Imagine Dragons (2) – Week Of November 25, 2017

Hey guys! I hope you guys had a good Thanksgiving. This week was pretty good for the most part. I'm running out of things to say, so how about I just get right into it? Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Justin Bieber/BloodPop – Friends (#43)
• The All-American Rejects – Sweat (#44)

Last Week's #1 Song: P!nk – What About Us

The Countdown

45. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#45) [1 Week At #1]

44. Evaride – Heartless (#42)

43. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#39)

42. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#40) [9 Weeks At #1]

41. Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 (#29)

40. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#41)
39. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#35) [3 Weeks At #1]
38. The Script – Rain (#34)
37. Post Malone/21 Savage – Rockstar (DEBUT)
36. Charlie Puth – Attention (#36) [1 Week At #1]
35. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#32)
34. The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn (#38)
33. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#31) [4 Weeks At #1]
32. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#27) [3 Weeks At #1]
31. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#23)
30. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#37)
29. Zayn/Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (#33)
28. Mono Mind – Save Me A Place (Bridge & Mountain Remix) (#19)
27. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#30) [3 Weeks At #1]
26. Sabrina Carpenter – Why (#23)
25. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#24) [5 Weeks At #1]
24. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#21)
23. Linkin Park – One More Light (#24)
22. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#26) [2 Weeks At #1]
21. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#10)
20. Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves (DEBUT)
19. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (#22)
18. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#17)
17. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#13)
16. Charlie Puth – How Long (#20)
15. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/Florida Georgia Line/watt – Let Me Go (#9)
14. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises (#14)
13. Kesha – Praying (#18)
12. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#15) [3 Weeks At #1]
11. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#7)
10. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#11) [3 Weeks At #1]
  9. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It? (#5)
  8. P!nk – What About Us (#1) [1 Week At #1]
  7. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious (#12)
  6. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#6) [1 Week At #1]
  5. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do (#8)
  4. Camila Cabello – Havana (#16)
  3. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#3)
  2. Halsey – Bad At Love (#4)
  1. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#2) [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (7)

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 (–12)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Camila Cabello – Havana (+12)

New Entrants
~ Our first new entrant comes from the song that is currently #1 in the U.S., Post Malone/21 Savage – Rockstar. I'm sure you already know how this is gonna go down. This song isn't very different from a lot of other rap songs I hear nowadays. But it isn't as bad. It's actually somewhat tolerable. The vocals aren't awful for the most part. The production is somewhat okay compared to most of what I've heard this past year within this genre. However, the song still has its flaws. The lyrical content is not that good and 21 Savage sounds awful. But aside from that, this song isn't the worst thing I've ever heard. There is a slight possibility that this song may be fortunate enough to not appear in the Bottom 10 songs of the year, though this cannot be guaranteed. Anyway, given that it's the #1 song in the country, you'd guess that this would do well here as well. Though I'm pretty sure this won't last longer than a month.

~ Next we have Selena Gomez with Marshmello on the track, Wolves. It's nice to see Marshmello getting some recognition as I have enjoyed his music in the past, similar to Kygo. However, I don't think this is his best work. I expected just a little bit more out of the drop. But the rest of the production is very good. Selena Gomez sounds good for the most part, particularly in the chorus. It's nice to see that she went for something more along the lines of It Ain't Me as opposed to Fetish and Bad Liar. It's songs like these that allow her to really show off her voice because, as I've said in the past, she does have a good voice. Given that it debuted all the way in the Top 20, it's safe to assume that this song will do well and I'm all for that.


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

• Nick Jonas – Find You
• X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself
• WØLVES – Animal (DEBUT)
• Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't
• P!nk – Beautiful Trauma (DEBUT)
• Bruno Mars – Chunky
• Clean Bandit/Julia Michaels – I Miss You (DEBUT)
• Harry Styles – Kiwi
• Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor
• Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran/Future – End Game (DEBUT)
• Walk The Moon – One Foot
• Sofi Tukker – Best Friend

~ Animal sounds like something I've heard before, though I'm not sure where. It may have been on some other SiriusXM station, or some commercial. But anyway, it's a good song. It's a bit different than what we have now, and that's good. I would like to see this song make it on to the countdown.

~ Beautiful Trauma is another good song. It's not as good as What About Us, but I can see why it was selected as the next single. I really like the chorus and the song is actually pretty catchy in some parts. I'm sure this will be on the countdown soon. The sooner, the better.

