Halsey (3) - Week Of January 26, 2019

Hey guys! Welcome back! This week wasn't very eventful in countdown land. There definitely wasn't much going on. We had another week with the same #1 song, and only one song joined us this week. With that being said, let's get into this week's fresh 45. We will start off with the sole exit from the countdown this week.

• Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey - The Middle (#44) [9 Weeks At #1]

Last Week's #1 Song: Halsey - Without Me
#1 Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Imagine Dragons - Thunder

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

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Tie Between Khalid & Normani - Love Lies and Little Mix/Nicki Minaj - Woman Like Me (-9)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside (+7)

#1 Recommendation Of The Week: Ariana Grande - 7 Rings

Best Countdown Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Camila Cabello - Havana


New Entrants

~ Our only debut this week comes in the form of a collaboration between Benny Blanco and Calvin Harris. This one is called I Found You. Needless to say, this one is fairly underwhelming. The track features vocals from Calvin Harris, which are decent, but they could be better. Benny Blanco attempts to produce the track, but it misses the mark for me. I would have expected a better production on this one, given that it is brought to us from two professional producers/DJs. All set aside, this one is pretty much a space filler for me. But, it did take the place of a much worse song that left this week, so I am okay with it for the time being.


Hit-Bound

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

~ Our sole debut onto Hit-Bound this week comes from Sam Smith and Normani, in the form of Dancing With A Stranger. I really like this song. Both of them give superb vocals, and the quality of this track is great. I like the simplicity of the track. The lyrics are expected of a traditional ballad-esque track. I would love to see this one debut on the countdown in the near future. 

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd - Lost In The Fire
2. Sam Smith & Normani - Dancing With A Stranger
3. Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
4. Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me
5. Kelsea Ballerini - Miss Me More


I Found Blurbs

~ Halsey - Without Me sticks it out for a third week atop the countdown. I am definitely okay with this. It is the best song in the top 5. It's not the best song in the top 10 at the moment, but I can do with this. 

~ Well, well, well...what have we here...in the top 10? Two songs that don't belong. Eastside and Tequila both made jumps into the top 10 this week for some unknown reason. I would appreciate it if this doesn't last. It is not helping the case for the quality of our top 10 at all.

~ At least we got a fresh, and nice face in the top 20 this week. Zara Larsson has joined with Ruin My Life. I hope that this success isn't short.

~ It feels like Expectations has occupied the #23 spot for the majority of its time here at this point. It is kind of similar to how In My Blood hasn't budged from the #45 spot in weeks, either.

~ Sadly, we have reached the beginning of the demise of Ariana Grande - Breathin. I am pretty sad that this one didn't reach its fullest extent here, because of the inferior Thank U, Next. I would prefer this one at #9, but Thank U, Next is still a good song, so I am not completely devastated.

~ It really feels like Nothing Breaks Like A Heart hasn't been hugely successful here, which is a shame because it is a really good song.

~ It looks like Jennifer Lopez - Limitless didn't have a remarkable second week. Its predicted level of success here could be easily comparable to that of Steve Aoki/BTS - Waste It On Me, given its dormancy this week.

~ Woman Like Me has fallen within two spots of its countdown life. It really wasn't all that successful here, which wasn't a huge surprise to me--I must admit. I just really didn't see it going excessively far.

~ Finally, let's discuss the exit this week. It is about time that The Middle has left. I am so happy to see this one leave, and one week before it reached a year on the countdown. This one has been done to death and I am just glad that there is one less station that I have to listen to it on all the time.

~ Earlier today, I went on with the results of my rankdown, after about a two week hiatus. If you would like to see those, please click here.


Let's Do A Top 20 Review!

