Hello, fam!  We’re now in the month of October!  2019 has gone by so fast!  We’re getting closer and closer to ringing in the new decade!  It seemed like yesterday that we were ringing in the new decade of the 2010’s.  Now 2020 is coming and I can’t wait to see what the new year has in store, as well as the decade.  But first, we have to get through those three months.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

• Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII (#21)
• Speechless by Dan + Shay (#29)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
40. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#39) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
39. Good Things Fall Apart by ILLENIUM featuring Jon Bellion (#40) [+1]
38. Without Me by Halsey (#36) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
37. With You by Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor (#35) [–2]
36. Post Malone by Sam Feldt featuring RANI (#38) [+2]
35. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#34) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
34. Shameless by Camila Cabello (DEBUT)
33. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#31) [–2]
32. Rescue Me by OneRepublic (#32) [=]
31. Who Do U Love? by Monsta X featuring French Montana (#33) [+2]
30. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#28) [–2]
29. No Guidance by Chris Brown featuring Drake (#30) [+1]
28. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (#16) [–12]
27. Wow. by Post Malone (#25) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
26. All The Time by Zara Larsson (#27) [+1]
25. Liar by Camila Cabello (DEBUT)
24. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#14) [–10]
23. Lover by Taylor Swift (#37) [+14]
22. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#20) [–2]
21. Panini by Lil Nas X (#26) [+5]
20. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown (#24) [+4]
19. Hate Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD (#22) [+3]
18. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#18) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
17. Time by NF (#19) [+2]
16. Motivation by Normani (#23) [+7]
15. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#12) [–3] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
14. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith (#15) [+1]
13. Circles by Post Malone (#17) [+4]
12. Trampoline by SHAED (#13) [+1]
11. Only Human by Jonas Brothers (#11) [=]
10. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#10) [=]
9. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House (#9) [=]
8. Talk by Khalid (#7) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
7. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (#8) [+1]
6. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#4) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
5. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (#5) [=]
4. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#6) [+2]
3. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#3) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
2. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#1) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
1. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#2) [+1] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (2^nd of 3 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (–12)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Lover by Taylor Swift (+14)

New Entrants:
– We have two new entrants this week, and they’re from Camila Cabello who has some new solo music.  I’ll start with the least interesting of the two.  It’s titled Shameless.  I think the production and the beat are okay.  It reminds me a little bit of Never Be The Same.  But my big concern here is Camila’s voice.  She doesn’t really sound her best here, which has been the consensus for most of her music (save for Havana, Consequences, etc.).  Her vocals alone bring the song down for me.  I’m not quite feeling this.  I have it in blue, but that could change.

– And then get to her second single, in the form of Liar.  I think it’s more interesting than Shameless, in large part thanks to the Latin vibe.  Once again, Camila doesn’t sound her best, which proves that she’s not that great of a singer.  But it has a Latin elements that makes up for her limited singing abilities.  The saxophone is strong and was put to excellent use.  I quite like the lyrics here.  There’s more depth here.  Overall, I think this has a better change of growing on me than Shameless.  We’ll see what happens.

Best Debut Of The Week: Liar by Camila Cabello

Right Now I’m Blurbless
– So to begin, our two exits.  First off, good riddance to Love Me Less.  I cannot stand Quinn XCII’s verse and everything else about the song is just shit.  I’m glad we were able to say goodbye to it.  Speechless, on the other hand, is one that I enjoyed since the beginning of the year and it was nice to see Dan + Shay get another hit with this song.  This will for sure be on the Billboard Year-End list and I’m glad.  That one will definitely be missed by me.

– We have a cool new #1 in the form of Truth Hurts, which has dethroned Señorita after a month.  I much prefer Juice from earlier this year.  But this is still a good song overall.  I’m glad this was the one that helped Lizzo score a massive hit.  She has another song that is slowly gaining traction and that’s Good As Hell.  I hope to see that one debut soon, which I think it will.

– Easier dropping out of the Top 20?  That’s some good news there.  I’m glad this wasn’t as big as Youngblood from a year ago.  It’s pretty clear that I prefer that song over Easier, which is underwhelming.

– Taylor Swift has made some moves this week.  You Need To Calm Down drops big, which is a good thing since I found it underwhelming vocally.  But Lover is better and I’m glad that one is moving up.  Hopefully, I see that one become a hit.

–  We still have 7 Rings and With You here for reasons unbeknownst to me.  I’m not even going to  comment on the former.  I’m sure most people know how I feel about that song by now.  The latter is just underwhelming by Kaskade’s standards.  He has had much better.  I would appreciate if one or even both of them leave soon.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Good As Hell by Lizzo
• Small Talk by Katy Perry
• Ran$om by Lil Tecca
• Memories by Maroon 5
• Don’t Call Me Angel by Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey
• Graveyard by Halsey

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Slow Hands by Niall Horan
• Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
• 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
• Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
• Habits (Stay High) by Tove Lo
• Cheap Thrills by Sia featuring Sean Paul
• Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur
• Now Or Never by Halsey
• Too Good by Drake featuring Rihanna
• Starving by Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd
• See You Again by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown
19. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House

1 – Bad:
18. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith

2 – Mediocre:
17. Talk by Khalid

3 – Decent:
16. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber
15. Hate Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD
14. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
13. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug

4 – Good:
12. Time by NF

5 – Great:
11. Circles by Post Malone
10. Sucker by Jonas Brothers
9. Only Human by Jonas Brothers
8. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
7. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
6. Motivation by Normani
5. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
4. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
3. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
2. Trampoline by SHAED

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello

Total Score: 75/100 = 75% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Can’t Fight The Moonlight by LeAnn Rimes (2000)

Most Missed Song: You Say by Lauren Daigle

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Higher by Ally Brooke featuring Matoma

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Happy Now by Zedd featuring Elley Duhé (#33) and God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#8)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
2. Lover by Taylor Swift
3. Trampoline by SHAED
4. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
5. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown
2. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
3. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House
4. With You by Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor
5. No Guidance by Chris Brown featuring Drake

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Goodbye by Jason Derulo & David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William: I don’t have much to say about this one.  I like the Latin vibe and these guys have good chemistry here.  It’s too bad that one didn’t take off.

Hello, fam! It’s the only second weekend of Fall and already, things are not looking up in countdown land. Sure, we got rid of one unnecessary waste and there were some drops and jumps that I’m pleased about. But we have a not-so-cool #1 and that’s not a good thing. I’ll have more to say about it in the blurbs. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#43)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
45. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#44) [–1]
44. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#45) [+1]
43. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#41) [–2]
42. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#32) [–10]
41. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#40) [–1]
40. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#42) [+2]
39. Khalid – Talk (#33) [–6]
38. SHAED – Trampoline (#37) [–1]
37. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#38) [+1]
36. Halsey – Nightmare (#22) [–14]
35. Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA (DEBUT)
34. Camila Cabello – Shameless (#29) [–5]
33. Waterparks – Dream Boy (#30) [–3]
32. Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder (#31) [–1]
31. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights (#39) [+8]
30. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (#25) [–5]
29. Stephen Puth – Look Away (#28) [–1]
28. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#27) [–1]
27. Camila Cabello – Liar (#21) [–6]
26. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype (#35) [+9]
25. Halsey – Graveyard (#34) [+9]
24. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (#23) [–1]
23. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend (#16) [–7]
22. Charlie Puth – Mother (#36) [+14]
21. Katy Perry – Small Talk (#19) [–2]
20. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her (#15) [–5]
19. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (#18) [–1]
18. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#20) [+2]
17. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me (#24) [+7]
16. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#7) [–9]
15. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (#12) [–3]
14. OneRepublic – Rescue Me (#17) [+3]
13. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine (#10) [–3]
12. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People (#14) [+2]
11. Zara Larsson – All The Time (#26) [+15]
10. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#13) [+3]
9. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love?(#4) [–5] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
8. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#11) [+3]
7. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#3) [–4] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
6. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#6) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
5. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#8) [+3]
4. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#2) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
3. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#9) [+6] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
2. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#1) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#5) [+4] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (4^th of 8 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Halsey – Nightmare (–14)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Zara Larsson – All The Time (+14)

New Entrants:
– Alec Benjamin replaces himself this week with Jesus In LA. My thought process is pretty much the same as Let Me Down Slowly when it debuted last year. I kinda like the instrumentation here. But I don’t really like his voice here. That seems to be the concern for most of the music we get from him. I think he’s a decent songwriter. But like I said, I just can’t get on board with his vocals. I may have it in blue for now. It could change. We’ll see.

Blurbs In LA
– So, we finally said goodbye to Let Me Down Slowly. I’m glad that one is finally out. That one long overstayed its welcome. I was not very fond of it. But I’m sure it’ll get ranked very high on the Year-End list come December.

– Halsey – Nightmare tanked hard this week falling all the way down to the Bottom 10 at #36. I know my thoughts have changed over the past couple of weeks or so. I liked it at first, but it got irritating after a while. I cannot get on board with the chorus anymore. I’m hoping it’ll leave us soon.

– Before introducing Look Away, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Stephen’s brother Charlie helped write the song for him. That was nice of him to help his brother out. I’ll bet he’s helping him become more popular, no?

– The Hype, Graveyard, and Mother all moved up this week. They’re good songs and it’s nice to see them gain momentum. We’ll see how long they last.

– All The Time having the biggest jump of the week surprises me a little bit. But that makes me happy. It’s fun, upbeat, and catchy. I’m glad it gained a little momentum this week, though I highly doubt it’ll last.

– Truth Hurts entering the Top 5 is no surprise. Hits 1 must’ve realized it’s a bigger hit and thus, it had to make a move up. I’ll take it. I sure hope it can hit #1 soon.

– Looks like Shawn Mendes’s demise is greatly exaggerated as his two songs (Señorita and If I Can’t Have You) moved back up this week to #8 and #3, respectively.

– For the third week in a row, we have a new #1 song. And to be blunt, this is not what I was hoping for. Not Cool at all. It’s all because Hits 1 has fallen in love with the Jonas Brothers this year. I didn’t mind Sucker even though it was massively overplayed. I still like that song quite a bit. But Cool is a different story. There’s a lot wrong with the song and it has gotten worse with each and every additional listen. Seriously, I hope Truth Hurts can get the nod at #1 like soon.

Hit-Bound:

Boy band Why Don’t We is the host of Hit-Bound for this week in place of Mikey Piff. Here’s the full list:

• Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20s
• Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely
• NF – Time
• Liam Payne featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Stack It Up
• Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
• Why Don’t We – What Am I
• Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
• Taylor Swift – Lover
• Monsta X featuring French Montana – Who Do U Love? (DEBUT)
• Lizzo – Good As Hell
• Maroon 5 – Memories
• Jonas Brothers – Only Human
• Post Malone – Circles
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
• Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love

Entrant Reviews:
– In the world of Hit-Bound, we have K-Pop boy band Monsta X who collaborates with rapper French Montana in their single Who Do U Love?. They do have another song which is trending on the YouTube 15, which I’ll get to later on. As far as the song goes, it’s pretty good. The production is pretty solid and I quite like the verses here. Yeah, I can appreciate this for the time being.

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
14. Liam Payne featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Stack It Up

3 – Decent:
13. Maroon 5 – Memories
12. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
11. Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
10. Post Malone – Circles
9. NF – Time
8. Why Don’t We – What Am I
7. Monsta X featuring French Montana – Who Do U Love?
6. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
5. Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
4. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
3. Lizzo – Good As Hell
2. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Taylor Swift – Lover

Overall Grade: 62/75 = 83% (B)

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

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Taylor Swift – Lover
2. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
3. Lizzo – Good As Hell
4. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
5. Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)

YouTube 15:

• Post Malone – Circles
• Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
• Lauv – Feelings
• Khalid – Talk
• Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey – Don’t Call Me Angel
• Lil Nas X feturing Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
• Tove Lo – Sweettalk My Heart
• Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
• Normani – Motivation
• Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
• Tiësto featuring Mabel – God Is A Dancer
• Lizzo – Truth Hurts
• OneRepublic – Wanted
• Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
• Monsta X – Love U

Song Reviews:
– Okay, so where to begin. Let’s see here…oh boy. Lauv has yet another new single, this time with Feelings. I was expecting myself to dislike this a lot given that I’ve not been fond of what Lauv brings to the table. But this is actually not bad. The production is somewhat interesting and I kinda like Lauv’s voice here. It’s a decent song overall. Also, I like the music video mostly because it has a throwback feel to it. That was pretty cool.

