The Chainsmokers (5) - Week Of February 16, 2019

Hey guys! I hope that you have all had a fantastic week. All set aside, the Grammy Awards that were on last Sunday were interesting, but honestly nothing special in my opinion. I was kind of bored this time around, there wasn't much that was great this year in my opinion. So, I am not going to give a full-fledged review of the show considering my overall feelings on the show. Now, onto the countdown. Before we get to this week's fresh 45, here's the list of songs that we are saying goodbye to.

• Alessia Cara - Trust My Lonely (#30)
• Selena Gomez - Back To You (#36)
• Ariana Grande - Breathin (#38)
• Panic! At The Disco - Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#39) [4 Weeks At #1]
• Pitbull & Rhea - Ocean To Ocean (#44)
• Shawn Mendes - In My Blood (#45) [2 Weeks At #1]

Last Week's #1 Song: Halsey - Without Me
#1 Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Charlie Puth - How Long

The Countdown
45. Charlie Puth - The Way I Am (#43)
44. Bebe Rexha - I'm A Mess (#40)
43. George Ezra - Shotgun (#41)
42. Benny Blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You (#22)
41. lovelytheband - Broken (#33)
40. Jennifer Lopez - Limitless (#42)
39. The Chainsmokers & 5 Seconds Of Summer - Who Do You Love (DEBUT)
38. Imagine Dragons - Machine (#29)
37. Travis Scott - Sicko Mode (DEBUT)
36. Mark Ronson/Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#26)
35. Backstreet Boys - Don't Go Breaking My Heart (#37)
34. Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me (DEBUT)
33. Maroon 5/Cardi B - Girls Like You (#35)
32. Sam Smith & Normani -  Dancing With A Stranger (DEBUT)
31. Fall Out Boy - The Last Of The Real Ones (#31) [2 Weeks At #1]
30. Jake Miller - Wait For You (DEBUT)
29. Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life (#21)
28. Khalid - Better (#24)
27. Seeb & Bastille - Grip (#25)
26. James Arthur - Empty Space (#27)
25. Charli XCX/Troye Sivan - 1999 (#28)
24. Imagine Dragons - Natural (#20) [1 Week At #1]
23. David Guetta & Anne-Marie - Don't Leave Me Alone (#17)
22. Dean Lewis - Be Alright (#18)
21. Ariana Grande - 7 Rings (DEBUT)
20. Lauren Daigle - You Say (#23)
19. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies (#15)
18. Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over (#32)
17. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower (#19)
16. Dan + Shay - Speechless (#15)
15. Stephen Puth - Sexual Vibe (#34)
14. Ellie Goulding & Diplo - Close To Me (#13)
13. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next (#9)
12. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine (#16)
11. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly (#10)
10. Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside (#8)
9. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho (#11)
8. Dan + Shay - Tequila (#7)
7. Anne-Marie - 2002 (#6)
6. Panic! At The Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#12)
5. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood (#5) [5 Weeks At #1]
4. Marshmello & Bastille - Happier (#2) [2 Weeks At #1]
3. Halsey - Without Me (#1) [5 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes (#3) [8 Weeks At #1]
1. The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling (#4) [5th Week At #1]

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Benny Blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You (-20)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Stephen Puth - Sexual Vibe (+19)

#1 Recommendation Of The Week: ROZES - Halfway There


New Entrants

~ First up this week, we have my new favorite countdown song from The Chainsmokers and 5 Seconds Of Summer. Who Do You Love has been a very pleasurable listen for me in this past week. The production here is unique, and great. I love the vocals offered up by 5 Seconds Of Summer, and the cut and chopped vocals we get from them throughout the song. I like that effect. It is very interesting. The drop is very good here too. All in all, this is what I like to hear from the The Chainsmokers. After their rather mediocre year in 2018, I am glad to see that they are starting 2019 off right with their music.

