Imagine Dragons (1) - Week Of October 28, 2017

Hello, fam! Welcome to this year's edition of the Halloweekend Countdown! Spooky things awaits us this weekend, so prepare to be frightened! Anyway, Kid Kelly hosted the countdown in place of Spyder Harrison, who apparently got sick. Poor Spyder. Hope he's feeling better. Let's get right into the spooky business of things, shall we? There are no songs leaving the countdown this week, so let's go.

The Countdown:

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

45. Louis Tomlinson featuring Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals - Back To You (#44) [-1]

44. The All-American Rejects - Sweat (#43) [-1]

43. Kygo featuring Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me (#45) [+2]

42. MAX featuring Gnash - Lights Down Low (#42) [=]

41. Bruno Mars - That's What I Like (#41) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

40. Charlie Puth - Attention (#40) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

39. Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You (#30) [-9] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]

38. Justin Bieber featuring BloodPop® - Friends (#36) [-2]

37. The Revivalists - Wish I Knew You (#34) [-3]

36. Lady Gaga - The Cure (#38) [+2]

35. Harry Styles - Two Ghosts (#37) [+2]

34. Zedd featuring Alessia Cara - Stay (#31) [-3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

33. The Script - Rain (#21) [-12]

32. Evaride - Heartless (#32) [=]

31. The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay - Something Just Like This (#22) [-9] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

30. Ed Sheeran - Perfect (#39) [+9]

29. Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee - Despacito (#27) [-2]

28. Sam Smith - Too Good At Goodbyes (#26) [-2]

27. Fergie featuring Nicki Minaj - You Already Know (#35) [+8]

26. Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#15) [-11] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

25. Sam Hunt - Body Like A Back Road (#24) [-1]

24. Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid - 1-800-273-8255 (#33) [+9]

23. Sabrina Carpenter - Why (#23) [=]

22. Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato - No Promises (#11) [-11]

21. Linkin Park - One More Light (#28) [+7]

20. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt - Let Me Go (#25) [+5]

19. Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill (#19) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

18. Mono Mind - Save Me A Place (#18) [-12]

17. Charlie Puth - How Long (#13) [-4]

16. Camila Cabello - Havana (#29) [+13]

15. Kesha - Praying (#17) [+2]

14. Maroon 5 featuring SZA - What Lovers Do (#10) [-4]

13. Taylor Swift - ...Ready For It? (#20) [+7]

12. Imagine Dragons - Believer (#16) [+4] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

11. Kelly Clarkson - Love So Soft (#14) [+3]

10. Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey - Glorious (#18) [+8]

9. P!NK - What About Us (#12) [+3]

8. Halsey - Bad At Love (#8) [=]

7. Niall Horan - Slow Hands (#7) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

6. Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still (#5) [-1]

5. Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do (#9) [+5]

4. Liam Payne - Strip That Down (#4) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

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

2. Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry (#2) [=]

1. Imagine Dragons - Thunder (#3) [+2] [FIRST WEEK AT #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey - Closer (4th Of 8 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Tie between The Script - Rain & Mono Mind - Save Me A Place (-12)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Camila Cabello - Havana (+13)

And No One's Gonna Save You From The Beast About To Blurb

- So, it happened. Thunder managed to grab the #1 spot this week. Perfectly fine by me as I've come to enjoy this song at the moment. In fact, Thunder made it to #1 faster than Believer did, which took about 4 months for it to get there since its debut. Now the question is, how long will it stay there? Time will tell on that. But either way, I'm thrilled to see it at the top spot.

- Holding at #2, we have Sorry Not Sorry. Again, I was thinking this would be our #1 this week, what with it continuing to gain traction on most charts. Although I much prefer her other singles (Cool For The Summer, Confident, etc.), it won't be the end of the world if Sorry Not Sorry actually gets there.

- At #5, we have Look What You Made Me Do finally entering that region! It's good to see this one not giving up yet. Keep in mind this was #1 on the American Top 40 this week. I'm hoping the same rings true here.

- Speaking of Taylor Swift, I recently watched the music video for ...Ready For It?, and...it was really cool for the most part. Taylor Swift apparently isn't playing around when it comes to making music videos as she's trying to step up her game big time. I'll bet some of the other mainstream artists are jealous. :P

- Glorious back in the Top 10? Fine by me. I still somewhat enjoy this song, despite the fact that its dying out elsewhere. But I'm hoping its successor will graduate from Hit-Bound soon and have similar success like this one is having right now.

- After two weeks of doing nothing but drop, Havana made a big jump into the Top 20. I have been starting to grow into this song recently, so I'm cool with that jump.

- However, I'm not cool with Save Me A Place taking a huge drop out of the 10, especially after being so close to entering the Top 5 for a few weeks. I'm hoping it can recover from this hard fall and get back in that region soon.

- Let Me Go jumping into the Top 20? Sure, I'll take it! I wonder will it become the next Starving in terms of success? I'm hoping it does.

- I'll admit, I laughed Kid Kelly called Sam Hunt "Sam Hunk" during his introduction of Body Like A Back Road. That said, I can't wait for this song to leave already and stop polluting the countdown.

- Looks like There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back may be nearing the end of its tenure with that drop out of the Top 20. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.

- Both Ed Sheeran songs (Shape Of You & Perfect) have swapped places with each other this week. The former looks like it's nearing its end, while the latter is going to be here to stay for a long while.

- On the subject of drops, Rain is right back to where it was two weeks ago, at #33. Apparently, North America doesn't really care for The Script anymore.

