Justin Timberlake (9) – Week Of August 20, 2016

So I've officially completed my first week of school this year. It was the first week and I already had to stay up past midnight on Thursday night with homework. If I already had to do that on the first week of school, this year is not going to be easy. But I did have a ton of work, which is why nothing was posted at all this week. So I'm sorry about that. But hey, at least the countdown post is out on time. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• James Bay – Let It Go (#33)
• Ruth B. – Lost Boy (#43)
• Grace – You Don't Own Me (#45)

Last Week's #1 Song: Justin Timberlake – Can't Stop The Feeling

The Countdown

45. Kent Jones – Don't Mind (#38)

44. Selena Gomez – Kill Em With Kindness (#42)

43. Nick Jonas/Tove Lo – Close (#44)

42. Symon – Say (#24)

41. OneRepublic – Wherever I Go (#41)

40. Fifth Harmony – Work From Home (#40)

39. Panic! At The Disco – Victorious (#39) [1 Week At #1]

38. Taylor Swift – New Romantics (#31)

37. Lukas Graham – 7 Years (#37)

36. Mike Posner/SeeB – I Took A Pill In Ibiza (#34) [2 Weeks At #1]

35. Kenny Chesney/P!nk – Setting The World On Fire (DEBUT)

34. Selena Gomez – Hands To Myself (#32)

33. Timeflies – Once In A While (#11)

32. DNCE – Cake By The Ocean (#35) [4 Weeks At #1]

31. Meghan Trainor – No (#36)

30. The Summer Set – Figure Me Out (#14)

29. Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman (#15)

28. Drake/WizKid/Kyla – One Dance (#17)

27. Twenty One Pilots – Stressed Out (#16) [5 Weeks At #1]

26. Jordan Fisher – All About Us (#28)

25. P!nk – Just Like Fire (#9)

24. The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (DEBUT)

23. Jacob Whitesides – Lovesick (#21)

22. All Time Low – Missing You (#25)

21. Lukas Graham – Mama Said (#23)

20. Twenty One Pilots – Heathens (#27)

19. AJR – I'm Not Famous (#29)

18. Fifth Harmony – All In My Head (Flex) (#30)

17. Coldplay/Beyoncé – Hymn For The Weekend (DEBUT)

16. Demi Lovato – Body Say (#19)

15. The 1975 – The Sound (#18)

14. Daya – Sit Still, Look Pretty (#4)

13. DNCE – Toothbrush (#22)

12. Ariana Grande – Into You (#26)

11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Girls Talk Boys (#20)

10. Meghan Trainor – Me Too (#13)

  9. X Ambassadors – Unsteady (#12)

  8. Charlie Puth/Selena Gomez – We Don't Talk Anymore (#10)

  7. Calvin Harris/Rihanna – This Is What You Came For (#8)

  6. Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better (#5)

  5. The Chainsmokers/Daya – Don't Let Me Down (#2)

  4. Twenty One Pilots – Ride (#3)

  3. Sia/Sean Paul – Cheap Thrills (#6)

  2. Adele – Send My Love (To Your New Lover) (#7)

  1. Justin Timberlake – Can't Stop The Feeling! (#1) [9^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Walk The Moon – Shut Up and Dance

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Timeflies – Once In A While (–22)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Ariana Grande – Into You (+14)

New Entrants
~ Hits 1 only picks up country songs on rare occasions and some of them do make it big. Florida Georgia Line – Cruise is a great example as it peaked at #4 on here in 2013. Breaking out of the sea of country songs this around, we have Kenny Chesney debuting featuring P!nk this week with Setting The World On Fire. Now I do like this song, but I feel like it doesn't have enough to make it really stand out. It does sound almost like a good chunk of the country songs out there right now. Maybe it's just me since country isn't necessarily my favorite genre. But I do think adding P!nk made the song stand out slightly more than other country songs. Overall, I do like this song now. I don't know if it's necessarily something worthy of being on my Apple Music playlist. But if it comes on Hits 1, I won't change the station.

~ The Chainsmokers should just straight up already receive the award for electronic/dance artist/group of the year. They've really been dominating this year in the EDM category. This week, they're here with Closer featuring Halsey, who actually had her song, New Americana, on this countdown earlier this year. One of the reasons I liked New Americana and Halsey in general is that I think she has a good voice and I do think that shows on Closer. We even get vocals on this new track from one of The Chainsmokers themselves, who actually sounds pretty good. I think their voices sound really good together. It took me a couple of listens to grow into the drop and even now I'm still not a huge fan of it. Not that I necessarily dislike it, but it's just different. However, I love everything else about this song.

~ I think Hits 1 still plays the SeeB remix of Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend. I don't know why, but I honestly don't care because I'm going to review the original album version. I'll try not to make this super long since I'm sure you all know how much I'm in love with this song. It opens up with these beautiful sounds of nature followed by very well-done piano work. Chris Martin and Beyoncé harmonize very nicely all throughout this song. I absolutely love that chorus. Beyoncé's mini-solo after the second chorus is really good followed by possibly my favorite part in the song. Finally, it ends so magically as Beyoncé sings the last couple of lines. This song is just beautiful, magical, incredible, and really any positive adjective you can find. Coldplay, being my all-time favorite band and all, have never disappointed me. I've been jamming out to this song since like February of this year and it's still absolutely amazing. It is a definite for my Top 45 Songs of 2016 and noticing its debut position at #17, I can tell it's going to get some love. :)


Hit-Bound
~ Here is the Hit-Bound list for this week:

• Flume/Kai – Never Be Like You
• OneRepublic – Kids
• Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving
• MKTO – Superstitious
• Ben Rector – Brand New
• Steve Aoki & Boehm/Walk The Moon – Back 2 U
• Troye Sivan/Alessia Cara – Wild
• Big Gigantic/Angela McCluskey – The Little Things
• Magic! – Red Dress
• Katy Perry – Rise
• Snakehips/Zayn – Cruel
• The Strumbellas – Spirits
• Andy Grammer – Fresh Eyes
• Kungs & Cookin' On 3 Burners/Kylie Auldist – This Girl

~ We have 3 Hit-Bound entrants this time around. This Girl really isn't anything special. It's certainly good and it's actually pretty catchy. But it's not something that I'll really be dying to hear.

~ OneRepublic are here again with the new single, Kids. Whether or not this is better than Wherever I Go, I don't know. But what I do know is that either way, this song is really catchy. I love the chorus and I love Ryan Tedder's voice as usual.

~ Finally we have Snakehips featuring Zayn Malik with Cruel. Snakehips is that duo that released that really catchy song All My Friends, which featured Tinashe and Chance The Rapper. I loved that one for a little while. I can't say I'm loving this new single. The production sounds really messy on this song and Zayn's voice only sounds good in certain parts of the song. It's possible that it'll change to red soon. Putting in blue was me being very nice. But overall, I'm not feeling this song. It's a decent step-down from All My Friends.

~ Katy Perry – Rise is spending quite a long time here on Hit-Bound for a Katy Perry comeback song. Oh well. I won't be heartbroken if it does poorly.

~ Speaking of comeback singles, while Hit-Bound may be holding on to Rise a little bit, Hits 1 still has yet to pick up the new Britney Spears single. Kinda hard to say this countdown has the 45 Biggest Songs in North America when you're missing songs like these.

Top 5 Hit-Bound Songs
1. Steve Aoki & Boehm/Walk The Moon – Back 2 U

2. OneRepublic – Kids

3. MKTO – Superstitious

4. Troye Sivan/Alessia Cara – Wild

5. Big Gigantic/Angela McCluskey – The Little Things

YouTube15

~ Here is the list for this week's edition of the YouTube15:

• Meghan Trainor – Me Too
• Jonas Blue/JP Cooper – Perfect Strangers
• Jacob Sartorius – Hit Or Miss
• Desiigner – Panda
• Tove Lo – Cool Girl
• Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better
• Tinashe – Superlove
• Twenty One Pilots – Ride
• Martin Garrix/Bebe Rexha – In The Name Of Love
• Fifth Harmony – Work From Home
• Florida Georgia Line – H.O.L.Y.
• Calvin Harris/Rihanna – This Is What You Came For
• Sabrina Carpenter – On Purpose
• Major Lazer/Justin Bieber/MØ – Cold Water
• Clean Bandit/Louisa Johnson – Tears

~ Not very much has changed since I last did a review two weeks ago. Sure, some songs left and got replaced by some better ones. But the shitty Panda and Hit Or Miss are both still here for whatever unknown reason and Cold Water is still the best song on here.

Top 5 YouTube15 Picks

1. Major Lazer/Justin Bieber/MØ – Cold Water

2. Florida Georgia Line – H.O.L.Y.

3. Sabrina Carpenter – On Purpose

4. Martin Garrix/Bebe Rexha – In The Name Of Love

5. Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better

Blurb For The Weekend

~ Adele – Send My Love (To Your New Lover) is most certainly not Top 3 material. It's actually pretty annoying how overrated this song is when it's not even that amazing. If I'm being honest here, I'm tired of hearing her voice and these boring songs. It's almost as irritating as Someone Like You, which I very much disliked.

~ It is indeed very pleasing to see Kent Jones – Don't Mind fall to very bottom of the countdown. Maybe soon, we can see this song take a long-awaited exit.

~ Sia/Sean Paul – Cheap Thrills is starting to get on my nerves a little bit. It's on every freakin' time I'm in the car and it's getting a little aggravating. At this rate, this song is not going to last very much longer with me. And its jump to #3 this week did not help at all.

~ X Ambassadors – Unsteady has now strangely entered the Top 10. This would have been nice about a month ago when I actually still liked this song. I don't know who could possibly still be voting for it at this point. I heard Renegades on Hits 1 earlier this week and it made me flash back to all the good times I had with that song. Unfortunately this song is not up to those standards.

~ Timeflies – Once In A While unfortunately took quite a bit of a drop this week. Meanwhile, Calvin Harris/Rihanna – This Is What You Came For, which debuted on the same week as Once In A While, is still in the Top 10. Just once, I'd like to see it happen the other way around where the less popular song (and frankly, the better song) lasts longer.

~ Soooo.......I kind of grew into 5 Seconds Of Summer – Girls Talk Boys slightly. I still think the song is somewhat underwhelming, but I've grown into it enough to put it in green. I don't see it lasting very long in that color though.

~ So I have a solid opinion now on AJR – I'm Not Famous. It sucks. The chorus is so freakin' annoying. In the song, they're asking where their haters are and how they don't have any, which is completely false. You got a hater right here.

~ P!nk – Just Like Fire took quite a drop out of the Top 10 this week. Oh well. There go my dreams of it hitting #1. It was good while it lasted. But I still really like that song.

~ The Summer Set – Figure Me Out and Symon – Say both took a big drop as well. While the former is just straight up mediocre, the latter is still extremely annoying and must definitely leave like next week.

~ It's kind of aggravating to see Drake/WizKid/Kyla – One Dance do this poorly when this is practically the biggest song of the summer. I don't get it, Hits 1. I just don't.

~ I'd like to wish a very Happy Birthday to our #16 artist, Demi Lovato. She is now 24 years old! Happy Birthday, Demi! :)

~ The only exit this week that really deserves recognition is James Bay – Let It Go. I thought this song was kind of mediocre when it first debuted. But with time and more listens, I've come to realize that it's actually a really good song. James Bay does have a unique and distinguishable voice. I somehow just started to really like the song. I don't even know how. It sucks that it left so soon. But it was destined to eventually. Let It Go, you will very much be missed. We'll see if this song is worthy of being a part of the Top 45 Songs of 2016. There is a really good chance that this song will be seen one last time in that list.

~ The Hit 45 Chart for this week is still being worked on. I would've worked more on it last night. But after a long first week of school, I was just extremely tired and needed sleep. I will inform you in the comment section when the chart is completed and published.

Top 20 Review:

0 – Crap:

20. AJR – I'm Not Famous

1 – Bad:

19. Twenty One Pilots – Ride

2 – Mediocre:

18. X Ambassadors – Unsteady

17. Sia/Sean Paul – Cheap Thrills

16. The 1975 – The Sound

3 – Decent:

15. Daya – Sit Still, Look Pretty

14. Adele – Send My Love (To Your New Lover)

13. Calvin Harris/Rihanna – This Is What You Came For

4 – Good:

12. DNCE – Toothbrush

11. 5 Seconds of Summer – Girls Talk Boys

10. Justin Timberlake – Can't Stop The Feeling

9. Meghan Trainor – Me Too

8. Fifth Harmony – All In My Head (Flex)

5 – Great:

7. Ariana Grande – Into You

6. The Chainsmokers/Daya – Don't Let Me Down

5. Charlie Puth/Selena Gomez – We Don't Talk Anymore

4. Demi Lovato – Body Say

3. Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better

2. Twenty One Pilots – Heathens

1. Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend

Overall Score: 71/100

Throwback Pick Of The Week: P!nk – F**kin' Perfect

Most Missed Countdown Song: Alicia Keys – Girl On Fire

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: DJ Snake/Justin Bieber – Let Me Love You

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: One Direction – Drag Me Down

My Top 5 Picks

1. Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend

2. Mike Posner – I Took A Pill In Ibiza

3. Twenty One Pilots – Heathens

4. OneRepublic – Wherever I Go

5. Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better

My Bottom 5 Picks

1. Kent Jones – Don't Mind

2. Lukas Graham – Mama Said

3. AJR – I'm Not Famous

4. Selena Gomez – Kill Em With Kindness

5. Symon – Say