~ Next up this week we have Sicko Mode by Travis Scott--a song whose fate was a bit unknown on Hit-Bound for some time. However, it is a good thing that it is here now. It is nice to see Hits 1 diversify their playlist, especially with a good rap song like this. I mean, it can't always be pop and alternative, right? All set aside, I like what Travis Scott does with Sicko Mode. The uncredited features also add some nice flare to the song, especially Drake and what he has to offer. It's fresh and new, and has a nice production to back up the strangely not bad rapping skills of Travis Scott.

~ This week, we also bring Sabrina Carpenter into the mix with Sue Me. I am glad that her music has been increasingly recognized over the last couple of years, because she is really talented. Sue Me definitely confirms that. She has a very powerful voice on this track, and the catchiness factor on this one is very much alive. I am hoping to see this one prove to be a success on the countdown.

~ Next, we have Sam Smith and Normani with Dancing With A Stranger. I really admire this song. I think it is very well executed. Both of them have voices that fit this love-induced heartbreak track very nicely. It has a nice vibe, and solidifies my feelings of respect for both of these artists. I am hoping that this one is able to stay for a while. It is currently one of my favorite songs.

~ With our only debut of the week that doesn't quite reach the peak of the others, we have Jake Miller with Wait For You. This one just kind of misses the mark. It's okay, but it's really nothing special at all. The song is pretty repetitive as it goes on, and his vocals are not really showcased at all here. Additionally, the production here is good, but doesn't live up to its full potential. 

~ Finally with our highest debut of the week, we have Ariana Grande with 7 Rings. This song is certainly nowhere near her best single. It is probably her worst, aside from The Light Is Coming--which is extremely below average for her. 7 Rings is a song that I like in more of a guilty pleasure type of way at the moment, and I can definitely see myself growing sick of it in the near future. Ariana's vocals are not showcased here at all, and that is a little disappointing--but I suppose that was a given after we received Thank U, Next not too long before the release of this one. I just find it kind of sad that Ariana's more poorly conducted songs have received more success then her better and more well-executed ones.

Best New Entrant Of The Week: The Chainsmokers & 5 Seconds Of Summer - Who Do You Love 

Exit-to-Entrant Comparisons:

1. Who Do You Love > Trust My Lonely, Back To You, Say Amen (Saturday Night), Ocean To Ocean, In My Blood
2. Sicko Mode > Say Amen (Saturday Night), Ocean To Ocean
3. Sue Me > Say Amen (Saturday Night), Ocean To Ocean
4. Dancing With A Stranger > Say Amen (Saturday Night), Ocean To Ocean
5. Wait For You > Say Amen (Saturday Night), Ocean To Ocean
6. 7 Rings > Say Amen (Saturday Night), Ocean To Ocean

Hit-Bound 

• Imagine Dragons - Bad Liar
• Rita Ora - Let You Love Me
• lovelytheband - Maybe, I'm Afraid
• Maren Morris - Girl (DEBUT)
• Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd - Lost In The Fire 
• Panic! At The Disco - Dancing's Not A Crime
• Kelsea Ballerini - Miss Me More
• Post Malone - Wow.
• Grandson - Apologize
• Meghan Trainor - All The Ways (DEBUT)
• Lil Peep & iLoveMakonnen/Fall Out Boy - I've Been Waiting
• Madison Beer/Offset - Hurts Like Hell (DEBUT)
• Lauv & Troye Sivan - I'm So Tired...
• LSD/Lil Wayne - Genius (DEBUT)
• Kelsy Karter - Harry (DEBUT)

~ Our first new entrant to Hit-Bound this week comes from Maren Morris with Girl. I don't love her voice here, and the production isn't great overall. I feel like this is one of the songs that could be either good or bad, with no in between. For me, though, I do not like this song. I find her vocal offerings here very annoying, and I am hoping that it doesn't make it onto the countdown--given my current feelings towards it.

~ Next up, we have Meghan Trainor, who I swear just keeps getting worse and worse. All The Ways is nowhere near listenable. This girl cannot sing, I haven't heard a song from her ever where I thought that she sounded good. Her best track is Dear Future Husband. That is where she peaked, and every song that she has released since then has been increasingly worse. I don't know, I am just hoping that this one doesn't get onto the countdown. Her songs are just not good, and I don't think there is any use fixing it at this point.