Hit-Bound:

• Macklemore featuring Kesha - Good Old Days
• Niall Horan - Too Much To Ask
• Bruno Mars - Chunky
• Nick Jonas - Find You
• Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line - Meant To Be
• Lauv - I Like Me Better
• Harry Styles - Kiwi
• Post Malone featuring 21 Savage - Rockstar
• The Shadowboxers - Hot Damn
• Dua Lipa - New Rules
• X Ambassadors - Ahead Of Myself
• ZAYN featuring Sia - Dusk Till Dawn
• Imagine Dragons - Whatever It Takes
• Liam Payne - Bedroom Floor

- Sabrina Carpenter hosted this week's edition of Hit-Bound. There are no new entrants this week. Thus, the list remains the same as last week.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

1. Bruno Mars - Chunky

2. Macklemore featuring Kesha - Good Old Days

3. Imagine Dragons - Whatever It Takes

4. Harry Styles - Kiwi

5. ZAYN featuring Sia - Dusk Till Dawn

Top 20 Review:

0 - Awful:

None!

1 - Bad:
20. Liam Payne - Strip That Down

2 - Mediocre:

None!

3 - Decent:
19. Camila Cabello - Havana

4 - Good:

18. Halsey - Bad At Love
17. Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry
16. Imagine Dragons - Believer
15. Niall Horan - Slow Hands

5 - Great:
14. Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill
13. Kelly Clarkson - Love So Soft
12. Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey - Glorious
11. Charlie Puth - How Long
10. Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still
9. Maroon 5 featuring SZA - What Lovers Do
8. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt - Let Me Go
7. Imagine Dragons - Thunder
6. P!NK - What About Us
5. Mono Mind - Save Me A Place
4. Taylor Swift - ...Ready For It?
3. Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do
2. Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl

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

Overall Grade: 91/100 (A-)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)

Most Missed Countdown Songs: Katy Perry - Wide Awake & Katy Perry - Dark Horse (DO NOT kill me for this, guys!)

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Echosmith - Get Into My Car

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber - Let Me Love You

My Top 5 Picks

1. Kesha - Praying

2. Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl

3. Taylor Swift - ...Ready For It?

4. Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do

5. Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back

My Bottom 5 Picks

1. Sam Hunt - Body Like A Back Road

2. Sabrina Carpenter - Why

3. Fergie featuring Nicki Minaj - You Already Know

4. Liam Payne - Strip That Down

5. MAX featuring Gnash - Lights Down Low

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj - Side To Side: These two teamed up once again since Bang Bang, and they did not disappoint. Their verses flow very nicely, and I love the reggae feel to it. Overall, it's another win for both Nicki & Ariana.

AT40: Taylor Swift (1) - Week Of October 28, 2017

Hello friends, and Happy (early) Halloween! Welcome to the spooky world of the American Top 40! What scary things await us on this week's countdown, you ask? You'll just have to read and find out for yourself! Let's get right into the spooky business of things, shall we? Now, this week was much better than last week, in a way. Despite having an iffy class of entrants, our #1 definitely excites me. And we did get some activity, so I'll take that. Now, with that being said, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran [Spent 10 Weeks At #1]
  Last Week: #40 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 40

• Something Different by Why Don't We
  Last Week: #35 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 4

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo

40. Do Re Mi by Blackbear (DEBUT)
Last Week: N/A | # Of Weeks On Chart: 1

39. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay [-1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #38 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 33

38. Why by Sabrina Carpenter [+1]
Last Week: #39 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 2

37. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars [-1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #36 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 38

36. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage (DEBUT)
Last Week: N/A | # Of Weeks On Chart: 1

35. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez [-1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #34 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 34

34. Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller [-11]
Last Week: #23 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 17

33. Now Or Never by Halsey [-1]
Last Week: #32 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 27

32. Know No Better by Major Lazer featuring Travis Scott, Camila Cabello, and Quavo [+1]
Last Week: #33 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 10

31. Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) by Cardi B. [+6]
Last Week: #37 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 2

30. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt [+1]
Last Week: #31 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 3

29. Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt [-2]
Last Week: #27 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 21

28. Perfect by Ed Sheeran [+2]
Last Week: #30 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 2

27. Love So Soft by Kelly Clarkson [+1]
Last Week: #28 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 4

26. Glorious by Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey [-6]
Last Week: #20 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 14

25. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara [-3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #22 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 33

24. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash [+2]
Last Week: #26 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 8

23. Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William [+2]
Last Week: #25 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 9

22. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug [+7]
Last Week: #29 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 3

21. Despacito by Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee [-4] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #17 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 23

20. Friends by Justin Bieber featuring BloodPop® [-7]
Last Week: #13 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 8

19. New Rules by Dua Lipa [+2]
Last Week: #21 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 4

18. ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift [+1]
Last Week: #19 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 4

17. Thunder by Imagine Dragons [+7]
Last Week: #24 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 3

16. Bad At Love by Halsey [+2]
Last Week: #18 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 6

15. Believer by Imagine Dragons [-1]
Last Week: #14 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 23

14. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith [+2]
Last Week: #16 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 5

13. What About Us by P!NK [+2]
Last Week: #15 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 9

12. Praying by Kesha [=]
Last Week: #12 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 12

11. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA [=]
Last Week: #11 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 6

10. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes [-3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #7 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 24

9. Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee [+1]
Last Week: #10 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 15

8. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid [+1]
Last Week: #9 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 15

7. No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato [-1]
Last Week: #6 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 21

6. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato [+2]
Last Week: #8 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 11

5. Attention by Charlie Puth [-2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #3 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 22

4. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man [=]
Last Week: #4 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 10

3. Slow Hands by Niall Horan [-1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #2 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 22

2. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo [-1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #1 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 19

1. Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift [+4] [FIRST WEEK AT #1!!!]
Last Week: #5 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 7

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (3rd Of 7 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller (-11)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug & Thunder by Imagine Dragons (+7)

New Entrants
- Our first of two new entrants this week comes from Blackbear with the single Do Re Mi. To put it simply, I can't say I'm a fan of this one. It's basically him trying to be like Eminem and it just doesn't work. Also, the production seems uninteresting, and I'm not sold on the lyrical content either. My opinion could change, but I doubt it. Here's to hoping it leaves us soon.

