Charlie Puth (1) – Week Of August 26, 2017

So the MTV Video Music Awards took place Sunday night. I feel like Katy Perry did a pretty mediocre job at hosting, but that's just me. I thought she was kind of annoying. I didn't watch all of the performances because I was doing homework at the same time, so I had to mute the TV several times so I could focus. But they seemed pretty good for the most part. Out of the ones I saw, I thought Logic had the best performance. It was one of the most moving performances I've seen in a while on these music award shows. I thought he, Alessia Cara, and Khalid all sounded fantastic. And that speech at the end was incredible. It's about time we have a rap artist speaking some sense (aside from Eminem, Kendrick, and Macklemore). Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Miley Cyrus – Malibu (#43)
• Noah Cyrus – Stay Together (#45)

Last Week's #1 Song: Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back

The Countdown

45. Steve Aoki/Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On (#44)

44. Julia Michaels – Issues (#39)

43. Childish Gambino – Redbone (#36)

42. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving (#42) [4 Weeks At #1]

41. DJ Khaled/Justin Bieber/Chance The Rapper – I'm The One (#41)

40. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar (#35)

39. The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (#40) [8 Weeks At #1]

38. Lady Gaga – The Cure (#22)

37. Train – Play That Song (#38)

36. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious (DEBUT)

35. Shawn Mendes – Mercy (#31)

34. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#34) [1 Week At #1]

33. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (DEBUT)

32. Halsey – Now Or Never (#28)

31. Julia Michaels – Uh Huh (#25)

30. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts (#32)

29. James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go (#30)

28. Hey Violet – Hoodie (#37)

27. Linkin Park/Kiiara – Heavy (#27)

26. AJR – Weak (#29)

25. The Chainsmokers – Honest (#19)

24. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#15)

23. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#21)

22. P!nk – What About Us (#33)

21. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#8)

20. Kesha – Praying (#23)

19. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You (#20)

18. Bruno Mars/David Guetta – Versace On The Floor (#24)

17. All Time Low – Good Times (#18)

16. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels (#17)

15. Fall Out Boy – Champion (#16)

14. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#13)

13. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#7) [9 Weeks At #1]

12. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls (#27)

11. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (#12)

10. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#6) [4 Weeks At #1]

  9. Linkin Park – One More Light (#10)

  8. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#11) [3 Weeks At #1]

  7. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#2)

  6. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#14) [3 Weeks At #1]

  5. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#3)

  4. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#9)

  3. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#1) [4 Weeks At #1]

  2. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#4) [3 Weeks At #1]

  1. Charlie Puth – Attention (#5) [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Adele – Send My Love (To Your New Lover)

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Lady Gaga – The Cure (–16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls (+15)

New Entrants
~ First up, we have the return of Macklemore without Ryan Lewis this time around. You may remember them somewhat because they helped make 2013 a good year for music bringing in the catchy hits (Thrift Shop), the upbeat anthems (Can't Hold Us), and the slower, more meaningful songs that really made an impact (Same Love). Macklemore brings in Skylar Grey, who has made numerous appearances as a featured artist that I'm pretty sure made the countdown at some point in time. She's done a few collabs with rapper Eminem that I know for sure were on the countdown at some point. But aside from that, I have enjoyed her music and her guest appearances for a while now. I really like her voice. As far as the song goes, I think it's pretty cool. Macklemore's verses flow just as smoothly as they did before. But I think Skylar's chorus is the biggest attention-grabber. She is easily the best fit for this song. Overall, I really like it. It's different and it's cool. Hopefully it does well.

~ Next we have Imagine Dragons debuting with Thunder, which while being undoubtedly better than Believer, I still have mixed feelings about. Obviously, it's a different sound for them since they're supposedly "evolving" as guessed by the title of the album. It is a catchy song. That chorus gets stuck in my head pretty easily. I've never heard the word "thunder" said so many times in one song. But it's pretty basic. There's nothing that makes it stand out from the rest of the songs on the countdown. Also, the voice that repeatedly says "thunder" in the chorus is really annoying. Ultimately, the song doesn't really catch my attention until the final chorus. Overall, it's nothing amazing. I did put it in green just because I would consider it good in comparison to Believer. But it's still nothing that stands out from their discography. I actually went through their new album and there are some pretty good songs on there like Walking The Wire. I feel like that would be a much better choice for a single. The problem with Thunder is that it's not a memorable song. No one will remember this in, say a year or two. I don't know. Maybe I'm over-analyzing it. Like I said, it's in green right now, but it can easily change to blue.