~ With our only truly good debut to Hit-Bound this week in my eyes, we have Madison Beer with Hurts Like Hell, featuring Offset. I am not a huge fan of the Offset verse, but it has grown on me. Madison Beer sounds good on this track, and it definitely fits with the song very nicely. The production here is kind of unique, but I like it. Overall, it is a good song that I am hoping becomes successful here.

~ Hits 1 kind of picked up on Genius late. It was released quite a few months ago at this point. All set aside, this is LSD's best song--I just wish that they didn't decide to air the Lil Wayne remix, which is not nearly as good as the original. But, it is still enjoyable to some extent.

~ Finally, Kelsy Karter debuts on Hit-Bound this week with Harry. After only one listen, I am not sure how to feel about this song. It is okay--but I am not sure how it will all pan out for me in the long run. Her voice is definitely reminiscent of the traditional rock girl, but I don't know--something about this song doesn't completely click with me. I'll give more on this song if it is to debut on the countdown in the future.

Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks 
1. Lauv & Troye Sivan - I'm So Tired...
2. Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd - Lost In The Fire
3. Madison Beer/Offset - Hurts Like Hell
4. Imagine Dragons - Bad Liar
5. Kelsea Ballerini - Miss Me More


Who Do You Blurb

~ We see a return to the #1 spot from This Feeling. I'm not mad about it, but I would love to see some fresh faces in the top 10. We have had the same songs in and out for months now.

~ Speaking of fresh faces in the top 10, we get Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho reaching a new peak at #9 this week. I am hoping that this one can stay up there for a while.

~ It is nice to see our two superb debuts rocket into the top 20 this week. Welcome, Sexual Vibe and Tell Me It's Over! Especially the latter. 

~ Aside from that, nothing else that noteworthy occurred on the countdown this past week. As far as the exits go, though, Trust My Lonely and Breathin were definitely too short-lived. Back To You and In My Blood were here for a while, and I suppose their time had rightfully come to an end. Say Amen (Saturday Night) was here for a while, and I was indifferent on its departure...and thank god that we got rid of Ocean To Ocean after two weeks. It didn't even deserve to be here, but I am just glad that it is gone now. 

~ As of right now, I am working along on a new platform that will allow you all to see the Hot 45 Chart on a weekly basis, again--if interested. More on that in the coming weeks. I am truly excited about it! In addition, I have a new special series of posts in the works, and another competition--that I am hoping most of you will participate in. 


Let's Do A Top 20 Review!

0-Garbage
NONE

1-Bad
20. Dan + Shay - Tequila
19. Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside
18. Dan + Shay - Speechless
17. Anne-Marie - 2002
16. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine 

2-Mediocre
NONE

3-Decent
NONE

4-Good
15. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood
14. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
13. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies
12. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes 

5-Great 
11. Panic! At The Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It
10. Marshmello & Bastille - Happier
9. The Chainsmokers/Keslea Ballerini - This Feeling
8. Halsey - Without Me
7. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly
6. Ellie Goulding & Diplo - Close To Me
5. Lauren Daigle - You Say
4. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
3. Stephen Puth - Sexual Vibe
2. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho
1. Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over

Score: 76% (C-)


My Bottom 5 Countdown Picks
1. Imagine Dragons - Machine
2. Dan + Shay - Tequila
3. Charlie Puth - The Way I Am
4. Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside
5. Dan + Shay - Speechless

My Top 5 Countdown Picks
1. The Chainsmokers & 5 Seconds Of Summer - Who Do You Love
2. Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
3. Sam Smith & Normani - Dancing With A Stranger
4. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho
5. Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me

Thanks for reading!

~ Jack :)



 
   
 

Halsey (5) - Week Of February 9, 2019

Hey guys! The 61st Annual Grammy Awards take place tonight. I will be watching. I may decide to review the performances after the show, but it depends on how good or bad they turn out being. Anyways, I hope that you all have had a fantastic week and I am excited to jump right into this week's countdown review! Before we get to this week's fresh 45, here are the songs that we are saying goodbye to this week.