- Blech. We have more Post Malone with the song I'm sure many you are expecting me to thrash big time. His new single is titled Rockstar, which features 21 Savage. I'll admit, it's better than the atrocious mess that is of Congratulations, but it's still undesirable by any means. Now the production and the vocals are actually somewhat tolerable, hence why it's not the worst rap song I've ever heard. But it's the lyrical content that brings the song way down for me, much like all the other mainstream rap songs nowadays. I'm pretty pissed that this was #1 on Billboard for two weeks. And unfortunately, it doesn't show any signs of slowing down anytime soon. I'm going to be honest here: why can't we have artists like Lorde flood the charts instead? Or Rachel Platten, who had just recently released her new album Waves? Heck, I'd much rather have Meghan Trainor (or Meghan Meghans, as a certain someone I won't name would call her) flood the charts just for one week. Anyway, I have a bad feeling it's going to have a long stay here, so I'm preparing for the worst.

'Cause This Is Thriller, Thriller Blurbs
- So, we had two exits this week, including the all-important one, and we'll get to that in a bit. To start, we lost Something Different by Why Don't We, which I had just started to grow into recently, but I knew it wouldn't last long here. Then, there's the all-important exit: Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran. That one had an incredible run on most charts, including this one, where it spent 10 weeks at the top. Although I do like some of his singles off of Divide better, it was good to see this one becoming his biggest hit of his career. While I know some people are rejoicing over its departure, I'm not one of them. Farewell, Shape Of You. Thank you for your time on this countdown. You will be missed.

- This is the third straight week in which Wild Thoughts took the biggest drop this week. Zoinks! Talk about a hard fall. Keep in mind that this was in the Top 10 earlier this month.

- I'm not too thrilled about the jump from Bodak Yellow (Money Moves). However, it's nice to see Thunder jumping into the Top 20 this week. I would like to see that one in the Top 10 soon, which I'm sure it will given that it's still gaining a lot of steam elsewhere and it's showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

- Also, we have Havana making a big jump. Something tells me Camila Cabello may have her first hit as a solo artist. Personally, I'd be okay with it, since I've started to slightly grow into this song recently.

- So, if you haven't heard, Justin Timberlake will be performing in Super Bowl LII. It's been a while since he's done one, back in 2004 when the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" occurred while performing with Janet Jackson. I wonder will he perform his new single, or just play his biggest hits? We don't know yet. We'll just have to wait and see.

- So, I just recently watched the music video for ...Ready For It?, and I must say: it was pretty cool for the most part. I won't really talk about it in detail, but it seems like Taylor Swift is stepping up her music video game big time. Now, I wonder will some of the other artists follow her path and at least try to make a cool music video like Taylor is doing right now? Only time will tell on that.

- I was thinking Feel It Still would have a shot at #1 this week, but that didn't appear to be the case, as a certain artist has leapfrogged everyone else in the Top 5. I'm sure it'll get there soon enough. Again, as I've said before, it's nice to see indie songs of this caliber catching on to the audience.

- Speaking of which, we've come to our #1! Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift has finally made it to the top spot! If I do say so myself, it's quite an unusual, but stand-out track for her that at least got some recognition because hey, it's Taylor Swift. I'm not sure how the rest of her album sounds yet as we have to wait two more weeks until it drops. Still, I'm definitely thrilled about that #1 this week!

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Find You by Nick Jonas
• Young, Dumb, & Broke by Khalid
• He Like That by Fifth Harmony

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Into You by Ariana Grande
• Two Ghosts by Harry Styles
• Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy
• Congratulations by Post Malone featuring Quavo
• The Hills by The Weeknd
• Location by Khalid
• E.T. by Katy Perry featuring Kayne West
• Fetish by Selena Gomez featuring Gucci Mane
• Cold Water by Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber and MØ

Top 20 Breakdown:

0 - Awful:

None!

1 - Bad:

20. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo

2 - Mediocre:
None!

3 - Decent:

None!

4 - Good:
19. Bad At Love by Halsey
18. Believer by Imagine Dragons
17. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato
16. Slow Hands by Niall Horan
15. Attention by Charlie Puth

5 - Great:
14. No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato
13. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
12. Friends by Justin Bieber featuring BloodPop®
11. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
10. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
9. Thunder by Imagine Dragons
8. New Rules by Dua Lipa
7. Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee
6. What About Us by P!NK
5. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid
4. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes
3. Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift
2. ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift

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

Total Score: 91/100 (A-)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Thriller by Michael Jackson (1983)

Most Missed Songs: Style by Taylor Swift & Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

#1 Recommendations For The American Top 40: Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran & Broken Glass by Rachel Platten

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Let Me Love You by DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber

My Top 5 Picks

1. Praying by Kesha

2. ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift

3. Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift

4. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes

5. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid

My Bottom 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt
TIE: 1. Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William
3. Know No Better by Major Lazer featuring Travis Scott, Camila Cabello, and Quavo
4. Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) by Cardi B.
5. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage

20,000 Pageview Special: My Top 10 Songs of 2016

For my 20,000 Pageview Special, I've decided to share of list of my Top 10 Songs of 2016. Now, 2016 wasn't really the best year for music in general, in part due to a lot of mediocre music being released. Still, that doesn't mean I can't find a good song worthy of being in my Top 10. Let's get right into it, shall we? But first, here are some of the few honorable mentions I want to talk about:


TWENTY ØNE PILØTS - Heathens
Taken from the Suicide Squad movie soundtrack, the blogging community had mixed opinions about this one. In fact, this was Graham's most hated song of 2016. As for me, I beg to differ. This is a special kind of song for TWENTY ØNE PILØTS in general. In terms of the lyrical content, you can see that it talks about newcomers coming from different backgrounds. In fact, they wrote this song about their fan-base. This is another win for this band, and I wish we had more songs like this.

Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
I'll admit, it's not her best single off of 25. There were definitely some better single choices in the album than this one. Still, I can't deny the fact that this is still good for what it is. Although the production may not seem like much, the rest of the song itself is a different story. Looking at the lyrical content, Adele shows that she is still a fantastic songwriter, and her vocals are still stellar, even when it's not her best. Overall, she pleases my ears yet again with this one.

Lukas Graham - 7 Years
I'm going to ask you this one simple question: which would you rather listen to? A nonsensical rap song like Desiigner - Panda, or a boring song that tells a great story about a father & son relationship like this one? For me, I'm going to choose the latter. It's sad that most people here in the blogging community don't appreciate this just because they find it boring. I'll admit, I wasn't head over heels about this one at first, but I warmed up to it big time. Lukas Graham did a very nice job at making a good first impression as a band. Too bad this was their only hit in the states.

Coldplay featuring Beyoncé - Hymn For The Weekend
Adrian's #1 song of 2016, and for a very good reason. This is an interesting collaboration that turned out well for both artists. The production is absolutely superb on all fronts. Both Chris Martin's & Beyoncé's vocals blend together very nicely. Actually, Beyoncé's vocals are easily the best part about this song. I love how she opens the intro with the line, "Let me shoot across the sky", along with the nature-like sounds in the background. Most radio stations played the SeeB remix at the time this became popular. While I do like the remix, it's nothing compared to the original. I'm pretty pleased this became a hit for both artists.

Mike Posner - I Took A Pill In Ibiza
What? Were you guys expecting this to be in my Top 5 or something? Sorry to disappoint you, but I think differently. Anyway, this is probably one of my favorite comeback singles of 2016. It's a huge step up from the bland and mediocre Cooler Than Me. He tells a story and he tells it really well. Mike Posner showcases his vocal talent with emotion, and the songwriting is amazing. The SeeB remix played on most radio stations made it even better than the original. Overall, this song is one of the few perfect examples of how to make a comeback in the music business.

Now, with all the honorable mentions out of the way, here is a list of my Top 10 Song of 2016 and my thoughts on the songs below. So, get ready:

10. P!NK - Just Like Fire
Taken from the Alice Through The Looking Glass movie soundtrack, this song was adored by the blogging community. They can explain it better than I can, but I'll try to make it as simple as possible. While P!NK isn't necessarily my go-to artist, at least she can make great music, and this is no exception. I absolutely love P!NK's verses in this one, as well as both the chorus and the pre-chorus. Not too much else I can say about it, but I'm glad this became another huge hit for her, hitting the Top 10 on most charts in 2016.

9. Zara Larsson featuring MNEK - Never Forget You
Don't you love it when a Swedish artist manages to get a hit in the states? That's pretty much what happened with Zara Larsson when she released this song. It tells a story about being in a relationship in a way which one can never forget the other, even when he/she is alone. And I'm sure people can relate. I love how their vocals blend together. For both artists, they did really well at making a good first impression.

8. Demi Lovato - Confident
Ah, yes. The follow-up single to the amazing Cool For The Summer. The chorus in this one is just awesome, and I love how Demi can hit those high notes. As the title track says, there's nothing wrong with being confident in yourself so long as you continue to do. The music video was pretty cool too, but I won't get into it right now. While it doesn't quite live up to its predecessor, this is still a keeper.

7. Adele - When We Were Young
It's basically a lesser version of Hello, but I don't care. This song is still amazing by any means. Many music critics called this one of the best songs of 2016. Unfortunately, the blogging community doesn't feel the same way. I beg to differ. From her great vocals to the divine lyrical content, this is probably the best single off of 25. While I may still enjoy its predecessor, I may find this one to be even better.

6. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS - Stressed Out
After putting themselves on the radar with Tear In My Heart, the band decided to take advantage of that and release a follow-up late in 2015. I'll make it simple: this is probably their best song they've released in my opinion. Although their vocals may not be necessarily the best, the biggest reason why I love this is the lyrical content, period. It tells a story about how when we were kids, we always played pretend, but today we're always stressed out, as the song title says. It also has some cool lines, especially near the end of the bridge where they sing, "Used to dream of outer space, but now there laughing in my facing singing, 'Wake up, you need to make money', Yeah". Tyler Joseph has proven to be a great songwriter. He shows that you can add cool lines and still come up with great lyrical content, unlike many artists who have tried and have failed mightily. *cough* AJR *cough*. Yeah, it's definitely my favorite single off of Blurryface and I'm glad it was a huge success.

5. 5 Seconds Of Summer - Jet Black Heart
Come to think of it, there's not really a whole lot to like about 5 Seconds Of Summer in general. They have some pretty good songs though (Hey Everybody!, Girls Talk Boys, Amnesia, etc.), so I'll give them that. However, no song stands out to me more than Jet Black Heart. When this song came around, I was impressed. It talks about that special someone in our lives and that you still love them no matter what. This is song that not only is fun to listen to when going on a ride with friends, but it's also something that people can relate to. It does have that classic rock vibe which we don't really get to hear nowadays. That said, I wish this was a bigger hit elsewhere because this is fantastic.

4. The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey - Closer
If both Roses & Don't Let Me Down were the start of chart success for The Chainsmokers, there was no doubt that they would end up having their biggest hit of their career at some point in time. And lo and behold, this is the one. This song nearly broke all kinds of records (both in streaming and on Billboard). What's more interesting about it is the fact that we get to hear the vocals from Andrew Taggart himself. You don't really hear those often in DJ collaborations. I love Halsey's vocals as well. They blend together very well in this song. Plus, it helps that it has references to Blink-182. I do still enjoy this song so much, and I'm happy to see that this became their biggest hit of their career.