~ Right from the start of the track, I knew I Miss You had potential. I love the way the song opens up. The production is very good. Julia Michaels' weird voice actually fits this song really nicely. This is the kind of song she should be singing, not those obnoxious voice-cracking songs with weird production in the background. I was annoyed that Hits 1 did not pick up on Symphony, as it was a very good song. But I Miss You is very good as well. Hopefully this will be a hit.

~ One of the reasons why I don't like Taylor Swift right now is that she refuses to put her new album on Apple Music. So I can't listen to End Game in full without buying it off of iTunes, which I am not doing. But I did listen to the iTunes preview and I also heard a little bit of it about a week ago on the radio. So I somewhat know what it sounds like and it sounds pretty good. The vocals are good. Future doesn't suck. I like what Ed Sheeran had to contribute as well. More on this song when I get the chance to actually listen to it in full.

~ Before reader ATR asks, here's why Bedroom Floor is in red. It just lost all appeal. Good songs have come and gone in the time this song was here and frankly, it just made this song even more mediocre than it already was. Liam's falsetto really does not sound that good and I think he'd be better off not making music at all.

~ We lost four songs this week: our two countdown debuts and two songs that unfortunately left Hits 1 for good. We lost Gorgeous, which I'm not too surprised about given that it wasn't actually a single. We also lost Revenge, which is saddening because I really liked that song. Oh well. These things happen.


Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Walk The Moon – One Foot
2. Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days
3. Clean Bandit/Julia Michaels – I Miss You
4. P!nk – Beautiful Trauma
5. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes


Blurbstar
~ Halsey – Bad At Love jumped up to #2 this week. I can't really see this as a future #1 song. But Hits 1 does like Halsey, so anything is possible. But I would prefer if this did not hit #1, just because it's not a song that's really going to stick with me in the long run.

~ New to the Top 5, we have Camila Cabello – Havana and Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do, neither of which I'm surprised by. They've both become pretty big hits and I wouldn't be surprised if they both hit #1 at some point. While they're not great songs, they're enjoyable at the moment.

~ Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes took a little bit of a sudden drop right out of the Top 20. I guess this one won't be a massive hit here after all. At least it reached the Top 10.

~ Mono Mind – Save Me A Place also dropped out of the Top 20. I'm impressed with how well this one has done and I really don't want it to end now. If it can hold out for just a little while longer, then I'll be happy.

~ Zayn/Sia – Dusk Till Dawn and Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be managed to jump into the Top 30 this week, while Lauv – I Like Me Better thankfully dropped out of the Top 30. This is the way it should be.

~ Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 took a little bit of a drop this week unfortunately. This may very well be the end, which is unfortunate because I really like that song.

~ As far as the exits go, both of them were good, but I knew they wouldn't do very well in the long run. Frankly, I'm surprised they both lasted as long as they did.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
NONE

1 – Bad:
20. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft

2 – Mediocre:
19. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry

3 – Decent:
18. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do

4 – Good:
17. Imagine Dragons – Believer

5 – Great:
16. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
15. Charlie Puth – How Long
14. Halsey – Bad At Love
13. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
12. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It?
11. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask
10. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do
9. Camila Cabello – Havana
8. Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves
7. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
6. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises
5. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
4. Kesha – Praying
3. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/F.G.L./watt – Let Me Go

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. TIE: P!nk – What About Us
1. TIE: Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious

Total Score: 92/100 = 92% (A–)


Throwback Pick Of The Week: Cascada – Everytime We Touch

Most Missed Countdown Song: OneRepublic – Kids

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie Between Jon Bellion – All Time Low (#18) and Coldplay/Beyoncé – Hymn For The Weekend (#21)


My Top 5 Picks
1. TIE: Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious
1. TIE: P!nk – What About Us
3. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/F.G.L./watt – Let Me Go
4. Kesha – Praying
5. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

P!nk (1) – Week Of November 18, 2017

Hey guys! I thought this week was a pretty good week for the countdown. While we did lose a very good song, we also got a nice brand new #1 song as well as a few nice jumps. Thanksgiving Day is also approaching us. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your long weekends. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#45)

Last Week's #1 Song: Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry

The Countdown

45. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#44) [1 Week At #1]

44. The All-American Rejects – Sweat (#43)

43. Justin Bieber/BloodPop – Friends (#42)

42. Evaride – Heartless (#41)

41. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#40)

40. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#35) [9 Weeks At #1]

39. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#33)

38. The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn (DEBUT)

37. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#39)

36. Charlie Puth – Attention (#37) [1 Week At #1]

35. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#36) [3 Weeks At #1]

34. The Script – Rain (#30)

33. Zayn/Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (#38)

32. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#22)

31. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#34) [4 Weeks At #1]

30. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#29) [3 Weeks At #1]

29. Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 (#28)

28. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#24)

27. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#25) [3 Weeks At #1]

26. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#26) [2 Weeks At #1]

25. Sabrina Carpenter – Why (#23)

24. Linkin Park – One More Light (#32)

23. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#31)

22. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (#21)

21. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#20)

20. Charlie Puth – How Long (#19)

19. Mono Mind – Save Me A Place (Bridge & Mountain Remix) (#17)

18. Kesha – Praying (#13)

17. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#27)

16. Camila Cabello – Havana (#15)

15. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#12) [3 Weeks At #1]

14. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises (#11)

13. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#16)

12. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious (#7)

11. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#2) [3 Weeks At #1]

10. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#10)

  9. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/Florida Georgia Line/watt – Let Me Go (#18)

  8. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do (#14)

  7. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#6)

  6. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#1) [1 Week At #1]

  5. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It? (#8)

  4. Halsey – Bad At Love (#5)

  3. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#9)

  2. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#4) [1 Week At #1]

  1. P!nk – What About Us (#3) [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (6)

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (+10)

New Entrants
~ Our lone new entrant this week comes from The Shadowboxers with Hot Damn. The song does have some cool stuff in it, although it really doesn't kick in until almost two minutes in. It has some very good production and it's very catchy. It's definitely one of those songs that'll get stuck in your head. And I don't know about you, but I'm feeling some strong Justin Timberlake vibes. All in all, it's a good song. I can't really predict how it'll do. So we'll just have to wait and see what happens.


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

• Sofi Tukker – Best Friend
• Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't (DEBUT)
• Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days
• Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves
• Harry Styles – Kiwi
• P!nk/Eminem – Revenge
• Walk The Moon – One Foot
• Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor
• Taylor Swift – Gorgeous
• Post Malone/21 Savage – Rockstar
• X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself
• Bruno Mars – Chunky
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• Nick Jonas – Find You

~ Hold Me Tight Or Don't is definitely a song I could probably come around to in the future. But for now, I can't say I'm enjoying it. So far I can tell that this new album is a bit more on the experimental side and sometimes it worked, sometimes not so much. This song seems to fall alongside Young and Menace, though not necessarily as bad. I enjoyed both Champion and The Last Of The Real Ones because I got a nice rock vibe from them. I don't get that from this new song and Patrick Stump's vocals are not that good at certain parts in the song. It's definitely not as big of a mess as Young and Menace, but I know Fall Out Boy can do better.


Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Walk The Moon – One Foot
2. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
3. Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days
4. P!nk/Eminem – Revenge
5. X Ambassadors – Ahead of Myself


Meant To Blurb
~ P!nk has finally managed to reach the top spot this week. What About Us is without a doubt deserving of this honor. I'm so glad it managed to get this far and not just stay peaked at #2 like Just Like Fire. This is P!nk's first #1 since Just Give Me A Reason, which was one of the biggest highlights of 2013. Both are fantastic songs that really showcase P!nk's talent not just as a vocalist, but as a songwriter as well.

~ I'm pretty surprised that Imagine Dragons – Thunder has spent only one week at #1 so far. I thought it would've surpassed Believer by now. I really went from underestimating how well this song would do to overestimating how well it would do (if that makes any sense).

~ I feel like Ed Sheeran – Perfect could potentially be our next #1. It may or may not be next week. But I feel like it'll be the one to replace What About Us. And I'd be fine with that. It's a very sweet song that I'm glad was released as a single.

~ Into the Top 5, we welcome Ready For It. Unlike its predecessor, I'm okay with this one being where it is. It has more to it. It's still nowhere near Taylor Swift's best work by any means. But of the four pre-released singles, this one is the best.

~ As far as our Top 10 entrants go, we welcome back What Lovers Do. I am okay with this one, although I do prefer Glorious, which unfortunately got bumped out so this song could jump back up. Brand new to the Top 10 this week is Let Me Go, which I'm thrilled to see this high. This one is pretty high on iTunes right now, probably because of the performance of it at the American Music Awards. But hopefully this means it can get some more recognition.