• The Struts/Kesha - Body Talks (#21)
• Lauren Jauregui - Expectations (#31)

Last Week's #1 Song: Halsey - Without Me
#1 Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Charlie Puth - How Long

The Countdown
45. Shawn Mendes - In My Blood (#45) [2 Weeks At #1]
44. Pitbull & Rhea - Ocean To Ocean (#40)
43. Charlie Puth - The Way I Am (#43)
42. Jennifer Lopez - Limitless (#44)
41. George Ezra - Shotgun (#41)
40. Bebe Rexha - I'm A Mess (#42)
39. Panic! At The Disco - Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#39) [4 Weeks At #1]
38. Ariana Grande - Breathin (#33)
37. Backstreet Boys - Don't Go Breaking My Heart (#37)
36. Selena Gomez - Back To You (#35)
35. Maroon 5/Cardi B - Girls Like You (#34)
34. Stephen Puth - Sexual Vibe (DEBUT)
33. lovelytheband - Broken (#32)
32. Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over (DEBUT)
31. Fall Out Boy - The Last Of The Real Ones (#25) [2 Weeks At #1]
30. Alessia Cara - Trust My Lonely (#28)
29. Imagine Dragons - Machine (#23)
28. Charli XCX/Troye Sivan - 1999 (#38)
27. James Arthur - Empty Space (#27)
26. Mark Ronson/Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#22)
25. Seeb & Bastille - Grip (#30)
24. Khalid - Better (#24)
23. Lauren Daigle - You Say (#29)
22. Benny Blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You (#26)
21. Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life (#20)
20. Imagine Dragons - Natural (#14) [1 Week At #1]
19. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower (#18)
18. Dean Lewis - Be Alright (#36)
17. David Guetta & Anne-Marie - Don't Leave Me Alone (#17)
16. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine (#16)
15. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies (#15)
14. Dan + Shay - Speechless (#19)
13. Ellie Goudling & Diplo - Close To Me (#13)
12. Panic! At The Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#8)
11. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho (#11)
10. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly (#10)
9. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next (#5)
8. Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside (#7)
7. Dan + Shay - Tequila (#12)
6. Anne-Marie - 2002 (#10)
5. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood (#6) [5 Weeks At #1]
4. The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling (#3) [4 Weeks At #1]
3. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes (#2) [8 Weeks At #1]
2. Marshmello & Bastille - Happier (#4) [2 Weeks At #1]
1. Halsey - Without Me (#1) [5 Weeks At #1]

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Tie Between Fall Out Boy - The Last Of The Real Ones, Imagine Dragons - Machine, and Imagine Dragons - Natural (-6)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Dean Lewis - Be Alright (+18)

#1 Recommendation Of The Week: Dua Lipa - Swan Song


New Entrants

~ Our first entrant to the countdown this week comes from Charlie Puth's younger brother, Stephen with his debut single Sexual Vibe. At first, I wasn't a huge fan of this song, but I eventually got into it a bit more. His voice is definitely a lot different from his brothers. It is quite deep, but it does work well with this track. Additionally, the track has some nice instrumentation and production, even if it is quite simple. Anyways, I am hoping to hear more from Stephen Puth in the future. He is certainly not a bad singer.

~ Second up this week we have Avril Lavigne with her return just before the dawn of her newest album Head Above Water, which comes out this Friday. I am excited to see what she has in store for us. The first couple of songs that she has released have been great, and that includes the magnificent Tell Me It's Over, which joins us this week. I really like her voice on this track. It is vocally appealing to me. There isn't a huge amount that goes into the instrumentals or production, but it is definitely sufficient. Although I am a little sad that Hits 1 failed to pick up on Head Above Water, I am glad that they decided to pick up on this one. I am hoping to see this one have some success here.