3. Ariana Grande - Into You
Ah, yes. The follow-up to the title track off of Dangerous Woman, and a epic one at that. For me, this is easily her best song she's ever released by a landslide. I love how Ariana can try to be sultry and make it work, unlike some artists who are currently going that route nowadays. *cough* Selena Gomez *cough*. The production put together by producer Max Martin is near-flawless, and I absolutely love the lyrical content, especially when it has references to Mariah Carey's 2008 single, Touch My Body. Speaking of which, I also love how Ariana channels her inner Mariah Carey in this one. Again, Ariana manages to impress me with her second single off of that album.

 

2. Ellie Goulding - Something In The Way You Move
Nowadays, it's very rare to find an artist who continues to impress with each single they've released. Back in the day, artists such as Mariah Carey, Céline Dion, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Whitney Houston were many examples that come to mind. This decade, you have Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift who have managed to impress me many times (though each had a few hiccups along the way, which were not to my liking). However, to me, there's no artist that never fails to disappoint me than Ellie Goulding. Ever since she went into the spotlight with Lights, every single she has released has wowed me to the point where she's now one of my favorite artists of the decade. Something In The Way You Move is no different. For me, it's my third favorite single from her (only behind Lights and Love Me Like You Do). I absolutely LOVE both the chorus and the pre-chorus. Her vocals absolutely shine bright like a diamond (no reference to Rihanna). Not only that, but Ellie Goulding has also proven herself to be one of the best songwriters around when looking at the lyrical content of this song. Even though this wasn't a bigger hit like I wanted it to be, I'm still love it no matter what. Thank you, Ellie Goulding, for making yet another amazing song.

1. Rachel Platten - Stand By You
Okay. Now I'm quite sure many of you did not expect this to be my #1 song of 2016. I had thought long and hard about what should I put as my #1, and I've decided that this song was worthy of getting the top spot on my list. It's the follow-up to the awesome Fight Song, which was (and still is) a huge favorite of mine 2015. Now, as much as I really love its predecessor, I actually find this one to be superior. In fact, this song is basically EVERYTHING I LOVE about Rachel Platten as an artist. The chorus is probably the best thing I've ever heard in a long time. Rachel's vocals absolutely shine in this one. It is also a huge step up in terms of the lyrical content, which is better written than even that of Fight Song. Yet, as much as I really love this song on its own, that's not even the best of it. The best thing about this song is the music video. It may not seem like much, but she just looks absolutely stunning, and I love how she dances with the choir in the music video. I was overjoyed to see this being another hit for Rachel, what with it reaching #2 on the Hits 1 weekend countdown. Overall, Rachel Platten has managed to impress me yet again, and I'm hoping she continues to make music just like this, because this is absolutely divine across the board.

And that's that! Those are my Top 10 best songs of 2016! You can share your thoughts about it in the comments below. It took a while, but I finally made this list. Again, thank you all for reading my blog and making my page special!

Ed Sheeran (2) - Week Of October 21, 2017

Hello, friends! I'm still working on my 20,000 Pageview Special. I've been busy all week, which is why I haven't gotten it finished yet. I promise, I'll get it posted sometime next week. This was another good week for the most part. Our #1 remained the same, and we got rid of one big piece of garbage. More on that later. And we got some activity going on, for better or worse. Now, before we get to the countdown, here are the exits:

• Zedd featuring Liam Payne - Get Low (#39)
• Selena Gomez - Fetish (#34) (Good Riddance)
• Panic! At The Disco - L.A. Devotee (#35)

The Countdown:

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

45. Kygo featuring Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me (#44) [-1]

44. Louis Tomlinson featuring Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals - Back To You (#45) [+1]

43. The All-American Rejects - Sweat (#40) [-3]

42. MAX featuring Gnash - Lights Down Low (#43) [+1]

41. Bruno Mars - That's What I Like (#42) [+1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

40. Charlie Puth - Attention (#41) [+1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

39. Ed Sheeran - Perfect (DEBUT)

38. Lady Gaga - The Cure (#38) [=]

37. Harry Styles - Two Ghosts (#37) [=]

36. Justin Bieber featuring BloodPop® - Friends (#36) [=]

35. Fergie featuring Nicki Minaj - You Already Know (DEBUT)

34. The Revivalists - Wish I Knew You (#27) [-7]

33. Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid - 1-800-273-8255 (#17) [-16]

32. Evaride - Heartless (DEBUT)

31. Zedd featuring Alessia Cara - Stay (#28) [-3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

30. Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You (#31) [+1] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]

29. Camila Cabello - Havana (#26) [-3]

28. Linkin Park - One More Light (#29) [+1]

27. Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee - Despacito (#23) [-4]

26. Sam Smith - Too Good At Goodbyes (#25) [-1]

25. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt - Let Me Go (#24) [-1]

24. Sam Hunt - Body Like A Back Road (#18) [-6]

23. Sabrina Carpenter - Why (#32) [+9]

22. The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay - Something Just Like This (#10) [-12] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

21. The Script - Rain (#33) [+12]

20. Taylor Swift - ...Ready For It? (#22) [+2]

19. Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill (#21) [+2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

18. Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey - Glorious (#14) [-4]

17. Kesha - Praying (#20) [+3]

16. Imagine Dragons - Believer (#15) [-1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

15. Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#9) [-6] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

14. Kelly Clarkson - Love So Soft (#16) [+2]

13. Charlie Puth - How Long (#30) [+17]

12. P!NK - What About Us (#7) [-5]

11. Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato - No Promises (#19) [+8]

10. Maroon 5 featuring SZA - What Lovers Do (#13) [+3]

9. Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do (#12) [+3]

8. Halsey - Bad At Love (#8) [=]

7. Niall Horan - Slow Hands (#5) [-2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

6. Mono Mind - Save Me A Place (#6) [=]

5. Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still (#11) [+6]

4. Liam Payne - Strip That Down (#2) [-2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

3. Imagine Dragons - Thunder (#3) [=]

2. Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry (#4) [+2]

1. Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl (#1) [=] [SECOND WEEK AT #1!!!]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: TWENTY ØNE PILØTS - Heathens (1st Of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid - 1-800-273-8255 (-16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Charlie Puth - How Long (+17)

New Entrants

- Well, whaddya know? Our #1 artist this week, Ed Sheeran has another new single in its stead, by the name of Perfect, which is currently gaining popularity elsewhere right now as opposed to his #1 song. This song is quite different compared to some of the other songs off of Divide. It's a solid ballad to say the least, and he showcases his vocal talent more here. I would definitely recommend this song for a wedding. Will this be another big hit for Ed Sheeran? Only time will tell on that, but right now, I'm sold on this one.

