at the same time, I hoping High Hopes and Youngblood can stay at the top 3 for as long as possible to keeps songs like Happier and I’m A Mess from hitting #1 until we get some better songs in the Top 5.

Hit-Bound:

  • Halsey – Without Me
  • Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (DEBUT)
  • Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free
  • David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone (DEBUT)
  • Shawn Mendes – Nervous
  • Camila Cabello – Consequences (DEBUT)
  • Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
  • Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way (DEBUT)
  • Ariana Grande – Breathin’
  • TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – My Blood
  • Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone – Jackie Chan
  • Alex Aiono – Big Mistake
  • The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks
  • Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William – Goodbye
  • Lady Gaga – I’ll Never Love Again (RE–ENTRY)

Entrant Reviews:

– It’s nice to see that I’ll Never Love Again has re-entered Hit-Bound. Hopefully, we’ll see it debut on the countdown soon.

– We have four new songs entering Hit-Bound this week. First, there’s Alec Benjamin with Let Me Down Slowly. I don’t really have too much to say about this one. I’ll say that the song is nothing special. Although the production is pretty decent, I find his voice to be underwhelming and a little childish. So yeah, I’m not much of a fan of the song.

– Next, we have David Guetta who is collaborating with Anne-Marie in Don’t Leave Me Alone. Much like with Body, it was on Venus when I first heard it and I’ve listened to it quite a few times. It’s a lot better than Friends. But I’ll also say that this is better than 2002, though I still find the song to be interesting. Anne-Marie really shines with her voice, and I like how David Guetaa handles his work as a DJ. Hopefully, we’ll see it make its debut.

– We get the next single from Camila Cabello, titled Consequences. Vocally, it’s a step up from Never Be The Same. It’s a slow ballad and Camila has a nice voice, as opposed to her predecessor where she tries too hard and sounded bad. I’m sure it’ll end up graduating to the Weekend Countdown.

– Last and definitely least, we have the return of Lauv who is collaborating with Julia Michaels in There’s No Way. It’s really not a good song for the most part. The production isn’t as awful as in I Like Me Better, but I find their vocals to be underwhelming. I’ll have more on this when it debuts.

Best Debut On Hit-Bound: David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
TIE: 1. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
TIE: 1. Lady Gaga – I’ll Never Love Again
3. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
4. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – My Blood
5. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
19. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
18. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You

4 – Good:
17. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am
16. lovelytheband – Broken
15. Anne-Marie – 2002

5 – Great:
14. Selena Gomez – Back To You
13. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
12. George Ezra – Shotgun
11. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
10. Dan + Shay – Tequila
9. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
8. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
7. Imagine Dragons – Natural
6. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
4. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman
3. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now

Overall Grade: 89/100 = 89% (B+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Toni Braxton – Un-Break My Heart (1996) (Believe it or not, it’s been 22 years since it came out)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Rachel Platten – Stand By You

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Little Mix – Touch

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Gryffin featuring Elley Duhé – Tie Me Down

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Kesha – Praying (#17) and Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#1)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
4. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
5. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. AJR – Burn The House Down
2. LSD – Thunderclouds
3. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
4. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
5. Weezer – Africa

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Ed Sheeran – Perfect: The title of the song speaks for itself. It’s easily the perfect song to dance to in a wedding. I’ll have more on this when I do my Year-End posts.
Fergie featuring Nicki Minaj – You Already Know: Don’t get me wrong. I like Fergie, but this song is just not very good. I find her voice to be annoying, and I don’t like Nicki’s verses. Both artists have done much better in the past.
Evaride – Heartless: I like how Hits 1 picked this song up from a new band I haven’t even heard of. The rock vibes in the song are just divine. I’ll just leave it at that.

QOTW: Who do you guys think will win the World Series this year and why?

AT40: 5 Seconds Of Summer (1) – Week Of October 20, 2018

/ dhill92 / 2 Comments

What’s up, guys? Well, we’ve finally got some cooler weather on the horizon. Honestly, I’m over this hot weather already. It’s refreshing that it’s starting to get cold outside, heh. Anyway, I just want to let you guys know again that I’ll be doing Q&A. You still have until the end of this month to submit me anything you want to ask me. Though, I’ll probably end up extending the deadline. I’ll think about it. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

