Biggest Fall Of The Week: Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton (–15)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa (+10)

New Entrants
– To kickstart our new arrivals this week, we have the return of Khalid with his latest single titled No Lies, which is taken from the Love, Simon movie soundtrack. The song also features Normani of Fifth Harmony, who have been taking a hiatus for some time as their members are starting to go solo. Now, the song has been around for a while. One of the things I like about it is that Khalid has shown that he has good vocals overall and I’m starting to come around to it. I like the verses from Normani as well, and the production is pretty good for the most part. Overall, it’s a good song. We’ll see how long it sticks around.

– And now, we have the big return of Ariana Grande. She recently released the lead single titled No Tears Left To Cry. I talked about this one when it debut on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown last week. I have been anticipating new music from her ever since Dangerous Woman. I was not disappointed at all by how the song turned out. Although I can’t say it lives up to the likes of Break Free, Into You, and her other singles, it’s still a great song nonetheless because simply put, Ariana has amazing vocals. She shows it throughout the entire song, even though the part where she sings “picking it up” can be a bit awkward. So yeah, I’m glad she made her comeback. Hopefully, it’ll end up being successful.

I Blurb It That Way
– So, for our two exits, Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man had a nice run on the countdown. It was nice to see other alternative bands get some recognition. Who knows? Maybe they’ll end up getting another hit, but I could be wrong. As for Everybody Hates Me by The Chainsmokers, that one won’t be missed too much. I was not surprised at all about this departure given that the audience has been starting to lose interest in The Chainsmokers for some time.

– Well, Say Something took another big drop this week. I’m afraid this song is all but finished not only here, but elsewhere too. And unfortunately, it looks like it’s going to miss the Year-End list on Billboard. Pretty sad if you ask me.

– Wolves and Want You Back both took big drops as well. Wolves is likely nearing the end of its tenure, so it won’t be much longer with us. Want You Back, on the other hand, I’m not surprised it took a drop given that it’s not doing well outside of Hits 1.

– One Kiss was bound to have a big jump at some point in time. For a Dua Lipa song, this one is starting to catch on quicker than her other two representations currently on the countdown.

– On the note of other big drops, Let You Down is now out of the Top 10. It’s about time that’s happened. I’ll just leave it at that.

– Our Top 5 remains the same, though it’s still not looking good given that we have some mediocre to bad songs still in that region. But at least The Middle holds at #1 for another week, so that’s very nice.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Merengue by Kent Jones
• Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani
• Nice For What by Drake
• Let Me by ZAYN

Extras/Optional Extras:

• What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
• Just Like Fire by P!NK
• Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay
• I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
• You Know You Like It by DJ Snake featuring AlunaGeorge
• It Ain’t Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez
• Cheerleader by Omi
• Drag Me Down by One Direction

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
19. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
18. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
17. I Like Me Better by Lauv
16. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

1 – Bad:
15. Wait by Maroon 5
14. Let You Down by NF

2 – Mediocre:
13. God’s Plan by Drake

3 – Decent:
12. No Excuses by Meghan Trainor

4 – Good:
11. Mine by Bazzi

5 – Great:
10. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
9. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
8. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
7. Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato
6. New Rules by Dua Lipa
5. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA
4. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar

Total Score: 62/100 = 62% (D–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys (1999)

Most Missed Song: Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Too Good by Hundred Handed

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (#4)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
4. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
5. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
2. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
3. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
4. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
5. I Like Me Better by Lauv

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
The Cure by Lady Gaga: All I can say is that it’s nowhere near her best, but she still does a great job with her vocals overall, and I like the production.
Good Life by G-Eazy featuring Kehlani: It’s too bad this one failed to catch on elsewhere. Kehlani sounds amazing here. That one definitely deserved better.
Kissing Strangers by DNCE featuring Nicki Minaj: Probably their weakest singles from the band if I do say so myself. The “ayy’s” in the background is really what kills it for me. Good thing this didn’t become as big as Cake By The Ocean.

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Lauv – I Like Me Better (–14)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie between Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves and Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (+11)

New Entrants
– Our only entrant this week comes from the return of one of my favorite artists at the moment. If you like me and have been anticipating the day Ariana Grande makes her comeback to music, then you’ll probably like her latest single titled No Tears Left To Cry. As far as her last album went, I did enjoy most of her singles (with a few exceptions), including Into You, which was easily the best single from Dangerous Woman. Although I can’t really say No Tears Left To Cry is just as good, I still really like this mainly because of Ariana alone, especially in terms of her vocals. I love the way she can hit those high notes throughout the song. The beginning is a little awkward because it starts at a slow pace, but the rest of the song picks up from there. The production is good as well even though it doesn’t live up to the likes of her older singles. Once again, Ariana Grande managed to impress me with that new single of hers and I’m hoping for success.

I’m Lovin’, I’m Livin’, I’m Blurbing It Up
– As far as our exit goes, we sadly say good-bye to Say Something. I was hoping this would catch on after the massive flop of its successor, but it just was not meant to be (no pun intended). That song definitely deserved better and it will be missed by me the most.

– So, Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction for Bad At Love that Halsey said something about hotels shampoo. Looks like she stirred some controversy with that topic.

– Neither No Roots nor God’s Plan are getting anywhere on the countdown so far. I do wish the former would do better. The latter, even though I may not like the song, I’ll admit Hits 1 is treating it quite poorly for a song that spent 11 weeks at the top.

– On that note, the guest DJ that introduced No Roots talked with SPyder Harrison that someone was mad at him for whatever reason. I’m sure he’ll find a way to make up for it by doing something nice, I guess.

– Also, Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction for God’s Plan that Drake exchanged bad words over Kendrick Perkins at a Raptor’s game. Yeah, he’d better be careful because that wasn’t too nice. I guess he doesn’t know how to congratulate the other team for their success, heh.