- Next up, Fergie has a new collaboration with Nicki Minaj in their single, You Already Know. This song is from her album Double Dutchess, which was just released last month, and...unfortunately, I can't say I'm a fan at this moment. The lyrics are kinda meh, and I'm not too fond of Fergie's vocals. It sounds a little off, especially in the verse where she starts the beginning line "Life's a movie". Probably the best thing about this is Nicki Minaj. Her verses flow nicely and is better than that of Fergie's. When I think of Fergie, I think of her 2007 hit, Big Girls (Don't Cry), not some of her recent work. Overall, it's just not my cup of tea. Sorry.

- For our final debut of the week, we have a new band making their first-ever appearance on the countdown. Enter Evaride, which consists of former One Direction drummer Josh Devine, Hayden Maringer, and Sean Michael Murray. Their debut single is titled Heartless. Now, right off the bat, this is a nice first impression for the band. It has that classic rock vibe to it, I do love the lyrical content, and their vocals shine here. Not too much else to say about it. We'll see how well this song does on the countdown.

Life's A Movie, Let The Blurbs Roll

- On the note of exits, Get Low never caught on with the public, so I wasn't too surprised to see that one leave. A part of me kinda wishes this became another big hit for both Zedd & Liam Payne, but it was just not meant to be, especially since these two were coming off their biggest hits of this year. As for me, I can't say I'm heartbroken about it. On a positive note, we say good riddance to Fetish. I'm going to be honest here; Selena just needs to go back to making upbeat songs, because her current direction is simply not working. No wonder this, along with her predecessor, both had disappointing runs on the charts. I'm just tired of her making all those nonsensical sultry songs. Good-bye, Selena Gomez - Fetish. You will definitely not be missed. Finally, we lost L.A. Devotee. And with that brings an incredible run of Panic! At The Disco to a close. It seems like forever ago that they entered the countdown with Victorious back in 2015. If it had stayed for a little while longer and not left earlier, they would've spent two years on the countdown in general. Then, there was Death Of A Bachelor, which was still respectable despite not being on the same height of success as its predecessor. And finally, there's this. I know there are going to be some people throwing a Panic! At The Disco be-gone party, but I won't necessarily be one of them. Thank you for your time on the countdown, Panic! At The Disco. Even though you weren't as big elsewhere, I did enjoy your music to some degree. Good-bye, Panic! At The Disco. You will be missed.

- Galway Girl holds the top spot in its second week. It's good to see Hits 1 giving it some love despite this not being big elsewhere, because hey, it's Ed Sheeran and they're still not sick of him as of yet. Also, I heard he got hurt while on his bicycle. Feel better, Ed!

- Also, we have Thunder holding the #3 spot. I was for sure either this or Sorry Not Sorry would be our #1 song this week, but I was proven wrong.

- Feel It Still has made its way into the Top 5. It's good to see Hits 1 giving indie artists of this caliber some love, as is everybody else. I'm hoping it can get the #1 spot someday, maybe sooner.

- Save Me A Place clearly just won't budge from the #6 spot. I heard it being introduced as Most Wutchuwanted the past few times throughout the week, yet it hasn't entered the Top 5. Still, I'm glad this Ellie Goulding-esque track is getting bigger than what I expected it to be. Keep in mind, this has yet to debut on the American Top 40, which I hope it does someday.

- By no surprise, How Long made a big jump in its second week. Something tells me this is going to end up being another huge hit for Charlie Puth. With all the attention he is getting right now, this shouldn't be much of a problem.

- Well, looks like this is it for There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back in the Top 10 (unless it makes a re-entry). It had a great run while it lasted. I'm glad to see this one spent 5 weeks at #1. I still enjoy it and it's definitely a contender for my Top 10 Songs Of 2017.

- The same can be said for Something Just Like This as well. Now that one is out of the Top 20. And with it brings The Chainsmokers' reign in the Top 20 to an end. It won't be too much longer until it leaves, sadly.

- The guest DJ that introduced Castle On The Hill dedicated this song to one of his friends. How adorable!

- Rain made a nice jump after doing virtually nothing of note last week. We'll see how much further it goes. Also, Spyder Harrison made a mistake by saying it was down 12 spots. Silly Spyder. You need to step up your game a bit. :P

- Meanwhile, Havana has done nothing but drop since it debuted. It seems that people are really tired of Camila Cabello after all. Not that I really care, though.

- Speaking of drops, I'm not thrilled to see the suicide song drop big this week. As I've said, this has been getting better with each listen. Not cool, Hits 1.

- I never really mentioned this, but we had many guest DJs introduce the songs during the past two countdowns. We haven't had those in a while. I think it's been about a month since we last had one.