Best Debut Of The Week: Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over

Exit-to-Entrant Comparisons:

1. Sexual Vibe > Expectations
2. Tell Me It's Over > Body Talks, Expectations

Hit-Bound

• Lil Peep & iLoveMakonnen/Fall Out Boy - I've Been Waiting (DEBUT)
• Sam Smith & Normani - Dancing With A Stranger
• Lauv & Troye Sivan - I'm So Tired...
• Panic! At The Disco - Dancing's Not A Crime
• Post Malone - Wow.
• Grandson - Apologize (DEBUT)
• The Chainsmokers & 5 Seconds Of Summer - Who Do You Love (DEBUT)
• Imagine Dragons - Bad Liar
• Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me
• Rita Ora - Let You Love Me
• lovelytheband - Maybe, I'm Afraid
• Ariana Grande - 7 Rings
• Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd - Lost In The Fire
• Kelsea Ballerini - Miss Me More
• Jake Miller - Wait For You
• Alternate: Travis Scott - Sicko Mode

~ Our first new Hit-Bound song this week is delivered to us by a posthumous Lil Peep with iLoveMakonnen and featuring Fall Out Boy. The song is called I've Been Waiting. It is a pretty good song, even if I wasn't expecting to like it. Lil Peep isn't that awful here, and both iLoveMakonnen and Fall Out Boy make decent contributions. I could definitely see myself getting sick of it at some point down the line, but I am enjoying it for the time being.

~ Next up we have Grandson with Apologize. This one isn't awful, but it isn't great. Conceptually, I like this song. The instrumentals are pretty good here, and the production is't bad overall. However, I am just not a huge fan of this guy's voice. I could see myself growing into it after more listens though. We will have to just wait and see.

~ Finally, with my favorite debut of the week, we have The Chainsmokers and 5 Seconds Of Summer with Who Do You Love. I am really digging this track. The vocals here are superb, and we don't hear Drew Taggart here, which is definitely a change in scenery. Additionally, I enjoy the drop here. It is very nice. It is certainly much better than what we have been hearing from them in recent months. I am sure it will debut the countdown, and I am hoping that it has success elsewhere. 

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Lauv & Troye Sivan - I'm So Tired...
2. The Chainsmokers & 5 Seconds Of Summer - Who Do You Love
3. Sam Smith & Normani - Dancing With A Stranger
4. Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd - Lost In The Fire
5. Ariana Grande - 7 Rings


Blurb Me It's Over

~ At this point, I am a bit dissatisfied with the quality of both our top 10, and top 20 for that matter, as a whole. There is really nothing to be super proud of here. We have quite a few songs that are failing to get recognized to the lengths that they should be.

~ The only new member that we received for the top 20 this week was Be Alright. I guess I am not mad about this, because it is a good song. But, there are better songs that could have been introduced to the top 20 other than this one.

~ It is kind of sad to see that Trust My Lonely isn't really taking off, very similar to Nothing Breaks Like A Heart. These are two good songs that definitely deserve more recognition here.

~ I am certainly hoping that this does not mark the end of Breathin on the countdown. I just hope that this song can stick around for a while longer. It deserved a lot more than what it got here, and everywhere. It is such a good song.

~ To round off this uneventful week, we have a drop from Ocean To Ocean in its second week. Hopefully this signifies that it won't be staying much longer.

~ If you haven't seen the final results of the rankdown that I had hosted, please click here. I am so glad that I had an opportunity to do it, and I would love to possibly host more in the future.


Let's Do A Top 20 Review!

0-Garbage
NONE

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

2-Mediocre
NONE

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

4-Good
12. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies
11. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
10. Dean Lewis - Be Alright
9. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood 

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

Score: 66% (D-)


Bottom 5 Countdown Picks
1. Pitbull & Rhea - Ocean To Ocean
2. Imagine Dragons - Machine
3. Dan + Shay - Tequila
4. Dan + Shay - Speechless
5. Anne-Marie - 2002

Top 5 Countdown Picks
1. Ariana Grande - Breathin
2. Alessia Cara - Trust My Lonely
3. Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
4. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho
5. Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life

Thanks for reading!