– Wolves took a big jump out of the Bottom 5 this week. I’m surprised by this, but hey I’m not complaining! I still love this song and it can stay for as long as it wants. Also, I heard that Selena Gomez has new music coming out soon. Hopefully, it’ll be something along the lines of either this song or her older singles (Before Revival).

– I Like Me Better took a massive drop that I’ve been waiting for! It’s about damn time this happened! Now let’s get this song out of the countdown soon!

– Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction for Let Me that ZAYN appears to have gotten back together with Gigi Hadid. I guess he somehow found a way to make up for what happened before.

– Shawn Mendes just recently released a new single leading up to the album, which comes out later this month, which is titled Youth (featuring Khalid). I haven’t given that song a listen as of yet, but I’m hoping it’s good. I looked at the cover of his new album and I was like, “Really? He made this?” But it doesn’t matter to me so long as he has some good singles to come out of it.

– We have quite a shake up in the Top 10. I’m okay with No Excuses being there even though I’m starting to slightly lose interest in it. Say Amen (Saturday Night) and Tell Me You Love Me are welcome into that region, even though both of these songs aren’t popular elsewhere.

– It’s good to see Pray For Me enter the Top 5. The last time we had a song from The Weeknd in the Top 5 was Starboy back in 2016, I think. But yeah, I’m glad that it’s doing well so far. I mean, it kicked Meant To Be out of the Top 5, so that’s saying a whole lot.

– But then, we’ve come to our new #1 this week, which really isn’t any better than Meant To Be from last week. I’m not thrilled to see Never Be The Same at #1 to replace Meant To Be. In fact, I never found this song to be that good to start. If you’ve been following my blog from the beginning, I initially wasn’t very fond of Havana in large part because I wasn’t looking forward to hearing from Camila Cabello at that time. I’m still mixed on Camila in terms of her solo music. But in all honesty, it’s really Never Be The Same I should’ve been criticizing about, mainly because she just doesn’t sound good in the song vocally. Havana, on the other hand, is an improvement for her and I want more songs like that from her, and not Never Be The Same. I’m hoping this doesn’t stay at #1 for long, but since this song is still gaining elsewhere, I’m afraid we’ll be stuck with it for a little while.

Hit-Bound:

• Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
• Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar
• Dua Lipa – IDGAF
• Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
• lovelytheband – Broken (DEBUT)
• HRVY – Personal
• Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – Babe
• Hundred Handed – Too Good
• Echosmith – Over My Head
• The Wrecks – James Dean (DEBUT)
• Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (DEBUT)
• In Real Life – Tattoo (How ‘Bout You)
• Sam Smith featuring Logic – Pray
• Dustin Atlas featuring Erin Bowman – Fake Friends
• Maren Morris – Rich

– We begin a new month on Hit-Bound. First off, we say good-bye to two songs this week. Why Don’t We – Trust Fund Baby I wasn’t fond of at all, so I’m pleased to see it leave. I can’t say I’ll miss Everybody Hates Me either. Seeing as The Chainsmokers’s recent releases haven’t impressed me too much and people starting to lose interest, I wasn’t surprised to see that one leave.

– To start our new round of arrivals on Hit-Bound this week, we have a new band whose name is lovelytheband making their appearance with their debut single titled Broken. I’m not really sure how I feel about the song as a whole. While I do kinda like the lyrics and the production, I’m not necessarily big on the vocals. That’s all I have to say about it.

– Next we have The Wrecks with the song called James Dean. This is definitely an enjoyable rock tune overall. It kinda reminds me of some of the classic rock from the 80’s. Not much else I can say about it.

– Finally, we have the return of Calvin Harris. And guess what? He’s collaborating with Dua Lipa in his latest release titled One Kiss. And with it, Dua Lipa now has two songs on Hit-Bound. I talked about One Kiss when it debuted on the American Top 40. But yeah, I love pretty much everything about it and Dua Lipa sounds great throughout the song. Calvin Harris did a nice job as a producer overall. I’ll have more on this when it debuts.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
2. Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
3. Hundred Handed – Too Good
4. The Wrecks – James Dean
5. Dua Lipa – IDGAF

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
TIE: 20. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
TIE: 20. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
18. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

1 – Bad:
17. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
16. Imagine Dragons – Thunder

3 – Decent:
15. Meghan Trainor – No Excuses

4 – Good:
14. Bazzi – Mine

5 – Great:
13. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back
12. Taylor Swift – Delicate
11. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
10. Niall Horan – On The Loose
9. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me
8. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go 
7. Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days
6. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
5. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I
4. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
3. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me

Overall Grade: 77/100 = 77% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Céline Dion – Because You Loved Me (1996)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Adele – Rolling In The Deep (Because today is Adele’s 30th Birthday! So Happy Birthday, Adele!)

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

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Kim Petras – Heart To Break

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#15)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
3. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
4. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
5. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
2. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
3. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
4. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
5. Lauv – I Like Me Better

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

Fun fact: For the last three years in a row, there were no songs debuting that week.

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton (–5)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Alone by Hasley featuring Big Sean and Stefflon Don, In My Blood by Shawn Mendes, and I Like Me Better by Lauv (+3)

New Entrants
– Our only entrant this week comes from The Chainsmokers with Everybody Hates Me. It seems that people are slowly starting to lose interest in these guys, mainly because their latest releases haven’t been all that memorable. Everybody Hates Me is really no different. It goes to show that they’re losing what made them stand out. I do like the production for the most part, and that’s the best thing I can say about this song. They’re good at being producers as evidenced by most of their songs. However, where the song is weak at is the vocals from Andrew Taggart. He doesn’t really shine too much and he can sound annoying in some parts of the song. It’s not really a bad song by any means, but I can’t say I’ll be coming back to this in a year or so. Given their latest releases haven’t been doing well chart-wise, I doubt it’ll be sticking around for long.