– We have more of Tove Lo, and she gives us Sweettalk My Heart. I haven’t been that impressed with what Tove Lo has to offer lately. There’s not much to the production here. It feels a little empty in some parts. Tove Lo doesn’t have the best performance here vocally. Also, the lyrics leave quite a bit to be desired. Overall, I’m indifferent on the song. I don’t think we’ll ever get anything that tops her older singles like Habits (Stay High) and Talking Body. Those are the two gems that I’ll remember for a long time. Sweettalk My Heart doesn’t live up to that, unfortunately.

– Dear Jesus, help me through this one. It’s from EDM producer Tiësto collaborating with Mabel in God Is A Dancer. I took a first listen to the song when it was released and I was not fond of it at all. I like Mabel and she has impressed me with her music this year. But her vocal performance here is just abysmal. She is drowned in auto-tune when singing the chorus, and she does not sound good in every other part of the song. Tiësto’s work is about as lazy as a toad. He puts forth no effort of any kind whatsoever and it shows. A shitty drop, coupled with underwhelming production that lacks energy all throughout, makes things not very fun and it allows me want to slowly step away from the music. Simply put, this is the pure definition of cheap, generic EDM. You know things are really bad when I prefer to listen to One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown. And despite me loathing that song with a fiery passion, at least it hits a little harder in the production. But this is a colossal misfire of a EDM song that has no substance, no energy, and a vocal performance from Mabel that blows a big one. NEXT!

– Finally, we have more of Monsta X with Love U. Right off the bat, it’s a step down from its predecessor. I find the production to be underwhelming and these guys don’t sound their best here. Yeah, this isn’t something I’ll be revisiting in a year or two. I prefer Who Do U Love? over this one.

YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Tiësto featuring Mabel – God Is A Dancer
14. Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
13. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
12. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
11. Khalid – Talk

3 – Decent:
10. Lauv – Feelings
9. Tove Lo – Sweettalk My Heart
8. Monsta X – Love U
7. OneRepublic – Wanted

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
6. Post Malone – Circles
5. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
3. Normani – Motivation
2. Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey – Don’t Call Me Angel

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita

Overall Grade: 45/75 = 60% (C)

Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Rachel Platten – Broken Glass

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
2. Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey – Don’t Call Me Angel
3. Normani – Motivation
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
5. Lizzo – Truth Hurts

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
19. Jonas Brothers – Cool
18. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier

1 – Bad:
17. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?
16. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down

2 – Mediocre:
15. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love?

3 – Decent:
14. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
13. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other
12. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me
11 Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes

4 – Good:
10. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It

5 – Great:
9. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
8. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
7. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
6. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
5. Zara Larsson – All The Time
4. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
3. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
2. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Santana featuring Michelle Branch – The Game Of Love (2002)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Neon Trees – Animal

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ally Brooke featuring Matoma – Higher

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#20) and Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#14)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
2. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
3. SHAED – Trampoline
4. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
5. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
2. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
3. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
4. Jonas Brothers – Cool
5. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
The Vamps – Just My Type: This is probably one of the best songs from a band that I don’t really care too much about unlike some others. It’s more fast-paced and catchy than what they had before. The production is pretty good and I like their vocals.

Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore: No, Bryce. You didn’t make a good first impression with your single. Honestly, if I was the actress herself, I would not take the song very kindly. It’s tepid and lacks substance. His voice doesn’t help matters either.

Kim Petras – Heart To Break: I like this a lot. Yeah sure, it’s repetitive. But it is upbeat and makes me want to dance. Her voice is pretty good. It’s a great song overall.

Anne-Marie – 2002: This one I actually liked it at first mostly because it’s a step up from Friends. Even today, it still is better than that song. But now I don’t find it interesting anymore. I’ll have more to say about this within the next few months or so.

Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It: It was one year ago when this debuted while they were riding high with High Hopes at #1. Sure, it’s a retread of that song, but it’s still good on its own. Brendon Urie is a good singer and it shows in the song.

Hello, fam!  This week, it was officially announced that Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will be performing at Super Bowl LIV this February during the halftime show. Personally, I think it’s a good choice. They’re both great singers (as well as dancers) and I’m familiar with most of their music. I’ll definitely be looking forward to that. Also, the MLB postseason begins next week. And I’ll be watching for sure since my Braves are in it. It’s a good thing they won the NL East division. Hopefully, they’ll end up winning the World Series. We’ll see what ultimately happens. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (#20)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
40. Good Things Fall Apart by ILLENNIUM featuring Jon Bellion (DEBUT)
39. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#38) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
38. Post Malone by Sam Feldt featuring RANI (#39) [+1]
37. Lover by Taylor Swift (#40) [+3]
36. Without Me by Halsey (#36) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
35. With You by Kaskade featuring Megan Trainor (#35) [=]
34. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#33) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
33. Who Do U Love by Monster X featuring French Montana (#37) [+4]
32. Rescue Me by OneRepublic (#32) [=]
31. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#30) [–1]
30. No Guidance by Chris Brown featuring Drake (#34) [+4]
29. Speechless by Dan + Shay (#18) [–11]
28. Old Town Road by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#27) [–1]
27. All The Time by Zara Larsson (#25) [–2]
26. Panini by Lil Nas X (#26) [=]
25. Wow. by Post Malone (#23) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
24. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown (#28) [+4]
23. Motivation by Normani (#31) [+8]
22. Hate Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD (#24) [+2]
21. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII (#21) [=]
20. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#19) [–1]
19. Time by NF (#22) [+3]
18. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#17) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
17. Circles by Post Malone (#29) [+12]
16. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (#11) [–5]
15. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith (#15) [=]
14. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#14) [=]
13. Trampoline by SHAED (#16) [+3]
12. Sucker by Jonas Bothers (#12) [=]
11. Only Human by Jonas Brothers (#13) [+2]
10. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#5) [–5]
9. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House (#9) [=]
8. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (#8) [=]
7. Talk by Khalid (#7) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
6. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#10) [+4]
5. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (#6) [+1]
4. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#4) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
3. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#3) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
2. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#2) [=]
1. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#1) [=] [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (1^st of 3 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Speechless by Dan + Shay (–11)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Circles by Post Malone (+12)

New Entrants:
– Our only new entrant of the week comes from rising EDM star ILLENIUM, and he teams you with Jon Bellion in their single titled Good Things Fall Apart. If you know Jon Bellion, then you’ll probably remember him for his 2017 hit in the form of All Time Low, which was a favorite among music critics.  He has made some good music that I like for the most part.  As far as the song goes, I think it’s solid.  I like his vocal performance here. ILLENIUM impressed me with his work as a DJ.  I don’t have much else to say beyond that.  I find it enjoyable and it shows how good ILLENIUM is as an EDM artist.  I may have said the same thing about Marshmello when he went mainstream.  But the difference between then and now is that I feel like ILLENIUM has more potential to get better as time goes along.  We’ll see what ultimately happens.

Good Blurbs Fall Apart
– As far as our exit goes, we say goodbye to Call You Mine this week. It’s a shame this didn’t become a hit because I thought it was really good. I guess people will remember them for their earlier hits from 2016-2017.

– Speechless having the biggest drop off the week is disappointing. But it’s not a surprise since that one has died out elsewhere. It had some success on Billboard and it’s locked for a spot on the Year-End list. So I’m pleased with this.

– Post Malone may be running around in Circles (see what I did there?).  But the only way he’s going is upward as his song massively jumps into the Top 20 this week.  This ain’t moving downward anytime soon as this is gaining momentum.

– While Señorita holds at #1,  Shawn Mendes’s other song, If I Can’t Have You, is dropping like flies here.  It’s at #10 and barely hanging on in that region.  Perfect way to bookend the Top 10, huh?

– Speaking of Post Malone, we have Goodbyes entering the Top 5.  That I’m a little indifferent on as of right now.  But I know it’s going to stick around for a while.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Liar by Camila Cabello
• Small Talk by Katy Perry
• Shameless by Camila Cabello
• Ran$om by Lil Tecca

Extras/Optional Extras:

• High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
• 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid
• Love Yourself by Justin Bieber
• Don’t by Ed Sheeran
• Pillowtalk by Zayn Malik
• I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin
• When The Party’s Over by Billie Eilish
• Just Us by DJ Khaled featuring SZA
• Issues by Julia Michaels
• Timber by Pitbull featuring Ke$ha
• The Git Up by Blanco Brown
• Mother’s Daughter by Miley Cyrus
• Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House
19. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer

1 – Bad:
18. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith
17. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift

2 – Mediocre:
16. Talk by Khalid

3 – Decent:
15. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber
14. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
13. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug

4 – Good:
12. Time by NF
11. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco

5 – Great:
10. Sucker by Jonas Brothers
9. Circles by Post Malone
8. Only Human by Jonas Brothers
7. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
6. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
5. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
4. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
3. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
2. Trampoline by SHAED

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello

Total Score: 72/100 = 72% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: The Sign by Ace Of Base (1994)

Most Missed Song: Animal by Neon Trees

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Higher by Ally Brooke featuring Matoma

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Happy Now by Zedd featuring Elley Duhé (#33) and God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#8)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
2. Lover by Taylor Swift
3. Trampoline by SHAED
4. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
5. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown
2. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
3. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House
4. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII
5. With You by Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Taste by Tyga featuring Offset: I’ll say it’s better than the majority of rap music that’s flooding the charts and that in and of itself isn’t saying much because the song is shit.  Yes, it may have a good groove and all, but I don’t care about the production.  I listen for talent.  This is poor talent display at it’s finest.  Tyga is not a good rapper.  Plus, Offset adds virtually nothing to the song whatsoever, and the poorly-written lyrics aren’t helping matters.

Hello, fam!  So, I’ve been thinking of some fun things to do while doing weekly reviews of the American Top 40 and the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown, which my blog primarily revolves around.  Something came to mind last week and I’ve decided to start a new side project.  What’s this side project, you might ask?  It is called Time Travel Tuesday.  What I do is I’ll be going back in time to review music from the past, whether that be charts of the past years, old albums, and what not.  Note that my Time Travel Tuesday post won’t occur every week, as it is too time consuming.  But I’ll do this every once in a while.  So without further adieu, I’m ready to get started.

For my Time Travel Tuesday, I’ve decided that to turn back the clock to the year of 2010, the first year of the decade.  2010 was considered by many YouTube critics to be one of the worst years of the decade.  Looking back at the year, it was basically when the club boom took over the music charts, and it was a trend that didn’t hold up well in the long run.  That alone was what made some people like to forget about the year altogether.  But I’ll just look back on the year that was, anyway.

The Billboard Hot 100 is a more accurate representation of the songs that are currently charting.  Usually, they go in ascending order from 1-100.  For a song to make the Year-End list, it must have three of the following: sales, radio, and of course, streaming.  Now, streaming didn’t come into play back in 2010, as it wasn’t mainstream at the time.  A song basically needed to have good sales and airplay in order to gain popularity.   That was the way things worked back then.  Here is the color code that I’ll be using and the number of points each song gets:

• Purple – Best Song (6 Points)
• Dark Blue – Song Is In My Top 10 (5 Points)
• Green – Great (5 Points)
• Blue – Good (4 Points)
• Pink – Decent (3 Points)
• Yellow – Mediocre (2 Points)
• Cyan – Bad (1 Point)
• Red – Crap (0 Points)
• Dark Red – Song Is In My Bottom 10 (0 Points)
• Orange – Worst Song (0 Points)

Here, I won’t be doing a full-on review of every song on this list.  But the color I give to the song basically explains my thoughts on it.  I’ll try to do my best on sharing my opinion of the songs in the blurbs down below.  The number in parentheses is the song’s peak position during its chart run.  Once I finish, I’ll be doing my Top 100 Breakdown, very similar to one used in my weekly posts.  I’ll be using my 5-point scale.  Then, I’ll give out my final score for the year.  Because this is the Hot 100 I’m talking about, the maximum score will be 500.  My goal here is to reach 250 or above.  Anything below that would consider to be either mediocre or bad (depending on what the score is).  But if it’s higher than 300, then I would consider it to be a great year.  The final score will look something like this (note that this is not my actual score):

300/500

And there you have it.  Now, that covers just about everything.  A fair warning before I get started: what you’re about to see here is entirely based on my opinion.  You’re not going to agree with everything you see here.  If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them.  Now with that being said, here are the Top 100 Songs of 2010 based on Billboard!

The Hot 100 Chart:
100. Lover, Lover by Jerrod Niemann (#29)
99. Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart by Alicia Keys (#27)
98. Teach Me How to Dougie by Cali Swag District (#28)
97. Smile by Uncle Kracker (#31)
96. Life After You by Daughtry (#36)
95. King of Anything by Sara Bareilles (#32)
94. American Honey by Lady Antebellum (#25)
93. The Only Exception by Paramore (#24)
92. If I Die Young by The Band Perry (#14)
91. The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert (#28)
90. Right Above It by Lil’ Wayne featuring Drake (#6) 
89. Eenie Meenie by Sean Kingston featuring Justin Bieber (#15)
88. Undo It by Carrie Underwood (#23)
87. Use Somebody by Kings of Leon (#4)
86. Sweet Dreams by Beyoncé (#10)
85. Say Something by Timbaland featuring Drake (#23)
84. Today Was A Fairytale by Taylor Swift (#2)
83. There Goes My Baby by Usher (#25)
82. Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home) by Usher featuring Plies (#24)
81. Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland (#17)
80. I Made It (Cash Money Heroes) by Kevin Rudolf featuring Birdman, Jay Sean and Lil Wayne (#21)
79. All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled featuring T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross (#24)
78. Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready) by Alicia Keys (#21)
77. Naturally by Selena Gomez & The Scene (#29)
76. Secrets by OneRepublic (#21)
75. Rock That Body by The Black Eyed Peas (#9)
74. Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson (#13)
73. My First Kiss by 3OH!3 featuring Kesha (#9)
72. Two Is Better Than One by Boys Like Girls featuring Taylor Swift (#18)
71. Forever by Drake featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem (#8)
70. Impossible by Shontelle (#13)
69. 3 by Britney Spears (#1, 1 Week)
68. Deuces by Chris Brown featuring Tyga and Kevin McCall (#14)
67. Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus (#2)
66. Your Love by Nicki Minaj (#14)
65. Tie Me Down by New Boyz featuring Ray J (#22)
64. Paparazzi by Lady Gaga (#6)
63. Magic by B.o.B featuring Rivers Cuomo (#10)
62. Misery by Maroon 5 (#14)
61. Animal by Neon Trees (#13)
60. Over by Drake (#14)
59. Take It Off by Kesha (#8)
58. Meet Me Halfway by The Black Eyed Peas (#7)
57. You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift (#2)
56. My Chick Bad by Ludacris featuring Nicki Minaj (#11)
55. According to You by Orianthi (#17)
54. All The Right Moves by OneRepublic (#18)
53. Do You Remember by Jay Sean featuring Sean Paul and Lil Jon (#10)
52. Bottoms Up by Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj (#6)
51. Blah Blah Blah by Kesha featuring 3OH!3 (#7)
50. Young Forever by Jay-Z featuring Mr. Hudson (#10)
49. Hard by Rihanna featuring Jeezy (#8)
48. Live Like We’re Dying by Kris Allen (#18)
47. Only Girl (In the World) by Rihanna (#1, 1 Week)
46. Mine by Taylor Swift (#3)
45. Whataya Want from Me by Adam Lambert (#10)
44. Baby by Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris (#5)
43. Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo (#1, 1 Week)
42. Bulletproof by La Roux (#8)
41. Down by Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne (#1, 2 Weeks)
40. Club Can’t Handle Me Flo Rida featuring David Guetta (#9)
39. Haven’t Met You Yet Michael Bublé (#24)
38. Carry Out by Timbaland featuring Justin Timberlake (#11)
37. Like a G6 by Far East Movement featuring The Cataracs and Dev (#1, 2 Weeks)
36. How Low by Ludacris (#6)
35. Just A Dream by Nelly (#3)
34. Ridin’ Solo by Jason Derulo (#9)
33. Alejandro by Lady Gaga (#5)
32. Find Your Love by Drake (#5)
31. Say Aah by Trey Songz featuring Fabolous (#9)
30. Fireflies by Owl City (#1, 2 Weeks)
29. I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas (#1, 14 Weeks in 2009)
28. Your Love Is My Drug by Kesha (#4)
27. Breakeven by The Script (#12)
26. Sexy Bitch by David Guetta featuring Akon (#5)
25. Replay by Iyaz (#2)
24. Not Afraid by Eminem (#1, 1 Week)
23. Billionaire by Travie McCoy featuring Bruno Mars (#4)
22. DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love by Usher featuring Pitbull (#4)
21. Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys (#1, 5 Weeks)
20. Imma Be by The Black Eyed Peas (#1, 2 Weeks)
19. Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner (#6)
18. Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars (#1, 4 Weeks)
17. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry (#1, 2 Weeks)
16. Telephone by Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé (#3)
15. Rude Boy by Rihanna (#1, 5 Weeks)
14. In My Head by Jason Derulo (#5)
13. BedRock by Young Money featuring Lloyd (#2)
12. I Like It by Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull (#4)
11. Nothin’ on You by B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars (#1, 2 Weeks)
10. Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris (#1, 1 Week)
9. Dynamite by Taio Cruz (#2)
8. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga (#2)
7. Love the Way You Lie by Eminem featuring Rihanna (#1, 7 Weeks)
6. Airplanes by B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams (#2)
5. OMG by Usher featuring will.i.am (#1, 4 Weeks)
4. California Gurls by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg (#1, 6 Weeks)
3. Hey, Soul Sister by Train (#3)
2. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum (#2)
1. TiK ToK by Kesha (#1, 9 Weeks)

I’m All Alone And I Need Blurbs Now
– I enjoyed Sara Bareilles when she bought us Love Song back in 2008.  It was no different in 2010 as King Of Anything is a divine song all around.  She shows her vocal capabilities in the song and I love the lyrics.  The production is pretty neat as well.  Her comeback was one of the highlights for 2010.

– Is it me, or is Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland really over-hated?  Now I’ll admit, I actually didn’t like that one at first.  But more listens made me realize that it’s not that bad of a song as people make it out to be.  Yeah sure, the lyrics are weird.  But it’s something that got stuck in my head for a while.  I’ll say this was a guilty pleasure of mine.

– Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for Kesha over the course of the decade.  She is a good singer overall and she has made plenty of stuff that I enjoyed, including our #1 which I’ll get to later on, and another certain song that I won’t mention at this moment.  But in 2010, she gave us Blah, Blah, Blah and My First Kiss, two of the worst songs she’s ever been a part of.  Dear Odin, both of those songs blow a big one.

• Blah, Blah, Blah is probably one that gives me a bigger headache, mostly because she’s is heavily drowned in auto-tune, especially in the chorus.  And the asinine lyrics are not helping matters at all.  Yeah, this was a mess.
• My First Kiss isn’t any better.  The lyrics are insufferable and the kissing sounds are just…my goodness.  Honestly, I have no other words to describe this incoherent mess of a song.  These guys have no chemistry at all whatsoever and it shows.  Not to mention that the duo 3OH!3 comes off as offensive.

– 2010 was the year Justin Bieber became a big name, and my goodness was he just terrible.  Baby is universally hated by many, and for a good reason.  Bieber sounds like shit with his obnoxious voice, and Ludacris hardly contributes to the song in any way.  Sad thing is, I’d rather hear this than…

– …Eenie Meenie.  Goodness gracious, does this song blow a big one or what.  The way the song was written literally makes me want to throw up.  I don’t know who had a hand in the songwriting, but it is cringe-worthy in every sense of the word.  And these guys have no chemistry whatsoever.  It’s a good thing Justin Bieber got better five years later.  But seriously, this blows in many ways you can think of.

– On the note of other obnoxious songs, we have Like A G6.  Believe it or not, I actually used to like this back when it was new.  But I just recently listened to this for the first time in years and it was not pleasant.  Yeah sure, it may be a catchy jam on paper.  But analyzing it, I realized just how much of a mess it is overall.  The members of Far East Movement didn’t do jack squat to impress me.  And those robotic vocals are just obnoxious.  How this became a #1 hit, I probably won’t understand.  Moving on.

– One of the highlights of the year was Katy Perry.  Allow me to emphasize if I haven’t already.  I absolutely ADORE Katy Perry. California Girls is the first song that introduced me to her in 2010 when she was big.  I liked that song back then and it still holds up to this day, even though there will be some who will disagree.  But Teenage Dream is easily her best song.  It was such a fun, upbeat song that most people will remember her by.  Everything from her album is amazing.  I’m glad this helped Katy become a superstar in music.

– 2010 was the year Eminem made his comeback and I was impressed with how it turned out.  He shows that he hadn’t lost a step and proves to still be one of the best rappers in music.  Not Afraid was enjoyable overall and Love The Way You Lie was honestly just amazing, probably one of the best this decade has to offer.  Rihanna put on a exceptional performance and the songwriting and production are just divine.  I fell in love with that song from day one and it holds up very well.

– Coming in at #2 is Need You Now, which is my favorite song of the year.  Lady Antebellum gave us a fine work of art here.  I love how they tell a story about an relationship.  I can feel the emotion in Hillary Scott’s voice.  Yeah, everything about this song works very well.  I’ll talk more about it in my future post.

– And then our #1.  It doesn’t come as a surprise that TiK ToK helped made Kesha a big name throughout the 2010’s.  I remembered first listening to this song back then and I was wowed.  Kesha’s debut song was one of the defining moments of the decade.  It was actually the first #1 to start off 2010 and its dominance would continue throughout the year.  Yeah, I’m thrilled about the #1.

Top 100 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
100. Hey, Soul Sister by Train
99. Deuces by Chris Brown featuring Tyga and Kevin McCall
98. Imma Be by The Black Eyed Peas
97. Blah, Blah, Blah by Kesha featuring 3OH!3
96. My First Kiss by 3OH!3 featuring Kesha
95. OMG by Usher featuring will.i.am
94. Like A G6 by Far East Movement
93. Eenie Meenie by Sean Kingston featuring Justin Bieber
92. Say Aah by Trey Songs featuring Fabolous
91. Teach Me How To Dougie by California Swag District
90. Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo
89. Baby by Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris
88. Bottoms Up by Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj
87. Rock That Body by The Black Eyed Peas
86. Smile by Uncle Kracker
85. Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner
84. Bedrock by Young Money featuring Lloyd
83. 3 by Britney Spears
82. Sexy Bitch by David Guetta featuring Akon
81. I Like It by Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull
80. Say Something by Timbaland featuring Drake
79. How Low by Ludacris
78. Young Forever by Jay Z featuring Mr. Hudson
77. Meet Me Halfway by The Black Eyed Peas
76. Your Love by Nicki Minaj
75. Tie Me Down by New Boyz featuring Ray J
74. Ridin’ Solo by Jason Derulo
73. Replay by Iyaz
72. Carry Out by Timbaland featuring Justin Timberlake
71. Two Is Better Than One by Boys Like Girls featuring Taylor Swift
70. I Made It (Cash Money Heroes) by Kevin Rudolf featuring Birdman, Jay Sean and Lil Wayne

1 – Bad:
69. In My Head by Jason Derulo
68. Down by Jay Sean featuring Lil’ Wayne
67. Party In The U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus
66. Life After You by Daughtry
65. Right Above It by Lil’ Wayne featuring Drake
64. Rude Boy by Rihanna
63. If I Die Young by The Band Perry
62. Telephone by Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé
61. All The Right Moves by OneRepublic
60. Mine by Taylor Swift

2 – Mediocre:
59. Do You Remember by Jay Sean featuring Sean Paul and Lil Jon
58. Club Can’t Handle Me by Flo Rida featuring David Guetta
57. Just A Dream by Nelly
56. Hard by Rihanna featuring Jeezy
55. Today Was A Fairytale by Taylor Swift
54. Sweet Dreams by Beyoncé
53. Impossible by Shontelle
52. Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars

3 – Decent:
51. Dynamite by Taio Cruz
50. Breakeven by The Script
59. Lover, Lover by Jerrod Niemann
48. Billionaire by Travie McCoy featuring Bruno Mars
47. Live Like We’re Dying by Kris Allen
46. Misery by Maroon 5
45. American Honey by Lady Antebellum
44. Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home) by Usher featuring Plies
43. Secrets by OneRepublic

4 – Good: 
42. Magic by B.o.B. featuring Rivers Cuomo
41. My Chick Bad by Ludacris featuring Nicki Minaj
40. Undo It by Carrie Underwood
39. Find Your Love by Drake
38. Bulletproof by La Roux
36. Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson
35. Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready) by Alicia Keys
34. Use Somebody by Kings Of Leon
33. Your Love Is My Drug by Kesha
32. Only Girl (In The World) by Rihanna

5 – Great:
31. All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled featuring T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross
30. There Goes My Baby by Usher
29. Over by Drake
28. Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland
27. Forever by Drake featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem
26. You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift
25. DJ Got Us Falling In Love by Usher featuring Pitbull
24. California Girls by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg
23. Haven’t Met You Yet by Michael Bublé
22. Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris
21. The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert
20. Alejandro by Lady Gaga
19. Whataya Want from Me by Adam Lambert
18. Empire State Of Mine by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys
17. The Only Exception by Paramore
16. Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart by Alicia Keys
15. Not Afraid by Eminem
14. I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas
13. Fireflies by Owl City
12. Naturally by Selena Gomez & The Scene
11. Take It Off by Kesha
10. Nothin’ On You by B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars
9. Animal by Neon Trees
8. King Of Anything by Sara Bareilles
7. According To You by Orianthi
6. Airplanes by B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams
5. TiK ToK by Kesha
4. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
3. Love The Way You Lie by Eminem featuring Rihanna
2. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

BONUS: 6 – Best Song Of The Year:
1. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum

Final Score: 253/500

Yeah…I thought it would turn out to be pretty bad considering 2010 was an infamous year among YouTube critics.  But after reviewing, I find it to be a pretty average year by my standards.  It certainly wasn’t the best year, though.  But I didn’t think it was that bad as many make it out to be.