~ Our two good debuts from last week barely jumped anywhere. Meanwhile, I Like Me Better just had to be the one to jump a reasonable amount of spots. I don't see the appeal.

~ It looks like this is the end of the road for Despacito. It's kind of hard to believe that this song actually peaked in the Top 5 because it spent very little time there. But it did last a little while on the countdown, which is good. I'm not sure if it'll make it on to Hits 1's Top 45 of 2017. Probably not.

~ Every song from last week's Bottom 6 dropped one spot this week, with Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me being the unfortunate one dropping right out of the countdown. I'm pleased with how well this song did and it will surely be missed.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
NONE

1 – Bad:
20. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft

2 – Mediocre:
19. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry

3 – Decent:
18. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do

4 – Good:
17. Imagine Dragons – Believer

5 – Great:
16. Halsey – Bad At Love
15. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
14. Charlie Puth – How Long
13. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It?
12. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do
11. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
10. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes
9. Camila Cabello – Havana
8. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
7. Mono Mind – Save Me A Place
6. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises
5. Kesha – Praying
4. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
3. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/F.G.L./watt – Let Me Go
2. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. P!nk – What About Us (+2 extra points for being #1)

Total Score: 93/100 = 93% (A)


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

Most Missed Countdown Song: Ke$ha(/will.i.am) – Crazy Kids

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Coldplay/Beyoncé – Hymn For The Weekend


My Top 5 Picks
1. P!nk – What About Us
2. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious
3. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/F.G.L./watt – Let Me Go
4. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
5. Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid – 1-800-273-8255

Demi Lovato (1) – Week Of November 11, 2017

Hey guys! The 2017 American Music Awards is supposed to air this Sunday night. I'll be watching and whether or not I review it kind of depends on how the night goes. I'll try to if I can. The performance lineup looks pretty good for the most part. So that's something I look forward to. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Fergie/Nicki Minaj – You Already Know (#32)
• The Revivalists – Wish I Knew You (#37)
• Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha – Back To You (#44)

Last Week's #1 Song: Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl

The Countdown

45. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#41)

44. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#43) [1 Week At #1]

43. The All-American Rejects – Sweat (#45)

42. Justin Bieber/BloodPop – Friends (#38)

41. Evaride – Heartless (#35)

40. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#42)

39. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (DEBUT)

38. Zayn/Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (DEBUT)

37. Charlie Puth – Attention (#40) [1 Week At #1]

36. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#36) [3 Weeks At #1]

35. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#39) [9 Weeks At #1]

34. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#34) [3 Weeks At #1]

33. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#28)

32. Linkin Park – One More Light (#23)

31. Lauv – I Like Me Better (DEBUT)

30. The Script – Rain (#31)

29. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#10) [3 Weeks At #1]

28. Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 (#26)

27. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#9)

26. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#14) [2 Weeks At #1]

25. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#27) [3 Weeks At #1]

24. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#25) [5 Weeks At #1]

23. Sabrina Carpenter – Why (#22)

22. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#21)

21. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (#33)

20. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#30)

19. Charlie Puth – How Long (#17)

18. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/Florida Georgia Line/watt – Let Me Go (#20)

17. Mono Mind – Save Me A Place (Bridge & Mountain Remix) (#16)

16. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#29)

15. Camila Cabello – Havana (#18)

14. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do (#13)

13. Kesha – Praying (#12)

12. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#11) [3 Weeks At #1]

11. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises (#24)

10. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#19)

  9. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#5)

  8. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It? (#15)

  7. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious (#8)

  6. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#7)

  5. Halsey – Bad At Love (#6)

  4. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#3) [1 Week At #1]

  3. P!nk – What About Us (#2)

  2. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#1) [3 Weeks At #1]

  1. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#4) [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better (1)

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Niall Horan – Slow Hands (–19)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie Between Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises and Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (+13)

New Entrants
~ It's nice to see artists like Bebe Rexha making it on to charts like these. She's a very talented artist that I think is very underrated. Meant To Be has been the best song on Hit-Bound for a little while now. I think it's a nice song. It's short, but sweet. Bebe Rexha's vocals sound really good. And another thing I want to mention is that I've never hated Florida Georgia Line. Sure, they're not the best thing to happen to country music. But I've enjoyed some of their songs. I think their vocal performance on this song is really good. But what I really like about this song is that it's not trying to be another pop anthem. This song is what I would describe as "chill." I think it's a nice addition to what we have right now. But that's my opinion. This is my personal favorite debut of the week and I really hope it does well.