0-Garbage
20. Imagine Dragons - Machine

1-Bad
19. Dan + Shay - Tequila
18. Anne-Marie - 2002
17. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine
16. Dan + Shay - Speechless
15. David Guetta & Anne-Marie - Don't Leave Me Alone
14. Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside 

2-Mediocre
NONE

3-Decent
NONE

4-Good
13. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes
12. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies
11. Marshmello & Bastille - Happier
10. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood 

5-Great
9. The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling
8. Panic! At The Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It
7. Ellie Goulding & Diplo - Close To Me
6. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
5. Halsey - Without Me
4. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly
3. Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life
2. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho
1. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next

Score: 67% (D-) [REALLY BAD!!! (close to failing)]

 
My Bottom 5 Countdown Picks
1. Imagine Dragons - Machine
2. Dan + Shay - Tequila
3. Anne-Marie - 2002
4. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine
5. Charlie Puth - The Way I Am

My Top 5 Countdown Picks
1. Ariana Grande - Breathin
2. Camila Cabello - Consequences
3. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
4. Alessia Cara - Trust My Lonely
5. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho


Have a great week!

~ Jack :) 


             

Halsey (2) - Week Of January 19, 2019

Hello again, everyone! I hope that you all had a fantastic week! I apologize for last week's rankdown results not getting released--I have been very busy with midterms and finals for my classes in school. I am hoping to get things straightened out this week. Anyways, the countdown was pretty average this week. Nothing really big happened. We had a few big jumps and drops, though. We also had guest hosts Twenty One Pilots--which was weird because I feel like Hits 1 hasn't done that in a while. Anyways, before we get into all that went down in this week's fresh 45, here's the songs that we are saying goodbye to.

• The Chainsmokers/Emily Warren - Side Effects (#38)
• Olly Murs - Moves (#39)  

Last Week's #1 Song: Halsey - Without Me
#1 Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Imagine Dragons - Thunder

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

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: The Struts/Kesha - Body Talks (-18)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Imagine Dragons - Machine (+13)

#1 Recommendation Of The Week: Madison Beer/Offset - Hurts Like Hell

Best Countdown Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Camila Cabello - Havana


New Entrants

~ Our first debut this weeks comes from Jennifer Lopez, who I didn't know was still actively singing. But, I guess she is. Given her recent movie, Second Act, which is what this song is from--it was bound to happen. She enters the countdown this week with Limitless. At the moment, this song really isn't anything super special. It's good, but some parts of it sound a little awkward in my opinion. Her voice is nice, but nothing amazing. The production is decent, but again, nothing amazing. What I am saying is that this song is good, but nothing great. I've never really been a huge fan of her singing, but I can definitely tolerate this one and can maybe see this one possibly growing on me with more listens. But, I don't really know.

~ Second up this week, we have Alessia Cara with Trust My Lonely. This one isn't that bad, but it's definitely not the best thing we have heard from her either. The chorus in this song is pretty nice. I like her vocals and that was the peak of the song. However, in between that chorus with the verses, there really isn't much that sticks out. Sure, it's good. But, it's nothing amazing. I don't think it is impossible for me to fully grow into this song, but again, it's nothing amazing. Alessia Cara has given us better vocals. But, this one is fun for what it is. 

Best New Entrant Of The Week: Alessia Cara - Trust My Lonely


Hit-Bound

• Charli XCX/Troye Sivan - 1999
• Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd - Lost In The Fire (DEBUT)
• Dean Lewis - Be Alright
• Seeb & Bastille - Grip
• Stephen Puth - Sexual Vibe
• Kelsea Ballerini - Miss Me More
• Lauren Daigle - You Say
• Jake Miller - Wait For You (DEBUT)
• Post Malone - Wow.
• Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me
• lovelytheband - Maybe, I'm Afraid
• Benny Blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You
• Pitbull & Rhea - Ocean To Ocean
• Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
• Alternate: Travis Scott - Sicko Mode

Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me
2. Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd - Lost In The Fire
3. Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
4. Travis Scott - Sicko Mode*
5. Charli XCX/Troye Sivan - 1999

*If Sicko Mode was not on Hit-Bound again, 1999 would be #4, and #5 would be You Say by Lauren Daigle.