~ Jack :)


  
     

Halsey (4) - February 2, 2019

Hey guys! It has been a long week, but it is finally over! Tomorrow is the Super Bowl, and I am hoping that the halftime show is pretty good this year. As for the game, I am getting pretty tired with the Patriots always being part of it, even though they are probably going to win...again. Anyways, as for the countdown this week...I am pretty upset over our exits. I would have been okay with them if we had got something good in return. However, we got some pretty mediocre songs instead. With that being said, onto this week's fresh 45. Before we get to it, here are the songs that we are saying goodbye to this week.

• Camila Cabello - Consequences (#25)
• Silk City & Dua Lipa - Electricity (#37)
• Lauv/Julia Michaels - There's No Way (#40)
• Steve Aoki/BTS - Waste It On Me (#41)
• Little Mix/Nicki Minaj - Woman Like Me (#44)

Last Week's #1 Song: Halsey - Without Me
#1 Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran/Future - End Game

The Countdown
45. Shawn Mendes - In My Blood (#45) [2 Weeks At #1]
44. Jennifer Lopez - Limitless (#42)
43. Charlie Puth - The Way I Am (#43)
42. Bebe Rexha - I'm A Mess (#39)
41. George Ezra - Shotgun (#38)
40. Pitbull & Rhea - Ocean To Ocean (DEBUT)
39. Panic! At The Disco - Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#36) [4 Weeks At #1]
38. Charli XCX/Troye Sivan - 1999 (DEBUT)
37. Backstreet Boys - Don't Go Breaking My Heart (#34)
36. Dean Lewis - Be Alright (DEBUT)
35. Selena Gomez - Back To You (#33)
34. Maroon 5/Cardi B - Girls Like You (#32)
33. Ariana Grande - Breathin (#27)
32. lovelytheband - Broken (#30)
31. Lauren Jauregui - Expectations (#23)
30. Seeb & Bastille - Grip (DEBUT)
29. Lauren Daigle - You Say (DEBUT)
28. Alessia Cara - Trust My Lonely (#29)
27. James Arthur - Empty Space (#28)
26. Benny Blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You (#35)
25. Fall Out Boy - The Last Of The Real Ones (#26) [2 Weeks At #1]
24. Khalid - Better (#22)
23. Imagine Dragons - Machine (#13)
22. Mark Ronson/Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#31)
21. The Struts/Kesha - Body Talks (#24)
20. Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life (#20)
19. Dan + Shay - Speechless (#19)
18. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower (#16)
17. David Guetta/Anne-Marie - Don't Leave Me Alone (#18)
16. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine (#17)
15. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies (#14)
14. Imagine Dragons - Natural (#21) [1 Week At #1]
13. Ellie Goulding & Diplo - Close To Me (#12)
12. Dan + Shay - Tequila (#7)
11. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho (#15)
10. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly (#11)
9. Anne-Marie - 2002 (#10)
8. Panic! At The Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#9)
7. Benny Blanco, Halsey, & Khalid - Eastside (#6)
6. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood (#5) [5 Weeks At #1]
5. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next (#8)
4. Marshmello & Bastille - Happier (#4) [2 Weeks At #1]
3. The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling (#3) [4 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes (#2) [8 Weeks At #1]
1. Halsey - Without Me (#1) [4th Week At #1]

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Imagine Dragons - Machine (-10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie Between Mark Ronson/Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart and Benny Blanco & Calvin Harris - I Found You (+9)

#1 Recommendation Of The Week: Gabbie Hanna - Medicate

Best Countdown Song This Week 1 Year Ago: Camila Cabello - Never Be The Same


New Entrants

~ First up this week, we have our new worst song on the countdown, in the form of Ocean To Ocean. This is brought to us from Pitbull, who I can absolutely not stand, and Rhea, someone I have never heard of before this. This song is godawful. He, in my personal opinion, had no room to sample Africa in this song. He definitely does the song a grand amount of injustice. Vocally and conceptually, Pitbull serves up the usual meaningless garbage in his verses, and Rhea frankly makes it ten times worse. I mean this is embarrassing and sad. Very sad, and very laughable. It is such a horrible song, I don't know who would want to listen to this in their free time. I seriously hope that this song doesn't stay long, because it makes me want to tear off my ears every time I hear it. It is so, so, so, so, so bad.