Hit-Bound
~ Here is the Hit-Bound list:

• The Revivalists – Wish I Knew You
• Selena Gomez – Fetish
• PRETTYMUCH  – Would You Mind (DEBUT)
• Justin Bieber/BloodPop – Friends (DEBUT)
• Rita Ora – Your Song
• Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
• Andy Grammer – Give Love
• Harry Styles – Two Ghosts
• Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises
• Halsey – Bad At Love
• Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
• Zedd/Liam Payne – Get Low
• Sabrina Carpenter – Why
• The All-American Rejects – Sweat
• Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (DEBUT)

~ New to Hit-Bound, we have PRETTYMUCH, who I'm guessing are some rising boy band. Would You Mind is pretty catchy. I do like hearing from newer boy bands. If I had to compare them to another boy band, it would probably be The Wanted. The vocals aren't amazing, but they have this cool vibe that is something I could probably get into.

~ Justin Bieber is back as a lead artist. The vocals are pretty strong on this one. He has a very good voice and he shows it reasonably well on this track. The drop isn't that exciting. The song is also slightly repetitive. But that's really my only criticism. Otherwise, it's a good song. I don't think it'll be as big as Despacito. It's not even really Top 5 material. The only reason it's in my Top 5 for Hit-Bound right now is because we have a huge lack of music that I think is amazing. NONE of the songs currently on Hit-Bound I would consider amazing.

~ And of course, the huge return of Taylor Swift. I'll talk more about this when it debuts. But for now, I'll just say right off the bat that it's nowhere near her best work. But there's something about it that just pulls me in.

~ While we do have more good songs than bad ones currently on Hit-Bound, none of the good songs stand out as anything amazing. So The All-American Rejects are currently at the top. It's been a grower these past couple of weeks. But it's nothing I can't live without.


Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. The All-American Rejects – Sweat
2. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
3. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do
4. Justin Bieber/BloodPop – Friends
5. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises


Lightning Then The Blurbs
~ I definitely didn't see that #1 coming. But hey, I'm not complaining. It's a good song. I certainly prefer it over three of other songs currently in the Top 5. So as of right now, it can stay there as long as it likes.

~ Here we go again with the continuous jumps and drops coming from Ed Sheeran's two songs. They're continuously jumping in and out of the Top 10 replacing each other. It's actually getting a little annoying. Shape Of You shouldn't even still be this high.

~ And just like that, Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls is back in the Top 15. That drop obviously didn't last very long. If only the same thing could happen to Wild Thoughts.

~ Meanwhile, Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito is all of a sudden out of the Top 20. So much for the biggest song in the country actually hitting #1.

~ Julia Michaels – Uh Huh thankfully dropped out of the Top 30, with Issues falling into the Bottom 5. I would love if both of these songs just leave. There was never anything good about either of them.

~ You gotta love how Train – Play That Song is still here. And I still haven't gotten sick of it because I haven't listened to it in a really long time. So I would love to see how much longer it can hold out.

~ This week, both of the Cyrus sisters had a song departing. Only difference is that one was actually very good and I wish it had become a bigger hit (Malibu), while the other was mediocre at best (Stay Together). Noah, you are nowhere near as talented as Miley. So just stop now.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
20. Liam Payne – Strip That Down

1 – Bad:
19. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
18. Imagine Dragons – Believer

2 – Mediocre:
17. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road

3 – Decent:
16. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay
15. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You

4 – Good:
14. All Time Low – Good Times

5 – Great:
13. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill
12. Niall Horan – Slow Hands
11. Bruno Mars/David Guetta – Versace On The Floor
10. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee
9. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back
8. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You
7. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls
6. Charlie Puth – Attention
5. Linkin Park – One More Light
4. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels
3. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This
2. Fall Out Boy – Champion

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Kesha – Praying

Total Score: 80/100 = 80% (B–)