So, this was my first post for Time Travel Tuesday!  It was time consuming, but I’m happy that I got it done and that’s what ultimately matters.  I had fun making this post.  Hopefully, I’ll do more of these in the future.  Feel free to comment below and tell me what you think.  I would like to say thank you for reading!  It was an honor sharing my review with you all.  I hope you all have a good day!

Hello, fam!  First off, I want to say congrats to the Braves for winning the NL East for the second year in a row!  It’s refreshing to see my team dominate the division, just like the good old days!  Hopefully, they can do big things in October and bring home the World Series.  I’ll be looking forward to that!  This week, the Morning Mash-Up (Nicole, Ryan, and Stanley T) hosted the countdown in place of Spyder Harrison.  I thought these guys did good here.  Things didn’t get any better in countdown land in the first weekend of Fall.  Basically, we’re not exactly off to a great start as the seasons change.  Let’s jump right in.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#41) [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
• Halsey – Without Me (#44) [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
45. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#45) [=]
44. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#27) [–17]
43. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#42) [–1]
42. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#43) [+1]
41. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#30) [–11]
40. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#32) [–8]
39. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights (#37) [–2]
38. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#34) [–4]
37. SHAED – Trampoline (#40) [+3]
36. Charlie Puth – Mother (DEBUT)
35. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype (#38) [+3]
34. Halsey – Graveyard (DEBUT)
33. Khalid – Talk (#12) [–21]
32. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#28) [–4]
31. Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder (#35) [+4]
30. Waterparks – Dream Boy (#36) [+6]
29. Camila Cabello – Shameless (#39) [+10]
28. Stephen Puth – Look Away (#26) [–2]
27. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#23) [–4]
26. Zara Larsson – All The Time (#29) [+3]
25. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (#20) [–5]
24. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me (#25) [+1]
23. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (#24) [+1]
22. Halsey – Nightmare (#17) [–5]
21. Camila Cabello – Liar (#31) [+10]
20. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#16) [–4]
19. Katy Perry – Small Talk (#16) [+3]
18. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (#33) [+15]
17. OneRepublic – Rescue Me (#15) [–2]
16. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend (#19) [+3]
15. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her (#18) [+3]
14. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People (#21) [+7]
13. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#11) [–2]
12. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (#10) [–2]
11. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#3) [–8]
10. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine (#14) [+4]
9. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#6) [–3] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
8. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#8) [=]
7. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#13) [+6]
6. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#7) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
5. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#9) [+4]
4. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#5) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#4) [+1] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
2. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#1) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#2) [+1] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (3^rd of 8 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Khalid – Talk (–21)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (+15)

New Entrants:
– This year, Charlie Puth’s younger brother Stephen Puth has made his presence on the countdown with his two singles.  First, he gave us Sexual Vibe back in February, which I was impressed with because of his unique voice.  Then, last month he gave us the follow-up in the form of Look Away, which I thought was a step down from its predecessor.  While Stephen has had his time to shine for a while, we saw Charlie make his return with new music of his own.  He had I Warned Myself, which I felt was lackluster and didn’t have much to offer.  Thankfully, it didn’t last very long on Hit-Bound.  This week, he gives us his new single which is a step up from that.  He gives us Mother.  I was juggling between blue and green for this one, and I’ve decided on the latter for now.  Here, he tells a story about his mother not approving of the things he does in a relationship.  I’m sure many people who are younger can relate.  After all, I used to do the things my parents didn’t like, either.  But I never really got in trouble, heh.  I guess I’m the sneaky guy ’round here.  Anyway, it took me several listens, but I came around to it.  I do kinda like the beat in a way.  I think it’s pretty cool.  Charlie put on a slightly better vocal performance here as opposed to his predecessor, which he squandered by choking it all away in the second verse of I Warned Myself.  While his newer single is better than that song, it pales in comparison to what he had in Voicenotes, which was praised by many YouTube critics.  That was when we saw his evolution for the better after the mess that is of Nine Track Mind.  Songs such as Attention, Done For Me, and If You Leave Me Now are ones that I’ll revisit from time to time.  We’ll see if his latest album follows its path of Voicenotes.

– So, I’m sure most people here are happy about the departure of Without Me.  But apparently, that’s not enough as she has to replace herself on the countdown this week.  She gives us Graveyard, which is her new single off of her new album Maniac, which actually comes out in January.  I feel like people here will like this more than her last two singles, which weren’t to their liking.  I like the production here, mostly because of the guitar.  Halsey sounds pretty good here as opposed to her performance in Nightmare, which got annoying after a while.  It’s not her best work by any means.  I believe she was at her peak a couple years back when she had her feature in Closer and I loved some of the singles from Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, including Bad At Love which was my #6 favorite song of 2018.  I’m interested to see what her new album brings next year.  This song is pretty good.  I feel like this’ll probably stick with me longer.

Best Debut Of The Week: Charlie Puth – Mother

If Your Blurber Knew All The Things We Do
– We have two exits this week.  First off is Without Me, which I’m sure most people will be happy about.  The one that I’ll be missing the most is This Feeling.  It had a great run on this countdown even though it flopped elsewhere.  I thought it was an interesting collaboration and I’m happy it worked out as well as it did.  I’ll definitely be revisiting the song again.  Farewell, This Feeling.  It’s been a fun ride.

– Before introducing Bad Liar, they talked about the Imagine Dragons donating to charity all the time.  I like how they’re able to do this kind of stuff.

– It’s about time With You went right back to where it belongs: in the Bottom 5.  Now, if we can get it off the countdown for good, that’ll be great.

– Old Town Road took a big drop down to the Bottom 5, also.  Thankfully, it looks like its time is finally coming to an end.  I’ve had enough of that song.  The sooner we move on from it, the better.

– I just want to say congrats to Tyler Joseph and his wife on having a baby girl!

– Talk having the Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week doesn’t really surprise me since that one is dying down elsewhere.  It’s a good thing because I’m not fond of what it has to offer production-wise.  I much prefer something along the lines of Love Lies or Better.  The electronic production doesn’t work for me.

– Before introducing I Don’t Care, they mentioned that Ed Sheeran has built a soccer field.  Wow!  Does he play soccer, too?  Or did he built that for his relatives?  Either way, I’m sure it looks cool.

– Not too thrilled about the big jump from How Do You Sleep?.  I’m not here for the weird drop after the chorus that puts me off.  Something tells me it’s going to be another hit for him.  Not something I want.  I much prefer Dancing With A Stranger over this.

– Before introducing Beautiful People, they mentioned that Khalid’s mother is his biggest inspiration.  How cute!  I’ll bet his mother influenced him and helped him become a good singer.

– Before introducing Señorita, they mentioned the recent video of Shawn & Camila kissing.  I saw the video as well.  Yeah, it was funny.

– On that note, Shawn Mendes is dropping like flies here, what with Señorita dropping out of the Top 10 and If I Can’t Have You barely hanging on at #9.  It was this time a couple weeks ago that he had the #1 song for 9 weeks.  My, how much things have changed!

– Speaking of #1, we have a new #1 in the form of You Need To Calm Down.  I’ll definitely take it over Easier, but it’s still not good.  I listened to what most of Lover has to offer and I was impressed with the album.  But You Need To Calm Down doesn’t live up to that.  I don’t know.  I expected more out of her.  I just can’t get on board with the chorus for some reason, but I do kinda like the concept it was going for. I’m hoping for a good #1 like Truth Hurts.  But I kinda doubt it somehow.

Hit-Bound:

• NF – Time
• Maroon 5 – Memories (DEBUT)
• Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely
• Why Don’t We – What Am I
• Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
• Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
• Post Malone – Circles
• Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
• Liam Payne featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Stack It Up (DEBUT)
• Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
• Taylor Swift – Lover
• Lizzo – Good As Hell
• Jonas Brothers – Only Human
• Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s

Entrant Reviews:
– Are you ready to hear more of Maroon 5?  No?  Well, too bad, because they make their comeback this week not long after the Super Bowl performance earlier this year.  They try to bring back some Memories (see what I did there) with their new single.  There’s really not much to the song other than Adam Levine himself.  I think he sounds okay here.  But that’s probably the only thing that stands out in the song.  I’ll give Adam Levine and company the benefit of the doubt here that it’s better than what they had recently (outside of What Lovers Do).  I’ll save most of my words for when it inevitably debuts.

–  And then, we have the return of Liam Payne after a year.  He gives us his new single in the form of Stack It Up.  He did give us Strip That Down a couple years back, which was infamous among many bloggers as well as some YouTube critics.  In terms of how his new song goes, I can’t say I really care for this one.  Liam doesn’t sound his best here, and there’s not a whole lot to the production.  I doubt this’ll grow on me, but we’ll see.

Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Maroon 5 – Memories

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
14. Liam Payne featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Stack It Up
13. Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA

3 – Decent:
12. Maroon 5 – Memories
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth

4 – Good:
10. Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s

5 – Great:
9. Post Malone – Circles
8. NF – Time
7. Why Don’t We – What Am I
6. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
5. Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
4. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
3. Lizzo – Good As Hell
2. Taylor Swift – Lover

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love

Overall Grade: 60/75 = 80% (B)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Kungs Vs. Cookin’ On 3 Burners – This Girl

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
2. Taylor Swift – Lover
3. Lizzo – Good As Hell
4. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
5. Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)

YouTube 15:

• Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
• OneRepublic – Wanted
• Charlie Puth – Mother
• Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
• Normani – Motivation
• Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
• Halsey – Graveyard
• Lizzo – Truth Hurts
• Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
• Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
• OneRepublic – Somebody To Love
• Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
• Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
• Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes
• Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey – Don’t Call Me Angel

Song Reviews:
– We have more of OneRepublic as they give us Somebody To Love, which is taken from Songland.  It’s a step up from Wanted.  I like the sentiment to it.  The production and the beat are better here, and Ryan Tedder sounds good in the chorus.  Overall, it’s a good song.

– Now for the big one.  Taken from the Charlie’s Angels movie soundtrack, we have Ariana Grande collaborating with Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey in their new single, Don’t Call Me Angel.  After three abysmal singles we’ve got from her this year, Ariana has given me hope that she can impress me with her music again.  She sounds great here.  I like the production in a way and these girls have good chemistry.  Lana Del Rey is the best part about the song, even though she got one verse.  Yeah, this is pretty divine.

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

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

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
11. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
10. OneRepublic – Wanted
9. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes

4 – Good:
8. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
7. Halsey – Graveyard

5 – Great:
6. Charlie Puth – Mother
5. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
4. OneRepublic – Somebody To Love
3. Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey – Don’t Call Me Angel
2. Normani – Motivation

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy

Overall Grade: 48/75 = 64% (C)

Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Harket – Darkside

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
2. Normani – Motivation
3. Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey – Don’t Call Me Angel
4. OneRepublic – Somebody To Love
5. Lizzo – Truth Hurts

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
19. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
18. Jonas Brothers – Cool
17. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier

1 – Bad:
16. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?
15. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down

2 – Mediocre:
14. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love

3 – Decent:
13. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
12. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other
11. Katy Perry – Small Talk
10. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes

4 – Good:
9. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It

5 – Great:
8. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
7. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
6. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
5. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
4. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
3. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
2. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita

Overall Grade: 61/100 = 61% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Chic – Good Times (1979)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Eminem featuring Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ally Brooke featuring Matoma – Higher

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#15)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
2. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
3. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
4. SHAED – Trampoline
5. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
2. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
3. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
4. Jonas Brothers – Cool
5. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Sabrina Carpenter – Almost Love: This is one of the few good songs she’s ever put out and I don’t think there’s any competition at this moment.  The production is good here and I like her voice quite a bit.

AJR – Burn The House Down: Sigh, do I even need to explain just how bad AJR are as a whole?  This song is another example of such.  Bad vocal production, obnoxious horns, and bad lyrics just doesn’t make this a fun listen for me.