~ After that ridiculous monstrosity, we have a breath of fresh air from Charli XCX and Troye Sivan. They do a nice job on 1999. I have always liked Troye Sivan and his music, so I knew that I would like this song in some capacity going into it. I can't say the same for Charli XCX, but she does sound good here. I like the upbeat vibe and catchy lyrics to this song. At least these two were able to make a fun song about a specific point in time, unlike Anne-Marie with 2002. She did no good with her song about my birth year, but I am more convinced that 1999 was a better time than 2002 given this song. Anne-Marie has been bested once again.

~ Next up, we have Dean Lewis with Be Alright, which is a song that I have been outgrowing lately. I used to really like this song a lot, but that was months ago. Hits 1 definitely picked up on this a little late, in my opinion. So, at this point, it is still good, but not something I am going to go out of my way to listen to. I enjoy his voice here. It is unique, and I remember liking it a lot when I heard Waves, a song that he released a while back that I still like to listen to. Nevertheless, he is very talented, but Be Alright is kind of fading on me. At least we have his new single, 7 Minutes, to listen to now. I really like that one. I don't mind it staying too long here, but I don't really know if I see it being too successful here for some reason.

~ Following that, we have Seeb and Bastille pairing up for Grip. I don't really find this song amazing at all. Dan Smith sounds good here, but that is about the only true highlight to the song. Seeb gives a pretty underwhelming production here, compared to what he gave us in Mike Posner's I Took A Pill In Ibiza. This is worse than Happier. I don't think the whole EDM thing really suits Bastille, given the nature of this song. It is incredibly forgettable. I forgot Grip was on Hit-Bound pretty much every week I came to take a listen. It is boring, and has no substance--in terms of lyrics. So, truthfully, I couldn't care less how it does here.

~ You Say by Lauren Daigle is our final debut of the week. It is another song that I have been listening to for a while. I am usually not a fan of Christian-influenced music, but she does an incredible job with this one. It is a beautiful ballad, and I love ballads (need I remind you that one of my favorite ballads left this week). Lyrically, this song tells a beautiful and uplifting story. She has a nice voice as well. It is a bit late to the party, similar to Be Alright, but I am glad that this one was able to make it big.

Best New Entrant Of The Week: Lauren Daigle - You Say

Exit-to-Entrant Comparisons:

1. Ocean To Ocean < Consequences, Electricity, There's No Way,           Waste It On Me, Woman Like Me
2. 1999 < Consequences
3. Be Alright < Consequences, There's No Way, Woman Like Me
4. Grip < Consequences, There's No Way, Waste It On Me, Woman Like Me
5. You Say < Consequences

Hit-Bound

• Imagine Dragons - Bad Liar (DEBUT)
• Rita Ora - Let You Love Me (DEBUT)
• lovelytheband - Maybe, I'm Afraid
• Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd - Lost In The Fire
• Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me
• Panic! At The Disco - Dancing's Not A Crime (DEBUT)
• Kelsea Ballerini - Miss Me More
• Stephen Puth - Sexual Vibe
• Ariana Grande - 7 Rings (DEBUT)
• Sam Smith & Normani - Dancing With A Stranger
• Post Malone - Wow.
• Lauv & Troye Sivan - I'm So Tired... (DEBUT)
• Jake Miller - Wait For You
• Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
• Travis Scott - Sicko Mode

~ First up this week, we have a song that should heave been here in replace of Machine, and that is Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons. This is a very good song, and I have been listening to it for a while now. I usually get sick of this band's songs after a while, but that hasn't happened for me with this one yet. I'm sure that Hits 1 will eventually do that for me, because they tend to have a big role in that. All set aside, Dan Reynolds does a great job vocally, and the production on this track is interesting--and I like it. I am hoping to see this one join the countdown in the near future.

