- Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#43) [2 Weeks At #1]
- Post Malone/Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho (#44)
- Bad Wolves – Zombie (#45)
Last Week's #1 Song: Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
The Countdown
45. Liam Payne/J Balvin – Familiar (#40)
44. Maren Morris – Rich (#37)
43. Bazzi – Mine (#42)
42. Sugarland/Taylor Swift – Babe (#41)
41. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#38)
40. Walk The Moon – One Foot (#39)
39. Khalid/Normani – Love Lies (DEBUT)
38. Hundred Handed – Too Good (#21)
38. Hundred Handed – Too Good (#21)
37. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (#30) [1 Week At #1]
36. Drake – In My Feelings (DEBUT)
35. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me (#28)
34. Charlie Puth/Kehlani – Done For Me (#27)
33. Madison Beer – Home With You (#32)
32. 5 Seconds of Summer – Want You Back (#33) [1 Week At #1]
31. The Weeknd/Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me (#22)
30. Imagine Dragons – Natural (DEBUT)
29. U2/Cheat Codes – Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way (#34)
28. Maroon 5 – Wait (#25)
27. Halsey – Alone (#24)
26. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#23) [1 Week At #1]
25. The Wrecks – James Dean (#31)
24. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right (#20)
23. Niall Horan – On The Loose (#19)
22. MNEK/Hailee Steinfeld – Colour (#36)
21. Twenty One Pilots – Jumpsuit (#29)
20. Cardi B/Bad Bunny/J Balvin – I Like It (#16)
19. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart (#15)
18. Calvin Harris/Dua Lipa – One Kiss (#18)
17. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#17)
16. Post Malone – Better Now (#35)
15. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#12)
14. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me (#7)
13. Alessia Cara – Growing Pains (#26)
12. Maroon 5/Cardi B – Girls Like You (#9)
11. NOTD/Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#14)
10. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#1) [2 Weeks At #1]
9. Dua Lipa – IDGAF (#10)
8. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#5) [1 Week At #1]
7. Marshmello/Anne-Marie – Friends (#8)
6. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#11) [4 Weeks At #1]
5. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#6)
4. 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood (#13)
3. Zedd/Maren Morris/Grey – The Middle (#4) [9 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#3)
1. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#2) [2nd Week At #1]
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Imagine Dragons – Believer (1)
Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Hundred Handed – Too Good (–17)
Biggest Jump Of The Week: Post Malone – Better Now (+19)
New Entrants
~ First up, we have a song that's been around for a while. It's Love Lies by Khalid and Fifth Harmony's Normani Kordei. It's from the soundtrack for the movie Love, Simon, which is a great movie by the way. I think the song is really good and probably Khalid's best so far. He has some great vocals on here and he and Normani sound really good together. I like the production and the vibe the song gives off. It's an enjoyable listen and I hope the song does well here. It seemed to have been gaining some steam lately. So hopefully it sticks around.
~ Next we have Drake after Scorpion was released a little while ago. This week, we have In My Feelings. We don't get very much Drake on here, so I don't usually have an opportunity to talk about him. I think he's talented and I like a lot of his songs. But it seems like he gets a little bit too much praise in my opinion. Nowadays, whatever he puts out is pretty much destined to be successful no matter the quality. So basically, I think he's overrated. But his music is not bad. In fact, Nice For What has been my jam for quite a while now. He has a few memorable songs. In My Feelings is good to say the very least. I've always liked Drake's singing voice as I've heard in some of his older hits. The beat is pretty good, but it's nothing amazing if I'm being totally honest. I wouldn't mind some success out of it because it is a good song. But it's not that special, so multiple weeks at #1 probably won't be taken very well by me. We'll see because I don't think this song will last very long with how Hits 1 treats Drake.
~ Finally we have more Imagine Dragons with their new single, Natural. I talked a lot about this one last week when it debuted on Hit-Bound. It's very similar to Believer in terms of the production, style, and Dan Reynolds' vocals. The band took a little bit of a risk here. But it kind of worked out and I'm glad they went this route instead of giving us another radio-destined single like Thunder. Natural is an enjoyable song and I think Dan Reynolds sounds really good on here. It does seem like a little bit of yelling just like in Believer. But that doesn't bother me this time around. It's a good song and I know it'll be successful on here.
Best Debut of the Week: Khalid/Normani – Love Lies
Hit-Bound
~ Here is the Hit-Bound list.
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Imagine Dragons – Believer (1)
Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Hundred Handed – Too Good (–17)
Biggest Jump Of The Week: Post Malone – Better Now (+19)
New Entrants
~ First up, we have a song that's been around for a while. It's Love Lies by Khalid and Fifth Harmony's Normani Kordei. It's from the soundtrack for the movie Love, Simon, which is a great movie by the way. I think the song is really good and probably Khalid's best so far. He has some great vocals on here and he and Normani sound really good together. I like the production and the vibe the song gives off. It's an enjoyable listen and I hope the song does well here. It seemed to have been gaining some steam lately. So hopefully it sticks around.
~ Next we have Drake after Scorpion was released a little while ago. This week, we have In My Feelings. We don't get very much Drake on here, so I don't usually have an opportunity to talk about him. I think he's talented and I like a lot of his songs. But it seems like he gets a little bit too much praise in my opinion. Nowadays, whatever he puts out is pretty much destined to be successful no matter the quality. So basically, I think he's overrated. But his music is not bad. In fact, Nice For What has been my jam for quite a while now. He has a few memorable songs. In My Feelings is good to say the very least. I've always liked Drake's singing voice as I've heard in some of his older hits. The beat is pretty good, but it's nothing amazing if I'm being totally honest. I wouldn't mind some success out of it because it is a good song. But it's not that special, so multiple weeks at #1 probably won't be taken very well by me. We'll see because I don't think this song will last very long with how Hits 1 treats Drake.
~ Finally we have more Imagine Dragons with their new single, Natural. I talked a lot about this one last week when it debuted on Hit-Bound. It's very similar to Believer in terms of the production, style, and Dan Reynolds' vocals. The band took a little bit of a risk here. But it kind of worked out and I'm glad they went this route instead of giving us another radio-destined single like Thunder. Natural is an enjoyable song and I think Dan Reynolds sounds really good on here. It does seem like a little bit of yelling just like in Believer. But that doesn't bother me this time around. It's a good song and I know it'll be successful on here.
Best Debut of the Week: Khalid/Normani – Love Lies
Hit-Bound
~ Here is the Hit-Bound list.
- Dennis Lloyd – Nevermind
- PRETTYMUCH – Summer On You (DEBUT)
- Big Boi – All Night
- Dan + Shay – Tequila
- Bebe Rexha – I'm a Mess
- Justin Timberlake – SoulMate
- Zedd/Elley Duhé – Happy Now (DEBUT)
- Train/Cam/Travie McCoy – Call Me Sir
- The Chainsmokers/Emily Warren – Side Effects (DEBUT)
- Years & Years – If You're Over Me
- Brown & Gray – Top Down
- Charlie Puth – The Way I Am
- lovelytheband – Broken
- Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman
- Weezer – Africa (DEBUT)
~ PRETTYMUCH are back and they've brought a song that's even less interesting than Would You Mind. Summer On You is not something I can ever picture myself going out of my way to listen to. The production is underwhelming and their vocals aren't good enough to make up for it. So we basically just have another boyband trying way too hard to be interesting and unique and it's really not working.
~ Happy Now is not good and this should come as no surprise with how much I've slammed Zedd lately. I like the first 30 or so seconds of it. But then it all just goes bad when that mediocre beat comes in. The vocals are decent here, but the production is so bland and generic that I don't think I even need to explain it. Just listen to the song and you'll know (or don't and save your ears). This is not EDM, this is generic pop.
~ The Chainsmokers have been getting quite the criticism lately for essentially "copying" Twenty One Pilots by going for more of a yellow theme. These guys have been probably planning this for a while and Twenty One Pilots kinda just came out of nowhere with new stuff. But whatever. This week they bring Side Effects, which is a big step up from their latest stuff. My criticism and advice was well-taken here. Instead of Drew Taggart singing, they brought Emily Warren, who has made a few appearances on their songs in the past including their hit Paris. I think she sounds pretty good on here. They also stepped up their game with the production. This song is not lazy like songs like Somebody and Everybody Hates Me. Side Effects is actually an enjoyable song. It still doesn't top their older work, but I can appreciate improvement.
~ After being around for quite a while and being very successful on SiriusXM Alt Nation, we have Weezer's cover of Africa by Toto making its debut here. I think it's a very good cover of an iconic song. Rivers Cuomo does a very nice job with the vocals. The cover actually sounds very similar to the original. Overall I think it's very good and I'm glad it's here.
Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Weezer – Africa
2. Dan + Shay – Tequila
3. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess
4. Years & Years – If You're Over Me
5. The Chainsmokers/Emily Warren – Side Effects
In My Blurbs
~ 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood is up in the Top 5, which comes as no surprise since Hits 1 shows favoritism towards the group. Though the song is actually a hit and I do really like it, so it's very worthy of being up here. I can see up at #1 sometime soon.
~ However, Dua Lipa – IDGAF has been losing a lot of steam lately, yet it's still up in the Top 10, similar to Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft, which was a hit here and almost nowhere else. So I think it's time to let this one drop. One Kiss is the song more worthy of the Top 10.
~ My heart goes out to Demi Lovato as she has been struggling with a recent overdose. That is very scary and hopefully she's getting better. Tell Me You Love Me dropped out of the Top 30. So I'm hoping it can stick around for a little while longer.
~ The jump from Hundred Handed – Too Good did not last long. And as usual, I'm not surprised. I actually expected this drop because I have a hard time seeing a song like this doing well on here.
~ Songs like Lauv – I Like Me Better and Bazzi – Mine need to exit as soon as possible. I don't get why the latter is a hit and I'm not sure why the former is still here. Seriously, who the hell still listens to this???
~ As far as the exits go, good riddance to Psycho. Post Malone does have talent. It doesn't show on this song and I'm glad we finally get to say goodbye to it. Perfect had a very good run on here and it lasted with me the whole time, which I'm glad about. It's a sweet little love song that I'm glad was successful. We probably won't get any Ed Sheeran for a little while, but he had a good run. Finally, we say our farewells to the Bad Wolves cover of Zombie. The original was great and I thought the cover was really good. It was a very nice tribute to Dolores O'Riordan and I'm glad the song actually had some success on here despite not exactly being a huge hit elsewhere. So yeah. I'm pleased with this song's run and I'm almost certain you'll see it again in December when I count down my Top 45 songs of 2018.
~ Not very many blurbs this week due to not very much happening. I do however want to give an album recommendation. Daughtry have released their most recent album, Cage To Rattle, this past Friday and I thought it was a very enjoyable listen. I've been a fan of these guys and I love Chris Daughtry's voice. So it's nice to finally get some new music from them. So I definitely recommend the album. A couple of my favorite songs include Just Found Heaven, Death Of Me, Deep End, and White Flag.
Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
20. Zedd/Maren Morris/Grey – The Middle
1 – Bad:
19. Marshmello/Anne-Marie – Friends
2 – Mediocre:
18. Cardi B – I Like It
3 – Decent:
17. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
16. Alessia Cara – Growing Pains
15. NOTD/Bea Miller – I Wanna Know
14. Maroon 5/Cardi B – Girls Like You
4 – Good:
13. Post Malone – Better Now
5 – Great:
12. Niall Horan – On The Loose
11. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
10. Taylor Swift – Delicate
9. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
8. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
7. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen
6. Calvin Harris/Dua Lipa – One Kiss
5. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
4. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
2. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
Overall Score: 80/100 = 80% (A)
Throwback Pick Of The Week: Christina Perri – Jar Of Hearts
Most Missed Countdown Song: Audien/Lady Antebellum – Something Better
#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Enrique Iglesias/Pitbull – Move To Miami
Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels (#16)
My Top 5 Picks
1. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
2. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
4. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
5. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
~ However, Dua Lipa – IDGAF has been losing a lot of steam lately, yet it's still up in the Top 10, similar to Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft, which was a hit here and almost nowhere else. So I think it's time to let this one drop. One Kiss is the song more worthy of the Top 10.
~ My heart goes out to Demi Lovato as she has been struggling with a recent overdose. That is very scary and hopefully she's getting better. Tell Me You Love Me dropped out of the Top 30. So I'm hoping it can stick around for a little while longer.
~ The jump from Hundred Handed – Too Good did not last long. And as usual, I'm not surprised. I actually expected this drop because I have a hard time seeing a song like this doing well on here.
~ Songs like Lauv – I Like Me Better and Bazzi – Mine need to exit as soon as possible. I don't get why the latter is a hit and I'm not sure why the former is still here. Seriously, who the hell still listens to this???
~ As far as the exits go, good riddance to Psycho. Post Malone does have talent. It doesn't show on this song and I'm glad we finally get to say goodbye to it. Perfect had a very good run on here and it lasted with me the whole time, which I'm glad about. It's a sweet little love song that I'm glad was successful. We probably won't get any Ed Sheeran for a little while, but he had a good run. Finally, we say our farewells to the Bad Wolves cover of Zombie. The original was great and I thought the cover was really good. It was a very nice tribute to Dolores O'Riordan and I'm glad the song actually had some success on here despite not exactly being a huge hit elsewhere. So yeah. I'm pleased with this song's run and I'm almost certain you'll see it again in December when I count down my Top 45 songs of 2018.
~ Not very many blurbs this week due to not very much happening. I do however want to give an album recommendation. Daughtry have released their most recent album, Cage To Rattle, this past Friday and I thought it was a very enjoyable listen. I've been a fan of these guys and I love Chris Daughtry's voice. So it's nice to finally get some new music from them. So I definitely recommend the album. A couple of my favorite songs include Just Found Heaven, Death Of Me, Deep End, and White Flag.
Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
20. Zedd/Maren Morris/Grey – The Middle
1 – Bad:
19. Marshmello/Anne-Marie – Friends
2 – Mediocre:
18. Cardi B – I Like It
3 – Decent:
17. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
16. Alessia Cara – Growing Pains
15. NOTD/Bea Miller – I Wanna Know
14. Maroon 5/Cardi B – Girls Like You
4 – Good:
13. Post Malone – Better Now
5 – Great:
12. Niall Horan – On The Loose
11. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
10. Taylor Swift – Delicate
9. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
8. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
7. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen
6. Calvin Harris/Dua Lipa – One Kiss
5. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
4. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
2. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
Overall Score: 80/100 = 80% (A)
Throwback Pick Of The Week: Christina Perri – Jar Of Hearts
Most Missed Countdown Song: Audien/Lady Antebellum – Something Better
#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Enrique Iglesias/Pitbull – Move To Miami
Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels (#16)
My Top 5 Picks
1. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
2. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
4. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
5. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