~ First up this week we have Lost In The Fire from Gesaffelstein and The Weeknd, after his little hiatus. This is such a good song. The production is great, and the vocals that are served to us by The Weeknd are better than ever. The only problem I have with this is the fact that it takes me about five minutes to accurately spell "Gesaffelstein". Nevertheless, I would love to see this song on the countdown soon. 

~ Our second debut onto Hit-Bound this week comes from Jake Miller with another pretty average song, Wait For You. I have never been a huge fan of Jake Miller's music. I have never thought that any of his songs have been amazing. They have been good, but they just aren't that great. Wait For You has a lot of repetition that just doesn't work for it, and the electronic-infused production isn't completely necessary. The vocals are good, but nothing amazing. In all, I really don't care if it debuts on the countdown. Besides, it feels like one of those songs that is bound to get stranded on Hit-Bound.


Blurb My Lonely   

~ Without Me is atop the countdown again this week. I don't mind this. I would prefer either #8,#9, or #10...but this is okay.

~ Close To Me made a pretty significant leap back into the top 20, and almost top 10, this week. I don't mind this. I'm sure that it will make it into the top 10. However, I would prefer that it doesn't stay excessively long in the top 10 if it were to enter that sector of the countdown.

~ I had an awful time listening from #17 to #12. All of these songs need to exit the top 20 immediately--and #14 should definitely get out as soon as possible. I don't want it developing habits that its predecessors have developed. 

~ Fall Out Boy - The Last Of The Real Ones has dropped out of the top 10 and the top 20 this week. The Struts/Kesha - Body Talks has as well. These were two good songs that should have maybe dipped out of the top 10, yes--but did not deserve a kick out of the top 20.

~ I am sad to see that Nothing Breaks Like A Heart really isn't taking off much here. I hope that it gains some traction in the coming weeks. I really don't want it to be a flop. I, at least, want to see it get above the #20 mark.

~ It looks like the run of Camila Cabello - Consequences is winding down. I am sad to see this happen. I would have loved to see this one enter the top 10, but it only made it to #11. I am hoping that it can stick around for a while. This is one of my favorite songs, of course, at the moment.

~ At this point, I am over George Ezra - Shotgun. At some point this week, I was ready to turn off the radio when it came on. I am hoping that it doesn't stay around too much longer, like that undying #44 that we have.

~ As far as the exits go, Moves did not deserve to leave this fast. It was only here for a few weeks. Side Effects did last for a while here. I am sad to see it go, but it was about time, I guess. I am hoping that we can finally clear out some of the clutter in the coming weeks.


Let's Do A Top 20 Review!

0-Garbage
20. Imagine Dragons - Machine

1-Bad
19. Dan + Shay - Tequila
18. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine
17. Anne-Marie - 2002
16. David Guetta & Anne-Marie - Don't Leave Me Alone
15. Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside 

2-Mediocre
14. Imagine Dragons - Natural

3-Decent
NONE

4-Good
13. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes
12. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies 

5-Great
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood
10. Marshmello & Bastille - Happier
9. The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling
8. Ellie Goulding & Diplo - Close To Me
7. Panic! At The Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It
6. Halsey - Without Me
5. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
4. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly
3. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
2. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho
1. Ariana Grande - Breathin

Score: 70% (C-)


My Bottom 5 Countdown Picks
1. Imagine Dragons - Machine
2. Dan + Shay - Tequila
3. Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey - The Middle
4. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine
5. Anne-Marie - 2002

My Top 5 Countdown Picks
1. Ariana Grande - Breathin
2. Camila Cabello - Consequences
3. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho
4. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
5. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly

Thanks for reading!

~ Jack :)        
   

Halsey (1) - Week Of January 12, 2019

Hey guys! I hope that you all had a fantastic week! We had a bit more interesting countdown this week. Anything would be better than the anti-climactic nature of last week's countdown. Anyways, I don't want to make this a long intro so lets get right into it. Before we get to this week's fresh 45 songs--here's a list of songs that we are saying goodbye to.