~ Next we have long-time Hit-Bound veteran, Zayn/Sia – Dusk Till Dawn. I don't love this song now as much as I did when it was released. But I'm still willing to argue that it's Zayn's best song and a massive step up from Still Got Time. Zayn's vocals sound good during the nice, calm verses. I think the chorus where Zayn and Sia really belt out the lyrics is fantastic. It gave me chills the first couple of times, which is why I felt it was necessary to honor it as the best song on Hit-Bound at the time (also taking into consideration that it's a big step up from his previous work). The production is solid. Everything about this song works very nicely and I hope it does well despite it failing to get big pretty much everywhere else.

~ Finally we have Lauv – I Like Me Better. The whole song is pretty underwhelming and I think the part right after the chorus is really annoying. But this guy does have a very good voice. I wouldn't mind listening to just his voice. The main issue with the song is everything in the background. A new production team might be a good idea. Hopefully any future singles from him will be better than this.


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

• Post Malone/21 Savage – Rockstar
• Harry Styles – Kiwi
• Sofi Tukker – Best Friend (DEBUT)
• Nick Jonas – Find You
• Walk The Moon – One Foot (DEBUT)
• P!nk/Eminem – Revenge (DEBUT)
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• Bruno Mars – Chunky
• Taylor Swift – Gorgeous
• Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves
• The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn
• Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days
• Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor
• X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself

~ I've heard Best Friend a million times in the latest iPhone X commercials. That being said, it's awfully strange that it would actually play on the radio. It's catchy and I like the production in a way. But it feels more like background music than anything. It's green, but close to blue.

~ One Foot is a whole lot of fun. It's definitely the kind of song that'll get stuck in your head. It's not as good as Different Colors and Anna Sun. But I would consider it on the same level as Shut Up and Dance.

~ Revenge is unlike anything P!nk has ever released to the best of my knowledge. But it's actually really enjoyable for the most part. I expected a little more out of the chorus, but it's still good. I love Eminem's verse and the final chorus in particular. The song itself is not as good as Won't Back Down. But I would love to hear more collabs between these two.


Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
2. Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days
3. P!nk/Eminem – Revenge
4. Walk The Moon – One Foot
5. X Ambassadors – Ahead of Myself


Blurbs Till Dawn
~ It's funny that Demi Lovato hit #1 this week because I was actually having what you can consider a Demi Lovato "obsession" this past week. I was enjoying a huge chunk of her music (particularly from Demi) as well as No Promises. I will admit that Sorry Not Sorry has warmed on me a bit, but not enough for me to put it in blue. It's likely that this could follow the same path as Believer, though not very likely as the song still has quite a few flaws.

~ Halsey – Bad At Love rose into the Top 5 this week. Though it's a good song, I don't exactly think it's Top 5 worthy. We have some better songs in the Top 10 that I think should be in the Top 5. So I think this song should be a little bit lower.

~ Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes made a nice jump into the Top 10 this week. I haven't spoken much about this song ever since it debuted. It's definitely gotten better with each listen. I still really like it and I'm glad it managed to reach the Top 10. It's doing well on the Billboard Hot 100 as well, so that's good.

~ Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do made a slight jump back up after having dropped pretty big last week. This is likely due to the anticipation of the release of Reputation last Friday. That being said, I wouldn't count on it sticking around that much longer.

~ Niall Horan – Slow Hands and Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still both made pretty sudden drops this week. The former was starting to fade on me a bit. But the latter was still pretty fresh and new, so I'm a little disappointed. Oh well.

~ Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay has honestly been here way too long. This song has absolutely no relevancy anymore. It should be near the top of the list for the next load of songs to get rid of. I could say the same about Shape of You. But considering that it's likely going to be the #1 song of the year, I shouldn't be surprised that it's still here.

~ Evaride – Heartless has unfortunately fallen into the Bottom 5 this week. I was actually really enjoying the song, so I find this quite a disappointment. I guess that's what happens when they pick up on a song that not very many people know.

