Hello, fam! Well, how about that! This was certainly an interesting week. Although our Top 5 remained the same, at least we got a very pleasant #1. Plus, we have new songs entering the countdown. This will be a lot of fun to talk about! I’m running out of words, so let’s just get right into it. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely (#30)
• Selena Gomez – Back To You (#36)
• Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (#38)
• Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#39) [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
• Pitbull featuring Rhea – Ocean To Ocean (#44)
• Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#45) [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Halsey – Without Me
45. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#43) [–2]
44. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#40) [–4]
43. George Ezra – Shotgun (#41) [–2]
42. Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (#22) [–20]
41. lovelytheband – Broken (#33) [–8]
40. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (#42) [+2]
39. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (DEBUT)
38. Imagine Dragons – Machine (#29) [–9]
37. Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode (DEBUT)
36. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#26) [–10]
35. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#37) [+2]
34. Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me (DEBUT)
33. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#35) [+2]
32. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (DEBUT)
31. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#31) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
30. Jake Miller – Wait For You (DEBUT)
29. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (#21) [–8]
28. Khalid – Better (#24) [–4]
27. Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip (#25) [–2]
26. James Arthur – Empty Space (#27) [+1]
25. Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999 (#28) [+3]
24. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#20) [–4] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
23. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone (#17) [–6]
22. Dean Lewis – Be Alright (#18) [–4]
21. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (DEBUT)
20. Lauren Daigle – You Say (#23) [+3]
19. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#15) [–4]
18. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over (#32) [+14]
17. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#19) [+2]
16. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#15) [–1]
15. Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe (#34) [+19]
14. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#13) [–1]
13. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#9) [–4]
12. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#16) [+4]
11. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#10) [–1]
10. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#8) [–2]
9. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#11) [+2]
8. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#7) [–1]
7. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#6) [–1]
6. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#12) [+6]
5. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#5) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#2) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Halsey – Without Me (#1) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#3) [+1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#4) [+3] [5^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Charlie Puth – How Long (2^nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (–20)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe (+19)

New Entrants:
– There are six debuts that I’ll be covering this week. So buckle up! First, we’ll start with a collaboration between two of Hits 1’s favorites: The Chainsmokers and 5 Seconds Of Summer in their brand new single, Who Do You Love. I never thought about these guys working together on this song. But I’m glad it turned out well. I initially thought it was just a good song. But with time, this just grew on me. The drop isn’t particularly amazing, but I do like it. The vocals are pretty solid and I love the chorus. The Chainsmokers did a nice job with the rest of the production. So yeah, this is definitely a awesome song and I would like to see it have some success, which it probably will (on Hits 1 at least).

– I wasn’t looking forward to what Travis Scott had to offer. But alas, here he is with Drake in Sicko Mode. That song has been around for a while and if you’ve read my posts, I pretty much explained why I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of his vocals. It is just terrible and it’s hard for me to understand the lyrics, which is bad as well. Drake didn’t make a good contribution at all. I don’t like his verse and he doesn’t sound good for the rest of the song. So yeah, it’s pretty bad. But sadly, I’d rather listen to that than our other debut, which we’ll get to in just a moment.

– Sabrina Carpenter makes her return this week, this time with Sue Me. Having listened to her music, I can say that I’m not too fond of what Sabrina has to offer. I’ll admit that she is getting better vocally. She sounds decent here. But my concern is that there’s really nothing I found interesting in the song. The production is pretty underwhelming. In a way, it kinda reminds me of Sorry Not Sorry. Also, something else about it just doesn’t click with me for some reason. I can’t say why. Overall, it’s okay but nothing memorable.

– Up next, Sam Smith returns with my favorite single from him. He collaborates with Normani in Dancing With A Stranger. This song got me hooked from the very first listen. For starters, the beat is really good and the production is divine. Sam’s soulful voice sounds great here in the song. Not only that, but we get Normani’s verse which is honestly just amazing. She’s easily the best part about the song. I think she has the best voice out of all the other members Fifth Harmony. I had thought Lauren Jauregui was the best. But since we’ve got more of Normani, my opinion has changed. Dancing With A Stranger is another example of why Normani is better. I love everything about the song in general. Here’s to hoping it does well.

– Jake Miller has been making music for a while and has had quite a few songs appear on the YouTube 15 before. This week, he makes his first appearance on the countdown, I believe, with Wait For You. I’ve come to find that Jake is a pretty solid vocalist when listening to his music. As far as this song goes, he sounds pretty decent here. But my concern is the production is a little weird and out of place, especially when we hit the chorus. The lyrical content is pretty questionable outside of a few lines. So yeah, I’m not a big fan of this. It’s not too far off from red, so it’ll possibly get there soon.

– Replacing herself this week, we have Ariana Grande with my least favorite single from her so far, titled 7 Rings. I went off in my recent posts as to why this song is garbage. I really like Ariana Grande and her music is just amazing. But unfortunately, 7 Rings is a much different story. The production is extremely underwhelming and the beat is not good at all. Ariana herself sounds pretty bad in the chorus. I also do not like the lyrics at all. It sounds like she’s all that and basically full of herself. I’m not sure what Ariana was going for here. But the bottom line is the song absolutely sucks. And it’s sad because I adore Ariana. Oh well.

Best Debut Of The Week: Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

What A Girl Blurbs
– We’re going to start things off with one of our exits. With In My Blood leaving us this week, that means we will not have a countdown with a song from Shawn Mendes for the first time in a long time. It all started with Treat You Better making its debut back in the summer of 2016, which was universally hated by many. Then came Mercy, which I genuinely loved. Then, we got There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, which was even better and would become a big hit for Shawn during the summer of 2017. After a long while, we got In My Blood, the lead single from his self-titled album, and a couple more after that (Lost In Japan and Nervous). The countdown run for Shawn Mendes, which lasted for two and a half years, was similar to the one Fall Out Boy had for about three years. I’m sure there are quite a few here who will be throwing a Shawn Mendes be-gone party. Something tells me we haven’t seem the last of him, because we’ll likely get more music from him soon. But for now, I’ll just say this. I pretty much enjoyed Shawn’s countdown run while it lasted. Goodbye, Shawn Mendes. It’s been a thrilling ride.

– As far as our remaining exits go, I actually kinda liked Ocean To Ocean. And although some are calling it a poor cover of Africa, I’m not necessarily among that crowd even though it was nowhere near Pitbull’s best. Trust My Lonely wasn’t really to my liking, so I’m happy about its departure. Back To You and Say Amen (Saturday Night) both had very good tenures, and they’ll be missed by me. Finally, we say goodbye to Breathin’. And that means that we also bid farewell to the Sweetener representations. I did enjoy the album quite a bit, and it had some good singles such as No Tears Left To Cry, and God Is A Woman. But Breathin’ was a highlight, and it’s sad that it didn’t quite get as big as I had hoped thanks to her latest album coming out so quickly. Farewell, Breathin’. It’s been real.

– Before introducing I’m A Mess, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Bebe Rexha had a difficult time finding a dress because of her size. Of course, she eventually found one and I must say, it was stunning.

– I Found You took a massive drop this week, which I’m okay with considering that the song isn’t anything interesting. Broken also made its way into the Bottom 5. The end is pretty much near for the song, but it had a nice run here.

– So, I would like to wish Khalid a Happy Birthday as he just celebrated one this week. He just recently released a new single, which we’ll get to later on.

– I had thought Hey Look Ma, I Made It would for sure enter the Top 5 considering it aired as Most Wutchuwanted during the week. But it just didn’t happen. I’m sure it’ll enter the Top 5 eventually considering that Hits 1 loves Panic! At The Disco.

– Despite the Top 5 remaining the same, it’s very nice to see This Feeling back at #1. It’s genuinely an amazing song. Hopefully this ends up holding at the top over Happier and Without Me, until we get some better music in the Top 5.

Hit-Bound:

• Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
• Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
• lovelytheband – Maybe, I’m Afraid
• Maren Morris – GIRL (DEBUT)
• Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
• Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime
• Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
• Post Malone – Wow.
• Grandson – Apologize
• Meghan Trainor – All The Ways (DEBUT)
• Lil Peep featuring iLoveMakonnen and Fall Out Boy – I’ve Been Waiting
• Madison Beer featuring Offset – Hurts Like Hell (DEBUT)
• Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired
• LSD featuring Lil Wayne – Genius (Remix) (DEBUT)
• Kelsy Karter – Harry (DEBUT)

Entrant Reviews:
– Alright. So, we have another big shake-up on Hit-Bound this week. We’ll start with the song that is finally here! Maren Morris makes her return with her new single, GIRL! I’ve made my thoughts very clear on the song when it was on the YouTube 15 a month ago. This song is amazing. I love Maren’s voice as always and the production is solid. Everything about it just clicks with me. Here’s to hoping it debuts soon.