• Shawn Mendes - Nervous (#31)
• Bazzi/Camila Cabello - Beautiful (#41)
• Twenty One Pilots - My Blood (#42)
• NOTD/Bea Miller - I Wanna Know (#45)

Last Week's #1 Song: The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling
#1 Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Ed Sheeran - Perfect

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

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Olly Murs - Moves (-18)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho (+15)

#1 Recommendation Of The Week: L'FREAQ - I've Become A Thief

Best Countdown Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Tie Between Camila Cabello - Havana and Ed Sheeran - Perfect


New Entrants

~ First up this week, after a few weeks without exits, we have Dan + Shay with the follow up to Tequila. This one is called Speechless. I don't know why, but I just can't get into them. Their voices annoy me a great deal. I know that many people happen to like their songs, but again I just can't get into them. Speechless is no different. The lyrical content here is pretty good I guess, but the negatives outweigh the positives. Their voices are just derivative of the typical male country singer. I don't know, but Speechless just isn't that great in my opinion. Country songs nowadays are not that good, and this one is just another example. I hope that it doesn't reach the level of success that Tequila had, even if this may be the better of the two.

~ Next up, we have my favorite debut onto the countdown this week, in the form of Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson. I like the chorus on this one, and Zara shows her vocals off pretty lightly--as I expected. Even though this isn't her best track vocally, it is still undeniably catchy. She definitely has potential to do a little more with her voice, and I would love to see her reach that potential with her future tracks. But for the most part, I can always count on this song to put me in a good mood...or to get me in some sort of mood. I just hope that it is not a flop here, similar to how it was on several other charts.

~ Khalid is pretty much a hit or miss with me usually. I was not a fan of Location and Young, Dumb, & Broke. But, I was a fan of Love Lies and Eastside...even though I grew out of it eventually. Better was good from the start. Everything here works well. Khalid shows his voice nicely in this song, similar to the singles of his that I have been partied to liking. There is also a very cool vibe here. It's just chill, and these are the songs that Khalid needs to be releasing. Songs that truly show off his vocal abilities are the ones that work for him. I hope to see this one have a decent level of success on the countdown.

~ The final entrant of the week comes from Imagine Dragons with what may possibly be their worst single ever. Machine is one of the worst songs that I have ever heard. It is even worse than Tequila--that is how bad it is. We do have a new worst song here. The beat on this song is absolute trash. It is messy and all over the place. Dan Reynolds is unnecessarily yelling throughout most of the song. I just don't understand what they were trying to go for here. Maybe some type of heavy rock song, similar to back in the day? Considering the heavy guitar use--that sounds very bad by the way--that may have been what they were trying to get at. This song is grating and annoying almost every way possible, and I do not understand why Hits 1 thought it was okay to pick up on this one, rather than the incredibly great single that they released recently, Bad Liar. I like that one a great deal. Machine just sucks--it makes my ears want to bleed and leaves me with a borderline headache. I just hope that this one does not go much further--and it is kind of upsetting that this one was the highest debut of the week.

Best New Entrant Of The Week: Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life 


Hit-Bound

• Post Malone - Wow. (DEBUT)
• Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me (DEBUT)
• lovelytheband - Maybe, I'm Afraid 
• 5 Seconds Of Summer - Killer Queen
• Seeb & Bastille - Grip
• Kelsea Ballerini - Miss Me More (DEBUT)
• Benny Blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You
• Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
• Pitbull & Rhea - Ocean To Ocean
• Dean Lewis - Be Alright
• Stephen Puth - Sexual Vibe
• Alessia Cara - Trust My Lonely
• Lauren Daigle - You Say
• Alternate: Travis Scott - Sicko Mode (DEBUT) 

~ Our first new song to Hit-Bound this week comes from no other than Post Malone with Wow.--and this song is merely "good" at this point. I feel as if it will grow on me, because I really wasn't a fan at all at first. It took me a few listens to get into. So, in the coming weeks I could see myself liking this song a little bit more. But for now, it is just okay.