Hit-Bound

• Lauv - I Like Me Better
• Harry Styles - Kiwi (DEBUT)
• Dua Lipa - New Rules
• Macklemore featuring Kesha - Good Old Days (DEBUT)
• X Ambassadors - Ahead Of Myself
• Liam Payne - Bedroom Floor (DEBUT)
• ZAYN featuring Sia - Dusk Till Dawn
• Imagine Dragons - Whatever It Takes (DEBUT)
• Post Malone featuring 21 Savage - Rockstar
• Niall Horan - Too Much To Ask
• Bruno Mars - Chunky
• The Shadowboxers - Hot Damn (DEBUT)
• Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line - Meant To Be
• Nick Jonas - Find You

- We have quite a big shake-up on this week's edition of Hit-Bound, so let's get right into it, shall we?

- To start, we lost both Something Different & Would You Mind. The former I grew into, but I'm not quite sad to see it off. The latter, however, I'm disappointed to see it go. I was hoping that one would graduate, but it just wasn't meant to be, unfortunately.

- For our first entrant, we have more Harry Styles with Kiwi. There is definitely a lot more to it than Two Ghosts or even Sign Of The Times in terms of the production. It has that 80's rock vibe to it much like the songs in his self-titled album. I'll have more on this when it debuts.

- More Macklemore is nice, and he brings Kesha along for the fun! Good Old Days isn't as upbeat as its predcessor, but it's still really good by any means. I love how both of their vocals blend together. I'll talk more about it should it debut on the countdown.

- I wasn't looking forward to Liam Payne, but alas, here he is with Bedroom Floor. With Strip That Down still not to anyone's liking, I was hoping for something better from Liam Payne. And to say the least, it's not really that bad. The production is better than that of its predecessor. I do question some of the lyrics though, and I'm not sure whether adding that falsetto was necessary.

- Oh, cool! More Imagine Dragons is nice to have! Whatever It Takes packs a lot of punch. This one is more lively than its two representations currently on the countdown. Will this be another huge hit for them? We'll just have to wait and see.

- For our last debut on Hit-Bound, I'll talk about The Shadowboxers - Hot Damn some other time, since I've only heard it once and I don't have much of an opinion on it right now.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

1. Bruno Mars - Chunky

2. Macklemore featuring Kesha - Good Old Days

3. Imagine Dragons - Whatever It Takes

4. Harry Styles - Kiwi

5. Dua Lipa - New Rules

Top 20 Review:

0 - Awful:

None!

1 - Bad:
20. Liam Payne - Strip That Down

2 - Mediocre:
None!

3 - Decent:
None!

4 - Good:
19. Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry
18. Halsey - Bad At Love
17. Niall Horan - Slow Hands
16. Imagine Dragons - Believer

5 - Great:
15. Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato - No Promises
14. Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey - Glorious
13. Kelly Clarkson - Love So Soft
12. Imagine Dragons - Thunder
11. Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill
10. Charlie Puth - How Long
9. Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still
8. Maroon 5 featuring SZA - What Lovers Do
7. P!NK - What About Us
6. Mono Mind - Save Me A Place
5. Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back
4. Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do
3. Taylor Swift - ...Ready For It?

BONUS: 6 - Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl
TIE: 1. Kesha - Praying

Overall Grade: 94/100 (A)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Jodeci - Cry For You (1993)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Selena Gomez - Come & Get It (Seriously, why can't she go back to making songs like this?!)

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Lorde - Homemade Dynamite

Favorite Countdown Song One Year Ago: DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber - Let Me Love You

My Top 5 Picks

TIE: 1. Kesha - Praying

TIE: 1. Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl

3. Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do

4. Taylor Swift - ...Ready For It?

5. Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back

My Bottom 5 Picks

1. Sam Hunt - Body Like A Back Road

2. Sabrina Carpenter - Why

3. MAX featuring Gnash - Lights Down Low

4. Liam Payne - Strip That Down

5. Fergie featuring Nicki Minaj - You Already Know

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
RUNAGROUND - Chase You Down: It's repetitive, but that doesn't always mean it's bad. The production is solid all around, and his vocals are good. Not much else I can say about this one.
Sia featuring Kendrick Lamar - The Greatest: I decided on whether to put this in green or blue for this one, and I decided on the latter, mainly because it not anything like her. It's not as good as Chandlier, but there are some things I like about it. I'm surprised Hits 1 didn't cut out Kendrick Lamar, but he did contribute nicely.
Alessia Cara - Scars To Your Beautiful: Easily my second-favorite single from her, only behind her 2015 hit, Here. I love the message behind this one. That chorus gives me the chills every time. Overall, it's another win for Alessia Cara.
Maroon 5 - Don't Wanna Know: Now, I'll admit I was being too hard on this one when it got bigger. However, it's stiff all around, mainly because of the lyrical content and the repeating of the word "know" wasn't really necessary. Probably the best thing about this was the music video where they were dressed in Pokémon costumes.

AT40: Liam Payne (1) - Week Of October 21, 2017

Hello, friends! This week...to put it easy, was kinda meh if I do say so myself. But I guess I'll learn to put up with it. Although we had some decent activity, so I'll give it that. So without further ado, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• Hoodie by Hey Violet
  Last Week: #39 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 3

• Two Ghosts by Harry Styles
  Last Week: #37 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 5

• Fetish by Selena Gomez featuring Gucci Mane
  Last Week: #24 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 9

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Slow Hands by Niall Horan

40. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran [=] [Spent 10 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #40 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 40

39. Why by Sabrina Carpenter (DEBUT)
Last Week: N/A | # Of Weeks On Chart: 1

38. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #38 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 32

37. Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) by Cardi B. (DEBUT)
Last Week: N/A | # Of Weeks On Chart: 1

36. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars [-1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #35 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 37

35. Something Different by Why Don't We [+1]
Last Week: #36 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 4

34. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez [-1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #33 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 33

33. Know No Better by Major Lazer featuring Travis Scott, Camila Cabello, and Quavo [-5]
Last Week: #28 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 9

32. Now Or Never by Halsey [-1]
Last Week: #31 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 26

31. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt [+1]
Last Week: #32 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 2