– Next, we have the return of Meghan Trainor with All The Ways. I enjoyed this when it was new and I still do now. I love Meghan’s voice throughout the whole song. Hopefully, it ends up debuting soon.

– Madison Beer makes her return with Hurts Like Hell. This was also on the YouTube 15 a while ago and I explained my thoughts on the song. There’s nothing really interesting about it. I don’t like her voice in this one and the beat isn’t too good. I kinda liked Home With You to an extent. This one…not so much.

– Oh boy. We have the group LSD who make their return with the remix to Genius. LSD has not been impressive since they gave me Thunderclouds, which was terrible. I’m not very fond of Genius either. I’ll admit it’s better than Thunderclouds, but there’s a lot I don’t like about this one. The production is not as annoying, but Sia and Labrinth don’t sound good with their vocals. I’m not big on Lil Wayne’s verses in the remix either. So yeah, this song is just not good overall.

– Finally, we have newcomer Kelsy Karter with Harry. Not too much I can say about this one, beside the fact that the music video resembles something from the 60’s and 70’s. I like what it’s going for in terms of the production, and Kelsy’s voice is okay. I don’t have much of an opinion on this one since I listened to it once.

Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Maren Morris – GIRL

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Maren Morris – GIRL
2. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
3. Meghan Trainor – All The Ways
4. Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
5. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

YouTube 15:

• Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
• Julia Michaels featuring Selena Gomez – Anxiety
• Bazzi – 3:15
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Ally Brooke featuring Tyga – Low Key
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• R3HAB featuring Icona Pop – This Is How We Party
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
• Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
• Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
• Julia Michaels featuring Niall Horan – What A Time
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• Khalid – Talk

Song Reviews:
– To start things off, Bazzi has a song that’s been around for a while, titled 3:15. It’s another short song, clocking in at under 3 minutes. But this is pretty good. I like the beat here and Bazzi sounds good with his voice. That’s all I can say for this one.

– Remember Icona Pop who gave us their biggest hit I Love It? Well, guess what? They’re back, and they collaborate with R3HAB in This Is How We Party. Right off the bat, this is pretty solid. The production is pretty good and I like the vocals we get from both Caroline and Aino. Not too much else I can say beyond that. Overall, it’s a fun song.

– Although I’m not too fond of what Julia Michaels has to offer, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t made some good music. In fact, she brings me one of her best songs on the YouTube 15 this week. She collaborates with Niall Horan in What A Time. I think Julia sounds good here. She doesn’t crack her voice and she shows what she is capable of. I also like the guitar and the verses we get from Niall. It’s a good song overall for the most part.

– Finally, we have Khalid who just recently celebrated his birthday this week with his latest single, Talk. Based off of the first listen, I’m not exactly feeling the song too much. I like Khalid’s voice, but something about the production doesn’t quite work well for me. I can picture myself growing into it, though. 

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
2. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend 
3. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
4. Julia Michaels featuring Niall Horan – What A Time
5. Bazzi – 3:15

Top 20 Review:
0 – Horrific:
None!

1 – Bad:
20. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
19. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier

2 – Mediocre:
18. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
17. Anne-Marie – 2002 

3 – Decent:
16. Halsey – Without Me
15. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
14. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
13. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
12. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
11. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
10. Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe
9. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
8. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
7. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
6. Dan + Shay – Speechless
5. Dan + Shay – Tequila
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
3. Lauren Daigle – You Say

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Christina Aguilera – What A Girl Wants (1999)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Demi Lovato – Give Your Heart A Break

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Carly Rae Jepsen – Run Away With Me

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Avril Lavigne featuring Nicki Minaj – Dumb Blonde

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Kesha – Praying (#39) and Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (Remix) (#14)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
TIE: 1. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
3. Lauren Daigle – You Say
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
5. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
2. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
3. Imagine Dragons – Machine
4. Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
5. James Arthur – Empty Space

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton – Say Something: Easily the best song from Man Of The Woods. The country vibe is just phenomenal and we get more singing from Justin, which was great. 
Troye Sivan – My My My!: It was this time last year that Troye made his comeback with this song. I love the groove and Troye’s smooth voice works well here. Too bad it didn’t end up becoming successful as I wanted it to be.
AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up: My least favorite song of 2018, and for a very good reason. This song is another example of why I don’t like AJR. It may not be as bad as their other singles objectively, but it’s still relatively annoying in some way.

QOTW: What are you overall thoughts on the awards for the Grammys? And what about the performances?

Hello, fam! I hope everyone here had a good Valentine’s Day yesterday. We’re approaching warmer weather as we draw towards next month. I’m sure many here are looking forward to that, and I am too. This cold weather is just tiring. Anyway, let’s get right into the AT40 this week. As far as the countdown went, it was okay. I’m not crazy about some of the moves. But at least we’re gettting activity, so that’s something I guess. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Consequences by Camila Cabello (#35)

Hello, fam! So, I was able to watch the Grammy Music Awards yesterday (although I did have to record it because I was somewhat busy). I thought it was a good show overall. I’m planning on doing a review of all the performances, as well as my thoughts on the awards being given out. It should be ready later this week. I also have some other stuff that I desperately need to catch up on, such as the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 for 2018 and tying up some loose ends. You’ll just have to bear with me for the time being. In the meantime, here’s the AT40 post. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Back To You by Selena Gomez (#31)
• Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#40) [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande
40. Mine by Bazzi (#37) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
39. There’s No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels (#39) [=]
38. Love Someone by Lukas Graham (#38) [=]
37. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#34) [–4]
36. Let You Love Me by Rita Ora (#36) [=]
35. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#15) [–20]
34. Wake Up In The Sky by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black (#35) [+1]
33. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#28) [–5]
32. 8 Letters by Why Don’t We (#33) [+1]
31. MIA by Bad Bunny featuring Drake (#32)
30. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#27) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
29. Wow. by Post Malone (#32) [+3]
28. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (DEBUT)
27. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#29) [+2]
26. Lie by NF (#24) [–2]
25. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#27) [+2]
24. Broken by lovelytheband (#22) [–2]
23. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#25) [+2]
22. Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd (DEBUT)
21. Tequila by Dan + Shay (#23) [+2]
20. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson (#21) [+1]
19. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#17) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
18. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus (#20) [+2]
17. Better by Khalid (#19) [+2]
16. Better Now by Post Malone (#14) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
15. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#18) [+3]
14. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#11) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
13. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#16) [+3]
12. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#13) [+1]
11. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#9) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #10
10. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#12) [+2]
9. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#10) [+1]
8. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#7) [–1]
7. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#8) [+1]
6. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#6) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#4) [–1]
4. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#5) [+1]
3. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#2) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
2. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#1) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. Without Me by Halsey (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (2^nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Consequences by Camila Cabello (–20)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Wow. by Post Malone, Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B, and Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (+3)

New Entrants:
– To kick things off, we have Ariana Grande who recently released her new album Thank U, Next, with my least favorite single from her in the form of 7 Rings. If you’ve read my Hits 1 countdown post for last week, then you’ve seen me go off on this song when it made its debut on Hit-Bound. To recap, Ariana sounds underwhelming as a whole. Also, she can be pretty annoying with her verses. The beat is absolute shit across the board and the rest of the production is not good whatsoever. Looking at the lyrics, it feels like she’s become conceited and full of herself. That doesn’t sound like her. Basically, the lyrics are asinine and pointless. I know Ariana is very good at her songwriting. But she does not show her capabilities at all in any part of the song. I can’t think of a single good line that I find to be appealing. So yeah, as someone who absolutely adores Ariana, this is a huge disappointment for her. I originally thought Everyday was her weakest single, although that one had more to do with Future than Ariana because I thought she sounded decent. But I had no idea what we were getting until we got this mess of a song. And now that it’s here, it’s pretty much a lock for My Bottom 10 Songs of 2019. Thus, I’m not thrilled to see it become a #1 hit on Billboard. Honestly, as much as many people here absolutely despise our current #1 song on the AT40 (which I’ll talk about in just a moment), I’d rather listen to that than this any day. Yes, even Sicko Mode even though I’m not fond of the song at all either. But 7 Rings is just the bottom falling out of Ariana Grande’s music. This is not a good direction for her. I know Ariana is definitely capable of better.