Throwback Pick Of The Week: Dr. Dre/Eminem/Skylar Grey – I Need A Doctor

Most Missed Countdown Song: Imagine Dragons – Demons

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Thirty Seconds To Mars – Walk On Water

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend (#13)


My Top 5 Picks
1. Kesha – Praying
2. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
3. P!nk – What About Us
4. Fall Out Boy – Champion
5. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This

Shawn Mendes (4) – Week Of August 19, 2017

My AGT posts should start coming out one of these next couple of days. I realize that I'm behind. As far as the countdown goes, this week was pretty good for the most part. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Harry Styles – Sign Of The Times (#40)
• Camila Cabello – Crying In The Club (#43)

Last Week's #1 Song: Imagine Dragons – Believer

The Countdown

45. Noah Cyrus – Stay Together (#44)

44. Steve Aoki/Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On (#45)

43. Miley Cyrus – Malibu (#42)

42. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving (#41) [4 Weeks At #1]

41. DJ Khaled/Justin Bieber/Chance The Rapper – I'm The One (#36)

40. The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (#38) [8 Weeks At #1]

39. Julia Michaels – Issues (#39)

38. Train – Play That Song (#37)

37. Hey Violet – Hoodie (DEBUT)

36. Childish Gambino – Redbone (#27)

35. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar (#33)

34. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#34) [1 Week At #1]

33. P!nk – What About Us (DEBUT)

32. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts (#15)

31. Shawn Mendes – Mercy (#31)

30. James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go (#29)

29. AJR – Weak (#23)

28. Halsey – Now Or Never (#19)

27. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls (#11)

26. Linkin Park/Kiiara – Heavy (#25)

25. Julia Michaels – Uh Huh (#28)

24. Bruno Mars/David Guetta – Versace On The Floor (#24)

23. Kesha – Praying (#35)

22. Lady Gaga – The Cure (#20)

21. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#22)

20. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You (#26)

19. The Chainsmokers – Honest (#30)

18. All Time Low – Good Times (#14)

17. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels (#13)

16. Fall Out Boy – Champion (#18)

15. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#21)

14. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#16) [3 Weeks At #1]

13. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#32)

12. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (#10)

11. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#5) [3 Weeks At #1]

10. Linkin Park – One More Light (#12)

  9. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#6)

  8. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#3)

  7. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#8) [9 Weeks At #1]

  6. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#7) [4 Weeks At #1]

  5. Charlie Puth – Attention (#9)

  4. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#1) [3 Weeks At #1]

  3. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#17)

  2. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#4)

  1. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#2) [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Justin Timberlake – Can't Stop The Feeling

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts (–17)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (+19)

New Entrants
~ We have two new songs this week. The first comes from Hey Violet debuting yet again. This one is called Hoodie. I have to say, the third time really was the charm for this group. Their first two songs had a mix of annoying vocals and messy production. Hoodie is actually something I can get into. There's a major step up with the vocals. I think the chorus is really catchy. The production sounds pretty good. The only thing still questionable is the lyrical content, which isn't even as bad as it was before. I'm quite impressed. Hey Violet finally managed to win me over.

~ Our next entrant is the return of P!nk. She returns with What About Us, which is the lead single to her new album. Right off the bat, I'm sure we can all agree that this isn't her best song. But at the same time, it's hard for most artists to top some of their older work. What About Us is definitely different from what we used to get from P!nk. At first, I didn't think it was really that interesting. But with more listens, I quickly grew into it. While her voice fits really well in the pop-rock genre, I feel like it fits very well here as well. Her voice is what makes this song stand out the most. I feel like if someone else sang this song, it just wouldn't be as good. P!nk is arguably one of the best female vocalists and she really shows off what she can do in this song. I love the lyrics and how the song was written. I love the flow from verse to chorus. The song is mesmerizing enough to the point where I didn't realize it was four and half minutes long until the end. While the song is long, it has my attention from start to end, which is what you want. Overall, I think the song is fantastic. P!nk has managed to impress me yet again. I really hope this does as well, if not better than Just Like Fire because I feel like What About Us is arguably the better song.