LSD – Thunderclouds: I loathed this since day one, and even today I still find it messy.  On paper, it’s an interesting collaboration between three artists (Labrinth, Sia, and Diplo).  But when hearing the song in its entirety, it’s anything but.  There’s a lot wrong with this song that makes this an unpleasant listen for me.  Both Sia’s and Labrinth’s vocals are god-awful and Diplo put forth a shitty effort as a producer.  Yeah, this is just garbage.  NEXT!

Clean Bandit featuring Demi Lovato – Solo: Though Clean Bandit have done better, this is still a nice tune.  The chopped-up vocals we get from Demi sound good here, and I like what these guys have done production-wise.  Too bad this only lasted two weeks on the countdown.

Hello, fam!  We’ve now entered the season of autumn!  The leaves are falling and the weather is getting cooler.  Ah, those will be good times!  Anyway, I thought this countdown was pretty good to start off Fall.  I’ve also introduced a new grading system, effective this week.  You can check it out on the sidebar.  Let’s jump right in!  Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• The Git Up by Blanco Brown (#23)
• Mother’s Daughter by Miley Cyrus (#32)
• High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#40) [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
40. Lover by Taylor Swift (DEBUT)
39. Post Malone by Sam Feldt featuring RANI (DEBUT)
38. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#37) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
37. Who Do U Love by Monsta X featuring French Montana (#39) [+2]
36. Without Me by Halsey (#35) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
35. With You by Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor (#36) [+1]
34. No Guidance by Chris Brown featuring Drake (#38) [+4]
33. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#31) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
32. Rescue Me by OneRepublic (#34) [+2]
31. Motivation by Normani (#33) [+2]
30. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#29) [–1]
29. Circles by Post Malone (DEBUT)
28. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown (#30) [+2]
27. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#26) [–1]
26. Panini by Lil Nas X (#28) [+2]
25. All The Time by Zara Larsson (#27) [+2]
24. Hate Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD (#25) [+1]
23. Wow. by Post Malone (#20) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
22. Time by NF (#24) [+2]
21. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII (#22) [+1]
20. Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (#21) [+1]
19. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#18) [–1]
18. Speechless by Dan + Shay (#17) [–1]
17. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Nornami (#16) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
16. Trampoline by SHAED (#19) [+3]
15. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith (#15) [=]
14. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#14) [=]
13. Only Human by Jonas Brothers (#13) [=]
12. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#10) [–2] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
11. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (#8) [–3]
10. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#12) [+2]
9. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House (#11) [+2]
8. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (#9) [+1]
7. Talk by Khalid (#6) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
6. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (#7) [+1]
5. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#5) [=]
4. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#4) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
3. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#3) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
2. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#2) [=]
1. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Better Now by Post Malone (2^nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Wow. by Post Malone (–3)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: No Guidance by Chris Brown featuring Drake (+4)

New Entrants:
– Normally, I’ll go in order.  But for this week, I’m going to save the best debut for last.  Let’s kick things off with the least interesting debut.  It comes from DJ Sam Feldt who is working with RANI in the song which is actually named after the artist himself, Post Malone.  I actually find it interesting to have a song named after someone famous.  Last year, we did have Bryce Vine who made a song titled Drew Barrymore.  Even though I wasn’t a fan of that song, I have to admit it was fanciful of him to come up with a song title like that.  Heck, I can make a unique song title for myself.  Anyway, in terms of my opinion on this, I don’t find it too interesting.  RANI’s voice is alright, but she doesn’t stand out here.  The beat is okay I guess, but the drop is weak and everything else is kinda just there.  Sam’s work as a DJ wasn’t the best here.  I’m indifferent on this song, though my thoughts could change.  Eh.

– We get another single from Post Malone as his album Hollywood’s Bleeding just recently came out.  He has been a big name for the past few years.  In 2019 he gave me Sunflower, which I love and will revisit come December when I do my post on My Top 50 Songs Of 2019.  I’m pretty split on Goodbyes, however, and Wow. was not to my liking.  Circles is a different compared to what he has done before, but it’s still pretty good.  Post Malone has talent for the most part.  His voice is decent here.  It has a nice groove to it and I kinda like the guitar.  I feel like more could’ve been done here in the production aspect because it doesn’t quite hit harder and thus, it’s not enough to actually make this song memorable.  Here, he just talks about his relationship struggles despite the changing seasons. I like the concept here, but the lyrical depth feels a little lackluster and it doesn’t really tell the whole story, at least from where I’m sitting.  I think he’ll need to hone his skills on his songwriting.  That being said though, Circles is rather enjoyable despite some of its shortcomings.

– When Taylor Swift made her comeback two years ago with Reputation, she opted for a darker and edgier sound.  That album had seen mixed reviews.  Some liked the album, while others felt it wasn’t good compared to what she had prior to that in 1989.  Me, personally, I was a little indifferent towards the last album.  I didn’t enjoy it that much either.  But in 2018, she chose Delicate as the next single off of Reputation, which became a hit.  Though it took me a while to grow into it at first, I enjoyed it enough for me to rank it as my #9 favorite song of 2018.  Fast forward to 2019, and she gives us Lover, which saw her take a drastically different approach.  I did enjoy ME! even though there were some cheesy lines, and You Need To Calm Down was a disappointment.  As for the title track…I’m impressed with how it turned out.  First off, Taylor herself.  She sound great here.  I like how she sounds breathy in the chorus.  It’s definitely a breath of fresh air when compared to the chorus in You Need To Calm Down, which got on my nerves.  The instrumentation is solid.  It reminds me of her older singles prior to 1989.  The small piano work, the strings, the drums, and guitar were put to good use here.  I love the way the lyrics go deeper into being romantic.  Songwriting has been Taylor’s strengths and she shows it here,  as well as in much of her new album.  Overall, it’s a very nice romantic tune.  If I were to get married someday, I want this to be our song.

Best Debut Of The Week: Lover by Taylor Swift

You’re My, My, My, My Blurber
– So, the trend of making songs similar to Old Town Road didn’t last, as we say goodbye to The Git Up this week.  It was something I actually got into, unlike the one that reigned an insane 19 weeks at #1 on Billboard.  Mother’s Daugher was not expected to last, but I liked that song for the most part.  And then there’s the big one, as we finally bid adieu to High Hopes.  Never did I envision Brendon Urie and company getting a big hit with that song since it debuted.  But I’m glad it happened.  That song will be missed by me.  While there are some who will be attending the be-gone party for this one, I’m not among that crowd.

– Aside from our great #1, the Top 5 remains right where it was last week.  In the Top 10, we did get some new songs entering that region.  Boyfriend makes its way into the Top 10.  Not ideal at all.  Hopefully, it’s time in that region will be short-lived, but one can only dream.

– Someone You Loved enters the Top 10, also.  That one I’ll live with as opposed to #9, but it’s still decent at best.  It appears that song will likely enter the Top 5 on Billboard next week.  I’m surprised this one became a sleeper hit.  Looks like North America is catching on.

– Love Me Less is still here for some reason.  Thankfully, that one doesn’t appear to become the next Lights Down Low as it didn’t even chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and is now dying out elsewhere.  The sooner we can get this mess of a song out of the countdown, the better.  Seriously, I can’t with this song.

– Sweet But Psycho is still on the countdown as well.  I still really like this one and it hasn’t faded on me.  Not even a little bit.  I’ll say that Ava Max made a good first impression here with this track.  That song stuck with me for as long as it was here.  It’s very likely that I’ll revisit it come December when I count down My Top 50 Songs Of 2019.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Liar by Camila Cabello
• Small Talk by Katy Perry
• Shameless by Camila Cabello
• Ransom by Lil Tecca
• My Man by Delacey
• Good Things Fall Apart by ILLENIUM featuring Jon Bellion

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Let Me Love You by DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber
• Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran
• There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back by Shawn Mendes
• Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
• Rather Be by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
• Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
• Sugar by Maroon 5

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House
19. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer

1 – Bad:
18. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith
17. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift

2 – Mediocre:
15. Talk by Khalid

3 – Decent:
15. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber
14. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
13. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug

4 – Good:
12. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco

5 – Great:
11. Sucker by Jonas Brothers
10. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
9. Only Human by Jonas Brothers
8. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
7. Speechless by Dan + Shay
6. Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha
5. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
4. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
3. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
2. Trampoline by SHAED
1. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes

Total Score: 72/100 = 72% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper (1984)

Most Missed Song: Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Higher by Ally Brooke featuring Matoma

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#9)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Lover by Taylor Swift
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
3. Trampoline by SHAED
4. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
5. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown
2. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
3. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House
4. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII
5. With You by Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
2002 by Anne-Marie: This one I liked at first, but now not so much anymore.  There’s not a lot to like about this one other than the guitar in the intro.  But if anything, I’ll take this over Friends any day.

Africa by Weezer: Already talked about this one.  It’s a terrible cover of the 1982 song from Toto.  Rivers Cuomo does not sound good and the production is mediocre.  Yeah, I’m not a fan of this.  NEXT!

Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith: A bit of a step down from One Kiss.  But it’s still enjoyable.  Sam’s soulful voice combined with some piano did the song some favors here.  More could’ve been done though with the drop, but it’s something I’ll revisit.

Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE: Another song I’ve already discussed about.  It’s a step up from Friends mostly because I like the lyrical concept.  But that’s not saying much because Marshmello’s effort is weak.  Dan Smith couldn’t save the song, unfortunately.

Hello, fam!  I was able to get this post out earlier.  I am working on something special for you all.  I should have it ready within the next couple of weeks.  I’m also working on my Year-End posts.  You’ll see those pretty soon.  I’m sure many here are looking forward to that.  In terms of how this week went, it was a mess.  I’ll talk more about it in the blurbs.  Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• AJR – 100 Bad Days (#30)
• Asher Angel featuring Wiz Khalifa – One Thought Away (#40)
• Dan + Shay – Speechless (#42)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
45. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#44) [–1]
44. Halsey – Without Me (#45) [+1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
43. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#41) [–2]
42. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#37) [–5]
41. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#43) [+2]
40. SHAED – Trampoline (#39) [–1]
39. Camila Cabello – Shameless (DEBUT)
38. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype (DEBUT)
37. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights (#40) [+3]
36. Waterparks – Dream Boy (#35) [–1]
35. Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder (#36) [+1]
34. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#34) [=]
33. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (#33) [=]
32. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#16) [–16]
31. Camila Cabello – Liar (DEBUT)
30. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#32) [+2]
29. Zara Larsson – All The Time (#27) [–2]
28. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#26) [–2]
27. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#31) [+4]
26. Stephen Puth – Look Away (#28) [+2]
25. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me (#29) [+4]
24. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (#15) [–9]
23. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#24) [+1]
22. Katy Perry – Small Talk (#22) [=]
21. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People (#22) [+1]
20. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (#21) [+1]
19. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend (#25) [+6]
18. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her (#17) [–1]
17. Halsey – Nightmare (#12) [–5]
16. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#19) [+3]
15. OneRepublic – Rescue Me (#13) [–2]
14. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine (#18) [+4]
13. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#11) [–2]
12. Khalid – Talk (#14) [+2]
11. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#5) [–6]
10. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (#20) [+10]
9. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#4) [–5]
8. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#8) [=]
7. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#10) [+3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
6. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#1) [–5] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
5. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#3) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
4. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#2) [–2] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
3. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#7) [+4]
2. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#6) [+4]
1. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#9) [+8] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (2^nd of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Katy Perry – Never Really Over (–16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (+10)

New Entrants:
– So, we have three debuts that I’ll be covering this week.  To start, Camila Cabello herself has two new singles.  The first one is Shameless.  Now my concern for these two songs is Camila herself.  She doesn’t have a good voice and it shows in Shameless.  The production is okay, but there’s nothing about it that stands out.  It reminds me of Never Be The Same in a way, which I didn’t like.  I don’t really envision this growing on me.  We’ll see if my opinion change on the song.  Then, there’s Liar, which is the highest debut of the week.  I think that one is superior because I like the Latin vibe and I’m a sucker for those.  The instruments are put to good use, specifically the saxophone.  It fits Camila well.  But once again, I’m not sold on her vocal performance, though I’ll admit I think she sounds slightly better here than on Shameless.  Liar has a better chance of growing on me.

– Now, I want to talk about the most interesting debut.  It’s from TWENTY ØNE PILØTS and they want us to believe The Hype (see what I did there?).  Now, I think it’s one of the more interesting singles off of Trench, which I enjoyed as a whole.  It’s doesn’t hit hard like Jumpsuit did, but it’s better than Legends and Chlorine, though the latter I can see the appeal to.  As far as The Hype goes, I like the instrumentation and there’s some melody here.  Tyler Joseph put on an exceptional vocal performance here.  The chorus is solid.  Looking at the lyrics, it tells a story about how one can go through a difficult time and we learn to making it through those times.  It’s definitely something we can relate to.  These guys are really good songwriters and they prove it in this song.  Yeah, this is enjoyable overall.  I hope to see it do well.