Blurb On As If Nothing Really Matters
– As far as our exit goes, it’s good to see Trust Fund Baby by Why Don’t We depart after only two weeks. This was not the follow-up single I was hoping for from these guys after Something Different. I’m sure they can do better.

– Ryan Seacrest mentioned during his introduction for No Roots that Alice Merton just recently released her EP and it talks about basically where she’s from and what not. I haven’t listened to it yet, but I’m sure it’s good. Who knows? Maybe there’s another song from her I’ll probably like.

– Before introducing Wolves, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Selena Gomez had friends over on a Friday night eating junk food and what not. When I heard him say that, it pretty much reminded me what I did back when I was a kid. Heh, it must’ve been fun for her to go back to the good old days (no pun intended) and bring friends over for some fun.

– Before introducing Tell Me You Love Me, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Demi Lovato took Spanish lessons because she wanted to record a different version of the song. I’m sure it’ll sound just as good as the original. Sounds like she’s trying to make one last push of the song, even though it’s not popular elsewhere.

– Say Something doesn’t look like it’ll stick around after that big drop this week. It’s too bad because this song deserved better. Oh well.

– So, I just recently heard the remix of Never Be The Same with Kane Brown and I’ll admit it’s not as bad as the solo version. Kane Brown does make up for it. But that’s not saying too much because Camila just doesn’t sound good throughout the song, which is why I can’t stand the solo version.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Merengue by Kent Jones
• Stir Fry by Migos
• Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Water Under The Bridge by Adele
• In The Night by The Weeknd
• Can’t Stop The Feeling! by Justin Timberlake
• G.D.F.R. by Flo Rida featuring Sage The Gemini
• On My Mind by Ellie Goulding
• Issues by Julia Michaels
• Young, Dumb, And Broke by Khalid
• My House by Flo Rida
• Sorry by Justin Bieber

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
19. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
18. I Like Me Better by Lauv
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
16. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

1 – Bad:
15. Wait by Maroon 5
14. God’s Plan by Drake
13. Let You Down by NF

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
12. No Excuses by Meghan Trainor
11. Mine by Bazzi

5 – Great:
10. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
9. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
8. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
7. New Rules by Dua Lipa
6. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA
5. Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton
4. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar

Total Score: 62/100 = 62% (D–)

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

Most Missed Song: It Ain’t Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez (Happy Birthday, Adrian!)

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (#6)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
4. No Roots by Alice Merton
5. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
2. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
3. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
4. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
5. I Like Me Better by Lauv

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Weak by AJR: Again, I talked about this before. But honestly, this song, along with its successor, gives me a reason why people here are not very fond of AJR.
Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran: You know, I like when Ed Sheeran can make a song about friends doing different things. This is probably the best song from him in terms of the lyrics. Plus, the production is great and reminds me of U2’s music.

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton – Say Something (–23) (……)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me (+14)

New Entrants
– So, here’s a question for you: are you tired of Post Malone? If you answered yes, then too bad, because he makes his return to the countdown this week. His single is called Psycho, which features Ty Dolla $ign. Let me just simply say that I’ve never been fond of any of Post Malone’s music (other than Candy Paint). I hated Rockstar from the beginning and I still do. His latest single, Psycho, isn’t any different from its predecessor. It’s a bit of a step up from Rockstar, but even that’s not saying much. Looking at the lyrical content of the song, they’re basically bragging about stuff and what not. I’m not really a fan of songs that have these types of lyrics. They sound like something I would hear on many of the rap music currently popular right now. That kind of stuff drives me crazy. As for the rest of the song, the production is weak across the board and the verses aren’t good. Ty Dolla $ign doesn’t contribute to anything at all. I really do not see the appeal to the song whatsoever and the fact that the song is still popular only makes things worse. So, I’m not thrilled that this is the song that replaces Woman, which clearly deserved better. Oh well.

– Now with the highest debut of the week, Halsey now has her third song on the countdown as her next single from Hopeless Fountain Kingdom makes its debut this week, by the name of Alone. The remix of the song features Big Sean and Stefflon Don, but I’ll just grade the original version of the song. I do like Halsey’s vocals throughout the song and the production here is good. When listening to this, she does sound a little bit like Alessia Cara, especially before we get to the chorus. Do I see it being another hit for Halsey? We don’t know for sure. It may not stick with me in the big picture, but I do like it for the time being.

Best Debut Of The Week: Halsey – Alone

Let Your Blurbs Move To The Music
– So, we begin with our two exits. Hold Me Tight Or Don’t was destined to leave for some time. As I’ve said before, I personally think people seemed to have moved on from Fall Out Boy given that none of the singles from MANIA took off. It’s kinda sad when you think about it. Our other exit consists of Woman, which unfortunately never took off either. Honestly, this song deserved much better than it should’ve. It’s annoying that songs like Psycho (which replaced the song, by the way) get in the Top 5 on Billboard, yet we have songs like Woman flopped elsewhere. I’m hoping Kesha can release something soon that’ll make it big and not end up having the same fate as Woman.

– Speaking of annoying, we have Meant To Be hitting #1 this week. As you can see, I’m not thrilled about this. Honestly, Bebe Rexha is capable of so much better, yet none of her singles ever made it big. It’s sad that this song is her biggest hit when it is clearly not country whatsoever. I’ll take any song (except for Wait and Never Be The Same) in the Top 10 to replace this at #1.

– By no surprise, Want You Back has reached the #2 spot. If you’re like me and have been an avid Hits 1 listener for some time, then you probably seen this coming. Hits 1’s obsession with 5 Seconds Of Summer is still at an all-time high. I do like the song, so I don’t mind it hitting #1 if it means replacing Meant To Be next week.

– One of the few good things that happened is the big jump from Tell Me You Love Me. Even though it’s not really taking off elsewhere, it’s nice to see it do quite well on this countdown.