Hit-Bound
~ Here is the Hit-Bound list:

• Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (DEBUT)
• Halsey – Bad At Love
• Andy Grammer – Give Love
• Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises
• Imagine Dragons – Thunder
• Sabrina Carpenter – Why (DEBUT)
• Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
• Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious
• The All-American Rejects – Sweat
• Selena Gomez – Fetish (DEBUT)
• Harry Styles – Two Ghosts
• Rita Ora – Your Song
• Zedd/Liam Payne – Get Low
• The Revivalists – Wish I Knew You

~ There are a few new songs I never actually talked about, plus this week's debuts. So I'll try to touch on all of them

~ I've heard Portugal. The Man a lot on SiriusXM Alt Nation (channel 36). Feel It Still seems to be a very popular song on that station having racked up about 12 weeks at #1 on the Alt-18 Countdown. I can't say this is something I really enjoy. The vocals are a little weird. But I'll admit, it's a very catchy song. But it really isn't anything amazing.

~ Halsey is back on Hit-Bound. Bad At Love is definitely a step up from Now Or Never mainly because we actually get to hear that good voice she has. She's definitely a talented singer. But in a song like Now Or Never, she doesn't show it off. But in Bad At Love, that's a different story. Though it's still not anything amazing, it is a step up and that's kind of what we're looking for.

~ I think it's a competition between Despacito and No Promises for which song Hits 1 picked up on the latest. No Promises has been around for a very long time and it has pretty much already hit its peak on most, if not all charts. That aside, it is a good song. It's catchy. The drop isn't that amazing, but the rest of the song is good. I like the combination of Trevor Dahl's and Demi Lovato's vocals. I don't enjoy it now as much as I did before. I don't think it'll make it on the countdown, but who knows?

~ Sabrina Carpenter seems to be one of those Disney stars trying to make it big. I liked Thumbs for a little while, but at some point it got slightly annoying. As far as her new single goes, I don't see the appeal. It's just underwhelming for the most part. Her voice isn't that great. I really don't like the chopped up vocals in the chorus. It reminds me too much of Gold by Kiiara, which I deemed one of the worst songs of 2016. Do I think this song will make it big? No, and I hope not. It's definitely not an awful song, but it's mediocre at best.

~ With how Selena Gomez's music has been this past year or so, my opinion on Fetish should not be a surprise. Weak vocals, dumb lyrical content, messy production, etc. I just think the lyric, "You've got a fetish for my love," sounds dumb. Now it isn't as bad as Bad Liar, but she still fails to impress me, which doesn't surprise me. Moving on.

~ I'll admit that when I first listened to Zedd/Liam Payne – Get Low, I thought it was fun and catchy. That got old really fast. I didn't have high expectations for Liam at all. But Zedd really disappointed me. His music was already getting questionable with Stay, but this is just Zedd hitting rock bottom. I want something more along the lines of Clarity, Stay The Night, or most songs off of True Colors. It's pretty clear Zedd's trying to go mainstream. You almost can't even call this EDM. There's several other flaws with the song that I won't go into now. I'll talk more about it if it debuts, which it probably will.

~ Finally, we have The Revivalists debuting with Wish I Knew You. This is something I can definitely get into. I really like the vibe and the instrumentation is good as well. The vocals are pretty good for the most part. But after one listen, that chorus was in my head not much longer later.


What About Blurbs
~ So Shawn Mendes back at the top? Fine by me. I enjoy looking up pictures of him for these posts. That aside, it's still better than Believer at #1. HOWEVER, I would MUCH prefer Believer at #1 than that song that just magically jumped to #3 this week.

~ Niall Horan seems to have jumped up to #2 this week with Slow Hands. I feel like this is a better choice for #1 than This Town. So if this hits #1, I'll be happy. It's still a pretty good song, especially compared to a couple of the other One Direction members' songs.

~ Ugh. That #3. Just no. Hits 1 never gets this kind of music on their countdown. The only reason it's here is because it's Liam and they love any bit of One Direction they can get their hands on. The fact that I'd prefer Believer at #1 over this says a lot.

~ With Charlie Puth hosting the countdown, it would only make sense that his song would jump into the Top 5. I still enjoy this song and I'm glad it's not something as slow as One Call Away. It's actually pretty catchy in a way.