Best Debut Of The Week: TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype

I Don’t Believe The Blurb
– Our exits consist of two songs that aren’t really worth caring about, and one which I enjoyed while it lasted.  Of course, there’s 100 Bad Days which will likely never be missed.  One Thought Away I thought was a pretty decent song all things considered.  And then you have Speechless, which was another good song from Dan + Shay.  The country duo had quite a run on the countdown.  It’s the first time we don’t have a song from them since August of last year.  Speechless was successful on this countdown and I’m sure it’ll end up making the Year-End list.  That one will be missed by me.

– So we got a new #1 in the form of Easier because of course even though this song is no good at all.  I’m not wild about this.  It’s only up there because Hits 1 loves all things 5 Seconds Of Summer.  There’s no band in this song and their vocals are underwhelming.  This has no business being at #1.  Hopefully something new comes in next week because I’m not fond of this.

– Then, you have You Need To Calm Down at #2, which I’m not thrilled about either.  I get what the song has to offer, but I don’t like that chorus and everything else is not very good.  Yeah, between this and our current #1 song, this is definitely not ideal for how I wanted the Top 2 to look like.  I’m hoping Señorita can get the nod at #1 like next week.

– Goodbyes take a big jump into the Top 10.  Can’t say I’m happy about that as I’m slowly starting to lose interest in this song.  I did listen to Hollywood’s Bleeding and there are some songs that are better.  I’m hoping Cirlces can debut at some point.

– Boyfriend takes a big jump into the Top 20 because of course even though the song is terrible.  It’s only been getting worse with each and every listen.  Seriously, what happened to the Ariana Grande that I know and love?

– Probably the thing that ticked me off the most this week is Never Really Over having the Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week.  That is a problem.  This song deserved much better than what it ultimately had.  But of course, it had to flop even though it’s the best she’s had in a while.  And sadly, it’s going to miss the Billboard Year-End.

– And Trampoline is still in the Bottom 10, which is another problem.  I’m fed up that it didn’t recover this week.  It should be gaining momentum on this countdown and it’s not.  The song is unique in every way.  I’m just glad it’s here, though, and that’s all that matters.

Hit-Bound:

• Lizzo – Good As Hell
• Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up) (DEBUT)
• Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
• Charlie Puth – Mother (DEBUT)
• Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s
• Halsey – Graveyard (DEBUT)
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
• NF – Time
• Why Don’t We – What Am I
• Jonas Brothers – Only Human
• Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA
• Post Malone – Circles
• Taylor Swift – Lover
• Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely
• Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind

Entrant Reviews:
– To kick things off, we have the unexpected return of Fall Out Boy with their new single titled Dear Future Self (Hands Up).  Here, they’re collaborating with rapper Wyclef Jean.  There’s quite a bit to like about this one.  I like the rock vibe here and these guys sound good here.  I’ll have more on this come its inevitable debut.

– Next, we have Charlie Puth who replaces himself this week.  This time, he brings us Mother.  It’s better than I Warned Myself in a way, though it’s still far from what he had on Voicenotes.  I think the production has improved, but there’s still quite a bit to be desired here.  That’s all I have to say about this one.

– And of course, there’s more of Halsey with her latest single, Graveyard.  This one I actually kinda like as opposed to her other two singles.  She sounds better here and I like the guitar here.  I’m sure it’ll end up making its debut at some point.

Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely

1 – Bad:
None!

2 – Mediocre:
14. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
13. Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA

3 – Decent:
12. Charlie Puth – Mother

4 – Good:
11. Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s
10. Halsey – Graveyard

5 – Great:
9. Post Malone – Circles
8. NF – Time
7. Why Don’t We – What Am I
6. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
5. Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
4. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
3. Taylor Swift – Lover
2. Lizzo – Good As Hell

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love

Overall Grade: 61/75 = 81% (B–)

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

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
2. Lizzo – Good As Hell
3. Taylor Swift – Lover
4. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
5. Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean – Dear Future Self (Hands Up)

YouTube 15:

• Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
• Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
• Steve Aoki featuring Backstreet Boys – Let It Me Be
• Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
• Benny Bianco featuring Juice WRLD – Graduation
• Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
• Alessia Cara – October
• Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
• Normani – Motivation
• Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
• John Mayer – Carry Me Away
• Lizzo – Truth Hurts
• Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
• Khalid – Talk
• OneRepublic – Wanted

Song Reviews:
– First up, we have the return of Steve Aoki, and he works with the Backstreet Boys in their new single, Let It Me Be.  This doesn’t quite top his previous singles, but there’s a lot of good stuff in this.  Their vocals are good, which is the band’s strength and it has been since their debut single.  Steve does a fine job at handling the production.  Yeah, it’s something I can come back to.

– Next, we have more of Alessia Cara with October.  This seems like an appropriate title for a song.  After all, we’re closing in on the Fall and the month of October is coming.  I’ll be looking forward to that.  Anyway, I kinda like this for the most part.  The instrumentation is pretty nice here and I like Alessia’s voice here.  It’s not the best she has to offer, but it’s better than what she’s been giving us lately (outside of Growing Pains).

– We have the return of John Mayer with his latest single, Carry Me Away.  I’m not that familiar with his music, though he did have some stuff I like (i.e. Waiting On The World To Change).  As far as his new song goes, I think it’s a nice acoustic track.  However, it’s not something I’ll actively seek out.

– Finally, we have more of OneRepublic with Wanted.  They do have another new single in the form of Somebody To Love, but I won’t get into that one right now.  Wanted is a bit of a step down from its predecessor, but it’s not bad.  I quite like Ryan’s voice here, but the production leaves a bit to be desired.  Not much else beyond that.

YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
15. Benny Blanco featuring Juice WRLD – Graduation
14. Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
13. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)

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

2 – Mediocre:
11. Khalid – Talk

3 – Decent:
10. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
9. John Mayer – Carry Me Away
8. OneRepublic – Wanted

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
7. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
6. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
5. Alessia Cara – October
4. Normani – Motivation
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
2. Steve Aoki featuring Backstreet Boys – Let It Me Be

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People

Overall Grade: 48/75 = 64% (D–)

Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Ellie Goulding – Flux

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
2. Steve Aoki featuring Backstreet Boys – Let It Me Be
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
4. Normani – Motivation
5. Alessia Cara – October

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
19. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
18. Jonas Brothers – Cool
17. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier

1 – Bad:
16. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
15. Halsey – Nightmare

2 – Mediocre:
14. Khalid – Talk
13. The Chaisnmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love

3 – Decent:
12. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime
11. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
10. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other
9. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes

4 – Good:
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It

5 – Great:
7. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
6. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
5. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
4. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
2. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You

Overall Grade: 57/100 = 57% (F+) (Not good)  😦

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Bon Jovi – You Give Love A Bad Name (1986)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Daft Punk featuring Pharrell – Get Lucky

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ella Henderson – Glorious

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#23) and Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#8)

My Top 5 Picks
1. SHAED – Trampoline
2. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
3. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
4. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
5. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
2. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
3. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
4. Jonas Brothers – Cool
5. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

Hello, fam! I’m working on a special post for you all. It should be coming within the next week or so. As far as the countdown goes, I think this was a pretty good week for the most part. We still have a solid #1, two good debuts, and one huge piece of garbage leaving the countdown. Things are looking better around here and I hope it continues to get better as we head into Fall. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande (#31)
• Better by Khalid (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
40. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#38) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
39. Who Do U Love? by Monsta X featuring French Montana (DEBUT)
38. No Guidance by Chris Brown featuring Drake (#39) [+1]
37. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#36) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
36. With You by Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor (#37) [+1]
35. Without Me by Halsey (#33) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
34. Rescue Me by OneRepublic (#35) [+1]
33. Motivation by Normani (DEBUT)
32. Mother’s Daughter by Miley Cyrus (#28) [–4]
31. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#29) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
30. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown (#32) [+2]
29. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#27) [–2]
28. Panini by Lil Nas X (#34) [+6]
27. All The Time by Zara Larsson (#30) [+3]
26. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#24) [–2]
25. Hate Me by Ellie Goulding by Juice WRLD (#25) [=]
24. Time by NF (#26) [+2]
23. The Git Up by Blanco Brown (#21) [–2]
22. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII (#23) [+1]
21. Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (#22) [+1]
20. Wow. by Post Malone (#19) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
19. Trampoline by SHAED (#20) [+1]
18. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#11) [–7]
17. Speechless by Dan + Shay (#17) [=]
16. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith (#16) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
15. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith (#18) [+3]
14. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#12) [–2]
13. Only Human by Jonas Brothers (#15) [+2]
12. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#13) [+1]
11. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House (#14) [+3]
10. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#7) [–3] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
9. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (#10) [+1]
8. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (#9) [+1]
7. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (#8) [+1]
6. Talk by Khalid (#6) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
5. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#5) [=]
4. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#2) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
3. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#3) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
2. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#4) [+2]
1. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Better Now by Post Malone (1^st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (–7)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Panini by Lil Nas X (+6)

New Entrants:
– Up first is the collaboration between K-Pop group Monsta X and rapper French Montana in their latest single, Who Do U Love?. My expectations were low coming into this one. But I was impressed with how it turned out. I like their vocals here and the verses are good. Production and the beat are pretty neat. I don’t have much else to say beyond that. I think it’s pretty good.

– More of Normani is nice, as she brings us her solo single in the form of Motivation. First off, I want to say that the music video is pretty cool. It definitely has that throwback feel to it. That’s some good stuff. Anyway, I wasn’t huge on this at first, bit I have been growing into this one over the past couple of weeks. I still don’t think it’s anything amazing. The beat is interesting, and I like her vocal work here. I also think the lyrics are pretty good. This is a song that has the potential to get better with more listens. I have a feeling it’ll be a hit. We’ll see what happens.

Best Debut Of The Week: Motivation by Normani (but not by much)

Who Do U Blurb?
– We have two exits. First, it’s about time we bid adieu to the mess that is of Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored. Whatever Ariana went for here did not work out to my liking and I don’t like the message it sends. Yeah, that one will never be missed. As for Better by Khalid, it was a grower at first. But I enjoyed it while it was here and though it didn’t hit #1, I was happy to see it get some success. Goodbye Better, I will miss you.

– Señorita holds at #1 this week, which is a good thing. We also saw the rise of Truth Hurts to #2. I’m sure that one will end up getting to #1 at some point in time.

– We also saw the fall of Hey Look Ma, I Made It, moving down 7 spots this week. I feel like it’s time is coming to an end. I may not enjoy it as much now, but it would’ve been cool to see go further than #6, which it peaked at.

– On that note, High Hopes is now sitting at the bottom of the countdown. Looks like this is really the end for this after all.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Spicy by Herve Pagez & Diplo featuring Charli XCX
• Circles by Post Malone
• Lover by Taylor Swift
• Post Malone by Sam Feldt featuring Rani
• My Man by Delacey

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
• Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Never Really Over by Katy Perry
• Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
• I Don’t Wanna Live Forever by ZAYN featuring Taylor Swift
• Work From Home by Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla $ign
• Roses by The Chainsmokers featuring ROZES
• My House by Flo Rida
• Ride by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House

1 – Bad:
19. Wow. by Post Malone
18. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer
17. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith
16. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift

2 – Mediocre:
15. Talk by Khalid
3 – Decent:
14. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber
13. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
12. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug

4 – Good:
11. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco

5 – Great:
10. Sucker by Jonas Brothers
9. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
8. Only Human by Jonas Brothers
7. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
6. Speechless by Dan + Shay
5. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
4. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
3. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Trampoline by SHAED

Total Score: 70/100 = 70% (C–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz (1999)

Most Missed Song: In The Night by The Weeknd

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Glorious by Ella Henderson

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Happy Now by Zedd featuring Elley Duhé (#38) and Side Effects by The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren (#17)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Trampoline by SHAED
2. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
3. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
4. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith
5. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown
2. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
3. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House
4. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII
5. With You Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Boo’d Up by Elle Mai: Not a bad start for Elle Mai, though I feel like there’s nothing original about this to make it special. It’s a fine song, but not really memorable.

Happy Now by Zedd featuring Elley Duhé: I know Zedd has done better, but I really like this song. I think Elley Duhé hasa good voice and sounds amazing. I love the production as well.

Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello: It’s not the best Cosmic has to offer, but everything about the song works well. I’m glad this one ended up having some success on this countdown despite it not being huge elsewhere.