30. Perfect by Ed Sheeran (DEBUT)
Last Week: N/A | # Of Weeks On Chart: 1

29. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Yung Thug [+5]
Last Week: #34 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 2

28. Love So Soft by Kelly Clarkson [+1]
Last Week: #29 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 3

27. Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt [-1]
Last Week: #26 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 20

26. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash [+1]
Last Week: #27 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 7

25. Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William [=]
Last Week: #25 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 8

24. Thunder by Imagine Dragons [+6]
Last Week: #30 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 2

23. Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller [-8]
Last Week: #15 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 16

22. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara [-3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #19 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 32

21. New Rules by Dua Lipa [+2]
Last Week: #23 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 3

20. Glorious by Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey [+1]
Last Week: #21 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 13

19. ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift [+3]
Last Week: #22 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 3

18. Bad At Love by Halsey [+2]
Last Week: #20 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 5

17. Despacito by Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee [-1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #16 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 22

16. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith [+2]
Last Week: #18 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 4

15. What About Us by P!NK [+2]
Last Week: #17 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 8

14. Believer by Imagine Dragons [-3]
Last Week: #11 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 22

13. Friends by Justin Bieber featuring BloodPop® [-1]
Last Week: #12 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 7

12. Praying by Kesha [+2]
Last Week: #14 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 11

11. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA [+2]
Last Week: #13 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 5

10. Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee [-2]
Last Week: #8 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 14

9. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid [+1]
Last Week: #10 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 14

8. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato [+1]
Last Week: #9 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 10

7. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes [-2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #5 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 23

6. No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato [+1]
Last Week: #7 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 20

5. Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift [-1]
Last Week: #4 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 6

4. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man [+2]
Last Week: #6 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 9

3. Attention by Charlie Puth [-1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #2 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 21

2. Slow Hands by Niall Horan [-1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #1 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 21

1. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo [+2] [1st Week At #1]
Last Week: #3 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 18

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (2nd Of 7 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller (-8)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Thunder by Imagine Dragons (+6)

New Entrants
- To begin our new round of arrivals, we have Sabrina Carpenter making her second appearance on the AT40, in the form of Why. I pretty much talked about this one on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown a few weeks ago. To recap, it's not really an interesting song to say the least. She doesn't really showcase her vocal talent very well, and the production is kinda meh all around. Overall, it's just not all that good. Sorry.

- Next, we have more mediocre rap music once again. This time, we have Cardi B. making her debut with Bodak Yellow (Money Moves). Now, if I'm being honest, her vocals aren't as bad as I thought it would be at first listen. They're actually somewhat tolerable. The problem is the asinine lyrical content and the underwhelming production kills the song for me. I'm not too thrilled that it hit #1 on Billboard a while ago. We'll see how far this goes on here.

- Our final debut comes from Ed Sheeran with his new single Perfect. This song is quite different compared to some of the other singles off of Divide. While it's not the best single off of that album, it's a nice slow ballad to say the least. He definitely showcases his vocal talent here. This is a nice song can I would recommend for a wedding. I'll talk more about it later when it debuts on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown.

Believe It Or Not, I'm Blurbing On Air
- We'll talk about our exits first. To start, I'm thrilled to see Fetish depart from this countdown. Now, I'll say this: Selena just needs to go back to making upbeat music, because whatever she's doing right now isn't working. And the public seems to agree, because this and its predecessor both flopped (and rightfully so). The other two exits I'm quite sad about. I'm not surprised Hoodie got the boot, given that the public isn't too kind to Hey Violet's music. Same with Two Ghosts, although he does have a new single in its stead, which I'll talk about later this weekend.

- I'm not happy to see Strip That Down at #1 this week. But I shouldn't be surprised given that it's still near the top of the charts right now. Still, I'd rather have Slow Hands at the top for at least another week.

- Speaking of our #1, it doesn't look like Look What You Made Me Do is going to get there as much as I hoped. I may have jinxed it when I said that it was going to spend a long time at that spot, in part because it's Taylor Swift and this was #1 everywhere else.

- Meanwhile, we have Feel It Still in the Top 5. Something tells me this will hit #1 in the near future. Hopefully, it can dethrone Strip That Down within the next week.

- By no surprise, Thunder takes a big jump this week. Imagine Dragons are pretty much having a great year so far, what with Believer being a big hit and this one still gaining a lot of steam. It's good to see this one catching on.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
• Do Re Mi by Blackbear
• Find You by Nick Jonas

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Wake Me Up by Avicii featuring Aloe Blacc
• Sorry by Justin Bieber
• Play That Song by Train
• Hoodie by Hey Violet
• Best Day Of My Life by American Authors
• Am I Wrong by Nico & Vinz
• The Heart Wants What It Wants by Selena Gomez
• Love On The Brain by Rihanna

Top 20 Breakdown:

0 - Awful:

None!

1 - Bad:

20. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo

2 - Mediocre:

None!

3 - Decent:
None!

4 - Good: 
19. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato

18. Bad At Love by Halsey
17. Attention by Charlie Puth
16. Slow Hands by Niall Horan
15. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
14. Believer by Imagine Dragons

5 - Great:
13. No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato
12. Friends by Justin Bieber featuring BloodPop®
11. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
10. Glorious by Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey
9. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
8. Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee
7. What About Us by P!NK
6. Despacito by Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee
5. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid
4. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes
3. Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift
2. ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift

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

Total Score: 91/100 (A-)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Believe It Or Not by Joey Scarbury (1981)

Most Missed Song: Slow Down by Selena Gomez

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Save Me A Place by Mono Mind

My Top 5 Picks

1. Praying by Kesha

2. ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift

3. Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift

4. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes

5. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid

My Bottom 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt
TIE: 1. Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William
3. Know No Better by Major Lazer featuring Travis Scott, Camila Cabello, and Quavo
4. Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) by Cardi B.
5. Why by Sabrina Carpenter