~ Linkin Park – One More Light jumped into the Top 10 this week. I still get a little emotional whenever I hear this song. I guess you can say I still haven't fully moved on from Chester Bennington's death. While this is a very good song, it actually makes moving on harder. At least for me.

~ Of the three debuts last week, of course Demi Lovato had to have the Biggest Jump of the Week, especially when the other two debuts are much more enjoyable and are better overall.

~ Gotta love how MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low is just now hitting the Top 20. It's been here for quite a few months now and it has spent most of its time in the Bottom 20. I'm not complaining though. I still like the song a lot, mainly because I haven't listened to it in a while.

~ Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls dropped quite a bit this week. I'm a little happy and sad at the same time. I'm sad because it's a pretty good song. But I'm glad because I really don't want it to become the next Starving. I'd be fine with a couple more months, but anything beyond that might be a little too much.

~ Also taking a big drop is DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts. I really don't understand why, considering that it's one of the biggest songs in the country right now. This isn't even what I would consider a full-on rap song. Hits 1, you need to seriously get it together. This is just not okay.

~ Good to know that Hits 1 thinks Liam Payne singing about sex in a horribly produced track is better than Harry Styles bringing a song that incorporates different genres and is actually very well produced. Something is obviously wrong here and hopefully the people that run this countdown have enough brains to figure it out.

~ While I'm disappointed about Sign Of The Times, Crying In The Club deserved to leave. I'm glad this song didn't actually get that big after all. Just goes to show that Camila is probably gonna continue to flop one single after the other.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
20. Liam Payne – Strip That Down

1 – Bad:
19. Imagine Dragons – Believer
18. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry

2 – Mediocre:
17. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road

3 – Decent:
16. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay
15. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You

4 – Good:
14. All Time Low – Good Times

5 – Great:
13. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill
12. Niall Horan – Slow Hands
11. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee
10. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low
9. Linkin Park – One More Light
8. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back
7. Charlie Puth – Attention
6. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You
5. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito
4. Fall Out Boy – Champion
3. The Chainsmokers – Honest
2. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels
1. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This

Total Score: 79/100 = 79% (C+)


Throwback Pick Of The Week: Nickelback – Savin' Me

Most Missed Countdown Song: Zedd/Foxes – Clarity

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Rachel Platten – Broken Glass

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend (#17)


My Top 5 Picks
1. P!nk – What About Us
2. Kesha – Praying
3. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This
4. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
5. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels

Imagine Dragons (3) – Week Of August 12, 2017

Hey guys! Late post again, but this time it was because my internet was acting up these past several days. If it weren't for that, this would've come out much earlier. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• The Chainsmokers – Paris (#28) [1 Week At #1]
• Aaron Carter – Sooner Or Later (#44)
• Maroon 5 – Don't Wanna Know (#45) [3 Weeks At #1]

Last Week's #1 Song: Imagine Dragons – Believer

The Countdown

45. Steve Aoki/Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On (#42)

44. Noah Cyrus – Stay Together (#43)

43. Camila Cabello – Crying In The Club (#36)

42. Miley Cyrus – Malibu (#41)

41. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving (#40) [4 Weeks At #1]

40. Harry Styles – Sign Of The Times (#39)

39. Julia Michaels – Issues (#26)

38. The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (#36) [8 Weeks At #1]

37. Train – Play That Song (#33)

36. DJ Khaled/Justin Bieber/Chance The Rapper – I'm The One (#30)

35. Kesha – Praying (DEBUT)

34. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#34) [1 Week At #1]

33. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar (#33)

32. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (DEBUT)

31. Shawn Mendes – Mercy (#31)

30. The Chainsmokers – Honest (DEBUT)

29. James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go (#24)

28. Julia Michaels – Uh Huh (#35)

27. Childish Gambino – Redbone (#21)

26. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You (#22)

25. Linkin Park/Kiiara – Heavy (#27)

24. Bruno Mars/David Guetta – Versace On The Floor (#25)

23. AJR – Weak (#37)

22. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#23)

21. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#29)

20. Lady Gaga – The Cure (#8)

19. Halsey – Now Or Never (#9)

18. Fall Out Boy – Champion (#18)

17. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#15)

16. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#13) [3 Weeks At #1]

15. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts (#19)

14. All Time Low – Good Times (#20)

13. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels (#12)

12. Linkin Park – One More Light (#16)

11. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls (#14)

10. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (#11)

  9. Charlie Puth – Attention (#10)

  8. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#7) [9 Weeks At #1]

  7. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#6) [4 Weeks At #1]

  6. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#5)

  5. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#3) [3 Weeks At #1]

  4. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#4)

  3. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#17)

  2. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#2) [3 Weeks At #1]

  1. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#1) [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Justin Timberlake – Can't Stop The Feeling

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Julia Michaels – Issues (–13)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie Between Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito and AJR – Weak (+14)

New Entrants
~ First up, we have The Chainsmokers debuting with Honest. This song is a lot different than anything we've ever gotten from these guys. I have to say, the vocals are getting better and better. And in this song, we can really hear what Andrew Taggart has to offer with his vocals, which is nice because I do think he's a great singer. I think the production is exceptional. I love the pacing. And the lyrical content is really good as well. Although this may not get as big as Closer, it is definitely one of their best songs in my opinion. I think it's a step up from Paris and it's almost as good as Something Just Like This. Overall, it's a very enjoyable song. I hope it does well.

~ Next we have Demi Lovato debuting with Sorry Not Sorry. I already went on about why I dislike the song in one of my previous countdown posts. It just doesn't sound like her. This sound doesn't fit with her voice very well in my opinion. She sounds quite pitchy in the chorus and the backup vocals are really annoying. I like the build-up though leading to the chorus. But the overall song is just a mess in my opinion. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree, but this is just how I feel. If you like this song, that's great. I just don't think it's a good lead single for her. I thought Heart Attack was a much better lead single. Even Cool For The Summer, which wasn't amazing, but was still good. This song will probably end up staying here for a while, so I'm prepared for the worst.

~ Finally we have the long-awaited return of Ke$ha, coming back as Kesha. She debuts with Praying, a song with a music video that almost got me to tears. As you may or may not know, she's been through a lot these past few years having filed lawsuits against record producer Dr. Luke. You can look up the rest for more details. But if you listen to the lyrics to Praying, you can tell it's Kesha singing to Dr. Luke saying that she hopes he's somewhere praying or asking for forgiveness and that she hopes his soul is changing. It's a beautiful song lyrically and vocally. Kesha really shows off what her voice can do without autotune. I think she sounds fantastic, especially when we get to those big moments in the second verse leading to that awesome second chorus. I have yet to listen to her entire new album yet. I plan on doing that very soon. My guess is that there'll be some songs on there that are similar to the upbeat anthems we used to get from her, while others are slower, more powerful ballads like Praying. Hopefully this song does well because it is fantastic. It's easily the best song on the countdown lyrically.


Blurbs
~ The Chainsmokers – Paris left much sooner than expected. This is likely due to Honest debuting and the fact that Hits 1 has this unofficial "rule" where no artist can have more than three songs on the countdown at one time. This just goes to show that Hits 1 is simply not ready to let go of Closer. It's been here for seemingly forever and I still can't see leaving anytime soon.

~ It looks like Despacito managed to actually jump into the Top 3, which is good considering that it remains as the biggest song in the country. That being said, it should hit #1 sometime soon at least for one week to show that Hits 1 does somewhat keep up with today's biggest hits.

~ Both Now Or Never and The Cure seem to have dropped out of the Top 10 this week. I'm happy about the former. It was never really a good song. The latter does sadden me a little, but I'm thankful for how well it's done here for the past couple months.

~ As far as the remaining exits go, Don't Wanna Know will certainly not be missed. That one was long overdue. Sooner Or Later, however, deserves some final words. I thought it was a great song from first listen. I was so happy when it debuted the countdown. It stayed here for almost three months and never got above #34. So while Hits 1 may not have treated it the way it should've been treated, I still enjoyed it regardless and it is almost guaranteed to appear in my Top 45 songs of 2017 list. Sooner Or Later, you will be greatly missed by me.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
20. Liam Payne – Strip That Down
19. Halsey – Now Or Never

1 – Bad:
18. Imagine Dragons – Believer

2 – Mediocre:
17. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road

3 – Decent:
16. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay
15. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You

4 – Good:
14. All Time Low – Good Times
13. Linkin Park – One More Light

5 – Great:
12. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill
11. Niall Horan – Slow Hands
10. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee
9. Charlie Puth – Attention
8. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back
7. Lady Gaga – The Cure
6. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls
5. Fall Out Boy – Champion
4. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito
3. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels
2. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts

Total Score: 78/100 = 78% (C+)


Throwback Pick Of The Week: Evanescence – My Immortal

Most Missed Countdown Song: N/A

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Wrabel – The Village

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Mike Posner/SeeB – I Took A Pill In Ibiza (#34)


My Top 5 Picks
1. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
2. Kesha – Praying
3. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This
4. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels
5. The Chainsmokers – Honest

Imagine Dragons (2) – Week Of August 5, 2017

Hey guys. Yes, I skipped another week. My apologies for that. I don't usually like skipping weeks. But I feel like that will help catch up more on my posts. Besides, I don't think too much really happened last week anyway (aside from the new #1 song). Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we said goodbye to LAST week.

• Jon Bellion – Overwhelming (#34)
• Erin Bowman – Good Time Good Life (#40)

Now here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Fitz & The Tantrums – HandClap (#35)

Last Week's #1 Song: Imagine Dragons – Believer

The Countdown

45. Maroon 5 – Don't Wanna Know (#43) [3 Weeks At #1]

44. Aaron Carter – Sooner Or Later (#38)

43. Noah Cyrus – Stay Together (#39)

42. Steve Aoki/Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On (#44)

41. Miley Cyrus – Malibu (#45)

40. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving (#41) [4 Weeks At #1]

39. Harry Styles – Sign Of The Times (#40)

38. Camila Cabello – Crying In The Club (#36)

37. AJR – Weak (#23)

36. The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (#32) [8 Weeks At #1]

35. Julia Michaels – Uh Huh (DEBUT)

34. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#20) [1 Week At #1]

33. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar (#15)

32. Train – Play That Song (#33)

31. Shawn Mendes – Mercy (#31)

30. DJ Khaled/Justin Bieber/Chance The Rapper – I'm The One (#42)

29. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#29)

28. The Chainsmokers – Paris (#24) [1 Week At #1]

27. Linkin Park/Kiiara – Heavy (#17)

26. Julia Michaels – Issues (#27)

25. Bruno Mars/David Guetta – Versace On The Floor (#30)

24. James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go (#25)

23. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#22)

22. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You (#34)

21. Childish Gambino – Redbone (#26)

20. All Time Low – Good Times (#21)

19. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts (#28)

18. Fall Out Boy – Champion (#19)

17. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#18)

16. Linkin Park – One More Light (#37)

15. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#12)

14. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls (#13)

13. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#3) [3 Weeks At #1]

12. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels (#16)

11. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (#14)

10. Charlie Puth – Attention (#7)

  9. Halsey – Now Or Never (#10)

  8. Lady Gaga – The Cure (#9)

  7. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#11) [9 Weeks At #1]

  6. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#6) [4 Weeks At #1]

  5. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#5)

  4. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#4)

  3. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#8) [3 Weeks At #1]

  2. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#2) [3 Weeks At #1]

  1. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#1) [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Justin Timberlake – Can't Stop The Feeling

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Selena Gomez – Bad Liar (–18)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Linkin Park – One More Light (+21)

New Entrants
~ We have one new entrant this week, as well as the two new entrants I didn't review from last week. Last week, we had Linkin Park debuting with One More Light, most likely due to Chester Bennington's death recently. The song is nothing like their older music. It's a lot more stripped down and we get more of Chester Bennington's vocals, which is nice. While it's nowhere near their best work, it's still a good song. What's strange is that this wasn't actually released as a single. So I'm not really sure how long it will stay. Though with it already in the Top 20, this song could be here a while.