~ Second up, we have my new favorite song on Hit-Bound. It is Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me. I love this song, even though I understand that it is not everyone's best interest. This one is just strong, and very powerful. Her vocals sound great on this track. The production is pretty good and out there as well. Lyrically, I also like the power in this song. It's just a nice anthem. This is one of the better tracks on her new album, Singular: Act 1. Sue Me is just a small part of that album, which I highly recommend that you take a listen to. Personally, there wasn't one song that wasn't a pleasurable listen. All set aside, I am hoping that Sue Me can have the same success as previous hits of hers like Why and Almost Love here on Hits 1 and elsewhere.

~ Next we have an example of a pretty good country song. Kelsea Ballerini brings us Miss Me More. I hope that this one can debut on the countdown, because I need a breath of fresh air with the country music on the countdown. All set aside, this song is pretty solid. There are some nice vocals provided by Kelsea, and a strong guitar to back her up. The lyrics and the beat here are also good as well. It isn't the best thing ever, but it is definitely pretty enjoyable for what it is.

~ Our final debut onto Hit-Bound comes from Travis Scott with Sicko Mode, which is surprisingly good. I have never liked a song by Travis Scott before, but this one is pretty good. It has a very nice production and a great beat. I like the contributions from all of the rap artists on this track, especially Drake. I found myself really jamming to this song in my car the other day...it is just one of those songs. I hope to see this one make it onto the countdown in the near future, despite its unknown fate on Hit-Bound this week. I didn't listen to Hit-Bound this week, so I included it just in case. 

Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me
2. Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
3. Lauren Daigle - You Say
4. Dean Lewis - Be Alright
5. Travis Scott - Sicko Mode*

*If Sicko Mode was not on Hit-Bound this week, then #5 would be Miss Me More by Kelsea Ballerini. 


Ruin My Blurbs 

~ We have a breath of fresh air atop the countdown this week. Halsey - Without Me takes the prize this week. Similar to This Feeling, I don't mind at all if this song spends some time at the #1 spot--but I just hope it doesn't spend an excessive amount of time there. 

~ Every song that is in the top 5 this week has been #1 at some point in time. That has probably happened before, but I just found that kind of interesting.

~ When will the undying 2002 leave the top 10. Something this generic and irrelevant should not be here anymore. I don't think Anne-Marie is talented at all. Her voice is pretty grating. This is probably still here because the equally as horrible Don't Leave Me Alone made a jump into the top 20 this week--and songs by the same artist on this countdown have to be a considerable amount of spots apart. My hope is that whoever is voting for these songs stops, because they should not be this successful here. 

~ Hopefully the leap from Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho lasts this time. We can't have a good song like this out of the top 20. So yeah. Hopefully it can hold on and not drop right back down.

~ Broken has finally dropped out of the top 20. It has been up there for quite a while, and I wouldn't be surprised if it jumped right back in. This isn't the best song here, so I am glad that it took a dip and allowed for some better songs to shine.

~ I am sad that Camila Cabello - Consequences has dropped out of the top 20, to make way for crappy songs like Chlorine and Don't Leave Me Alone. I am seriously hoping that this doesn't signify and eventual drop out of the countdown.

~ Woman Like Me has dropped out of the top 30, after silently pining after a spot in the top 20 unsuccessfully. I guess it is an okay time for it, because just this week I ended up thinking that it wasn't that great anymore. It was just okay. I don't know. That is just how I feel about it now.

~ Olly Murs - Moves has made a significant drop--and just before making it right into the top 20. This song is pretty good, don't get me wrong. But, I kind of expected this to happen. I just really didn't see this song taking off here for some reason. I hope that it can stick around for a while, even if it is a little low in the ranks.