– On the note of other things that pissed me off this week (besides our #1), Say Something took a massive, New York Giants-sized drop all the way down to near the bottom 5. How is this even okay?! That is so not cool at all.

– Another good thing that happened this week is the big drop from Lights Down Low. As someone who never even liked this song, let me just say it’s about damn time this happened. I’ve been waiting a long time for it to come. Now, let’s get it out of the countdown.

– Before introducing End Game, Spyder Harrison mentioned that a stalker somehow broke into Taylor Swift’s home. I’m sure that was a scary experience. I wouldn’t want something like that to happen at my home.

– Before introducing Wolves, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Selena shaved the back of her head. When I looked up pictures of her new hairstyle, it didn’t look that way. She actually had a high ponytail. Heh, I guess he didn’t look at the picture right or something

– Speaking of Halsey, I recently heard that she’s going to be starring in a movie about her life. And guess what? She is playing herself. It sounds like she may have a future in acting while she continues making music. I wonder how big of a star she’ll be?

Hit-Bound:

• Dustin Atlas featuring Erin Bowman – Fake Friends
• Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – Babe
• Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
• Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
• In Real Life – Tattoo (How ‘Bout You)
• Maren Morris – Rich
• Why Don’t We – Trust Fund Baby
• Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
• The Chainsmokers – Everybody Hates Me
• Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar
• Dua Lipa – IDGAF
• Sam Smith featuring Logic – Pray
• HRVY – Personal
• Echosmith – Over My Head
• Hundred Handed – Too Good

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
2. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
3. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
4. Hundred Handed – Too Good
5. Echosmith – Over My Head

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
TIE: 20. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
TIE: 20. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
18. Lauv – I Like Me Better
17. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

1 – Bad:
16. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
15. Imagine Dragons – Thunder

4 – Good:
14. Bazzi – Mine

5 – Great:
13. Meghan Trainor – No Excuses
12. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back
11. Taylor Swift – Delicate
10. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
9. Niall Horan – On The Loose
8. Bad Wolves – Zombie
7. Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days
6. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
5. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I
4. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
3. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
2. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me

Overall Grade: 75/100 = 75% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Madonna – Vogue (1990)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Demi Lovato – Stone Cold

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#18)

My Top 5 Picks
1. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me
2. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
3. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
4. Alice Merton – No Roots
5. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes

My Bottom 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
TIE: 1. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
3. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
4. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
5. Lauv – I Like Me Better

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Charlie Puth – Attention: This song was the start of Charlie Puth going for more of a groovy sound, which worked out well to everyone’s liking as opposed to what he had in Nine Track Mind. Keep in mind that the album the song is included in even though it’s only a year old comes out next month.
Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back: The same can be said for Shawn Mendes. The only difference between this and Attention is that Shawn went for a Latin vibe. I never thought he would go for that type of sound, but it worked out well and is easily my favorite single from him. I wonder will his next album sound something like this?
Lady Gaga – The Cure: I don’t really have too much I can say about this one. It may not be Lady Gaga’s best, but it’s still a great song mainly because of her vocals.

Fun fact: These songs spent only one week in Hit-Bound before graduating to the countdown last year.

QOTW: Kelly Clarkson recently celebrated her 36th Birthday this week. What is your favorite song from her and why?

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash (–4)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: In My Blood by Shawn Mendes (+5)

New Entrants
– Our first of two entrants this week comes from the return of Logic, who is collaborating with Marshmello in his new single called Everyday. Right off the bat, I do like the lyrical content for the most part. It talks about working hard and not giving up on what he’s trying to do and this is something we can relate to. The production here is pretty good for Marshmello. It’s not quite as good as Wolves, but at least it’s better than Friends. I think Logic does a good job with his verses. We’ll see how long this sticks around.

– If I’m being honest, I think Dua Lipa should be in consideration as one of the best breakout artists of 2018 in my opinion. With her latest debut this week, she now has a total of three songs on the countdown. She is collaborating with Calvin Harris in his new single titled One Kiss. First off, I really liked how the collaboration turned out. Now I don’t think it’s as good as his previous singles, but Calvin Harris still did well production-wise. However, it’s Dua Lipa that makes the song better. She shines with her vocals like she always does, as evidenced by her two other representations currently on the countdown. Overall, it’s a really good song and I hope for the best.

Blurbs In The Mirror
– For our exits, Young, Dumb, And Broke lasted quite a while for a song that didn’t even hit the Top 10. Though, it’s not likely to make the year-end list on this countdown as it got caught in between years. But it’s not something that I care about in the big picture. I’m hoping his other single, Love Lies can debut soon. Also, we have the departure of Strip That Down, which was long overdue. I’ll just simply say that it’s about damn time that song left us.

– So, it appears that Halsey may have more than one movie role, as I just heard that she’ll be starring in own movie coming soon. Looks like she might have a future in acting.

– In My Blood jumped into the Top 20 relatively quickly in its third week here. I’m sure it’ll continue to catch on now with the music video for the song being recently released this week. His new album does come out next month, so I’m curious to see what good songs he has on there. Hopefully, it’ll better than its predecessor.

– In Top 5 news, Pray For Me makes its entrance at #5. That which is pleasing to see. Hopefully, this means that it could be a potential #1 in the near future. However, I’m not thrilled to see Never Be The Same hitting a scary new peak of #2. That one better not hit #1. Like I said before, I’m hoping The Middle can hold the #1 spot for as long as it possibly can until we get some better songs in the Top 5.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Everybody Hates Me by The Chainsmokers
• Stir Fry by Migos
• Merengue by Kent Jones

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Wake Me Up by Avicii featuring Aloe Blacc
• Work From Home by Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla $ign
• Praying by Kesha
• Cold by Maroon 5 featuring Future
• Sit Still, Look Pretty by Daya
• Beg by Jack & Jack
• Lemon by N.E.R.D. featuring Rihanna
• Love On The Brain by Rihanna
• Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
19. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
18. I Like Me Better by Lauv
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
16. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

1 – Bad:
15. Wait by Maroon 5
14. God’s Plan by Drake

2 – Mediocre:
13. Let You Down by NF

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
12. Mine by Bazzi

5 – Great:
11. No Excuses by Meghan Trainor
10. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
9. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
8. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
7. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA
6. New Rules by Dua Lipa
5. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
4. Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar

Total Score: 64/100 = 64% (D)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson (1988)

Most Missed Song: Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (#9)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
4. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa
5. No Roots by Alice Merton

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
2. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
3. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
4. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
5. I Like Me Better by Lauv

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Now Or Never by Halsey: I can appreciate what this song’s premise is about, but Halsey doesn’t dsiaply her vocal talent that much in this one. While it’s not a bad song overall, it’s not memorable either.
Passionfruit by Drake: This is one of his better songs unlike his current representation on the countdown. Too bad it didn’t get quite as big as One Dance.
Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles: I think Harry Styles made the best first impression out of all the One Direction members who went solo. Anything that takes me back to the 70’s and 80’s works well for me.

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Walk The Moon – One Foot (–16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (+16)

New Entrants
– Portugal. The Man have made their presence known in the music business when their single, Feel It Still, became a sleeper hit last year. Now, they’re hoping they can continue their success as they bring in their second song to the countdown, by the name of Live In The Moment. Right off the bat, it is a step up from its predecessor, production-wise. It has quite a bit more going on as opposed to Feel It Still, where not too much was done there. The chorus is enjoyable, and their vocals shine more all throughout the song. I’m hoping this can have the same success as its predecessor did.

– So, here’s a question for you all. Who remembers Bea Miller? If you don’t, let me refresh your memory. She had two songs which made it to the countdown three years ago. One was Young Blood, which came back in 2014; the other was Fire ‘N Gold, which had some minor success peaking in the Top 10 back in 2015. Today, she makes her return by collaborating with a new EDM duo NOTD, who make their first appearance on the countdown with the song titled I Wanna Know. Right off the bat, Bea sounds great with her vocals overall. I like what NOTD did with the production. I think the drop sounds pretty good for the most part. It’s nice to see Bea Miller make a comeback and I’m hoping to see the song do well on the countdown.

– Finally, we have ZAYN making his comeback with a new single, titled Let Me. He had Dusk Till Dawn on the countdown not too long ago. That one I enjoyed and it’s one of his best songs thus far. As for his new single, I can’t quite say it’s as good as its predecessor. But I do like what the song has to offer. The song is about letting someone love you. It’s pretty low-key if I’m being honest. He does sound good with his vocals and I do kinda like the production for the most part. It’ll be interesting to see how well this will do. I don’t think it’ll stick with me in the long run, but I like it for the time being.

Purple Blurbs
– In terms of our exits this week, Love So Soft had quite a good countdown run even though it wasn’t big elsewhere. Young, Dumb, And Broke only spent five weeks despite it being mildly successful and making the Year-End list last year. Finally, there was Lonely Girl which cracked the Top 30 only once during its tenure, but it’s nothing worth caring about in the long run.

– We had quite a shake-up in activity this week. Let’s start with the big drop from Let You Down. It’s about time that’s happened. Now, I’m hoping it can be on its way out soon.

– However, we also get the comeback from Sober Up. I don’t know why, but I don’t appreciate this not one bit. At leas this didn’t have the biggest jump I’m honestly tired of AJR. I just recently listened to their latest single, and it’s not good either (surprise).

– Looks like One Foot isn’t going to get #1 after all following the big drop that it took this week. It had quite a good run for a band that had a certain song spent a seemingly long time at the top spot.

– Well, I’m afraid that comeback from Finesse was short-lived unfortunately, because it’s right back to square one. Oh well, I guess it wasn’t meant to be successful on this countdown, despite it being in the Top 5 elsewhere.

– In Top 20 news, Zombie made a nice recovery this week after that unnecessary drop last week. It’s also nice to see Say Something made a big jump into the region as well.

– Now, you’re probably wondering why I have Friends as my least favorite song for the past few weeks. Honestly, I don’t like the idea of creating an anthem about the friend-zone. I’m not fond of the work Marshmello has put together either and Anne-Marie doesn’t sound good either. As someone who has enjoyed songs like Rockabye and Wolves, I’m very disappointed in the collaboration. Both of these artists can do so much better in my opinion.

– This is the first time in months that Let Me Go is not in the Top 10. Like I said, I’m glad it was able to spend one week at the top. Now we’ll see how long this one hangs around.

– It’s about time I Like Me Better dropped out of the Top 5. Now if we can get it to continue moving down and get it out of the countdown soon, all is well.

– Say Amen (Saturday Night) was not only honored the Biggest Jump Of The Week for the second time, but it also rose to the Top 10 pretty quickly. I guess the voters seemed to have missed Brendon Urie and company that much, huh?

– We have quite a big shake-up in the Top 5, and not for the better. I do like the re-entry from Him & I Never Be The Same and Wait both make their unwelcome entries. Plus, Meant To Be has reached a peak of #2 to drive me off the wall as well. We seriously need The Middle to hold the #1 spot for as long as possible. If we can get Him & I at #1, that works too.

Hit-Bound:

• Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
• Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
• Hundred Handed – Too Good
• The Chainsmokers – Everybody Hates Me
• Why Don’t We – Trust Fund Baby
• Echosmith – Over My Head
• Dua Lipa – IDGAF
• Maren Morris – Rich
• Dustin Atlas featuring Erin Bowman – Fake Friends
• Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
• HRVY – Personal (DEBUT)
• Halsey – Alone
• In Real Life – Tattoo (How ‘Bout You)
• Sam Smith featuring Logic – Pray
• Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar (DEBUT)
• Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – Babe (DEBUT)
• Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (DEBUT)

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
2. Hundred Handed – Too Good
3. Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
4. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
5. Echosmith – Over My Head

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
TIE: 20. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
TIE: 20. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
18. Lauv – I Like Me Better
17. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

1 – Bad:
16. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
15. Imagine Dragons – Thunder

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
14. Meghan Trainor – No Excuses
13. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back
12. Taylor Swift – Delicate
11. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
10. Niall Horan – On The Loose
9. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go
8. Bad Wolves – Zombie
7. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I
6. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
5. Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton – Say Something
4. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
3. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
2. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me

Overall Grade: 75/100 = 75% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Prince – Purple Rain (1984)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Avicii featuring Aloe Blacc – Wake Me Up

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Bruno Mars – Chunky

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Mono Mind – I Found My Soul At Marvingate (Sofa Tunes Remix)

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#19)

My Top 5 Picks
1. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me
2. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
3. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
4. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
5. Alice Merton – No Roots

My Bottom 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
TIE: 1. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
3. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
4. Lauv – I Like Me Better
5. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Flo Rida featuring 99 Percent – Cake: I’m not sure what Flo Rida was going for there, but it just did not work out to my liking. When the song is on the same mixtape as songs such as JuJu On That Beat, that’s not a good sign.

Questions Of The Week:
1. Ariana Grande is back with No Tears Left To Cry. What do you guys think of the song and why?

2. What are your favorite songs from Prince?

3. What is your favorite song from Avicii?

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello (–7)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: In My Blood by Shawn Mendes (+15)

New Entrants
– We have two new songs debuting this week. To start, we have Why Don’t We making their second appearance on the countdown with their latest single titled Trust Fund Baby. Now, I’ll say that I did like Something Different for the most part. Even though it wasn’t a stand-out track for them, it was still something that I enjoyed every now and then. Trust Fund Baby, on the other hand, is a different story. This song is just plain bad all around. I can’t really see the appeal to this. Looking at the lyrical content, it’s basically them bragging about stuff and what not. And let me remind you that Ed Sheeran of all people did the songwriting for this one. I don’t know about you, but whatever he was doing I don’t think he did a good job. He was also a part of Strip That Down, which I wasn’t fond of either. The production isn’t well done. In fact, it sounds way too much like something that I would hear on some of the mediocre hip-hop songs currently flooding the charts. I want something along the lines of Something Different, but oh well. I hope it doesn’t stay for too long.

– Halsey has another new single making its debut as Bad At Love continues to fade away, which is called Alone. Now, the remix for the song was recently released last month and that includes Big Sean and Stefflon Don. As for the solo version, I do like it, mainly because Halsey sounds good with her vocals and production is solid all around. The remix is pretty good as well. I think both Big Sean and Stefflon Don added something that makes it enjoyable for me. Now the question is, do I see this becoming another hit for Halsey? Only time will tell on that. But right now, I do like it and I hope for some success out of it.

When Blurbs Cry
– Our two exits consist of songs that I won’t really miss too much. Beg by Jack & Jack wasn’t all that memorable for me, and Lemon by N.E.R.D. featuring Rihanna was a guilty pleasure of mine. So I’m not saddened by the exits.

– In My Blood by Shawn Mendes took a massive jump in its second week. It’s been a while since we had a jump this big. But I’m not complaining as I do like the song. We’ll see if this ends up being another hit for Shawn.

– Before introducing Whatever It Takes, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Dan Reynolds was being treated for a chronic disease while working on music. It’s nice to see that he still has the strength to continue making music despite his shortcomings. I’m sure it doesn’t affect his vocals too much. That said, I hope the song enters the Top 10 soon, like maybe next week.

– Before introducing Let Me Down, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that NF’s music has connected people in some ways in terms of the lyrical content. I guess people can relate to the song in some way. There are many songs we listen to that have a meaning and I can appreciate songs like that. I’m sure he does too.

– Never Be The Same makes its entrance into the Top 5, which isn’t too surprising since Camila Cabello is a rising star. But I’m not very thrilled to see it there. She just does not sound good throughout the song. Her vocal work was the main reason why I despised Work From Home. Songs like Havana, on the other hand, showed that her vocals aren’t grating. That said, I’m hoping it doesn’t reach #1, but that’s a long shot at this point.

– In other Top 5 news, we have Meant To Be reaching a dangerous new peak of #2. I’ll be hanging on to the edge of my seat hoping it doesn’t get to #1. But given that it’s still continuing to go strong in sales, I’m afraid it’s a possibility.

– Honestly, our new #1 is one in which I saw coming. The Middle has been going strong for a while now and I wasn’t too surprised to see it take the top spot on the American Top 40 this week. Perfectly fine by me as this one has become a huge favorite of mine, along with our #3 song. As I said before, it’s nice to see Maren Morris get a country cross-over hit. I’m hoping that it can hold the #1 spot for a while.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Everyday by Logic featuring Marshmello
• Stir Fry by Migos
• Everybody Hates Me by The Chainsmokers

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt
• Into You by Ariana Grande
• Love Yourself by Justin Bieber
• Don’t Wanna Know by Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran
• Never Forget You by Zara Larsson featuring MNEK
• 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid
• Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
19. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
18. I Like Me Better by Lauv
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
16. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

1 – Bad:
15. Wait by Maroon 5
14. God’s Plan by Drake

2 – Mediocre:
13. Let You Down by NF

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
12. Mine by Bazzi

5 – Great:
11. No Excuses by Meghan Trainor
10. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
9. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
8. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
7. New Rules by Dua Lipa
6. Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato
5. Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton
4. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
3. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.

Total Score: 64/100 = 64% (D)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: When Doves Cry by Prince (1984) (It’s been two years since he passed)

Most Missed Song: Hymn For The Weekend by Coldplay featuring Beyoncé (Hi, Adrian)

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Say Amen (Saturday Night) by Panic! At The Disco

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Green Light by Lorde (#20) and Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
4. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
5. No Roots by Alice Merton

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
2. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
3. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
4. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
5. I Like Me Better by Lauv

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
I Love You by Axwell Λ Ingresso featuring Kid Ink: Not really the best song in the EDM genre by any means, but I do like what it has to offer, mainly the lyrical content
Still Got Time by ZAYN featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR: This is basically a snooze fest across the board. ZAYN has had some songs that I enjoyed for the most part, but this isn’t one them unfortunately.

QOTW: Ariana Grande is back with her new single, No Tears Left To Cry. What are your thoughts? How do you think the single will fare?

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns – Woman (–15)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me (+15)

New Entrants
– We have only one new entrant this week, and it comes from Drake whose song is currently #1 on Billboard so far. Enter God’s Plan. I already talked about this when it debuted on the American Top 40 last month. But to recap, I wasn’t really a fan of this. Part of the problem with the song is the production, which I find to be underwhelming. I do think his vocals are okay, but the lyrics leave something to be desired and like I just said, the production isn’t too good. Knowing Hits 1, I’m sure this will have a short tenure on the countdown despite it being the biggest song of this year so far. Hopefully I’m right, but you never really know how long it’ll stay on the countdown.

A Thousand Blurbs
– So, we bid adieu to This Is Me. I thought this song was one of a kind and we don’t hear songs like that very often anymore. Keala Settle definitely showed that she can really sing. It’s too bad that it wasn’t a huge success elsewhere, but at least it graduated to the countdown due to the hype from the Oscars this year. It’s definitely a candidate for My Top 45 Songs Of 2018.

– The Middle continues its reign at #1. I do still love this song and I’m glad that Maren Morris is getting the attention (no reference to Charlie Puth) she deserves. I wonder how much longer it’ll stay at the top.

– Whatever It Takes has reached a new peak of #2 this week. I wouldn’t be too surprised if this ends up being #1 down the road. Also, it was introduced by a guest DJ, who was saying hello to too many family members. It was nice even though she didn’t name them all.

– Let Me Go just won’t budge from the Top 5. I do still love the song and I’m glad that it spent at least one week at #1. Something tells me that it’ll likely be ranked high when the Hits 1 Year-End Countdown comes along in December. But that might be a stretch given that we still have a whole year ahead of us.

– But then, we also get to our new Top 5 entrant from I Like Me Better. Just no, people. I don’t know why are the voters making this a Top 5 hit, but this is ridiculous. Hopefully, songs like The Middle can hold the #1 spot for as long as possible to keep I Like Me Better out.

– Entering the Top 10 this week, we have both Delicate and Finesse making their entrance, with the latter taking a big jump into that region. I’m definitely cool with having both of them in the Top 10 (especially Finesse). But songs like I Like Me Better and Meant To Be need to seriously make their way down.

– Before introducing In My Blood, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Shawn Mendes seemed to have finally found his mate by the name of Hailey Baldwin. Before, I heard rumors that he was getting back with Camila Cabello or maybe start a relationship with Hailee Steinfeld. But I guess he ultimately found that special someone he was looking for. Hopefully for him, it’ll work out.

– Before introducing Tell Me You Love Me, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Demi Lovato has been telling people to love themselves no matter how they look. I’m glad that she is basically a role model when it comes to inspiring people to accept themselves. If everybody was that way, I’m sure the world would be a happy place.

– Well, this was short-lived. Woman took a big drop out of the Top 10 very quickly. I’m not really surprised since that one never took off elsewhere. It’s sad that people underrate good songs like this.

– I’m not thrilled about the drop from Zombie either. Though I’m sure it’ll make a recovery soon given that it’s still relatively new to the countdown, but that drop was seriously uncalled for.

– Looks like this may be the end for Good Old Days after that big drop. Hopefully it’ll stick around for a little while longer. It’s crazy that this and How Long were in the Top 5 about a month ago and now they’re sitting near the Bottom 5. Dang!

Hit-Bound

• Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
• Echosmith – Over My Head
• NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (DEBUT)
• Dustin Atlas featuring Erin Bowman – Fake Friends
• Portugal. The Man – Live In The Moment
• Halsey – Alone
• Maren Morris – Rich
• The Chainsmokers – Everybody Hates Me
• In Real Life – Tattoo (How ‘Bout You) (DEBUT)
• Hundred Handed – Too Good
• Sam Smith featuring Logic – Pray
• Dua Lipa – IDGAF
• Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
• ZAYN – Let Me (DEBUT)
• Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
• Why Don’t We – Trust Fund Baby

– We have three debuts this week on Hit-Bound. We’ll start with the return of Bea Miller, who had Fire N’ Gold which was three years ago. She’s collaborating with an new EDM duo NOTD in the song titled I Wanna Know. Right off the bat, I like their contribution in the song in terms of the production. Bea’s vocals are pretty good throughout the song. I’ll have more on this when it debuts.

– Next, we have a new band, by the name of In Real Life. They have a song titled Tattoo (How ‘Bout You). I thought that song had potential, but I feel like it’s lacking something that makes it stand out. I do like the vocals for the most part. Not much else I can say beyond that.

– Finally, we have ZAYN with his latest release titled Let Me. While I won’t say it’s as good as Dusk Till Dawn, this is still a keeper. I’m sure it’ll make its debut at some point, and I’ll talk more about it then.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
2. Hundred Handed – Too Good
3. Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA – All The Stars
4. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
5. Echosmith – Over My Head

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
19. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
18. Lauv – I Like Me Better
17. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

1 – Bad:
16. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
15. Imagine Dragons – Thunder

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
14. Meghan Trainor – No Excuses
13. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back
12. Taylor Swift – Delicate
11. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
10. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me
9. Ed Sheeran – Perfect 
8. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go
7. Niall Horan – On The Loose
6. Walk The Moon – One Foot
5. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I
4. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
3. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me
2. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)

Overall Grade: 75/100 = 75% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Vanessa Carlton – A Thousand Miles (2002)

Most Missed Countdown Songs: Ella Henderson – Ghost and Lorde – Yellow Flicker Beat

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

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This

My Top 5 Picks
1. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
2. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
3. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me
4. Alice Merton – No Roots
5. Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns – Woman

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
2. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
3. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
4. Lauv – I Like Me Better
5. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Halsey – Now Or Never: While I do like the idea of needing someone right now, Hasley doesn’t really display her vocal talent in this one. But if it’s anything, I’ll certainly take this over the mess that is of New Americana any day.
Harry Styles – Sign Of The Times: I never thought a member from One Direction would turn to 70’s-80’s rock, but I was happy with how it turned out. His music definitely deserved to have more success, especially when compared to the other member’s solo singles.
Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos – Slide: It’s one of the few good things that the group Migos have been a part of (other than Stir Fry), and the groovy new sound definitely worked out well for Calvin Harris.
The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This: A rehash of Roses if you will. Everything about this is divine on all levels. I love that it has superhero references to Batman, Superman, Spiderman, etc.

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello and Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (–4)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Delicate by Taylor Swift (+7)

New Entrants
– We have three debuts that I’ll be talking about this week. First, we have Alice Merton making her first appearance with the song titled No Roots. I briefly talked about this last week when I reviewed the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. But to sum it up, I love basically everything about this one. I didn’t fall in love with it right away at first, but I’ve fully come around to it. Alice does have good vocals and she shows it throughout the song. But the production is really what gets me. The groove here is just fantastic all around. Combine that with the chorus kicking in and it makes for a great song overall. Here’s to hoping this become a cross-over hit.

– Next up, we have the return of Shawn Mendes not long after the departure of There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back a month ago. He has a brand new single (well, two new singles actually). One of which is called In My Blood. Now if I’m being honest, I do like Lost In Japan better. I’m hoping it can become his next single soon. But I do like In My Blood right now. This song leans toward more rock here while being acoustic at the same time. There are some Kings Of Leon vibes to it when listening to this in full. He does a nice job with the vocals and the production is pretty good for the most part. With how big his recent singles have been, it’ll be interesting to see how well this one will do. I’m hoping for some success out of it.

– Finally, we have the return of Foster The People. If you remember those guys, they gave us Pumped Up Kicks, which was a big hit back in 2011. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from them, but they make the return with their new single Sit Next To Me. I won’t quite say it’s as good as its predecessor, but there are still some things I like about it. The vocals here are pretty good for the most part, though the chorus can be a bit underwhelming at times. I do like the production overall. We’ll see how far this one gets.

I’ve Got No Blurbs
– We’ll begin with our exits. To start, I’m quite shocked that Good Old Days left from a high position at #18. I thought that one would stick around for a least a little while longer despite it declining elsewhere, but I was wrong unfortunately. That song definitely deserved better. What Lovers Do had a good countdown run here, but I don’t really mind seeing it go. The big one is 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid. I’m glad that this song was successful as I wanted it to be. It’s nice to see a song that tackles a serious subject that’s not been talked about in music before. It was nice having it around while it lasted. It will definitely be missed by me.

– It’s nice to see Finesse getting to spend another week #1. I much prefer this over every other song in the Top 5 right now. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if The Middle takes over the top spot soon given that it’s doing really well across the board.

– I knew God’s Plan by Drake would enter the Top 10 at some point in time, but I’m not too thrilled about it. I’m sure this will end up being a Top 5 hit given that it’s still going strong elsewhere, so I’ll have to put up with it for a while.

– Entering the Top 20 this week, we have No Excuses and Mine. As you can see, I have indeed grown into the latter after some listens throughout the week. I do think the production is pretty good, though I’m not quite sold on Bazzi’s voice. I can definitely see myself growing back out of it with time, but I like it enough so that it’s green at the moment.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Trust Fund Baby by Why Don’t We
• Alone by Halsey
• Everyday by Logic featuring Marshmello

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Attention by Charlie Puth
• Good For You by Selena Gomez featuring A.S.A.P. Rocky
• Don’t Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers featuring Daya
• Beautiful Trauma by P!NK
• My My My! by Troye Sivan
• Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
• Walk On Water by Thirty Seconds To Mars
• Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara
• Sugar by Maroon 5

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
19. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
18. I Like Me Better by Lauv
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
16. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

1 – Bad:
15. Wait by Maroon 5
14. God’s Plan by Drake
13. Let You Down by NF

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
12. Mine by Bazzi

5 – Great:
11. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
10. No Excuses by Meghan Trainor
9. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
8. New Rules by Dua Lipa
7. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
6. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello
5. Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton
4. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
3. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.

Total Score: 63/100 = 63% (D–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton (2002)

Most Missed Song: A Thousand Years by Christina Perri

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay

My Top 5 Picks
1. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. 
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
3. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
4. No Roots by Alice Merton
5. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
2. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
3. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
4. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
5. I Like Me Better by Lauv

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Waterfall by Stargate featuring P!NK and Sia: Not too much I can say about this one. I think P!NK and Sia sound great together and I like the production. Too bad it never got big anywhere else.
At My Best by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Hailee Steinfeld: I may have liked this at first. But looking back at it, I’m not exactly sure what I was thinking here. Yeah, along with Bad Things, this is another one of MGK’s weaker singles.
iSpy by Kyle featuring Lil’ Yachty: I didn’t talk too much about this one before. But I feel like without Lil’ Yachty’s part, I’d probably like this more.