~ As far as the exits go, Wish I Knew You was somewhat fading on me. I'm not surprised You Already Know lasted only three weeks. I'm surprised it was even here in the first place. I'm a little disappointed about Back To You. It did somewhat well, but I would've loved to see Louis Tomlinson have a big hit since he's certainly more talented than Liam Payne. Hopefully Just Like You can make its way here at some point.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
NONE

1 – Bad:
19. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft

2 – Mediocre:
NONE

3 – Decent:
18. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do

4 – Good:
17. Imagine Dragons – Believer

5 – Great:
16. Halsey – Bad At Love
15. Dua Lipa – New Rules
14. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
13. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It?
12. Charlie Puth – How Long
11. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do
10. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
9. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes
8. Camila Cabello – Havana
7. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
6. Mono Mind – Save Me A Place
5. Kesha – Praying
4. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/F.G.L./watt – Let Me Go
3. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious
2. P!nk – What About Us

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises

Not Included In Ranking: Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry

Total Score: 89/95 = 93.7% (A)


Throwback Pick Of The Week: Eminem/P!nk – Won't Back Down

Most Missed Countdown Song: Demi Lovato – Heart Attack / Neon Lights / Really Don't Care

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie Between Coldplay/Beyoncé – Hymn For The Weekend (#6) and Jon Bellion – All Time Low (#26)


My Top 5 Picks
1. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises
2. P!nk – What About Us
3. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious
4. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
5. Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid – 1-800-273-8255

Ed Sheeran (3) – Week Of November 4, 2017

Hey guys! It's hard to believe that it's already November. The year has gone by really fast as every year does. I have officially started constructing my Top 45 of 2017. Since there's still a few more weeks until the cutoff date, I've only started with the obvious picks. The list will be finalized and posted next month. So I'm sure that's something to look forward to. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Harry Styles – Two Ghosts (#35)
• Lady Gaga – The Cure (#36)

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

The Countdown

45. The All-American Rejects – Sweat (#44)

44. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You (#45)

43. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#41) [1 Week At #1]

42. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#42)

41. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#43)

40. Charlie Puth – Attention (#40) [1 Week At #1]

39. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#39) [9 Weeks At #1]

38. Justin Bieber/BloodPop – Friends (#38)

37. The Revivalists – Wish I Knew You (#37)

36. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#31) [3 Weeks At #1]

35. Evaride – Heartless (#32)

34. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#34) [4 Weeks At #1]

33. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (DEBUT)

32. Fergie/Nicki Minaj – You Already Know (#27)

31. The Script – Rain (#33)

30. Dua Lipa – New Rules (DEBUT)
29. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#5)
28. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#29)
27. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#19) [3 Weeks At #1]
26. Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 (#24)
25. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#26) [5 Weeks At #1]
24. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises (#22)
23. Linkin Park – One More Light (#21)
22. Sabrina Carpenter – Why (#23)
21. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#25)
20. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/Florida Georgia Line/watt – Let Me Go (#20)
19. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#28)
18. Camila Cabello – Havana (#16)
17. Charlie Puth – How Long (#17)
16. Mono Mind – Save Me A Place (Bridge & Mountain Remix) (#18)
15. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It? (#13)
14. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#4) [2 Weeks At #1]
13. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do (#14)
12. Kesha – Praying (#15)
11. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#12) [3 Weeks At #1]
10. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#7)
  9. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#6)
  8. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious (#10)
  7. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#11)
  6. Halsey – Bad At Love (#8)
  5. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#30)
  4. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#2)
  3. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#1) [1 Week At #1]
  2. P!nk – What About Us (#9)
  1. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#3) [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (5)

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (–24)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Ed Sheeran – Perfect (+25)

New Entrants
~ First up, we have Niall Horan with Too Much To Ask. This one doesn't seem to be taking off as much as Slow Hands, which is sad because it's arguably his best song. It is slower and more acoustic than Slow Hands, but it works so well for Niall. His voice fits very well with this style of music. The lyrical content is good and the instrumentals are very good. Personally, I would love if this song became a hit. I think it deserves more than what it's getting right now.

~ Next we have Dua Lipa, who you may have heard at some point during the year either from her debut album having been released a few months ago or from her features on tracks like Scared To Be Lonely by Martin Garrix from earlier this year. She is definitely talented. As far as New Rules goes, I don't love it now as much as I did when I first listened to it. But it has a nice vibe to it and I like the verses. The chorus is pretty good too. But I don't love that drop right after. That aside though, it's a solid track and I wouldn't mind seeing some success out of it.