~ As far as our exits go, we lost a few good songs this week. Nervous is a song that I wished could have lasted longer, but I had expected that it wasn't destined to last here. It is sad to see Beautiful go, but I am glad that it was able to stay as long as it did. The song hung around the bottom of the countdown for a while. My Blood should've had more success here, but it is what it is. It was definitely time for I Wanna Know to leave. It was becoming a little annoying anyway, given how much Hits 1 has played it the past few months.

~ If you haven't been keeping up with the results for My Hot 80 Of 2018 Rankdown and Year-End Special, there are thirty more songs to go! Please check it out by clicking here.

~ Also, if you have not parceled through My Top 45 Songs Of 2018, I hope that you will consider checking it out--because I worked pretty hard on that post, and I would love for you all to see it! You can read by clicking here.


Let's Do A Top 20 Review!

0-Garbage
NONE

1-Bad
20. Dan + Shay - Tequila
19. Anne-Marie - 2002
18. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine
17. David Guetta & Anne-Marie - Don't Leave Me Alone
16. Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside 

2-Mediocre
15. Imagine Dragons - Natural

3-Decent
14. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes

4-Good
13. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies

5-Great
12. Panic! At The Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It
11. Fall Out Boy - The Last Of The Real Ones
10. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood
9. The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling
8. The Struts/Kesha - Body Talks
7. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
6. Marshmello & Bastille - Happier
5. Halsey - Without Me
4. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly
3. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
2. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho
1. Ariana Grande - Breathin


My Bottom 5 Countdown Picks
1. Imagine Dragons - Machine
2. Dan + Shay - Tequila
3. Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey - The Middle
4. Anne-Marie - 2002
5. Charlie Puth - The Way I Am

My Top 5 Countdown Picks
1. Ariana Grande - Breathin
2. Camila Cabello - Consequences
3. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho
4. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
5. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly

Thank you all for reading! More on the way!

~ Jack :)             

The Chainsmokers (4) - Week Of January 5, 2019

Hello and welcome back everyone! I hope that you all had fantastic holidays. We are now officially in 2019. We could have started off this year with a better countdown, considering not much happened this week at all. Including no exits. With that being said, let's get right into this week's fresh 45.

Last Week's #1 Song: The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling
#1 Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Imagine Dragons - Thunder

The Countdown
45. NOTD/Bea Miller - I Wanna Know (#44)
44. Shawn Mendes - In My Blood (#45) [2 Weeks At #1]
43. Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey - The Middle (#41) [9 Weeks At #1]
42. Twenty One Pilots - My Blood (#43)
41. Bazzi/Camila Cabello - Beautiful (#40)
40. George Ezra - Shotgun (#39)
39. The Chainsmokers/Emily Warren - Side Effects (#37)
38. Charlie Puth - The Way I Am (#38)
37. Steve Aoki/BTS - Waste It On Me (#42)
36. Bebe Rexha - I'm A Mess (#29)
35. Panic! At The Disco - Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#36) [4 Weeks At #1]
34. Mark Ronson/Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#31)
33. Backstreet Boys - Don't Go Breaking My Heart (#32)
32. Silk City & Dua Lipa - Electricity (#35)
31. Shawn Mendes - Nervous (#28)
30. Selena Gomez - Back To You (#33)
29. Maroon 5/Cardi B - Girls Like You (#24)
28. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho (#25)
27. Lauv/Julia Michaels - There's No Way (#34)
26. Little Mix/Nicki Minaj - Woman Like Me (#21)
25. James Arthur - Empty Space (#26)
24. David Guetta & Anne-Marie - Don't Leave Me Alone (#27)
23. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine (#30)
22. Lauren Jauregui - Expectations (#23)
21. Olly Murs - Moves (#22)
20. Ellie Goulding & Diplo - Close To Me (#19)
19. lovelytheband - Broken (#20)
18. Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside (#15)
17. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly (#14)
16. Camila Cabello - Consequences (#11)
15. Imagine Dragons - Natural (#18) [1 Week At #1]
14. Ariana Grande - Breathin (#17)
13. Dan + Shay - Tequila (#16)
12. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower (#13)
11. Panic! At The Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#12)
10. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies (#7)
9. The Struts/Kesha - Body Talks (#10)
8. Anne-Marie - 2002 (#6)
7. Fall Out Boy - The Last Of The Real Ones (#8) [2 Weeks At #1]
6. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next (#9)
5. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood (#5) [5 Weeks At #1]
4. Marshmello & Bastille - Happier (#2) [2 Weeks At #1]
3. Halsey - Without Me (#4)
2. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes (#3) [8 Weeks At #1]
1. The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling (#1) [4th Week At #1]