~ Also last week, we had Louis Tomlinson from One Direction bring in his second song, Back To You. I really like this song and I'm glad Louis is producing good music like Harry and Niall and not garbage like Liam. I'm not a huge fan of Bebe Rexha's vocals in this song. But when mixed together with Louis' in the last chorus, it actually really good. Their voices sound great together. I'm a huge fan of Louis Tomlinson, so I'm hoping he can make more good music like Back To You in the future.

~ Now this week, we have Julia Michaels debuting with Uh Huh. I honestly don't understand why she gets so much praise. I've hated Issues since the very beginning solely because her voice sucks (and now also because I've heard it a million times). But in Uh Huh, she shows no improvement. She actually got worse. Her voice is even scratchier than before. The lyrical content got a whole lot worse. The only thing I like about Uh Huh more than Issues is that Uh Huh has a good speed to it. Issues was just slow in a very awkward way. But aside from that, I consider Uh Huh to be a step down. This is not the direction she should be heading in. Hopefully she improves.


Hit-Bound
~ Here is the Hit-Bound list:

• Bebe Rexha – The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody)
• Kesha – Praying
• Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
• Harry Styles – Two Ghosts
• The Chainsmokers – Honest
• Imagine Dragons – Thunder
• The All-American Rejects – Sweat
• Andy Grammer – Give Love
• Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious
• Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
• Shawn Hook/Vanessa Hudgens – Reminding Me
• Zedd/Liam Payne – Get Low
• Rita Ora – Your Song (DEBUT)
• The Revivalists – Wish I Knew You (DEBUT)

Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

1. TIE: Kesha – Praying

1. TIE: Shawn Hook/Vanessa Hudgens – Reminding Me

3. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious

4. Imagine Dragons – Thunder

5. The All-American Rejects – Sweat


Blurbs
~ I have to say, I'm not too thrilled about our #1 song. I guess I can understand why people like it. It just doesn't appeal to me. As someone who was a fan of them before, this just seems like a step down in my opinion. But I finally came around to Thunder, even though it isn't that amazing of a song either. It's catchy though, so I'll give it that.

~ Meanwhile, we also have mediocre country music in the Top 5. I'm not bashing against the country genre as I do like a lot of country songs, just the song itself. I gotta admit though, this song is doing a lot better than I thought it would.

~ I see Shape Of You managed to jump back into the Top 10 (with Castle On The Hill dropping out of the Top 10). This song is really starting to fade on me. I liked the simplicity of it at first, but I've heard it way too much. Though I can't really see myself disliking the song anytime soon, it is starting to grow old on me. So I'd like to see it start to make its way down.

~ We also appear to have Halsey – Now Or Never in the Top 10, which is just slightly aggravating. I feel like this song is only doing well because it's Halsey. It is far from Top 10 material, so I'm hoping it doesn't get any higher.

~ Things are starting to look better this week. We managed to get three pieces of garbage in the form of Weak, Bad Liar, and That's What I Like out of the Top 30. Crying In The Club is continuing to slowly drop as well.

~ Aaron Carter – Sooner Or Later appears to have dropped down to #44. This may be the end of the road for that song. While it didn't do as well as I had hoped, I enjoyed it while it lasted.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
20. Liam Payne – Strip That Down
19. Halsey – Now Or Never

1 – Bad:
18. Imagine Dragons – Believer

2 – Mediocre:
17. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road

3 – Decent:
16. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay
15. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You

4 – Good:
14. All Time Low – Good Times
13. Linkin Park – One More Light

5 – Great:
12. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill
11. Niall Horan – Slow Hands
10. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee
9. Charlie Puth – Attention
8. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back
7. Lady Gaga – The Cure
6. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls
5. Fall Out Boy – Champion
4. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito
3. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. TIE: Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels
1. TIE: DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts

Total Score: 79/100 = 79% (C+)


Throwback Pick Of The Week: Céline Dion – My Heart Will Go On

Most Missed Countdown Song: Zedd/Matthew Koma/Miriam Bryant – Find You

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Wrabel – The Village

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie Between Mike Posner/SeeB – I Took A Pill In Ibiza and OneRepublic – Wherever I Go


My Top 5 Picks
1. TIE: DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
1. TIE: Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels
3. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This
4. Aaron Carter – Sooner Or Later
5. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me