  • Remind Me To Forget by Kygo featuring Miguel (#18)
  • Side Effects by The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren (#24)
  • Boo’d Up by Elle Mai (#30)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
40. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (DEBUT)
39. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (#39)
38. One Day by Logic featuring Ryan Tedder (#40) [+2]
37. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#37) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
36. Thunderclouds by LSD (DEBUT)
35. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#33) [–2]
34. 2002 by Anne-Marie (#35) [+1]
33. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#31) [–2]
32. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#38) [+6]
31. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#29) [–2]
30. Africa by Weezer (#32) [+2]
29. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#26) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
28. Goodbye by Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William (#34) [+6]
27. Taste by Tyga featuring Offset (#36) [+9]
26. Mine by Bazzi (#21) [–5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
25. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#28) [+3]
24. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#23) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
23. Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter (#27) [+4]
22. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (DEBUT)
21. Broken by lovelytheband (#25) [+4]
20. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#22) [+2]
19. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#19) [=]
18. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#14) [–4] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
17. The Way I Am by Charlie Puth (#20) [+3]
16. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone (#17) [+1]
15. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#16) [+1]
14. In My Feelings by Drake (#8) [–6]
13. Lie by NF (#13) [=]
12. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#15) [+3]
11. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#11) [=]
10. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#12) [+2]
9. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#9) [=]
8. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#10) [+2]
7. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#7) [=]
6. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#6) [=]
5. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#5) [=]
4. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#4) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
3. Better Now by Post Malone (#3) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
2. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#1) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#2) [+1] [1st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo (1st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: In My Feelings by Drake (–6)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Taste by Tyga featuring Offset (+9)

New Entrants
– To start off this week’s new arrivals, we have Dua Lipa making her return. She’s collaborating with a new duo called Silk City (consisting of Mark Ronson and Diplo) with their single titled Electricity. There’s no question that Dua Lipa has been a mainstay in the world of music since the beginning of this year. First, she had New Rules. And later, she has songs such as IDGAF and then her feature in One Kiss (by Calvin Harris). As for her feature in this one, I think it’s great overall. She showcases her unique vocals all throughout the song. I like the work Mark and Diplo both did with this. They put forth the effort in the production. The piano work here is solid. Yeah, everything about this is just divine. I hope to see it become a huge hit.

– Next, we have a new group called LSD, which is basically a collaboration of three different artists (Labrinth, Sia, and Diplo) with their single titled Thunderclouds. I remember first hearing about the group thinking it was interesting. But that was before I started to listen to their music and realize just how bad they’ve been. To put it blunt, their singles so far are not good at all. This song is no exception. First off, I do not like Sia’s voice in the song. She sounds so annoying and it’s just painful to listen to. Labrinth isn’t really any better. In fact, his vocals are underwhelming. Even in Make Me (Cry), he sounded decent. But here, he just doesn’t sound good. Diplo couldn’t do much to save the song. His work on the production is just mediocre all around. Yeah, this is just a mess. Let’s move on.

– With the highest debut of the week, we have Ariana Grande with Breathin’, which is her third single off of Sweetener despite the fact that her successor is still going somewhat strong. I’ve made it no secret that I’m a huge fan of Ariana and her music. Most of the time, she impresses me with the songs she’s released. Breathin’ is no different. As always, I love Ariana’s voice. She just sounds amazing. The production is on point as well. She recently released a music video for the song which features a pig named Piggy Smallz, which I thought was interesting. Personally, I think this is the best song off of her album and I look forward to see that one do well.

Best Debut Of The Week: Breathin’ by Ariana Grande

Just Keep Blurbin’
– We’ll start with our exits. First off, the departure of Remind Me To Forget was expected, though I didn’t quite envision it leaving from a high position at #18. Side Effects did okay in its run, but I thought it might have a shot at success. But I guess people lost interest in The Chainsmokers after the singles since Sick Boy flopped. And finally, Boo’d Up left us for the second time, likely for good. I didn’t necessarily cared for the song too much, so I don’t have any complaints about this.

– And just like that, Youngblood ends up being our new #1 for this week. It’s nice to see a song from 5 Seconds Of Summer getting a lot of love outside of Hits 1. I’m not really complaining. I think it’s a good song and it deserves the top spot. If this song can be popular, then I’m sure High Hopes can have the same popularity outside of Hits 1.

– Can No Brainer start moving down soon? Because it’s continuing to get less interesting with each listen and it’s possible that I’ll have it in red at some point in time.

– It’s a good thing we’ve got In My Feelings out of the Top 10 after a short while. I still think it’s a weak song and Drake can do better. It’s a shame to see a song like this do well here and not Nice For What.

– Speaking of High Hopes, it gained some momentum this week with a nice 6-spot jump. Something tells me it may end up having a run similar to Youngblood in large part because the song is actually doing well outside of Hits 1.

–Friends and I Like Me Better both NEED TO LEAVE!!! I can’t stand these songs at all! There’s so annoying every time I hear them. Seriously, I can’t wait for the day they’re no longer on the countdown.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

  • Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
  • Lost In Japan (Remix) by Shawn Mendes featuring Zedd
  • Song About You by Mike Posner

Extras/Optional Extras:

  • Side Effects by The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren
  • Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash
  • It Ain’t Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez
  • Happy Now by Zedd featuring Elley Duhé
  • Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
  • Boo’d Up by Elle Mai
  • Remind Me To Forget by Kygo featuring Miguel
  • Happy by Pharrell
  • Me, Myself & I by G-Eazy featuring Bebe Rexha

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
19. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha

1 – Bad:
18. In My Feelings by Drake
17. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine

2 – Mediocre:
16. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille
15. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin
14. No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper

3 – Decent:
13. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
12. Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Post Malone and Preme 
11. The Way I Am by Charlie Puth

5 – Great:
10. Lie by NF
9. Better Now by Post Malone
8. Back To You by Selena Gomez
7. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
6. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
5. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
4. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
3. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
2. Natural by Imagine Dragons
1. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande

Total Score: 69/100 = 69% (D+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: I’ll Be There by The Jackson 5 (1970)

Most Missed Song: Fight Song by Rachel Platten

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Tie Me Down by Gryffin featuring Elley Duhé

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha (#12)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. Natural by Imagine Dragons
5. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Thunderclouds by LSD
3. I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
4. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
5. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Why by Sabrina Carpenter: This is pretty much a step down from Thumbs. I don’t really like her voice in this one. It just sounds underwhelming. At least she got a little better with Almost Love.
Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) by Cardi B.: For me, this really isn’t how you make a great first impression. I may be coming around to some of her music, but this song doesn’t do it for me at all.
Perfect by Ed Sheeran: The title of the song speaks for itself.  I’ll probably have more to say about it in my Year-End posts. But to put it easy, it’s the perfect song for a wedding.

Panic! At The Disco (6) – Week Of October 13, 2018

/ dhill92 / 11 Comments

What’s up, guys? So, I was unable to watch the American Music Awards which took place on Tuesday night because I unfortunately had to work that evening. I’m still planning on reviewing the entire show, but what that means is that I’ll have to find and view all the individual performances from the artists who performed that night. My future post should be ready hopefully be next week. Speaking of future posts, I’m going to be starting on my Q&A post around the same time. You have until the end of this month to submit me any questions that you have for me, whether it be music-related or just basically anything. Right here is the link to submit. I may extend the deadline if I have to. There are no songs leaving the countdown this week, so let’s get right to it.

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
45. DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper – No Brainer (#45) [=]
44. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me (#44) [=]
43. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends (#43) [=]
42. Niall Horan – On The Loose (#42) [=]
41. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#41) [=]

40. Brown & Gray – Top Down (#40) [=]
39. Sabrina Carpenter – Almost Love (#28) [–11]
38. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#31) [–7]
37. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#39) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
36. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (#30) [–6]
35. AJR – Burn The House Down (#33) [–2]
34. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (#20) [–14]
33. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#21) [–12] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
32. Post Malone – Better Now (#22) [–10]
31. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#27) [–4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
30. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#26) [–4]
29. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#29) [=]
28. Kim Petras – Heart To Break (#36) [+8]
27. The Vamps – Just My Type (#37) [+10]
26. LSD – Thunderclouds (#18) [–8]
25. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#13) [–12] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
24. Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore (#34) [+10]
23. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#35) [+12]
22. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#23) [+1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
21. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#32) [+11]
20. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You (#25) [+5]
19. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#38) [+19]
18. Weezer – Africa (#17) [–1]
17. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#24) [+7]
16. lovelytheband – Broken (#19) [+3]
15. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#16) [+1]
14. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#9) [–5] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
13. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#14) [+1]
12. George Ezra – Shotgun (#15) [+3]
11. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#12) [+1]
10. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#11) [+1]
9. NF – Lie (#8) [–1]
8. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#7) [–1]
7. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#10) [+3]
6. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#4) [–2]
5. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#6) [+1]
4. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#5) [+1]
3. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#3) [=]
2. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#2) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#1) [=] [6th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (1st of 4 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (–14)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (+19)

We Blurb Together
– All of the songs from #45-#40 held their positions this week.

– What’s up with the drops from Hey Look Ma, I Made It? I thought for sure that one would rocket to the Top 10 seeing as Hits 1 loves Panic! At The Disco. But boy I was wrong. WAY wrong. Perhaps the voters do not like the song, or they’re simply tired of them? I don’t know.

– So, I would like to congratulate Taylor Swift on getting four AMA Awards! What an accomplishment!

– The Middle has now officially fallen out of the Top 30. It’s hard to believe that the song was in the Top 10 just two weeks ago. It definitely had a great run. I’m sure many here are happy now.

– While we have songs like Hey Look Ma, I Made It struggling on this countdown, there are songs such as Heart To Break, Just My Type, 2002, and Drew Barrymore making reasonable gains this week. Can’t say I’m happy about the latter, but the other three I’m cool with.

– As for last week’s debuts, all three of them (Lost In Japan, This Feeling, and Electricity) made big moves upward this week, with the very latter having the biggest jump. I hope to see them continue their upward trend.

– Before introducing Side Effects, Spyder Harrison mentioned that fans of The Chainsmokers asked them what they should dress up for Halloween. I can’t wait to see what these guys come up with this year. They may have something spooky right around the corner. We’ll see.

– Nothing has changed in the Top 5 outside of Love Lies making it back to that territory. A part of me wishes that the song would be #1 here, but I don’t think it’ll happen so long as Hits 1 still loves Panic! At The Disco.

Hit-Bound:

  • Loud Luxury featuring brando – Body
  • Twenty One Pilots – My Blood
  • Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
  • Ariana Grande – Breathin’
  • The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks
  • Alex Aiono – Big Mistake
  • Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone – Jackie Chan
  • Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (DEBUT)
  • Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises
  • Halsey – Without Me
  • Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William – Goodbye
  • Shawn Mendes – Nervous
  • Walk The Moon – Kamikaze
  • Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free

Entrant Reviews:
– Lady Gaga replaces herself on Hit-Bound this week with another single from A Star Is Born soundtrack, this time with Shallow. I won’t quite say it’s as good as I’ll Never Love Again, but it’s still something I like mainly because of Lady Gaga’s voice. I like Bradley’s verses as well. We’ll see if it ends up making its debut soon.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
2. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow
3. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
4. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks
5. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze

YouTube 15:

  • Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It
  • Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
  • Against The Current – Voices
  • Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
  • Tiffany Young – Teach You
  • Post Malone – Better Now
  • Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999
  • Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
  • Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
  • Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You
  • August Alsina – Wouldn’t Leave
  • Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
  • HRVY – I Wish You Were Here
  • Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
  • Jonas Blue featuring Liam Payne and Lennon Stella – Polaroid

Song Reviews:
– The group, Against The Current who does music on YouTube, has a new single titled Voices. I can say it’s a good song overall. I like the vocals we get from these guys, and the production is pretty good. Not much else beyond that.

– Then, we have Charli XCX collaborating with Troye Sivan with their latest single titled 1999. The song is pretty similar to 2002, where it has many references such as …Baby One More Time and movies such as Titanic. The art cover features these two artists dress up as characters from The Matrix. Anyway, about the song, it’s better than some of Charli’s new music. I like the verses we get from both artists. Overall, it’s a nice collaboration.

– August Alsina has a new single titled Wouldn’t Leave. I definitely like his vocals for the most part. The lyrics are pretty good and the production is decent. I don’t have too much else to say about it. Overall, not a bad song.

– Finally, there’s Jonas Blue with yet another new song. This time, he’s collaborating with Liam Payne and Lennon Stella in his new single Polaroid. I think it’s one of the best Jonas Blue has to offer. I love the vocals we get from Liam and Lennon. Well, especially Lennon. I personally think she has an amazing voice and she uses it well. Yeah, it’s my favorite from Jonas Blue.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
2. Jonas Blue featuring Liam Payne and Lennon Stella – Polaroid
3. Nick Jonas featuring Robin Schulz – Right Now
4. Against The Current – Voices
5. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
19. Weezer – Africa

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You

4 – Good:
16. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am
15. lovelytheband – Broken
14. Anne-Marie – 2002

5 – Great:
13. NF – Lie
12. Selena Gomez – Back To You
11. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
10. George Ezra – Shotgun
9. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
8. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
7. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity
6. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
5. Imagine Dragons – Natural
4. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
3. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
2. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now

Overall Grade: 83/100 = 83% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Pat Benatar – We Belong (1984)

Most Missed Countdown Song: The 1975 – The Sound

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Paramore – Hard Times

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Cole Redding – Do It

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Kesha – Praying (#20) and Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#1)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
4. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle 
5. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. AJR – Burn The House Down
2. LSD – Thunderclouds
3. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
4. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
5. Weezer – Africa

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Charlie Puth – How Long: Ah yes, the successor to Attention. While it’s not quite as great as its predecessor, it still shows that Attention was no fluke and Charlie really has improved from the days of Nine Track Mind.

QOTW: What was your favorite performance from the American Music Awards on Tuesday night?