~ Let You Love Me by Rita Ora is another song that I have been listening to for a while now that is finally here. Her voice is better than usual here, and the production is fairly good. It's not her best song by any means, but I am glad that it is here. She deserves more recognition than she usually gets.

~ Much like they did with Twenty One Pilots and Chlorine recently, Hits 1 has decided to throw a non-single from Panic! At The Disco into the mix in the form of Dancing's Not A Crime. This one isn't that special in my eyes. I like Brendon Urie's voice, as usual, but that is about the only good thing about the song. Lyrically, I don't love it, and I feel like it is overproduced. I wouldn't mind if this never made it onto the countdown. But, knowing Hits 1, it probably will.

~ Next up, we have Ariana Grande with 7 Rings. This is definitely not her best by any means at all, but that being said--I like this song in more of a guilty pleasure kind of way. The production here is pretty lazy, but I can be okay with it. I still find the song to be fun, but I don't see it as something that will stick with me in the long run. Her vocals are not being showcased as they normally are, but that all started with Thank U, Next. I am hoping that she at least shows of some sense of vocal ability with her new album next week.

~ Soon after, we have our final, and best, in my opinion, debut onto Hit-Bound this week. We have Lauv and Troye Sivan teaming up to bring us I'm So Tired... this week. I really like this song. Vocally, I like how they sound together. I like the simplicity of the song, and its repetitiveness works in this case. Production-wise, it is done nicely in my opinion. I have just really enjoyed listening to this song in the past week.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Lauv & Troye Sivan - I'm So Tired...
2. Sam Smith & Normani - Dancing With A Stranger
3. Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd - Lost In The Fire
4. Avril Lavigne - Tell Me It's Over
5. Ariana Grande - 7 Rings


Blurb Alright

~ We only go rid of one song from the top 10 last week, and not much really moved around in there, so there isn't much to say. However, I am really glad that Let Me Down Slowly was able to replace Tequila at the very least. Additionally, I warmly welcome Thank U, Next into the top 5.

~ I am glad to see that Natural was able to stunt Machine's success here by replacing it in the top 20 this week. Even if it isn't the top pick I would have to replace it, I am still very okay with it.

~ It is nice to see Nothing Breaks Like A Heart get a bit of a boost in the ranks this week. I was beginning to think that it would never get anywhere.

~ It looks like the run for Ariana Grande - Breathin is beginning to come to an end. I am sad to see it, but I expected it to happen sooner or later.

~ It looks like Limitless is never going to take off here, so I would appreciate it if it were to exit soon, as it is just taking up unnecessary space at this point.

~ As for our exits, I am sad to see Woman Like Me and There's No Way depart this week, but it was their time. On a similar note, I am super mad that Consequences left this week. It was pretty unexpected. It should have lasted longer, but what can you do? Waste It On Me wasn't really taking off, and it was taking up unnecessary space, similar to Limitless, so I was okay with it. As for Electricity, I suppose it was time, even if there was worse songs that could have exited in place of it.

~ Rankdown results have been updated! All we have left now is the top 10. Check out what is left in the competition by clicking here.


Let's Do A Top 20 Review!

0-Garbage
NONE

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

2-Mediocre
14. Imagine Dragons - Natural

3-Decent
NONE

4-Good
13. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower
12. Khalid & Normani - Love Lies
11. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes
10. Marshmello & Bastille - Happier
9. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood 

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

Score: 73% (C)


My Bottom 5 Countdown Picks
1. Pitbull & Rhea - Ocean To Ocean
2. Imagine Dragons - Machine
3. Dan + Shay - Tequila
4. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine
5. Anne-Marie - 2002

My Top 5 Countdown Picks
1. Ariana Grande - Breathin
2. Alessia Cara - Trust My Lonely
3. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
4. Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life
5. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho

Have a great week!

~ Jack :)