Hello, fam! The month of September is finally upon us. I feel like this year has gone by so fast. Anyway, we did get some activity on the countdown in the first week of September. Some are for the better and others…not quite as much. But hey, at least we’re doing some cleaning up as we head towards the fall, which is my favorite season of the year. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Blanco Brown – The Git Up (#23)
• Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter (#24)
• Ava Max – So Am I (#37)
• Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again (#39)
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#40) [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
• Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#42) [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
• Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#45)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
45. Halsey – Without Me (#43) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
44. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#44) [=]
43. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#41) [–2] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
42. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#31) [–11]
41. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#34) [–7]
40. Asher Angel featuring Wiz Khalifa – One Thought Away (#33) [–7]
39. SHAED – Trampoline (#27) [–12] (Are you kidding me?)
38. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights (DEBUT)
37. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#38) [+1]
36. Jax Jones featuring Bebe Rexha – Harder (DEBUT)
35. Waterparks – Dream Boy (DEBUT)
34. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#35) [+1]
33. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep? (DEBUT)
32. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#32) [=]
31. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#26) [–5]
30. AJR – 100 Bad Days (#20) [–10]
29. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me (DEBUT)
28. Stephen Puth – Look Away (#22) [–6]
27. Zara Larsson – All The Time (#30) [+3]
26. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (#30) [+4]
25. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend (DEBUT)
24. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#12) [–12]
23. Katy Perry – Small Talk (#21) [–2]
22. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People (DEBUT)
21. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (#14) [–7]
20. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (#17) [–3]
19. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#18) [–1]
18. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine (#19) [+1]
17. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her (#36) [+19]
16. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#11) [–5]
15. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (#8) [–7]
14. Khalid – Talk (#13) [–1]
13. OneRepublic – Rescue Me (#25) [+12]
12. Halsey – Nightmare (#16) [+4]
11. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#15) [+4]
10. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#5) [–5] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
9. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#10) [+1]
8. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (#28) [+20]
7. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (#6) [–1]
6. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#3) [–3]
5. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#9) [+4]
4. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#7) [+3]
3. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#4) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
2. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#2) [=] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You (#1) [=] [9^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (1^st of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Tie between SHAED – Trampoline and Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (–12)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Lizzo – Truth Hurts (+20)

New Entrants:
– We’ve got seven new entrants to cover this week. The first one is newcomer Dominic Fike with his single titled 3 Nights. I was out singing this song to myself with some of my friends. It was something that got stuck in their minds for a while, so I that’s interesting. But anyway, onto the song. I’m personally not a fan of what it has to offer. I kinda like the guitar here, but the rest of the production leaves a lot to be desired. I think Dominic’s voice is underwhelming. He doesn’t really stand out to me. And then there’s the lyrics, which talks about a relationship and we’ve seen a lot of those. But there’s not much depth in terms of the lyrics. I feel like more could’ve been done in that aspect. Yeah, I’m not feeling this song for the most part.

– Up next is Jax Jones making his first appearance on the countdown. He collaborates with Bebe Rexha in Harder. For those who don’t know Jax Jones, he had been trending on the YouTube 15 with some songs that I kinda like. As for this one, I found this to be pretty decent at first. But now with more listens, I just don’t like it at all. Jax Jones did not do a good job here as a DJ. I don’t like the drop and the rest is just not interesting. Bebe sounds decent, but she doesn’t stand out. Simply put, this is disappointing for Jax Jones and it’s not something worth caring about.

– Immediately after that, we have the band Waterparks, who like Dominic Fike, are also making their first appearance on the countdown. They give us their single titled Dream Boy. I wasn’t really expecting much coming into the song, but I’m happy with how it turned out. I’m a sucker for some pop punk music and this is no different. I think these guys did a good job here impressing me. I like their vocals in the song and the chorus is solid. The instrumentation definitely pulls me in. In a way, they kinda remind me of some boy bands I won’t mention. Overall, this is good song. Not amazing by any means, but I do hope it sticks around.

– Sam Smith makes his return not long after the departure of Dancing With A Stranger a few weeks back. This week, he gives us How Do You Sleep?. Right off the bat, I don’t like what this song has to offer, especially when it comes to the production. Sam sounds decent here, but it suffers from an underwhelming beat and I do not like the drop. That alone is what basically killed the song for me. As for the rest of the song, the lyrics lack something here. Sam is a very good songwriter and he showed me what is capable of in his previous singles. But there’s not a whole lot to the lyrics. Yeah, I’m not a fan of this. It’s probably the first song from him I’ve truly disliked.

– Next, Ellie Goulding makes her return this week also. She gives us her latest single, Hate Me, which features Juice WRLD. She did give us Close To Me, which was actually divided among some bloggers here. There were some that didn’t like it, and there were those that enjoyed it. I fall into the latter category when it comes to my opinion on that song. This one is a bit of a different story. Initially, I did enjoy this one for the most part. But my thoughts have kinda changed within the past month or so. I think Ellie sounds good here. But I’m not wild on Juice WRLD’s contribution. I think he was an unnecessary fit for the song. I like the lyrics here, which proves that Ellie is a good songwriter. But she can do better. I think this is okay, but not something I was hoping for and I much prefer something like Flux, which is actually really good and better than her two recent singles.

– Sigh…the return of Ariana Grande was not what I was hoping for, especially after we’ve got slammed by both 7 Rings and Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored. But alas, here she is with another terrible song. This time, she collaborates with the duo Social House in Boyfriend. I still really like Ariana even though the quality of her music has been on the decline this year. Thank U, Next I thought was okay, but the rest of her singles after that were not good. Boyfriend is no different. I did an epic rant on this song when it debuted on the AT40 a couple weeks ago. For those who haven’t, you can check it out right here. But to recap, it’s better than her two recent singles. But that’s not saying a lot because this song is shit. Ariana does not sound good here and she doesn’t showcase her songwriting capabilites at all. I’m not a fan of the message it sends. The members of Social House didn’t do jack squat to make the song any better. Their verses are piss-poor. I don’t see anything these guys have showed me to make me give them the benefit of the doubt. The beat is lousy and the rest of the production is mediocre. Simply put, this is a fucking mess. I know the Ariana stans are going to shit on me for this, but I’m calling it as I see it. Ariana has sold out. I’m just going to leave that for the time being.

– Fortunately, we have a much better song debuting higher that makes up for Ariana’s nonsense. It’s from Ed Sheeran himself, and he collaborates with Khalid in Beautiful People. Now unlike Ariana, Ed hasn’t really been selling out with his latest music, though I Don’t Care wasn’t really to my liking and Cross Me was a big disappointment. I did listen to some of his album and there were some good songs I liked. BLOW is easily the best off of his album, but I think Beautiful People is solid and has the potential to get better. Do I think it’s his best? Not really, but there’s a lot I like about the song. Ed put on a great vocal performance here, and Khalid sounds great as well. The chorus is divine. I like the production here and the beat is good. I like the lyrics about just being yourself and not caring too much about getting material things. That’s definitely something we can relate to. Yeah, I really like this and hope it has some success here.

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

3 Blurbs At The Motel
Oh, I actually have more than three blurbs this week as there was a lot to talk about this week. Let’s get right into the action.

– To begin, our exits. I didn’t envision The Git Up leaving from a high position, dang! Same goes for Mother’s Daughter, although that one had flopped elsewhere so I can’t say I’m surprised by its departure. Find U Again was a flop, also. Next, we say goodbye to two Ava Max songs: So Am I and Sweet But Psycho. I’m sure everyone here is celebrating their departures, but not me. They’ll both be missed. Finally, we lost the two oldest songs on the countdown. Happier should’ve left a long time ago. That one was never really good to begin with. And then, there’s the big one, in which High Hopes has finally left the countdown. It seems like yesterday that this song was still going strong, and today it’s finally off. Of course, it was a huge success for Brendon Urie and company. I didn’t think it would happen at the time it debuted, but I’m happy that this song did it for them. As Spyder Harrison would mention, it was the song that would never go away, much like he said for songs like My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light ‘Em Up) in the past. Farwell, High Hopes. It’s been a thrilling ride.

– Before introducing This Feeling, Spyder mentioned that Kelsea Ballerini’s latest album is going to have some sad songs on it. Having listened to her latest single titled Homecoming Queen? and watching the music video, I felt emotional. It’s a good song, and I like the way she gets teary-eyed in the video. Yeah, it gives me chills.

– The end is finally near for Speechless as it dropped down to the Bottom 5. Same goes for Here With Me. I enjoyed them both and it’s pretty sad that their time is coming to an end.

– Are you kidding me? Trampoline tumbled down all the way to #39. Just when I start to really love the song, this happens. Not cool.

– In better news, 100 Bad Days dropped out of the Top 20. I’ll be glad when this song leaves us soon. Nothing by AJR has been to my or anyone else’s liking. The sooner this song leaves, the better.

– Small Talk hasn’t been doing much since it debuted a few weeks ago, which I’m fine with considering it’s not that good of a song. I’m interested to see what Katy Perry has in store for her new album. Hopefully, we can get some better songs from her album soon.

– The remix to Love Me Less, which features Kim Petras, was just released and it was simply not a pleasant listen. I’ll give Kim Petras the benefit of the doubt because she doesn’t sound as bad as Quinn XCII. But that’s not saying much because the rest of the song is still garbage. I’m hoping it can start dropping soon, like right now.

– Look What God Gave Her quickly makes its way into the Top 20 this week, along with Rescue Me. Both are good songs, so I’m fine with this. How long will they last is the question. But I’m enjoying them while they last.

– And then there’s Truth Hurts, which by no surprise is back in the Top 20 this week, given that it hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. I doubt this’ll hit #1 here as well, but we’ll see what happens within the next few weeks or so.

– In terms of the Top 5, we have Someone You Loved making it back in that region, which I’m okay with seeing as I’ve softened on that one quite a bit. But Cool is not welcome in the Top 5. This song died out long ago, but it’s Hits 1 and they love the Jonas Brothers. Yeah, I’m not thrilled about this.

– Finally, we have If I Can’t Have You at #1 once again. I still really like this song, but even I think 9 weeks at the top is pushing it at this point. Then again, it’s the best song in the Top 5 at this moment, so I’m hoping it can stay up there until we get some better songs.

Hit-Bound:

• NF – Time (DEBUT)
• Why Don’t We – What Am I (DEBUT)
• Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
• Camila Cabello – Liar (DEBUT)
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
• Post Malone – Circles (DEBUT)
• Charlie Puth – I Warned Myself
• TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype
• Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely (DEBUT)
• Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA
• Lizzo – Good As Hell
• Jonas Brothers – Only Human
• Camila Cabello – Shameless (DEBUT)
• Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s
• Taylor Swift – Lover
• Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind (DEBUT)

Entrant Reviews:
– We’ve got several new songs entering Hit-Bound this week. The first of which comes from NF with Time. Last year, he did give us Let You Down and Lie, the former which I’m not a fan of personally whereas the latter was pretty decent. I think Time is good, though it’s not amazing by any means. It shows that NF is a good lyricst when looking into the song. I like his voice for the most part. Not much else I can say beyond that.

– Next is more of Why Don’t We with their new single titled What Am I. I like the instrumentation and their vocals are pretty good. It’s not as good as 8 Letters, but it’s better than some of their other songs they’ve had recently. More on this should it debut.

– Following that, we have more of Kygo who is collaborating with the late Whitney Houston in Higher Love. This song actually debuted last week, though I wasn’t 100% sure at the time given that they didn’t really play it during Hit-Bound. But here it is, officially. I love everything about the song. The beat is interesting and Kygo put on a nice performance as a DJ himself. The chopped-up vocals from Whitney are divine. I do hope to see it debut soon.

– Camila Cabello has two songs debuting on Hit-Bound this week. The first one, which I think is the best one, is Liar. I like the Latin vibe here and the instrumentation is good. But Camila doesn’t have a good voice and it kinda brings the song down for me, which seem to be the consensus for her solo music (outside of Havana and maybe Consequences). I might be able to get into this with more listens. But as it stands right now, I’m pretty split on it.

– Next is more of Post Malone once again as he just released his new album titled Hollywood’s Bleeding. He gives us his new single titled Circles. This is actually pretty different compared to what he has done before. I like the instrumentation here and Post sounds good here. That’s all I have to say about this one.

– We have more of Lauv once again and he collaborates with Anne-Marie in I’m Lonely. Right off the bat, this is not good in the slightest. These guys have no chemistry and they don’t sound good together. Everything else about the song is just plain bad. I’m sure those who dislike it can explain more about it in detail better than I can. But yeah, this is just putrid. NEXT!

– Now, I’ll be talking about Camila’s second single on Hit-Bound. This time, she has Shameless. Like with Liar, I think the production is decent here. But I’m not exactly wild on Camila’s voice. We’ll see if this one ends up growing on me.