– Thankfully though, we get a second debut that is MUCH better than the one I just talked about. We get the return of The Weeknd once more, and he teams up with an EDM artist named Gesafflestein in Lost In The Fire. This is something enjoyable. First off, I love The Weeknd’s voice. He knows just how to use it well, and that’s something that I’ve been saying with most of his music. I enjoyed songs like In The Night, The Hills, Can’t Feel My Face, and some more songs I won’t mention right now. Gesafflestein did a nice job with his work as a DJ. He puts forth the effort in the production. In a way, it reminds me of the singles from Starboy, which I genuinely loved. Yeah, this is just a good song overall. The Weeknd has impressed me once again.

Best Debut Of The Week: Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd

Blurbs In The Fire
– As far as our exits go, Psycho was long overdue. While the wasn’t as annoying as its predecessors before this, it was still underwhelming as a whole. I’m glad it’s finally gone. Back To You was something I enjoyed and it had a nice run on the countdown. I’m glad it was pretty successful. That song will be missed by me.

– Much to the displeasure of many people here, Without Me is #1. I will just say that I don’t hate this song at all anymore, but it does pale in comparison to some of the songs Halsey has released. I would prefer if a song like Eastside make it to #1 soon.

– This Feeling goes into the Top 10. The song’s success is quite surprising, considering it’s not that big of a hit elsewhere. But I’m happy regardless. It’s easily the best thing these guys have put out since Closer. It’s momentum may not last too long however, because they’ve just recently released their collaboration with 5 Seconds Of Summer, which we may see on the countdown soon.

– Consequences took a massive fall this week. Yikes! I do like the song, though I won’t be too sad about it leaving soon. But seeing it take this big of a drop is hard to watch.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Hurts Like Hell by Madison Beer featuring Offset
• My Blood by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
• You Say by Lauren Daigle

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes
• Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper
• Sorry by Justin Bieber
• Don’t Wanna Know by Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Good For You by Selena Gomez featuring ASAP Rocky
• One Dance by Drake featuring WizKid and Kyla
• New Rules by Dua Lipa
• Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash
• Don’t by Ed Sheeran
• Believer by Imagine Dragons

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
19. Taki Taki by Dj Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

1 – Bad:
18. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
16. Without Me by Halsey

4 – Good:
15. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande

5 – Great:
14. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
13. Better by Khalid
12. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson
11. Better Now by Post Malone
10. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
7. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
6. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
4. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
3. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Total Score: 82/100 = 82% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Open Arms by Journey (1982)

Most Missed Song: Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: GIRL by Maren Morris

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B (#13)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
3. Tequila by Dan + Shay
4. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
5. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
2. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
3. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
4. There’s No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels
5. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Beautiful Trauma by P!NK: It may not be a stand-out from P!NK, but it was something I genuinely loved. And the music video was pretty cool, in part because it featured actor Channing Tatum.
Wait by Maroon 5: Again, this song shows just how much Maroon 5 has changed for the worse. It’s mediocre in terms of the production, especially because there’s no band here. At least this wasn’t performed at the Super Bowl Halftime show.
I Miss You by Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels: This is probably the best song Julia Michaels has been a part of. We truly got to see what she is capable of here. It’s sad that this never ended up become the hit I wanted it to be.

Hello, guys! The 2019 Grammy Music Awards takes place tomorrow night. I will indeed be watching, and I plan on reviewing all of the performances of the show. I do hope we get some good performances. We’ll see. I don’t really have anything else interesting to say, so let’s just get to the countdown. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#21)
• Lauren Jauregui – Expectations (#31)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Halsey – Without Me
45. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#45) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
44. Pitbull featuring Rhea – Ocean To Ocean (#40) [–4]
43. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#43) [=]
42. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (#44) [+2]
41. George Ezra – Shotgun (#41) [=]
40. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#42) [+2]
39. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#39) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
38. Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (#33) [–5]
37. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#37) [=]
36. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#35) [–1]
35. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#34) [–1]
34. Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe (DEBUT)
33. lovelytheband – Broken (#32) [–1]
32. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over (DEBUT)
31. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#25) [–6] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
30. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely (#28) [–2]
29. Imagine Dragons – Machine (#23) [–6]
28. Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999 (#38) [+10]
27. James Arthur – Empty Space (#27) [=]
26. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#22) [–4]
25. Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip (#30) [+5]
24. Khalid – Better (#24) [=]
23. Lauren Daigle – You Say (#29) [+6]
22. Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (#26) [+4]
21. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (#20) [–1]
20. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#14) [–6] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
19. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#18) [–1]
18. Dean Lewis – Be Alright (#36) [+18]
17. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone (#17) [=]
16. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#16) [=]
15. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#15) [=]
14. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#19) [+5]
13. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#13) [=]
12. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#8) [–4]
11. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#11) [=]
10. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#10) [=]
9. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#5) [–4]
8. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey featuring Khalid – Eastside (#7) [–1]
7. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#12) [+5]
6. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#10) [+4]
5. 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood (#6) [+1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#3) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#2) [–1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
2. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#4) [+2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
1. Halsey – Without Me (#1) [=] [5^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Charlie Puth – How Long (1^st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Tie between Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones, Imagine Dragons – Machine, and Imagine Dragons – Natural (–6)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Dean Lewis – Be Alright (+18)

New Entrants:
– So, I’d like to point out that Charlie Puth has two siblings. He has a sister named Mikalea, who we don’t really know about. But he also has a brother named Stephen, who makes his debut this week with Sexual Vibe. Now, Charlie has the type of voice that helps him be able to hit those high notes. Stephen’s voice is a little different because he has a much deeper voice. Hearing the song, you can easily tell the difference. I was mixed on this at first, but now I grew to love it. The instrumentation here is pretty slick. Stephen’s deep voice and the production blend well together. To put it short, it’s a great first impression for Charlie’s brother.

– Then, we get the big return of Avril Lavigne. It’s definitely been a long time since we’ve heard from her. But I’m glad she’s back. At #32, she returns to the countdown with Tell Me It’s Over, from her latest album Head Above Water. I’m a little disappointed that Hits 1 decided to skip over the title track, which is amazing. But Tell Me It’s Over is also one of the diamonds in the rough. This is just beautiful all around. Avril sounds great here, which shows that she hasn’t lost a step since her last album. I love what the song has to offer lyrically. Basically, she talks about a toxic relationship and what she has been through. In a way, it kinda reminds me of Praying, which was my #1 of 2017. That song also talked about the relationship between Kesha and Dr. Luke. She shows her songwriting capabilities in the song. The instrumentation is very nice as well. So yeah, it’s nice to have Avril Lavigne back! This is just phenomenal in every sense of the word.

Best Debut Of The Week: Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over

Papa Don’t Blurb
– So, we have two exits. The first of which is Expectations, which I’m not all that sad about although I still kinda like the song. Then there’s Body Talks, which left from a high position at #21. Dang! I still love the song, so seeing it go so soon isn’t pleasing.

– Before introducing The Way I Am, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Charlie Puth doesn’t spend time on his phone anymore. Looks like he may be shying away from that. But almost everyone uses a cell phone nowadays. I guess he didn’t want to get too obsessed over his phone, heh.

– Before introducing You Say, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Lauren Daigle sounds more like Adele. Sounds like he must’ve just figured it out, although I’m sure some people knew about it from the start. As a matter of fact, I did talk about how she sounds like Adele when the song made its debut last week. I can definitely hear the comparisons between the two.

– Be Alright having that massive jump was nice to see. I know some people aren’t necessarily on board with this, but I actually like what the song has to offer. It’s definitely meaningful, and I do have a thing for songs like this.

– So, Ariana Grande has decided to not perform at the Grammy Awards, huh? It’s quite a shame we won’t get to hear her voice live. Oh well.

– Can 2002 start making its way down soon? I’m not all that thrilled that it’s still jumping like this and that it’s higher than songs like Tequila. I want this to be fixed soon.

– On that note, can we please get Happier away from #1, or better yet out of the Top 5 soon? I’m tired of being on the edge of my seat hoping it doesn’t become #1 again. Honestly, I’d rather have Without Me hold at #1 for another week over this song, even though I’m not necessarily a big fan of the song either. Or better yet, how about This Feeling back at #1? Even Youngblood or High Hopes would be nice. Just as long as Happier isn’t #1.

Hit-Bound:

The Chainsmokers are the guest hosts for Hit-Bound this week. Here’s the full list:

• Lil’ Peep featuring iLoveMakonnen and Fall Out Boy – I’ve Been Waiting (DEBUT)
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired
• Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime
• Post Malone – Wow.
• Grandson – Apologize (DEBUT)
• The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (DEBUT)
• Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
• Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me
• Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
• lovelytheband – Maybe, I’m Afraid
• Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
• Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
• Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
• Jake Miller – Wait For You
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode

Entrant Reviews:
– We’ll start with an interesting collaboration between three artists (the late Lil’ Peep, iLoveMakonnen, and the band Fall Out Boy) in their single, I’ve Been Waiting. I came in with pretty low expectations, but now I actually like this for the most part. I do like their verses here. Also, something about the production here just clicks with me. I don’t know why. Overall, it’s a pretty solid song.

– Next, we have Grandson (yes, the artist) with Apologize. Not much I can say about the song as a whole. I kinda like the instrumentation here, but I’m not too big on his voice. That’s all I’ve got to say about it.

– And now, the big one. The Chainsmokers themselves are collaborating with Hits 1 favorite, 5 Seconds Of Summer in Who Do You Love. This is a song that works well in most aspects. I’ll have more words for when it inevitably debuts. But could this be the song that dethrones Without Me? We’ll have to see.

Best Debut Of The Week: The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
2. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
3. Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
4. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
5. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love

YouTube 15:

• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
• Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
• AJR – 100 Bad Days
• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
• Galantis featuring OneRepublic – Bones
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket – Darkside
• Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
• Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• Julia Michaels featuring Selena Gomez – Anxiety
• Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
• Ally Brooke featuring Tyga – Low Key

Song Reviews:
– Oh boy…we have AJR once again. This time, they bring us 100 Bad Days. I will say that it’s a step up from their previous singles, but that’s not saying too much. The production isn’t quite as obnoxious, but the lyrics aren’t good and I still don’t like their vocals too much. They just don’t click with me. I don’t know why. Overall, it’s not a good song and it’s not surprising considering I’m not fond of AJR.

– Next, we have EDM duo Galantis collaborating with Ryan Tedder and co. (a.k.a. OneRepublic) in their new single titled Bones. Last time, they had San Francisco which was on the YouTube 15 a month ago. I talked about that song a while back and that one was terrible. Bones is a different story. I like the guitar here. Ryan has a nice voice and he uses it well in the song. It’s pretty darn good overall.

– I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I actually love Billie Eilish’s music. Bury A Friend is another example of such. Her voice is mysterious, but at the same time, it’s unique. I like the dark vibe here. The production, while there’s not much to it, is pretty solid and her voice meshes well. So yeah, it’s definitely a good song and I’m looking forward to her album, which comes out next month.

– For our final song of the week, we have another Fifth Harmony member with her solo debut. Ally Brooke teams up with Tyga in Low Key. Right off the bat, the song isn’t very appealing to me. I don’t like Tyga’s contribution for the most part. His verses didn’t do much. I expected more out of Ally, but she didn’t strike me with her voice. She sounds pretty underwhelming here. The production is decent, though. Overall, I’m not all that impressed for now. While it’s in blue, it’s slightly closer to red than it is green.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
2. Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket – Darkside
3. Galantis featuring OneRepublic – Bones
4. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
5. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby

Top 20 Review:
0 – Horrific:
None!

1 – Bad:
20. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
19. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier

2 – Mediocre:
18. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
17. Anne-Marie – 2002

3 – Decent:
16. Halsey – Without Me

4 – Good:
15. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
14. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone

5 – Great:
13. Imagine Dragons – Natural
12. Dean Lewis – Be Alright
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma I Made It
7. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
6. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
5. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. Dan + Shay – Tequila
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
2. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Dan + Shay – Speechless

Overall Grade: 83/100 = 83% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach (1986)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Coldplay – A Sky Full Of Stars

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Years & Years – If You’re Over Me

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Maren Morris – GIRL

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Kesha – Praying (#37), Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (Remix) (#20), and Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#16)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Dan + Shay – Speechless
2. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
3. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
4. Lauren Daigle – You Say
5. Dan + Shay – Tequila

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
2. Imagine Dragons – Machine
3. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely
4. James Arthur – Empty Space
5. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

QOTW: What are your thoughts about Maroon 5’s performance for the halftime show?

Hello, guys! So, my birthday is tomorrow, and I’ll be turning 27. Man, I sure am starting to feel old. Anyway, with my Hits 1 Rankdown finally out of the way, I can now shift my focus towards other things. The first of which is the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End for 2018, which I’ll start working on next week. There’s also some other stuff that I need to work on as well. Basically, I have a lot of catching up to do. While I’m at it, here’s the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown post for you guys on this Super Bowl Weekend. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Camila Cabello – Consequences (#25)
• Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#37)
• Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way (#40)
• Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me (#41)
• Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me (#44)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Halsey – Without Me
45. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#45) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
44. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (#42) [–2]
43. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#43) [=]
42. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#39) [–3]
41. George Ezra – Shotgun (#38) [–3]
40. Pitbull featuring Rhea – Ocean To Ocean (DEBUT)
39. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#36) [–3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
38. Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999 (DEBUT)
37. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#34) [–3]
36. Dean Lewis – Be Alright (DEBUT)
35. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#33) [–2]
34. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#32) [–2]
33. Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (#27) [–6]
32. lovelytheband – Broken (#30) [–2]
31. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations (#23) [–8]
30. Seeb featuring Bastille – Grip (DEBUT)
29. Lauren Daigle – You Say (DEBUT)
28. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely (#29) [+1]
27. James Arthur – Empty Space (#28) [+1]
26. Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (#35) [+9]
25. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#26) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
24. Khalid – Better (#22) [–2]
23. Imagine Dragons – Machine (#13) [–10]
22. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#31) [+9]
21. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#24) [+3]
20. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (#20) [=]
19. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#19) [=]
18. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#16) [–2]
17. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone (#18) [+1]
16. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#17) [+1]
15. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#14) [–1]
14. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#21) [+7] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
13. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#12) [–1]
12. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#7) [–5]
11. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#15) [+4]
10. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#11) [+1]
9. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#10) [+1]
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#9) [+1]
7. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey featuring Khalid – Eastside (#6) [–1]
6. 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood (#5) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#8) [+3]
4. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#4) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#3) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#2) [=] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
1. Halsey – Without Me (#1) [=] [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game (1^st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Imagine Dragons – Machine (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie between Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You and Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (+9)

New Entrants:
– We have five songs debuting this week. To start, we have Pitbull collaborating with Rhea in a song taken from the Aquaman movie, titled Ocean To Ocean. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I actually kinda like this one in a way. Now, I’m not particularly a fan of Pitbull’s verses here, but I thought he sounded okay. The song does use a sample of Africa, where Rhea does most of the singing. I do agree that Pitbull shouldn’t be sampling Africa. I thought Rhea sounded decent with her voice. It’s not necessarily the best, but it’s certainly better than the cover from Weezer, which was terrible. So yeah, I can say this is probably one of his weakest singles, but it’s not all that bad.

– We still have Anne-Marie – 2002 in the Top 10. I’ve actually lost interest in that song now, so I would like it if it started dropping soon. But while we wait, we do have a song that’s similar to 2002, except better. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan both turn back the clock and take us back to 1999 in their single. Like I just mentioned, 1999 is a step up from 2002 in more ways than one. First off, both Charli and Troye have good voices here. They shine in the chorus and their verses are solid. Much like with 2002, it has references to some of my favorite songs such as …Baby One More Time by Britney Spears. But this song does everything better. So yeah, it’s a great song and I’m glad the collaboration between Charli and Troye worked out well.

– We have newcomer Dean Lewis with Be Alright. There’s not a whole lot I know about Dean Lewis. But I do think Be Alright is a solid song. I love the instrumentation here. I think Dean sounds good as well. Hearing his voice, he shows a lot of his personality in the song and I can feel it. I love the lyrics about a relationship not working out well and how to move on after a break-up. He put a lot of effort in writing the song and I’m glad it turned out very well. It’s a nice song overall.

– If you remember Seeb, then you probably know he was behind one of my favorite songs from 2016 with I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner. This week, he returns and collaborates with Bastille in their new single, Grip. I’ll simply say that it’s not that great of a song, but it is better than Happier in my opinion. I think Seeb did a nice job with the production although at times it’s a little generic. Dan Smith sounds better with his voice here. Although the lyrics aren’t as good as Happier, I still think they’re pretty decent. Yeah, this is pretty good, though I can’t really envision it sticking with me in the long run. But if anything, I’ll take this over Happier any day.

– So, I’m still waiting for Adele to make her comeback, which probably won’t happen for a while. However, we do get an Adele-soundalike who makes her very first appearance on the countdown this week. We have Lauren Daigle with a song that’s been around for quite sometime, titled You Say. I’m sure many here are not very fond of this because she is basically an Adele ripoff, which she is. But as a music critic, I have to judge based on what I hear. And after listening to the song in its entirety, I found plenty to love about this song. Lauren has an amazing voice. When I hear her sing the chorus, I can feel her emotion. That’s something we don’t get in many songs nowadays. I also love the piano work. It sounds really nice. The lyrics are creative and well-written. It’s definitely an awesome ballad and I’m glad this made it to the Weekend Countdown.

Best Debut Of The Week: Lauren Daigle – You Say

Blurbs Say
– Our five exits consist of songs that weren’t necessarily all that popular. Consequences left from a high position at #25. And with that means that Camila Cabello doesn’t have a countdown song for the first time in a while. Electricity and Woman Like Me are both loved by me, but I wasn’t too surprised to see them leave. Waste It On Me I thought was pretty decent, but it wasn’t something worth caring about in the big picture. Finally, good riddance to There’s No Way. I’m glad that song didn’t get as big as its predecessor even though it’s not nearly as annoying. Unfortunately, this is not the last we’ve seen of Lauv as he does have a new song on Hit-Bound, which we’ll get to in a moment.

– So, Charlie Puth is a big fan of Queen, huh? That’s according to Spyder Harrison during his introduction for The Way I Am. I wonder what is Charlie’s favorite song from them? We don’t know for sure, but I’m willing to bet he has a lot of favorites.

– Machine took a big drop this week which was very pleasing. Thankfully, we won’t see this become a huge hit. Instead, we’ll likely see their other song take its place. And their song I won’t mention right now has made its debut on Hit-Bound. We’ll get to that in just a moment.

– Before introducing Sunflower, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Post Malone plans on performing with Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Grammy Music Awards next weekend. That ought to be interesting. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m looking forward to that performance.

– Looks like Natural isn’t giving up yet. It has made its way back into the Top 20 this week despite the fact that it died out a long time ago. I do still like this. In fact, that along with a certain song on Hit-Bound are way better than Machine, which is a mess.

– We don’t get a whole lot of action in the Top 10 other than a few songs changing their positions. Thank U, Next is the only new entrant in the Top 5 this week.

Hit-Bound:

• Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (DEBUT)
• Rita Ora – Let You Love Me (DEBUT)
• lovelytheband – Maybe, I’m Afraid
• Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
• Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me
• Panic! At The Disco – Dancing’s Not A Crime (DEBUT)
• Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
• Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe
• Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (DEBUT)
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Post Malone – Wow.
• Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I’m So Tired (DEBUT)
• Jake Miller – Wait For You
• Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode

Entrant Reviews:
– We have a big shake-up in the world of Hit-Bound this week. We’ll begin with Imagine Dragons with probably the best single off of Origins, titled Bad Liar. Machine is a complete mess and their worst song they’ve ever released. Thankfully though, the song is declining on this countdown, which means I won’t have to worry about it for too much longer. Hopefully, Bad Liar will take its place soon. Let’s talk about that good song. We don’t get any obnoxious yelling from Dan Reynolds this time like we did with Machine. Here, he sounds good singing. I like the production as well. It’s not as messy and the instrumentation is solid. Overall, this is a really good song and I would like to see that one become another hit for these guys.

– I don’t know too much about Rita Ora, seeing as she’s not relevant. But hearing her music, I actually like most of the songs she has put out. Our latest debut on Hit-Bound this week, Let You Love Me, just happens to be one of them. I briefly discussed the song when it made its debut on the American Top 40. But to sum it up, I like pretty much everything about it. I think Rita has a good voice and she uses it well here. The production is solid. I hope to see it graduate to the Weekend Countdown soon because it’s a really good song.

– Once more, we get another single from Panic! At The Disco, this time with Dancing’s Not A Crime. It’s not the best song off of Pray For The Wicked. I’d much prefer songs like F**k A (Silver Lining), Say Amen (Saturday Night), and High Hopes. But Dancing’s Not A Crime is still good mostly because of Brendon Urie, who sounds great with his voice although here he doesn’t quite shine in the chorus. I’ll save most of my words for when it inevitably debuts.

– Next, we have Ariana Grande with my least favorite single from her, by the name of 7 Rings. As I’ve stated many times, I’m a big supporter for Ariana Grande’s music. Almost every single she has released throughout her career has been really good in my eyes. But unfortunately, 7 Rings is a much different story. This song is just terrible. First off, I don’t like her voice in this one. She sounds underwhelming and at times, pretty annoying. The production is pretty bad and I don’t like the beat at all. And don’t even get me started on the lyrics. I feel like she acts very conceited with her bragging and what not. Simply put, this song is shit, and this is coming from someone who adores her. Huge disappointment for Ariana. I’ve been questioning her direction when it comes to her latest music, although I still kinda like Thank U, Next even though it’s not amazing. But 7 Rings is just the bottom falling out in Ariana’s music. I’ll stop right there for now, but I won’t take it very kindly when it graduates to the Weekend Countdown. When I prefer to listen to Sicko Mode over this mess, that’s a bad thing.

– Lastly, we have another song that I’m not very fond of either. We get another single from Lauv, and this time he collaborates with Troye Sivan in I’m So Tired. There’s almost nothing I like about the song. Lauv sounds pretty bad, and the production is not good. Troye sounds okay, but even he can’t save the song from being mediocre at best. Overall, it’s a bad song and it’s the worst thing Troye has been a part of. And the sad thing is, I’d rather listen to Sicko Mode than this one, along with 7 Rings which I just talked about.

Best Debut Of The Week: Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
2. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
3. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
4. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
5. Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire

YouTube 15:

• Khalid – Better
• Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket – Darkside
• Walk The Moon – Timebomb
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
• Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby
• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• Julia Michaels featuring Selena Gomez – Anxiety
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
• PRETTYMUCH – Blind
• Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
• Calvin Harris featuring Rag’N’Bone Man – Giant
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• FLETCHER – Undrunk

Song Reviews:
– We have the latest from Walk The Moon, in the form of Timebomb. Right off the bat, this song is just a upbeat jam. Most of the music they’ve released has been awesome. The production is amazing and I love Nick’s voice. It sounded like they were having a blast singing that song, much like with One Foot, one of my favorites from 2018. So yeah, this is really good.

– Next, we get a collaboration between Julia Michaels and Selena Gomez in Anxiety. I’m going to be straight up and simply say that this song sucks. Julia is just not a good singer and it shows when I hear her verses. Selena doesn’t do much for me either and while she doesn’t sound as bad as Julia, her contribution is underwhelming. I also don’t like the instrumentation. The guitars are a little scratchy and there’s not much else to the production. So yeah, this is just bad in pretty much every way. And once again, if I prefer to listen to Sicko Mode over this one, that’s not a good thing.

– PRETTYMUCH are back with yet another new single, this time with Blind. It’s a bit of a step up from Jello, which was their worst song. But that isn’t saying too much. I’ll admit their vocals are somewhat better, but I don’t like the lyrical content and the beat isn’t too interesting. Overall, it’s not a good song. It’s really sad that we’ll likely never get something more along the lines of Would You Mind, which is easily their best song.

– Lastly, we have new artist FLETCHER with her new single, Undrunk. Not too much I can say about this one, except I like her voice overall and the production is solid. The lyrics are pretty decent. Yeah, I’m content with this.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Walk The Moon – Timebomb
2. Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket – Darkside
3. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby
5. FLETCHER – Undrunk

Top 20 Review:
0 – Horrific:
None!

1 – Bad:
20. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
19. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier

2 – Mediocre:
18. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
17. Anne-Marie – 2002

3 – Decent:
16. Halsey – Without Me

4 – Good:
15. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
14. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone

5 – Great:
13. Imagine Dragons – Natural
12. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma I Made It
7. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
6. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
5. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. Dan + Shay – Tequila
3. Dan + Shay – Speechless
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me

Overall Grade: 83/100 = 83% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: The Human League – Don’t You Want Me (1981)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Paramore – Still Into You

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Paramore – Hard Times

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Maren Morris – GIRL (not a whole lot of good music worth recommending)

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Kesha – Praying (#37), Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (#22), and Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves (#3)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Dan + Shay – Speechless
4. Lauren Daigle – You Say
5. Dan + Shay – Tequila

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
2. Imagine Dragons – Machine
3. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely
4. James Arthur – Empty Space
5. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
All Time Low – Last Young Renegade: I may not care that much for All Time Low, but this is one of their best songs. I like the production here, and the chorus is solid. I wish this deserved better.
Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle: Once again, I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I still love this song, even if it isn’t his best.

QOTW: Who do you want to win the Super Bowl in Atlanta? Patriots or Rams?

What’s up, guys? So, I finally got the AT40 post out on time! Now, I just need to work on some other posts, such as the Billboard Year-End Review, which I hope to get out sometime this month. My birthday is next week, and I’ll be 27. Man, I sure am starting to feel old. Let’s get right to the countdown. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara (#29)
• Delicate by Taylor Swift (#40) [Spent 1 Week At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
40. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#38) [–2]
39. There’s No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels (DEBUT)
38. Love Someone by Lukas Graham (#39) [+1]
37. Mine by Bazzi (#35) [–2]
36. Let You Love Me by Rita Ora (#37) [+1]
35. Wake Up In The Sky by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black (#36) [+1]
34. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#32) [–2]
33. 8 Letters by Why Don’t We (#31) [–2]
32. Wow. by Post Malone (DEBUT)
31. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#30) [–1]
30. MIA by Bad Bunny featuring Drake (#33) [+3]
29. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#34) [+5]
28. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#27) [–1]
27. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#26) [–1]
26. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#25) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
25. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#28) [+3]
24. Lie by NF (#23) [–1]
23. Tequila by Dan + Shay (#24) [+1]
22. Broken by lovelytheband (#21) [–1]
21. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson (#22) [+1]
20. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus (#20) [=]
19. Better by Khalid (#19) [=]
18. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#18) [=]
17. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#16) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
16. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#17) [+1]
15. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#13) [–2]
14. Better Now by Post Malone (#12) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
13. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#15) [+2]
12. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#14) [+2]
11. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#9) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
10. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#11) [+1]
9. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#9) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
8. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#10) [+2]
7. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#7) [=]
6. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#6) [=]
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#5) [=]
4. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#2) [–2]
3. Without Me by Halsey (#4) [+1]
2. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#1) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
1. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (1^st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Mine by Bazzi, I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin, 8 Letters by Why Don’t We, Consequences by Camila Cabello, Better Now by Post Malone, Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani, and Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (–2)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (+5)

New Entrants:
– We have two not-so interesting debuts this week. First, we have a collaboration between Lauv and Julia Michaels in their single, There’s No Way. Two of these artists have different backgrounds. Lauv’s debut single, I Like Me Better, was easily one of my least favorite songs of 2018, what with cringe-worthy lyrics and a awful production. Julia hasn’t been impressive either, with Issues being mediocre and the rest of her music just simply underwhelming at best (with the exception of I Miss You with Clean Bandit, which is easily the best thing she’s been a part of). I had low expectations coming into their single, and the result is just not good. I’ll say production-wise, it’s a step up from its predecessor. The instruments are decent and I kinda like the piano here. But the vocals are underwhelming. Both of them don’t really sound good together. I also look at the lyrics, some of which I find questionable. Overall, while it may not be as annoying as I Like Me Better, it’s still pretty bad all around.

– Wow. We have Post Malone once more with his new single, and with that he now has four songs on the countdown. Just wow. Talk about a run. Anyway, I may be growing into his music, but this song doesn’t really appeal to me. I find the production to be very basic and the lyrics are no good. I do kinda like Post’s voice here, but that’s probably the only redeeming quality in a pretty bad song. I can’t really see myself growing into this one, unlike his recent music. But I’m sure it’ll probably end up being a big hit despite how mediocre it is. I hope I’m wrong.

Best Debut Of The Week: Wow by Post Malone (But not by much)

Blurbs Above Me
– So, we have two exits. The first of which is Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara, which wasn’t a good song for the most part. So good riddance to that. Then, there’s Delicate by Taylor Swift. It had a great run on this countdown and it was one of the highlights from Reputation. Delicate will be missed by me. And seeing as Taylor doesn’t have anymore singles at this moment, we probably won’t hear from her for a while until her next album comes along.

– We’ve got a new #1 this week, and unsurprisingly it goes to Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande. I normally would be happy about this considering I love Ariana. But I don’t really consider Thank U, Next to be amazing, especially since she’s done better. It’s pretty catchy in a way and I definitely love her voice in the song, so I’ll give her that. I’ll also say it’s way better than a certain song I won’t mention right now.

– That being said, I would much prefer High Hopes or Breathin’ at #1, although the latter is dying out very quickly. So that probably won’t happen at this point.

– Close To Me has now entered the Top 10 this week. I’m a little surprised by how well is doing at this moment, but I’ll take it. The song is not Ellie’s best by any means, but it’s definitely something that I enjoy. I’m looking forward to see what else she has to offer in her future album.

– Remember when I said that Taki Taki was a pretty fun song overall? That seems like a long time ago. As a matter of fact, my opinion has changed drastically. Yeah, I’m starting to find that the vocals are underwhelming and the production is pretty bad. And this is coming from someone who enjoys much of DJ Snake’s music. I’m sure he can do better.

– Before introducing Better, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Khalid has struggles with social anxiety. And I’ll bet he’s not the only one. There’s are those who have had their share of struggles as well. But I’m glad he’s been able to talk about it.

– So I recently found out that Ruin My Life was originally meant to be a duet between Zara Larsson and another artist, but that was ultimately scrapped. I wonder how it would’ve turned out had she decided to collaborate with someone in the song?

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
• My Blood by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
• Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee
• Let Me Love You by DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber
• I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner
• 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid
• Can’t Stop The Feeling! by Justin Timberlake
• The Hills by The Weeknd
• Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia
• That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars
• Love On The Brain by Rihanna

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

1 – Bad:
19. Taki Taki by Dj Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B
18. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
16. Without Me by Halsey

4 – Good:
15. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande
14. Better by Khalid

5 – Great:
13. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
12. Consequences by Camila Cabello
11. Better Now by Post Malone
10. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
7. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
6. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
4. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
3. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Total Score: 82/100 = 82% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: She’s So High by Tal Bachman (1999)

Most Missed Song: Fight Song by Rachel Platten

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: GIRL by Maren Morris

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B (#18)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
3. Tequila by Dan + Shay
4. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
5. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
2. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
3. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
4. There’s No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels
5. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Lemon by N.E.R.D. featuring Rihanna: I kinda like this as a guilty pleasure. Lyrically, it may not be good, but there’s just something about it that pulls me in. I probably should hate this, but I don’t.

Hello, guys. Here’s the late AT40 post again. This time, I was super busy this week with work and stuff. Next week’s post won’t be late, and I assure you of that. The month of January has gone by pretty quickly. I’m sure next month will be better. In fact, my birthday week is coming up. Man, I’m just getting old. But anyway, let’s get on to the countdown Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#32) [Spent 1 Week At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
40. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#40) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
39. Love Someone by Lukas Graham (DEBUT)
38. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#37) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
37. Let You Love Me by Rita Ora (#39) [+2]
36. Wake Up In The Sky by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black (#36) [=]
35. Mine by Bazzi (#35) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
34. Sweet by Psycho by Ava Max (#38) [+4]
33. MIA by Bad Bunny featuring Drake (#34) [+1]
32. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#30) [–2]
31. 8 Letters by Why Don’t We (#33) [+2]
30. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#28) [–2]
29. Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara (#27) [–2]
28. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#31) [+3]
27. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#26) [–1]
26. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#29) [+3]
25. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#24) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
24. Tequila by Dan + Shay (#25) [+1]
23. Lie by NF (#22) [–1]
22. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson (#23) [+1]
21. Broken by lovelytheband (#20) [–1]
20. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus (#21) [+1]
19. Better by Khalid (#19) [=]
18. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#18) [=]
17. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#16) [–1]
16. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#14) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
15. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#15) [=]
14. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#17) [+3]
13. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#13) [=]
12. Better Now by Post Malone (#11) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
11. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#12) [+1]
10. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#10) [=]
9. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#9) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
8. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#7) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
7. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#8) [+1]
6. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#5) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#6) [+1]
4. Without Me by Halsey (#4) [=]
3. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#3) [=]
2. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#2) [=]
1. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#1) [=] [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (7^th And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin, Back To You by Selena Gomez, Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara, and Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (–2)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (+4)

New Entrants:
– So, does anyone remember the band Lukas Graham? You know, the guys that gave us 7 Years which was a hit back in 2016? Well, they’re back with their new single, in the form of Love Someone. 7 Years was something I genuinely enjoyed throughout much of 2016. While some here weren’t necessarily big fans of the song, I was among those who loved it. I can say that their new song is also pretty good for the most part. I like the creativity in the lyrics. Of course, they’re basically talking about loving someone no matter what. It’s something all of us can relate to. I do like the vocals we get from Lukas Forcehammer. I think he has a nice voice. The instrumentation is pretty decent here. Do I see this becoming a hit? Probably not. But I do like the song and it’s nice to see Lukas Graham make their comeback.

Blurb Someone
– We’ll begin with our one exit. We sadly say goodbye No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande. I thought it was a great comeback single for Ariana Grande and it became a huge favorite of mine for much of 2018. As you can recall, I ranked it as my #4 song of the year. It had a successful run and I’m glad it was able to hit #1 on this countdown. Farewell, No Tears Left To Cry. You will definitely be missed.

– The big jump from Sweet But Psycho was a small one, but I’ll take it. It’s nice to see Ava Max get some recognition with the song. It’s doing pretty well overall in sales, so I have a feeling it may stick around for a little while.

– Ryan Seacrest mentioned during the introduction for Nothing Breaks Like A Heart that Miley Cyrus is working on a collaboration with Shawn Mendes. I actually heard about this a while ago while I was surfing the web. It’ll be interesting to see what these two can come up with.

– Before introducing Close To Me, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Ellie Goulding got annoyed with her voice and she almost decided to quit music altogether. I didn’t quite think Ellie would be annoyed by her own voice. I’m sure it’s still good. I guess she gets a little nervous about that. Heh, I sometimes get nervous about hearing my own voice. But after a while, I tend to overcome it.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• My Blood by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
• Wow. by Post Malone
• There’s No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels

Extras/Optional Extras:

• The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
• I Found You by Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris
• Love Somebody by Maroon 5
• Paris by The Chainsmokers
• Don’t Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson
• My House by Flo Rida
• I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha
• Me, Myself & I by G-Eazy featuring Bebe Rexha
• Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper
• Starboy by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

1 – Bad:
19. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille
18. Taki Taki by Dj Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Without Me by Halsey
16. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
15. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande
14. Better by Khalid

5 – Great:
13. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
12. Consequences by Camila Cabello
11. Better Now by Post Malone
10. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
7. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
6. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
4. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
3. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Total Score: 82/100 = 82% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Together Forever by Rick Astley (1988)

Most Missed Song: Sing by Ed Sheeran

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B

My Top 5 Picks
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
3. Tequila by Dan + Shay
4. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande
5. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
2. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
3. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
4. Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara
5. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
New by Daya:

What’s up, guys? The next set of reveals should be coming later today. I’ve updated my schedule on my page. I plan on finishing up the rankdown by Friday. After that, my focus will shift towards the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Review for 2018. Then, there’s the Grammy Awards which is coming up soon. I do want to give a review on the performances of the show. That’s something I’ll be looking forward to. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs we’re saying goodbye to this week:

• Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#44) [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: Halsey – Without Me
45. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#45) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
44. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me (#35) [–9]
43. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#41) [–2]
42. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (#42) [=]
41. Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me (#38) [–3]
40. Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way (#39) [–1]
39. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess (#37) [–2]
38. George Ezra – Shotgun (#43) [+5]
37. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#40) [+3]
36. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#36) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
35. Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (DEBUT)
34. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (#34) [=]
33. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#33) [=]
32. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#32) [=]
31. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#27) [–4]
30. lovelytheband – Broken (#30) [=]
29. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely (#31) [+2]
28. James Arthur – Empty Space (#26) [–2]
27. Ariana Grande – Breathin’ (#20) [–7]
26. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#24) [–2]
25. Camila Cabello – Consequences (#29) [+4]
24. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#28) [+4]
23. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations (#23) [=]
22. Khalid – Better (#21) [–1]
21. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#18) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
20. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (#25) [+5]
19. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#22) [+3]
18. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone (#15) [–3]
17. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#16) [–1]
16. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#19) [+3]
15. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#17) [+2]
14. Khalid featuirng Normani – Love Lies (#5) [–9]
13. Imagine Dragons – Machine (#14) [+1]
12. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#11) [–1]
11. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#8) [–3]
10. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#7) [–3]
9. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#10) [+1]
8. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#9) [+1]
7. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#12) [+5]
6. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#13) [+7]
5. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#6) [+1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#4) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#2) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#3) [+1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
1. Halsey – Without Me (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Imagine Dragons – Thunder (5^th And Final Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Tie between Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me and Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (–9)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (+7)

New Entrants:
– As we say goodbye to one EDM artist (more on that in a little bit), we say hello to another as Calvin Harris makes his return this week. He is collaborating with Benny Blanco in their latest single titled I Found You. This was trending on the YouTube 15 a while ago. I gave a review of the song and I found it to be pretty mediocre. I’m not necessarily a big fan of the instrumentation. With two EDM artists collaborating together, I expected a little more out of the production. But they didn’t quite impress me in that department. It’s a little too basic for my tastes. Calvin sounds okay with his voice, but he can be underwhelming at times. I do love Eastside, but this one…not so much.

I Found Blurbs
– Alright. So, we say goodbye The Middle. It’s departure is one I’m sure will make many people happy now after it tested their patience. Having spent a long time on the countdown and becoming a huge hit during its tenure, many were begging for it to leave. But not me, as I’m one of the few people to actually enjoy that song even though it wasn’t Zedd’s best. I’d like to point out that it was around this time that Stay left the countdown one year ago. Had that song stayed for a little while longer, it would meant that Zedd would’ve had a countdown tenure of two years. And Spyder Harrison said, “finally”, when he talked about its exit. It was this close to lasting a year on the countdown, and had it done just that it would’ve been described as the song that never goes away, like with My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light ‘Em Up) and Closer. Goodbye The Middle. It’s been a fun and crazy ride!

– So Shawn Mendes confirms that he has a collaboration with Niall Horan coming soon. I’m interested to see how it’ll turn out. Hopefully, they’ll craft up something special.

– Woman Like Me doesn’t look like it’ll be longer with us after dropping into the Bottom 5. It’s a damn shame that the song is underrated.

– Can I’m A Mess leave, please?!?!? It’s getting annoying have to hear it over and over again. That song still blows. Good thing it went out on my rankdown.

– The Backstreet Boys dropped their new album, DNA this week. As a fan of these guys, I can’t wait to hear what these guys have to offer. I’m sure they have some good music from their latest album.

– What’s the deal with Nothing Breaks Like Heart dropping like this? The song deserves better than what it is getting at this moment. I’m not sure what’s going on, but this needs a spark soon.

– Before introducing Body Talks, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Kesha went make-up free and when she showed her freckles, people went crazy. Wow, I didn’t know Kesha had freckles. She still has a good voice, though. That’s all that matters.

– Remember when I reviewed Speechless, and I said it was a good song for a wedding? Turns out, I was proven to be right, because Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction that the song was indeed used in a wedding for a couple last weekend. I do hope that when I get married someday, this will be one of our songs.

– So, Love Lies finally dropped out after it spent a seemingly long time in the Top 10. Talk about a run. Though, I’m pretty sure that one will stick around for a little while longer.

– Speaking of Dan + Shay, Tequila makes a nice jump back into the Top 10 and reaching a new peak of lucky #7! Although we’re still very early in the year, something tells me it could end up making the Hits 1 Year-End List for 2019 given that it’s run is still going pretty strong. That would be pleasing. Hopefully, Speechless follows suit.

Hit-Bound:

• Lauren Daigle – You Say
• Jake Miller – Wait For You
• Post Malone – Wow.
• Dean Lewis – Be Alright
• Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me
• Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip
• lovelytheband – Maybe, I’m Afraid
• Pitbull featuring Rhea – Ocean To Ocean
• Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over
• Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
• Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (DEBUT)
• Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
• Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999

Entrant Reviews:
– Our only entrant on Hit-Bound this week comes from Sam Smith with probably my new favorite song of his. He collaborates with Normani in Dancing With A Stranger. I’ve been enjoying this one since the very first listen, which pretty much explains how I feel about the song. I absolutely love the beat and their vocals blend together very nicely.I’m glad the collaboration between Sam Smith and Normani worked out well. I’ll have more on this when it hopefully debuts.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
2. Lauren Daigle – You Say
3. Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
4. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
5. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It’s Over

YouTube 15:

• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• LSD featuring Lil’ Wayne – Genius (Remix)
• Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
• Calvin Harris featuring Rag’N’Bone Man – Giant
• Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
• Maren Morris – Girl
• Halsey – Without Me
• Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby
• Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
• Why Don’t We – Big Plans
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket – Darkside
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• Becky G – LBD

Song Reviews:
– I’ve not been impressed with what LSD had to offer, especially after hearing Thunderclouds. Now, we get the remix to one of their earlier singles that I don’t like either, by the name of Genius. Right off the bad, the song is bad on its own. I’ll admit the production is a little bit better. The problem is that Sia’s voice is annoying and Labrinth doesn’t help either. But in the remix with Lil’ Wayne, he sounds obnoxious in the verses, making the song already worse than the original. Honestly, their music is just a mess all over. Whatever they’re doing is not working for me at all. Let’s move on.

– Up next, Maren Morris has her brand new single titled Girl! I’ll try to make this as simple as possible: the song is just amazing. And no, I don’t say that because I absolutely adore Maren Morris either. Actually, yes I did. I’ll just leave it at that. The point I’m trying to get across is, is that I love everything about the song. Maren sounds great throughout the song. She shines in the chorus and I love the divine instrumentation. Yeah, I definitely love the comeback single from Maren Morris! I hope to see it on the countdown soon.

– Why Don’t We have yet another new single following 8 Letters, this time with Big Plans. I think the instrumentation sounds good and their vocals are nice. The song may not be memorable in the long run, but it’s something worthwhile.

– I’m sure not a lot of people here remember Becky G. She gave us Shower back in 2014, which I thought was good overall. Today, she brings us her new single LBD. Not a whole lot I can say about this one. I’m not a big fan of her voice. I don’t think she sounds good here. The production is basic and pretty underwhelming at times. While it’s in blue, it’s slightly closer to red than it is green.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Maren Morris – Girl
2. Alan Walker featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket – Darkside
3. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
5. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi – Baby

Top 20 Review:
0 – Horrific:
20. Imagine Dragons – Machine

1 – Bad:
19. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
18. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly

2 – Mediocre:
17. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
16. Anne-Marie – 2002

3 – Decent:
15. Halsey – Without Me

4 – Good:
14. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
13. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone

5 – Great:
12. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
8. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma I Made It
7. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
6. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
5. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. Dan + Shay – Tequila
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
2. Dan + Shay – Speechless

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me

Overall Grade: 78/100 = 78% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Rick Astley – Together Forever (1988)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Kelly Clarkson – Heartbeat Song

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

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Maren Morris – Girl

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Kesha –Praying (#39) and Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (Remix) (#21)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Dan + Shay – Speechless
4. Dan + Shay – Tequila
5. Ariana Grande – Breathin’

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
2. Imagine Dragons – Machine
3. Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There’s No Way
4. James Arthur – Empty Space
5. Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
WØLVES – Animal: I don’t know much about these guys, but they wowed with this debut single of theirs. I like the production and the drop here, and their vocals are good.
NF – Let You Down: I do see the appeal towards this one. But I don’t like his delivery and the chipmunk vocals in the background are annoying. Yeah, I’m not a fan. Sorry.
P!NK – Beautiful Trauma: The intro is pretty cute, and then we get to hear P!NK’s beautiful voice. It’s definitely something enjoyable. And then there’s the music video, which features her and Channing Tatum. Cool stuff.
Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same: Blech. Everything about the song is a mess, especially from a vocal standpoint. The pre-chorus is absolutely awful and the lyrics leave something to be desired. This song is one of many reasons why I was mixed on Camila’s music overall.

What’s up, guys? So this AT40 post came out much later than usual, in large part due to me working on the rankdown. My apologies. I have some other stuff that I need to work on as well. I do realize that I’m falling behind. Let’s just get on with it. Before we get to this week’s fresh 40, here are the songs we’re saying good-bye to this week:

• Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper (#25)
• I’m A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#32)

The Countdown:
Last Week’s #1 Song: High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
40. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#39) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
39. Let You Love Me by Rita Ora (DEBUT)
38. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#40) [+2]
37. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#35) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
36. Wake Up In The Sky by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black (DEBUT)
35. Mine by Bazzi (#37) [+2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
34. MIA by Bad Bunny and Drake (#38) [+4]
33. 8 Letters by Why Don’t We (#34) [+1]
32. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#33) [+1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
31. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#36) [+5]
30. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#29) [–1]
29. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#28) [–1]
28. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#26) [–2]
27. Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara (#27) [=]
26. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#24) [–2]
25. Tequila by Dan + Shay (#32) [+7]
24. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#21) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
23. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson (#30) [+7]
22. Lie by NF (#18) [–4]
21. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus (#23) [+2]
20. Broken by lovelytheband (#17) [–3]
19. Better by Khalid (#22) [+3]
18. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#20) [+2]
17. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#19) [+2]
16. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#15) [–1]
15. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#16) [+1]
14. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#14) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
13. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#12) [–1]
12. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#13) [+1]
11. Better Now by Post Malone (#11) [=]
10. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#10) [=]
9. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#9) [=]
8. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#8) [=]
7. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#7) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
6. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#6) [=]
5. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#4) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Without Me by Halsey (#3) [–1]
3. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#5) [+2]
2. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande (#2) [=]
1. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (6^th of 7 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Lie by NF (–4)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Tequila by Dan + Shay and Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson (+7)

New Entrants:
– Our first of two debuts this week comes from Rita Ora with her latest single, in the form of Let You Love Me. I actually like Rita and it’s a shame that she’s severely underrated because she has some songs that I really like. Let You Love Me is no exception. Now, it’s not the best thing she has to offer. But it’s still a solid song all around. She sounds pretty good with her vocals. I think the production is decent and the lyrics are nicely written. Not too much else I can say about this one. It’s pretty good overall.

– Next, we have a rather interesting collaboration between three artists (Gucci Mane, Bruno Mars, and Kodak Black) in their single titled Wake Up In The Sky. This is the type of song I normally wouldn’t like given my disdain towards the rap genre when it comes to quality. But I actually find this to be pretty decent. Bruno shows that he is a good rapper. I like his verses throughout the whole song. Gucci and Kodak don’t really sound too bad here. The only thing that bothers me is some of the lyrics and the relatively underwhelming production. Overall, it’s not bad. It’s something worthwhile for the time being.

Best Debut Of The Week: Let You Love Me by Rita Ora

Let You Love Blurbs
– As far as our exits go, we sadly say good-bye to Shallow. I thought it was an amazing song from the A Star Is Born soundtrack and it deserved more success than it ultimately had. But I’m glad it was able to make the countdown, so that’s good enough. Good riddance to I’m A Mess. That one got mediocre extremely fast. Bebe Rexha can do so much better. At least this one didn’t get as big as its predecessor.

– I’m a little surprised to see Electricity still hanging on despite the fact that it pretty much died out elsewhere. I still love the song, though. But I have a feeling it won’t last much longer.

– It’s nice to see Tequila catching on with that big jump. Something tells me that it may end up having a pretty decent run much like on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. I’m glad Dan + Shay are getting some good recognition.

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

1 – Bad:
19. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille
18. Taki Taki by Dj Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Without Me by Halsey
16. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.
15. Broken by lovelytheband

4 – Good:
14. Better by Khalid
13. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande

5 – Great:
12. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
11. Consequences by Camila Cabello
10. Better Now by Post Malone
9. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
8. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
4. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande 
3. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee

Total Score: 80/100 = 80% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Beautiful by Christina Aguilera (2002)

Most Missed Song: Unconditionally by Katy Perry

#1 Recommendations For The American Top 40: You Say by Lauren Daigle and Miss Me More by Kelsea Ballerini

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B

My Top 5 Picks
1. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
2. Tequila by Dan + Shay
3. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
4. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
5. Breathin’ by Ariana Grande

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
2. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
3. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
4. Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara
5. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

What’s up, guys? My plan right now is that next week, I’ll be doing the reveals for the rankdown involving Hits 1’s Top 45 of 2018. My goal is to start on Monday night because that’s when I’m not all that busy. Hopefully, it’ll all be finished by the end of this month, or maybe sooner. I’m sure it’ll be a whole lot of fun. Anyway, here’s the Hits 1 Countdown post for this MLK Jr. Holiday weekend. So, TWENTY ØNE PILØTS were the guest hosts for the Weekend Countdown in place of Spyder Harrison. I thought they did a nice job hosting. Before we get to this week’s fresh 45, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#38)
• Olly Murs featuring Snoop Dogg – Moves (#39)