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Bebe Rexha - I'm A Mess (-7)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie Between Lauv/Julia Michaels - There's No Way and Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine (+7)

#1 Recommendation Of The Week: Ariana Grande - Imagine


Hit-Bound

• Dan + Shay - Speechless
• Alessia Cara - Trust My Lonely
• Dean Lewis - Be Alright
• Seeb & Bastille - Grip
• Khalid - Better
• 5 Seconds Of Summer - Killer Queen
• Imagine Dragons - Machine
• Charli XCX/Troye Sivan - 1999
• Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
• Stephen Puth - Sexual Vibe
• Lauren Daigle - You Say
• Benny Blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You
• Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life
• lovelytheband - Maybe, I'm Afraid
• Pitbull & Rhea - Ocean To Ocean

My Bottom 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Pitbull & Rhea - Ocean To Ocean
2. Dan + Shay - Speechless
3. Imagine Dragons - Machine
4. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Killer Queen
5. lovelytheband - Maybe, I'm Afraid 

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks  
1. Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
2. Charli XCX/Troye Sivan - 1999
3. Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life
4. Dean Lewis - Be Alright
5. Lauren Daigle - You Say


Waste It On Blurbs 

~ At this point, I kind of feel like This Feeling has had its run at the #1 spot. Don't get me wrong, I like the song. But...it is just not one of those songs that should be spending excessive amounts of weeks in the spotlight.

~ I seriously don't understand how High Hopes is still clinging on in those top three spots. At this point, I would like to see something fresh. But, of course, that is just me. 

~ Even though Ariana Grande's less-appealing track that is currently on the countdown, Thank U, Next, is still rising up the ranks--I am still glad that her better track, Breathin, is still attaining a decent amount of success here.

~ Other than the fact that our rather small biggest jump this week was from, sadly, Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine, nothing else really happened this week. It has truthfully been one of the most boring weeks that we have had in a while.


Let's Do A Top 20 Review!



0-Garbage
20. Dan + Shay - Tequila

1-Bad
19. Anne-Marie - 2002
18. Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside 

2-Mediocre
17. Imagine Dragons - Natural

3-Decent
16. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes
15. lovelytheband - Broken 

4-Good
14. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies

5-Great
13. Panic! At The Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It
12. The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling
11. Fall Out Boy - The Last Of The Real Ones
10. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood
9. The Struts/Kesha - Body Talks
8. Ellie Goulding & Diplo - Close To Me
7. Marshmello & Bastille - Happier
6. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
5. Halsey - Without Me
4. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly
3. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
1. Ariana Grande - Breathin
1. Camila Cabello - Consequences

Score: 79% (C)


Best Countdown Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Ed Sheeran - Perfect


My Bottom 5 Countdown Picks
1. Dan + Shay - Tequila
1. Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey - The Middle
3. Charlie Puth - The Way I Am
4. Anne-Marie - 2002
5. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine

My Top 5 Countdown Picks
1. Camila Cabello - Consequences
1. Ariana Grande - Breathin
3. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
4. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly
5. Maroon 5/Cardi B - Girls Like You


If you haven't yet seen my Top 45 Songs Of 2018, I would love for you to check it out! I put a lot of work into this year's post. You can see it by clicking here.
 
Thanks for reading!

See you soon!

~ Jack :)