– Last but not least, we have more of Louis Tomlinson, and he brings us Kill My Mind. Louis has been impressive with almost every single release ever since he went solo. Two Of Us is really good and this one is no exception. I like the rock vibe here, which tends to be the theme of Louis’s music. He sounds great here and I like the lyrics. It’s definitely a good song. I highly recommend it.

Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind

Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
16. Lauv featuring Anne-Marie – I’m Lonely

1 – Bad:
15. Charlie Puth – I Warned Myself

2 – Mediocre:
14. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth
13. Alec Benjamin – Jesus In LA

3 – Decent:
12. Camila Cabello – Shameless
11. Camila Cabello – Liar

4 – Good:
10. Panic! At The Disco – Roaring 20’s
9. Post Malone – Circles

5 – Great:
8. NF – Time
7. Why Don’t We – What Am I
6. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
5. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind
4. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype
3. Taylor Swift – Lover
2. Lizzo – Good As Hell

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love

Overall Grade: 60/80 = 75% (C)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Lorde – Green Light

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
2. Lizzo – Good As Hell
3. Taylor Swift – Lover
4. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype
5. Louis Tomlinson – Kill My Mind

YouTube 15:

• Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
• Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
• Bebe Rexha – Not 20 Anymore
• Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
• Normani – Motivation
• Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?
• Sean Paul – When It Comes To You
• Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
• Megan Thee Stallion featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign – Hot Girl Summer
• Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
• Post Malone – Circles
• Lizzo – Truth Hurts
• Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
• Khalid – Talk
• Benny Blanco featuring Juice WRLD – Graduation

Song Reviews:
– First is more of Bebe Rexha with her new single Not 20 Anymore. I think this is pretty good for the most part. She sounds decent here. Her voice isn’t heavily drowned in auto-tune like in some of her other songs. The production is passable. Not much else I can say beyond that.

– Next is the return of Sean Paul with his latest single titled When It Comes To You. I like his music, but he’s had better in the past. I’m not quite feeling his voice here and the rest of the song leaves quite a bit to be desired. This could grow on me, but I can’t say I’m impressed at the moment.

– Dear Jesus, help me with this one. We have more of Benny Blanco and he collaborates with Juice WRLD in Graduation. Just when I thought Benny couldn’t sink any lower, he gives us this incompetent mess of a song. First off, his effort was piss-poor. That’s been the theme ever since he released songs like I Found You and I Can’t Get Enough, the latter which was his worst song up to that point. The trap beat is brittle and the rest of his production work is underwhelming at best. Juice WRLD’s voice is not good. I don’t want to hear him sing in auto-tune over a lousy trap beat. Yeah, this is just a mess. Really the only good thing about this is the music video itself, which stars Hailee Steinfeld. Otherwise, this is a new low for Benny Blanco. I’m sticking with Eastside, which is easily his best song.

YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
15. Benny Blanco featuring Juice WRLD – Graduation
14. Becky G featuring Myke Towers – Dollar
13. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)

1 – Bad:
12. Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?
11. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down

2 – Mediocre:
10. Khalid – Talk

3 – Decent:
9. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
8. Sean Paul – When It Comes To You

4 – Good:
7. Bebe Rexha – Not 20 Anymore
6. Post Malone – Circles

5 – Great:
5. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
4. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
3. Normani – Motivation
2. Megan Thee Stallion featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign – Hot Girl Summer

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy

Overall Grade: 43/75 = 57% (F)

Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Clean Bandit featuring Louisa Johnson – Tears

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
2. Megan Thee Stallion featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign – Hot Girl Summer
3. Normani – Motivation
4. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
5. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
20. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less

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

2 – Mediocre:
16. Khalid – Talk

3 – Decent:
14. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care
13. Halsey – Nightmare
12. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
11. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other

4 – Good:
10. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes
9. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
8. Jonas Brothers – Sucker

5 – Great:
7. Lizzo – Truth Hurts
6. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
5. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
4. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
3. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
2. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
1. Katy Perry – Never Really Over

Overall Grade: 64/100 = 64% (D–)

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

Most Missed Countdown Song: Coldplay – Adventure Of A Lifetime

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: John Newman featuring Nina Nesbitt – Without You

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now (#31), Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#16), and The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#7)

My Top 5 Picks
1. SHAED – Trampoline
2. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
3. Dan + Shay – Speechless
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
5. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande featuring Social House – Boyfriend
2. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
3. AJR – 100 Bad Days
4. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
5. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
NF – Lie: I think it’s a bit of a step up from Let You Down, which I wasn’t a fan of personally. I like the piano work here and NF sounds okay. There are no annoying backup vocals here, so I’ll say that’s an easy listen for me.

Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier: This one doesn’t need anymore words from me at this point. It’s certainly better than Friends, but that isn’t saying much. I’m sticking with songs like Wolves and Ritual.

Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix): Although I prefer some of the other singles off of Cosmic, this is still pretty good in most ways. Camila adds quite a bit to the remix, and they have good chemistry here. Yeah, I’m a fan of this.

Zedd featuring Elley Duhé – Happy Now: Objectively, Zedd has had better. But for some reason, I absolutely dore this song. I think Elley has a great voice and she sounds amazing. I like everything else including the instrumentals and the computerized vocals at the end. Yeah, this song definitely makes me happy now.

Hello, fam!  Just like that, we’re in the month of September.  We’re basically in the homestretch of 2019, which means that I need to work on my Year-End posts.  In fact, I started on mine during the summer.  I hope to have it ready within the next couple of months or so.  Also, yes, football is back!  I’m sure some people here know how much I love to watch football, though I don’t really talk about it since this is primarily a music blog.  I’ll stop now and just get into the countdown.  Before we get into this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Just Us by DJ Khaled featuring SZA (#24)
• Never Really Over by Katy Perry (#26)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
40. Better by Khalid (#39) [–1]
39. No Guidance by Chris Brown featuring Drake (DEBUT)
38. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#37) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
37. With You by Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor (DEBUT)
36. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#35) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
35. Rescue Me by OneRepublic (#40) [+5]
34. Panini by Lil Nas X (#38) [+4]
33. Without Me by Halsey (#32) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
32. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown (#32) [+4]
31. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande (#29) [–2]
30. All The Time by Zara Larsson (#34) [+4]
29. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#27) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
28. Mother’s Daughter by Miley Cyrus (#30) [+2]
27. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#25) [–2]
26. Time by NF (#33) [+7]
25. Hate Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD (#28) [+3]
24. Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (#19) [–5]
23. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII (#23) [=]
22. Call You Mine by The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha (#20) [–2]
21. The Git Up by Blanco Brown (#22) [+1]
20. Trampoline by SHAED (#31) [+11]
19. Wow. by Post Malone (#16) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
18. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith (#21) [+3]
17. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#18) [+1]
16. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#14) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
15. Only Human by Jonas Brothers (#15) [=]
14. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House (#17) [+3]
13. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi (#12) [–1]
12. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#11) [–1]
11. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco (#8) [–3]
10. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid (#13) [+3]
9. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift (#10) [+1]
8. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug (#9) [+1]
7. Sucker by Jonas Brothers (#7) [=] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
6. Talk by Khalid (#6) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
5. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes (#4) [–1]
4. Truth Hurts by Lizzo (#5) [+1]
3. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber (#2) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
2. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish (#1) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (5^th And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (–5)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Trampoline by SHAED (+11)

New Entrants:
– Yeah, not a good pair of debuts this week.  First up is the collaboration between Chris Brown and Drake in their single titled No Guidance.  Last year, Chris Brown collaborated with Lil’ Dicky in Freaky Friday, which was an incoherent mess.  As far as this one goes, I can’t say it’s any better.  I remember first hearing this one and thinking, “This isn’t good.”.  But here it is because of course and now it’s a huge hit elsewhere despite it being a bad song.  The beat is no good.  Chris Brown sounds pretty bad with his vocals.  I’m not fond of the lyrics.  The only reason I don’t loathe is that much is because of Drake himself.  I like his contribution here.  But he’s really the only saving grace in a not very good song.  Yeah, I’m not feeling this.

– Following that, we have EDM producer Kaskade making his first appearance on the countdown.  He collaborates with Meghan Trainor in With You.  Unlike most music critics, I do like a handful of songs from Meghan Trainor.  But I don’t like With You for the most part.  Here, she does not put on a good vocal performance.  As for the rest of the song, the beat is not interesting and I don’t like the drop.  It reminds me too much of I Wanna Know by NOTD featuring Bea Miller.  Kaskade has some songs that I like, such as Cold As Stone.  But here, he does not put forth the effort.  Simply put, this is underwhelming all around.

Best Debut Of The Week: With You by Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor (But that’s not saying much)

Blurb It Right
– We say goodbye to two great songs, both of which deserved better than what it ultimately had.  Just Us was a nice collaboration between DJ Khaled and SZA and I enjoyed that one quite a bit.  Never Really Over was a awesome comeback single for Katy Perry, and it’s a shame this wasn’t a massive hit like I wanted it to be.  I guess people really have moved on from her.  Oh well.

– Before introducing One Thing Right, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Kane Brown will be protective of his daughter and hopes she gets into basketball.  My family got me into basketball and I enjoyed playing it a lot back in the day.  I wonder will he train her to become a good player?

– So, I just listened to the remix of Love Me Less which was released this week, and it features Kim Petras.  I’ll say it’s a little bit of a step up from the original version with Quinn XCII.  But even then, that’s not saying much because the song is still shit.  Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be doing much at the moment, so I’m not too concerned.

– And then we have Trampoline jumping into the Top 20 this week.  I’m starting to really love this song.  Her voice is so unique and that mysterious vibe pulls me in. Yeah, I can safely say this is my new favorite song on the countdown right now.  Ever better is the fact that it kicked Old Town Road out of that region, so that’s good.

– Beautiful People entering the Top 10 is good to see.  It doesn’t top BLOW, which is the best off of No. 6 Collaborations Project, but it’s superior to I Don’t Care in pretty much every way.  We’ll see if it ends up going any farther.

– And of course, Señorita is our new #1 this week!  It was only a matter of time, but I’m glad.  It’s not as good as If I Can’t Have You objectively.  But I love it quite a lot.  It’s definitely superior compared to I Know What You Did Last Summer, which didn’t have much to offer.  It’s nice to see it being their highest peaking single together.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Spicy by Herve Pagez & Diplo featuring Charli XCX
• Motivation by Normani
• Who Do You Love by Monsta X featuring French Montana
• Post Malone by Sam Feldt featuring Rani

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes
• Earned It by The Weeknd
• Here by Alessia Cara
• Cool by Jonas Brothers
• Mi Gente by J Balvin featuring Willy William and Beyoncé
• Me, Myself, & I by G-Eazy featuring Bebe Rexha
• Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
• La La Land by Bryce Vine featuring YG
• Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House

1 – Bad:
19. Wow. by Post Malone
18. Easier by 5 Seconds Of Summer
17. How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith
16. You Need To Calm Down by Taylor Swift

2 – Mediocre:
15. Talk by Khalid

3 – Decent:
14. I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber
13. Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi

4 – Good:
12. Goodbyes by Post Malone featuring Young Thug
11. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco
10. Sucker by Jonas Brothers

5 – Great:
9. Truth Hurts by Lizzo
8. Only Human by Jonas Brothers
7. Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid
6. Speechless by Dan + Shay
5. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello
4. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
3. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
2. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Trampoline by SHAED

Total Score: 70/100 = 70% (C–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Say It Right by Nelly Furtado (2006)

Most Missed Song: Blank Space by Taylor Swift

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Lover by Taylor Swift

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Side Effects by The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren (#20) and The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#19)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Trampoline by SHAED
2. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
3. Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
4. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
5. Señorita by Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. One Thing Right by Marshmello featuring Kane Brown
2. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
3. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored by Ariana Grande
4. Boyfriend by Ariana Grande featuring Social House
5. Love Me Less by MAX featuring Quinn XCII

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Broken by lovelytheband: This song had a little more success than I thought it would.  I didn’t quite love it when it was new.  But it got better with time.  I like the instrumentation and their vocals are nice.

Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter: I was juggling between blue and green for this one, and I decided to stick with the former for now.  This is probably one of her only good songs I enjoyed from her and I don’t know if there’s really any competition at the moment.  She shows what she is capable of vocally and I like the beat here.

Natural by Imagine Dragons: The lead single for Origins came out of nowhere around this time.  I like how Dan can be able to hit those high notes, and there is some solid instrumentation here.  Yeah, I say this, along with Bad Liar, are the only good songs off of the mess that is of Origins.  I heard it a lot since this was the official theme used for college football last year.