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

• Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor
• Taylor Swift – Gorgeous (DEBUT)
• Post Malone/21 Savage – Rockstar
• Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves (DEBUT)
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn
• Zayn/Sia – Dusk Till Dawn
• Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
• Lauv – I Like Me Better
• Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days
• X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself
• Nick Jonas – Find You
• Bruno Mars – Chunky
• Harry Styles – Kiwi

~ Gorgeous has been jumping between blue and green for me with each listen. It's definitely a good song. But at the same time, I don't find it very memorable nor does it really stand out. However, I can say that it's better than Look What You Made Me Do. Maybe it'll grow on me with more listens.

~ Wolves is a very good song and I'm so glad it's here. The production may not be the best I've heard from Marshmello. But it's still good. Selena Gomez's vocals shine nicely for the majority of the song, particularly in the chorus. This is the kind of music she should be making. She has a good voice, but it's just a matter of whether or not she actually uses it. I would love to see some success out of this song.

~ Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be is pretty high on iTunes right now, which is good because that means it's getting some recognition. That being said, I would like to see this song graduate to the countdown sometime soon.


Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
2. Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days
3. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
4. Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves
5. Zayn/Sia – Dusk Till Dawn


Too Much To Blurb
~ P!nk – What About Us made a slight leap this week up to #2, which is probably the best thing that happened this week. Hopefully this means we'll be able to see it as a #1 song sometime in the future. It's definitely more deserving of it than Galway Girl.

~ Hits 1 probably realized how behind they were with Perfect, so they decided to let it skyrocket up to the Top 5 on its third week. As much as I would love if P!nk took the #1 spot, I wouldn't be surprised to see a replacement of Ed Sheeran by Ed Sheeran at the top spot sometime soon.

~ New to the Top 10 this week is Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft. It's safe to say that I will probably never fully understand the appeal to this song. I guess I do too much comparing to Clarkson's older music. But then that makes me wonder if I would like this song if it was the first ever song I heard from her. I probably wouldn't, but there's always that possibility.

~ As much as I don't really want to see Love So Soft in the Top 10, I'll take that over Strip That Down any day. I'm glad to see this one finally out of the Top 10. Now it'd be nice if it would just drop and not hang around in the Top 20 for a long period of time like Believer is doing right now.

~ Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do made quite the drop this week. I guess someone from Hits 1 must've read my last post and decided to do something nice for me. I wasn't expecting it, but I'm pleased with it. At least it's not being overrated.

~ And I'm not too surprised to see Fergie/Nicki Minaj – You Already Know already back outside of the Top 30. I couldn't help but notice on Hits 1's Instagram when they shared a photo of Fergie saying that the song made its debut on the countdown, there was only one comment and it was "Terrible song!" So it clearly doesn't seem to be a fan favorite. Fine by me, it was never exactly a great song to begin with anyway.

~ It's nice to see Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha – Back To You still going strong and holding on. While this song may not have done too well compared to other One Direction members' solo work, it's definitely a big favorite of mine out of everything all the One Direction members have released. I would love to see Just Like You make it on Hit-Bound at some point, which probably won't happen because people apparently don't love Louis enough. Oh well.

~ As far as the exits go, I'm not too surprised to see Two Ghosts leave. It was nice while it lasted. I'm not too disappointed about The Cure because it did last a very long time here and it did very well. So I'm happy about that.


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

1 – Bad:
19. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft
18. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry

2 – Mediocre:
NONE
3 – Decent:
NONE

4 – Good:
17. Imagine Dragons – Believer

5 – Great:
16. Halsey – Bad At Love
15. Niall Horan – Slow Hands
14. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes
13. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
12. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It?
11. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do
10. Charlie Puth – How Long
9. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
8. Camila Cabello – Havana
7. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
6. Kesha – Praying
5. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
4. Mono Mind – Save Me A Place
3. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/F.G.L./watt – Let Me Go
2. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. P!nk – What About Us

Total Score: 87/100 = 87% (B+)


Throwback Pick Of The Week: Timbaland/Keri Hilson/D.O.E. – The Way I Are

Most Missed Countdown Song: Gym Class Heroes/Ryan Tedder – The Fighter

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Kygo/OneRepublic – Stranger Things

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie Between Coldplay/Beyoncé – Hymn For The Weekend (#4) and Jon Bellion – All Time Low (#33)


My Top 5 Picks
1. P!nk – What About Us
2. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious
3. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/F.G.L./watt – Let Me Go
4. Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid – 1-800-273-8255
5. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises