The Chainsmokers & Kelsea Ballerini (6) - Week Of February 23, 2019

Hello, fam! I am happy to announce that I haven't forgotten about my rankdown involving the 2012 Billboard Year-End List. The deadline to send me your submissions will be at the end of March. I'll change the date if I have to. We'll see. So, we have another shake-up in this week's countdown. We did get rid of some trash and replaced it with some good stuff. And all of that includes a return from certain acts we haven't heard from in quite a while. You'll see what I'm talking about as I review the whole countdown. Let's get into it! Before we get to this week's fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week:

• James Arthur – Empty Space (#26)
• Imagine Dragons – Machine (#38)
• Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (#42)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
45. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess (#44) [–1]
44. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (#40) [–4]
43. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#45) [+2]
42. Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode (#37) [–5]
41. lovelytheband – Broken (#41) [=]
40. Jake Miller – Wait For You (#30) [–10]
39. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (#36) [–3]
38. George Ezra – Shotgun (#43) [+5]
37. Zedd featuring Katy Perry – 365 (DEBUT)
36. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#33) [–4]
35. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More (DEBUT)
34. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart (#35) [+1]
33. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (#29) [–4]
32. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (#32) [=]
31. Cardi B featuring Bruno Mars – Please Me (DEBUT)
30. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#31) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
29. Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999 (#25) [–4]
28. Lauren Daigle – You Say (#20) [–8]
27. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don't Leave Me Alone (#23) [–4]
26. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#19) [–7]
25. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#24) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
24. Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe (#15) [–9]
23. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#16) [–7]
22. Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me (#34) [+12]
21. Dean Lewis – Be Alright (#22) [+1]
20. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#13) [–7]
19. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#39) [+20]
18. Khalid – Better (#28) [+10]
17. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It's Over (#18) [+1]
16. Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip (#27) [+11]
15. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#12) [–3]
14. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#17) [+3]
13. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (#21) [+8]
12. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#5) [–7] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
11. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#10) [–1]
10. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#8) [–2]
9. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#14) [+5]
8. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#11) [+3]
7. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#7) [=]
6. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#2) [–4] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
5. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#9) [+4]
4. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#4) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Halsey – Without Me (#3) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
2. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#6) [+4]
1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#1) [=] [6^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (1^st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Jake Miller – Wait For You (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (+20)

New Entrants:
- We have three new songs entering the countdown this week. To begin, we have the return of a act who was behind my #1 favorite song of 2018, Zedd. And he teams up with one of my favorite artists of the decade, Katy Perry, in their new single debuting straight to the countdown this week titled 365. For those who have been following my blog since the beginning, I hold the 100% unpopular opinion on liking songs such as Stay, The Middle, and Happy Now. I enjoyed those songs overall despite what others think when it comes to Zedd selling out and what not. My expectations were pretty high coming into the song. When I listened to it in its entirety, I can say that it's pretty divine. Yeah, it may not have some of the interesting stuff such as the ticking clock, which was used in Stay and The Middle. But the rest of the production is good. I like Katy's voice throughout the song and she shines in the chorus. Overall, it's definitely a great song that Zedd has put out.

- Kelsea Ballerini showed me that she's a good singer in This Feeling, which reigns at the top for the second week in a row. But let's talk about her solo music. This week, she brings us Miss Me More. Everything about the song works well. I like the production and the beat is really catchy. Kelsea sounds amazing and it shows why she is a good singer overall. The lyrical content is solid. I definitely love the song. Kelsea has impressed me once more.

- Finally, we get another collaboration between Cardi B and Bruno Mars. Last year, they gave us my #8 song of 2018 in the form of Finesse. This time, they have a new single together, titled Please Me. This song came out of nowhere, having just released this past week and thus would go straight to the countdown, much like 365. Apparently, these two songs just don't have time to spend a week on Hit-Bound. Anyway, onto the song itself. I'm going to give it to you straight and say that it's a step down from Finesse. But that doesn't make it bad per se. I do like this, mainly because of Bruno's voice. It shows how talented he is as a singer. I also like Cardi B's verses for the most part. The production is good, but I feel like it's missing something and nothing about it really stands out. I'm not sure what it is. So yeah, it's definitely not as good as Finesse, but it's something that I can enjoy.

Best Debut Of The Week: Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More

But I Blurb Me More
- I can't say any of our exits will be missed by me. Machine was just a mess all over and thankfully, it didn't last very long. This was Imagine Dragons's worst single and I genuinely hope to never hear something like this again. Empty Space was pretty bad as well. Although not nearly as annoying, I didn't like what it had to offer and I'd prefer something along the lines of Say You Won't Let Go, which I find to be decent even though it wasn't any special. Lastly, there's I Found You, which was a step down from its predecessor. I expected more out of the collaboration between both Benny Blanco and Calvin Harris, but it just didn't click with me. So, I'm okay with it departing.

- Before introducing The Way I Am, Spyder Harrison mentioned the Charlie Puth has recently taken out his tonsils. I'll bet it was painful. Hopefully, he feels better. And we see him eating some ice cream afterwards. That's some good stuff!

- Nice to see Sicko Mode drop down to the Bottom 5. Hopefully this means it won't be around for too much longer.

- On that note, Wait For You took a surprise biggest drop in its second week of its tenure. Yikes! Though I don't really care for that song either, I have a feeling it may not last very long either.

- Who Do You Love would, of course, jump big into the Top 20 this week. Something tells me that Hits 1 is going to adore the song because they still love 5 Seconds Of Summer. We also get the entries from Better and Grip, both of which are pretty good songs, so I'm content with this.

- I don't even want to talk about the other Top 20 entrant we get from the monstrosity that is of 7 Rings.

- For the first time in what feels like forever, Youngblood is not in the Top 10. What a run this song has had. Though, I think that had more to do with Who Do You Love being here now. I do have a feeling that the song may end up lasting a year, though that might be a stretch.

- In Top 5 news, we get the entry from Sweet But Psycho, and I'm certainly okay with that. And Panic! At The Disco have indeed replaced themselves at #2 with Hey Look Ma, I Made It, swapping places with High Hopes now at #6. Something tells me that it'll end up at #1 soon. Whether it happens next week or the week after, we don't know yet. We'll just see how it plays out.

Hit-Bound:

• Kelsy Karter – Harry
• Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I'm So Tired
• Grandson – Apologize
• Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
• LSD featuring Lil Wayne – Genius (Remix)
• Panic! At The Disco – Dancing's Not A Crime
• Maren Morris – GIRL
• Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire
• Madison Beer featuring Offset – Hurts Like Hell
• Post Malone – Wow.
• YUNGBLUD & Halsey featuring Travis Barker – 11 Minutes (DEBUT)
• Meghan Trainor – All The Ways
• Lil Peep featuring iLoveMakonnen and Fall Out Boy – I've Been Waiting
• Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
• lovelytheband – Maybe I'm Afraid

Entrant Reviews:

- On this week's edition of Hit-Bound, we have a song that is better than Without Me. Halsey and her current boyfriend, YUNGBLUD, give us 11 Minutes. I like the production in this one and Halsey sounds much better without the auto-tuned vocals. I'll have more on this when it inevitably debuts.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

TIE: 1. Maren Morris – GIRL

TIE: 1. Meghan Trainor – All The Ways

3. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

4. Rita Ora – Let You Love Me

5. Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd – Lost In The Fire

YouTube 15:

• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
• ONE OK ROCK – Wasted Nights
• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
• Andy Grammer – Don't Give Up On Me
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• R3HAB featuring Icona Pop – This Is How We Party
• Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
• Gnash featuring Ruth B – Imagine If
• Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
• Julia Michaels featuring Selena Gomez – Anxiety
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• Bebe Rexha – Last Hurrah

Song Reviews:
- Remember ONE OK ROCK? Well, they're back and this time they give us Wasted Nights. It's pretty different from what they've released. The instrumentation is pretty solid and I like the vocals we get from those guys. Overall, it's a good song.

- We still have the disaster that is of I'm A Mess on this countdown. But Bebe Rexha gives us something better in the form of her new single, Last Hurrah. Everything about the song works well. Bebe sounds better without her auto-tuned vocals. I love the production in this one as well. I really hope it debuts soon because this is just divine. I want to see that one become a success.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
2. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
3. Bebe Rexha – Last Hurrah
4. ONE OK ROCK – Wasted Nights
5. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower

Top 20 Review:
0 – Horrific:
20. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings

1 – Bad:
19. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
18. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier

2 – Mediocre:
17. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
16. Anne-Marie – 2002 

3 – Decent:
15. Halsey – Without Me
14. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next

4 – Good:
13. Seeb featuring BΔSTILLE – Grip

5 – Great:
12. Khalid – Better
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
8. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
7. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love
6. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
5. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
3. Dan + Shay – Tequila

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It's Over
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

Overall Grade: 78/100 = 78% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: TLC – No Scrubs (1999)

Most Missed Countdown Song: B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams – Airplanes

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: MKTO – Superstitious

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Bebe Rexha – Last Hurrah

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#7) and Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (#1)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
TIE: 1. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It's Over
3. Dan + Shay – Tequila
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
5. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess
2. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
3. Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
4. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
5. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy: To think I actually used to like the song. I remembered liking how they sounded similar to Tyler Joseph of TWENTY ØNE PILØTS. But not so much anymore. Nothing about the song appeals to me. This was also the first sign of how their music would turn out, up until we got Side Effects, which was good, and our two current representations on the countdown, which are even better.
The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me: Taken from the Black Panther movie soundtrack, this was probably one of the best collaborations we've had all of last year. The song reminds me of Starboy, which I also loved. Both of these guys sound good throughout the song, and I love the lyrics about being a hero and sacrificing for the world. I genuinely enjoyed the song from start to finish. I do hope Black Panther can win something at the Oscars.

QOTW: Cardi B and Bruno Mars make their comeback with Please Me. How do you feel about this?

AT40: Halsey (3) - Week Of February 23, 2019

Hello, guys! So, I'm currently working on two things: my review for the Grammy Music Awards, and the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 for 2018. I know I haven't gotten those out yet, but I've been relatively busy lately. I just haven't had the time. You'll just have to bear with me for the time being. At least I have the AT40 countdown for you guys. Let's get to that. Before we get to this week's fresh 40, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#27)
• Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#35)

The Countdown:

Last Week's #1 Song: Without Me by Halsey

40. Mine by Bazzi (#40) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

39. You Say by Lauren Daigle (DEBUT)

38. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#37) [–1]

37. Let You Love Me by Rita Ora (#39) [+2]

36. Lie by NF (#28) [–8]

35. There's No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels (#38) [+3]

34. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#33) [–1]

33. Love Someone by Lukas Graham (#36) [+3]

32. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#31) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

31. Wake Up In The Sky by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black (#34) [+3]

30. 8 Letters by Why Don't We (#32) [+2]

29. Swan Song by Dua Lipa (DEBUT)

28. MIA by Bad Bunny featuring Drake (#29) [+1]

27. Broken by lovelytheband (#26) [–1]

26. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#25) [–1]

25. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (#30) [+5]

24. Body by Loud Luxury featuring brando (#23) [–1]

23. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#20) [–3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

22. Wow. by Post Malone (#24) [+2]

21. Tequila by Dan + Shay (#21) [=]

20. Better Now by Post Malone (#18) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

19. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#22) [+3]

18. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#15) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

17. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson (#19) [+2]

16. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus (#16) [=]

15. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#11) [–4] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

14. Lost In The Fire by Gesaffelstein featuring The Weeknd (#17) [+3]

13. Better by Khalid (#14) [+1]

12. Breathin' by Ariana Grande (#9) [–3]

11. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#12) [+1]

10. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#7) [–3]

9. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#13) [+4]

8. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#10) [+2]

7. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#8) [+1]

6. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#6) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

5. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#5) [=]

4. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#3) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

3. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#4) [+1]

2. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#2) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

1. Without Me by Halsey (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: New Rules by Dua Lipa (2^nd of 4 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Lie by NF (–8)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (+5)

New Entrants:

- Only two debuts to cover this week. First, we have a Adele-soundalike in the form of Lauren Daigle with a song that's been around for a while, titled You Say. I know there are some who are not fond of this. But I'm not one of them. There is a lot for me to love about the song. I love the piano work and the way it opens up the song. Lauren sounds absolutely amazing from start to finish. The chorus is just phenomenal. The lyrical content is well-written. So yeah, this is just divine in every sense of the word.

- We have more of Dua Lipa, who replaces herself this week with her latest single titled Swan Song, taken from the Alita: Battle Angel movie soundtrack. Dua Lipa has done quite a lot this past year, what with New Rules and One Kiss (with Calvin Harris) both becoming hits, the former which would eventually go on to become the #1 song of the year on the AT40. As far as her new single goes, it's pretty divine. Dua definitely shines with her voice in the song. I like her verses and the chorus. The production and the beat are really good as well. I do love the lyrics about not giving up and having to keep fighting. Yeah, this is solid. I find this to be just as good as New Rules, if not better.

Best Debut Of The Week: You Say by Lauren Daigle

This Is Not A Swan, Swan Blurb

- We'll begin with our two exits. Electricity had an OK run, but I wish it wasn't underrated as it was. And good riddance to Taki Taki. That one got mediocre extremely fast. DJ Snake can do much better. I'm happy to see that one leave.

- I'm going to give it to you guys straight and simply say that 7 Rings being in the Top 10 in its third week is the worst thing to happen this week. But of course, it's going to end up doing well on the AT40 despite the song being fucking garbage. I had better hope our Top 5 stays intact long enough to keep 7 Rings out. But I know it's not going to happen. She does have another song getting set to debut soon, which isn't any better. More on that in a bit. But yeah, this is just obnoxious.

- On the note of other things I'm not very thrilled about, we have Sicko Mode inching closer to the Top 10. I feel alone when it comes to my opinion, but I don't care. The song is garbage. It's sad that this was a #1 hit on Billboard. Now, I'm expecting it to stay here for a while on the AT40 as well.

- Now, onto some good things that happened this week. Sweet But Psycho makes its way into the Top 20. I'm pleased with this move. I genuinely enjoy the song. It's gotten better with each listen. I'm glad this song is getting more success.

- It's also nice to see Dancing With A Stranger take a big jump this week. I definitely love the chemistry between Sam and Normani in the song. 

- Ryan Seacrest mentioned during the introduction for There's No Way that Lauv dreams of collaborating with Chris Martin of Coldplay. If that really were to happen, my expectations would be low considering he's not been impressing me with his music. But I could be proven wrong.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Hurts Like Hell by Madison Beer featuring Offset
• Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored by Ariana Grande
• Undrunk by FLETCHER
• Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons
• Damn by LIVVIA

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
• Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
• Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
• Locked Out Of Heaven by Bruno Mars
• Issues by Julia Michaels
• Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj
• Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay
• Nice For What by Drake
• Let You Down by NF

Top 20 Breakdown:

0 – Garbage:

20. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
19. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

1 – Bad:
18. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Without Me by Halsey
16. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande

4 – Good:
15. Better by Khalid

5 – Great:
14. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
13. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson
12. Better Now by Post Malone
11. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max
10. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
7. Breathin' by Ariana Grande 
6. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
5. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
4. Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd
3. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
2. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

Total Score: 82/100 = 82% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: I Ran (So Far Away) by A Flock Of Seagulls (1982)

Most Missed Song: Forget You by CeeLo Green

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Who Do You Love by The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B (#9)

My Top 5 Picks
1. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
2. Tequila by Dan + Shay
3. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
4. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
5. You Say by Lauren Daigle

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
2. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
3. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
4. There's No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels
5. Wow. by Post Malone

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
I Fall Apart by Post Malone: Yeah, not really his best effort here. I'll give it to him that it's better than some certain songs I won't mention. But it's still not a fun listen for the most part.
Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar: Taken from the Black Panther movie soundtrack, this collaboration between the two was loved by many here, including myself. It reminds me of Starboy in a way and I love The Weeknd's voice.
The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey: Again, I know this an unpopular opinion. But I still love this song. The ticking clock is interesting and Maren sounds amazing with her voice. Objectively, Zedd has had better. But I genuinely enjoyed the song for much of last year.

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

Hello, fam! Well, how about that! This was certainly an interesting week. Although our Top 5 remained the same, at least we got a very pleasant #1. Plus, we have new songs entering the countdown. This will be a lot of fun to talk about! I'm running out of words, so let's just get right into it. Before we get to this week's fresh 45, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• 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) [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
• Pitbull featuring Rhea – Ocean To Ocean (#44)
• Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#45) [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

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

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Charlie Puth – How Long (2^nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You (–20)

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

New Entrants:
- There are six debuts that I'll be covering this week. So buckle up! First, we'll start with a collaboration between two of Hits 1's favorites: The Chainsmokers and 5 Seconds Of Summer in their brand new single, Who Do You Love. I never thought about these guys working together on this song. But I'm glad it turned out well. I initially thought it was just a good song. But with time, this just grew on me. The drop isn't particularly amazing, but I do like it. The vocals are pretty solid and I love the chorus. The Chainsmokers did a nice job with the rest of the production. So yeah, this is definitely a awesome song and I would like to see it have some success, which it probably will (on Hits 1 at least).

- I wasn't looking forward to what Travis Scott had to offer. But alas, here he is with Drake in Sicko Mode. That song has been around for a while and if you've read my posts, I pretty much explained why I don't like it. I'm not a big fan of his vocals. It is just terrible and it's hard for me to understand the lyrics, which is bad as well. Drake didn't make a good contribution at all. I don't like his verse and he doesn't sound good for the rest of the song. So yeah, it's pretty bad. But sadly, I'd rather listen to that than our other debut, which we'll get to in just a moment.

- Sabrina Carpenter makes her return this week, this time with Sue Me. Having listened to her music, I can say that I'm not too fond of what Sabrina has to offer. I'll admit that she is getting better vocally. She sounds decent here. But my concern is that there's really nothing I found interesting in the song. The production is pretty underwhelming. In a way, it kinda reminds me of Sorry Not Sorry. Also, something else about it just doesn't click with me for some reason. I can't say why. Overall, it's okay but nothing memorable.

- Up next, Sam Smith returns with my favorite single from him. He collaborates with Normani in Dancing With A Stranger. This song got me hooked from the very first listen. For starters, the beat is really good and the production is divine. Sam's soulful voice sounds great here in the song. Not only that, but we get Normani's verse which is honestly just amazing. She's easily the best part about the song. I think she has the best voice out of all the other members Fifth Harmony. I had thought Lauren Jauregui was the best. But since we've got more of Normani, my opinion has changed. Dancing With A Stranger is another example of why Normani is better. I love everything about the song in general. Here's to hoping it does well.

- Jake Miller has been making music for a while and has had quite a few songs appear on the YouTube 15 before. This week, he makes his first appearance on the countdown, I believe, with Wait For You. I've come to find that Jake is a pretty solid vocalist when listening to his music. As far as this song goes, he sounds pretty decent here. But my concern is the production is a little weird and out of place, especially when we hit the chorus. The lyrical content is pretty questionable outside of a few lines. So yeah, I'm not a big fan of this. It's not too far off from red, so it'll possibly get there soon.

- Replacing herself this week, we have Ariana Grande with my least favorite single from her so far, titled 7 Rings. I went off in my recent posts as to why this song is garbage. I really like Ariana Grande and her music is just amazing. But unfortunately, 7 Rings is a much different story. The production is extremely underwhelming and the beat is not good at all. Ariana herself sounds pretty bad in the chorus. I also do not like the lyrics at all. It sounds like she's all that and basically full of herself. I'm not sure what Ariana was going for here. But the bottom line is the song absolutely sucks. And it's sad because I adore Ariana. Oh well.

Best Debut Of The Week: Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

What A Girl Blurbs
- We're going to start things off with one of our exits. With In My Blood leaving us this week, that means we will not have a countdown with a song from Shawn Mendes for the first time in a long time. It all started with Treat You Better making its debut back in the summer of 2016, which was universally hated by many. Then came Mercy, which I genuinely loved. Then, we got There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back, which was even better and would become a big hit for Shawn during the summer of 2017. After a long while, we got In My Blood, the lead single from his self-titled album, and a couple more after that (Lost In Japan and Nervous). The countdown run for Shawn Mendes, which lasted for two and a half years, was similar to the one Fall Out Boy had for about three years. I'm sure there are quite a few here who will be throwing a Shawn Mendes be-gone party. Something tells me we haven't seem the last of him, because we'll likely get more music from him soon. But for now, I'll just say this. I pretty much enjoyed Shawn's countdown run while it lasted. Goodbye, Shawn Mendes. It's been a thrilling ride.

- As far as our remaining exits go, I actually kinda liked Ocean To Ocean. And although some are calling it a poor cover of Africa, I'm not necessarily among that crowd even though it was nowhere near Pitbull's best. Trust My Lonely wasn't really to my liking, so I'm happy about its departure. Back To You and Say Amen (Saturday Night) both had very good tenures, and they'll be missed by me. Finally, we say goodbye to Breathin'. And that means that we also bid farewell to the Sweetener representations. I did enjoy the album quite a bit, and it had some good singles such as No Tears Left To Cry, and God Is A Woman. But Breathin' was a highlight, and it's sad that it didn't quite get as big as I had hoped thanks to her latest album coming out so quickly. Farewell, Breathin'. It's been real.

- Before introducing I'm A Mess, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Bebe Rexha had a difficult time finding a dress because of her size. Of course, she eventually found one and I must say, it was stunning.

- I Found You took a massive drop this week, which I'm okay with considering that the song isn't anything interesting. Broken also made its way into the Bottom 5. The end is pretty much near for the song, but it had a nice run here.

- So, I would like to wish Khalid a Happy Birthday as he just celebrated one this week. He just recently released a new single, which we'll get to later on.

- I had thought Hey Look Ma, I Made It would for sure enter the Top 5 considering it aired as Most Wutchuwanted during the week. But it just didn't happen. I'm sure it'll enter the Top 5 eventually considering that Hits 1 loves Panic! At The Disco.

- Despite the Top 5 remaining the same, it's very nice to see This Feeling back at #1. It's genuinely an amazing song. Hopefully this ends up holding at the top over Happier and Without Me, until we get some better music in the Top 5.

Hit-Bound:

• Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
• Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
• lovelytheband – Maybe, I'm Afraid
• Maren Morris – GIRL (DEBUT)
• Gesaffelstein featuring 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 featuring iLoveMakonnen and Fall Out Boy – I've Been Waiting
• Madison Beer featuring Offset – Hurts Like Hell (DEBUT)
• Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I'm So Tired
• LSD featuring Lil Wayne – Genius (Remix) (DEBUT)
• Kelsy Karter – Harry (DEBUT)

Entrant Reviews:
- Alright. So, we have another big shake-up on Hit-Bound this week. We'll start with the song that is finally here! Maren Morris makes her return with her new single, GIRL! I've made my thoughts very clear on the song when it was on the YouTube 15 a month ago. This song is amazing. I love Maren's voice as always and the production is solid. Everything about it just clicks with me. Here's to hoping it debuts soon.

- Next, we have the return of Meghan Trainor with All The Ways. I enjoyed this when it was new and I still do now. I love Meghan's voice throughout the whole song. Hopefully, it ends up debuting soon.

- Madison Beer makes her return with Hurts Like Hell. This was also on the YouTube 15 a while ago and I explained my thoughts on the song. There's nothing really interesting about it. I don't like her voice in this one and the beat isn't too good. I kinda liked Home With You to an extent. This one...not so much.

- Oh boy. We have the group LSD who make their return with the remix to Genius. LSD has not been impressive since they gave me Thunderclouds, which was terrible. I'm not very fond of Genius either. I'll admit it's better than Thunderclouds, but there's a lot I don't like about this one. The production is not as annoying, but Sia and Labrinth don't sound good with their vocals. I'm not big on Lil Wayne's verses in the remix either. So yeah, this song is just not good overall.

- Finally, we have newcomer Kelsy Karter with Harry. Not too much I can say about this one, beside the fact that the music video resembles something from the 60's and 70's. I like what it's going for in terms of the production, and Kelsy's voice is okay. I don't have much of an opinion on this one since I listened to it once.

Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Maren Morris – GIRL

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Maren Morris – GIRL
2. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
3. Meghan Trainor – All The Ways
4. Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
5. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

YouTube 15:

• Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
• Julia Michaels featuring Selena Gomez – Anxiety
• Bazzi – 3:15
• Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
• Ally Brooke featuring Tyga – Low Key
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• R3HAB featuring Icona Pop – This Is How We Party
• Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
• Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
• Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
• Julia Michaels featuring Niall Horan – What A Time
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• The Chainsmokers featuring Winona Oak – Hope
• Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
• Khalid – Talk

Song Reviews:
- To start things off, Bazzi has a song that's been around for a while, titled 3:15. It's another short song, clocking in at under 3 minutes. But this is pretty good. I like the beat here and Bazzi sounds good with his voice. That's all I can say for this one.

- Remember Icona Pop who gave us their biggest hit I Love It? Well, guess what? They're back, and they collaborate with R3HAB in This Is How We Party. Right off the bat, this is pretty solid. The production is pretty good and I like the vocals we get from both Caroline and Aino. Not too much else I can say beyond that. Overall, it's a fun song.

- Although I'm not too fond of what Julia Michaels has to offer, that doesn't mean she hasn't made some good music. In fact, she brings me one of her best songs on the YouTube 15 this week. She collaborates with Niall Horan in What A Time. I think Julia sounds good here. She doesn't crack her voice and she shows what she is capable of. I also like the guitar and the verses we get from Niall. It's a good song overall for the most part.

- Finally, we have Khalid who just recently celebrated his birthday this week with his latest single, Talk. Based off of the first listen, I'm not exactly feeling the song too much. I like Khalid's voice, but something about the production doesn't quite work well for me. I can picture myself growing into it, though. 

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
2. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend 
3. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
4. Julia Michaels featuring Niall Horan – What A Time
5. Bazzi – 3:15

Top 20 Review:
0 – Horrific:
None!

1 – Bad:
20. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly
19. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier

2 – Mediocre:
18. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
17. Anne-Marie – 2002 

3 – Decent:
16. Halsey – Without Me
15. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
14. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
13. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
12. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
11. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
10. Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe
9. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
8. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
7. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
6. Dan + Shay – Speechless
5. Dan + Shay – Tequila
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
3. Lauren Daigle – You Say

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It's Over
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

Overall Grade: 84/100 = 84% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Christina Aguilera – What A Girl Wants (1999)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Demi Lovato – Give Your Heart A Break

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Carly Rae Jepsen – Run Away With Me

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Avril Lavigne featuring Nicki Minaj – Dumb Blonde

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Kesha – Praying (#39) and Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (Remix) (#14)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
TIE: 1. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me It's Over
3. Lauren Daigle – You Say
4. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
5. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
2. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess
3. Imagine Dragons – Machine
4. Travis Scott featuring Drake – Sicko Mode
5. James Arthur – Empty Space

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton – Say Something: Easily the best song from Man Of The Woods. The country vibe is just phenomenal and we get more singing from Justin, which was great. 
Troye Sivan – My My My!: It was this time last year that Troye made his comeback with this song. I love the groove and Troye's smooth voice works well here. Too bad it didn't end up becoming successful as I wanted it to be.
AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up: My least favorite song of 2018, and for a very good reason. This song is another example of why I don't like AJR. It may not be as bad as their other singles objectively, but it's still relatively annoying in some way.

QOTW: What are you overall thoughts on the awards for the Grammys? And what about the performances?

AT40: Halsey (2) - Week Of February 16, 2019

Hello, fam! I hope everyone here had a good Valentine's Day yesterday. We're approaching warmer weather as we draw towards next month. I'm sure many here are looking forward to that, and I am too. This cold weather is just tiring. Anyway, let's get right into the AT40 this week. As far as the countdown went, it was okay. I'm not crazy about some of the moves. But at least we're gettting activity, so that's something I guess. Before we get to this week's fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week:

• Consequences by Camila Cabello (#35)

The Countdown:

Last Week's #1 Song: Without Me by Halsey

40. Mine by Bazzi (#40) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

39. Let You Love Me by Rita Ora (#36) [–3]
38. There's No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels (#39) [+1]
37. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#37) [=]
36. Love Someone by Lukas Graham (#38) [+2]
35. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#13) [–22]
34. Wake Up In The Sky by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black (#34) [=]
33. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#33) [=]
32. 8 Letters by Why Don't We (#32) [=]
31. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#30) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
30. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani (DEBUT)
29. MIA by Bad Bunny featuring Drake (#31) [+2]
28. Lie by NF (#26) [–2]
27. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#15) [–12]
26. Broken by lovelytheband (#24) [–2]
25. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#25) [=]
24. Wow. by Post Malone (#29) [+5]
23. Body by Loud Luxury featuring brando (#23) [=]
22. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#27) [+5]
21. Tequila by Dan + Shay (#21) [=]
20. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#19) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
19. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson (#20) [+1]
18. Better Now by Post Malone (#16) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
17. Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd (#22) [+5]
16. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus (#18) [+2]
15. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#14) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
14. Better by Khalid (#17) [+3]
13. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (#28) [+15]
12. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#12) [=]
11. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#11) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
10. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#10) [=]
9. Breathin' by Ariana Grande (#5) [–4]
8. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#9) [+1]

7. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#8) [+1]
6. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#6) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

5. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#7) [+2]

4. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#4) [=]

3. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#3) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

2. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#2) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

1. Without Me by Halsey (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: New Rules by Dua Lipa (1^st of 4 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (–22)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (+15)

New Entrants:

- We get only one new entrant this week, as Sam Smith collaborates with Normani in probably one of my favorite singles at the moment, titled Dancing With A Stranger. I'm not the one to care for Sam Smith's music, although most of his discography has been pretty decent. During an interview with Ryan Seacrest, he mentioned that he's a big fan of Fifth Harmony, hence why he probably decided to choose Normani for the song. I'm sure he's interested in collaborating with all the members of the group. He's probably going to have fun singing with them. Anyway, Dancing With A Stranger is just divine. I absolutely love the production and the beat. Sam's soulful voice meshes very well with the instrumentation. Then, get Normani, who herself sounds amazing. She definitely delivered in the chorus and thus, makes the song even better. I originally thought Lauren Jauregui was the best singer out of all the members of Fifth Harmony. But that was before we got to hear more from Normani. This song shows that Normani is better, though not by much. It's a great song in every way possible. Hopefully, this ends up doing well.

Ooh, Baby, Baby, I'm Blurbing With A Stranger
- As far as our exit goes, we say goodbye to Consequences. Camila isn't particularly the best singer overall, but she did have some good music. Consequences was a beautiful ballad that I genuinely enjoyed. That song will be somewhat missed by me.

- Before introducing Lucid Dreams, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that The Chainsmokers are working on a collaboration with Juice WRLD. I don't know how I feel about this. My expectations are pretty low coming in.

- Not too happy about the big drop from Electricity. It's pretty sad that it wasn't as successful as I hoped. I guess people are now over Dua Lipa after about a year. Oh well.

- However, it's nice to see Taki Taki take a big drop. Honestly, this is probably the worst I've heard from DJ Snake, and to think I enjoyed this one a few months ago when it was new. It's crazy how much my opinion has changed since then.

- I just found out that Ava Max has a birthday coming up. So, Happy Early Birthday to her! It's nice to see the song continuing its momentum. It's catchy overall, and I like her voice for the most part.

- Of course, the monstrosity that is of 7 Rings takes a big jump this week into the Top 20. It's terribly-sung, terribly-produced, and terribly-written. Yet, people love this for some reason. I already know it's going to be a hit on this countdown, so I'm bracing for the absolute worst.

- However, we get the Top 5 entrant from Sunflower. The song just keeps getting better and better as time goes along. I can now consider this to be my favorite song from Post Malone. Hopefully we'll get to see it at #1, so long as 7 Rings doesn't get there first, which it'll probably end up doing.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• My Blood by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
• Hurts Like Hell by Madison Beer featuring Offset
• You Say by Lauren Daigle

Extras/Optional Extras:

• God's Plan by Drake
• Bad At Love by Halsey
• Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara
• FRIENDS by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
• Delicate by Taylor Swift
• Slow Hands by Niall Horan
• Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William
• It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez
• Wait by Maroon 5
• Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran

Top 20 Breakdown:

0 – Garbage:
20. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
19. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

1 – Bad:
18. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
16. Without Me by Halsey

4 – Good:
15. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande

5 – Great:
14. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
13. Better by Khalid
12. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson
11. Better Now by Post Malone
10. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
7. Breathin' by Ariana Grande 
6. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
5. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
4. Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd
3. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Total Score: 82/100 = 82% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: No Scrubs by TLC (1999)

Most Missed Song: Adventure Of A Lifetime by Coldplay

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Who Do You Love by The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
3. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith featuring Normani
4. Tequila by Dan + Shay
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
2. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
3. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
4. There's No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels
5. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
My My My! by Troye Sivan: It was nice seeing Troye make his return last year. Everything about the song is just catchy, in large part because of the production and the beat. Troye's has a smooth voice that definitely fits him well with the song. I do wish the song deserved better.

AT40: Halsey (1) - Week Of February 9, 2019

Hello, fam! So, I was able to watch the Grammy Music Awards yesterday (although I did have to record it because I was somewhat busy). I thought it was a good show overall. I'm planning on doing a review of all the performances, as well as my thoughts on the awards being given out. It should be ready later this week. I also have some other stuff that I desperately need to catch up on, such as the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 for 2018 and tying up some loose ends. You'll just have to bear with me for the time being. In the meantime, here's the AT40 post. Before we get to this week's fresh 40, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week:

• Back To You by Selena Gomez (#31)
• Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#40) [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande
40. Mine by Bazzi (#37) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
39. There's No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels (#39) [=]
38. Love Someone by Lukas Graham (#38) [=]
37. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#34) [–4]
36. Let You Love Me by Rita Ora (#36) [=]
35. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#15) [–20]
34. Wake Up In The Sky by Gucci Mane featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black (#35) [+1]
33. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#28) [–5]
32. 8 Letters by Why Don't We (#33) [+1]
31. MIA by Bad Bunny featuring Drake (#32)
30. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#27) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
29. Wow. by Post Malone (#32) [+3]
28. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande (DEBUT)
27. Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max (#29) [+2]
26. Lie by NF (#24) [–2]
25. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#27) [+2]
24. Broken by lovelytheband (#22) [–2]
23. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#25) [+2]
22. Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd (DEBUT)
21. Tequila by Dan + Shay (#23) [+2]
20. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson (#21) [+1]
19. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#17) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
18. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus (#20) [+2]
17. Better by Khalid (#19) [+2]
16. Better Now by Post Malone (#14) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
15. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#18) [+3]
14. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#11) [–3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
13. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#16) [+3]
12. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#13) [+1]
11. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#9) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #10
10. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#12) [+2]
9. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (#10) [+1]
8. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#7) [–1]
7. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#8) [+1]
6. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#6) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
5. Breathin' by Ariana Grande (#4) [–1]
4. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#5) [+1]
3. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#2) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
2. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#1) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
1. Without Me by Halsey (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (2^nd And Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Consequences by Camila Cabello (–20)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between Wow. by Post Malone, Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B, and Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (+3)

New Entrants:
- To kick things off, we have Ariana Grande who recently released her new album Thank U, Next, with my least favorite single from her in the form of 7 Rings. If you've read my Hits 1 countdown post for last week, then you've seen me go off on this song when it made its debut on Hit-Bound. To recap, Ariana sounds underwhelming as a whole. Also, she can be pretty annoying with her verses. The beat is absolute shit across the board and the rest of the production is not good whatsoever. Looking at the lyrics, it feels like she's become conceited and full of herself. That doesn't sound like her. Basically, the lyrics are asinine and pointless. I know Ariana is very good at her songwriting. But she does not show her capabilities at all in any part of the song. I can't think of a single good line that I find to be appealing. So yeah, as someone who absolutely adores Ariana, this is a huge disappointment for her. I originally thought Everyday was her weakest single, although that one had more to do with Future than Ariana because I thought she sounded decent. But I had no idea what we were getting until we got this mess of a song. And now that it's here, it's pretty much a lock for My Bottom 10 Songs of 2019. Thus, I'm not thrilled to see it become a #1 hit on Billboard. Honestly, as much as many people here absolutely despise our current #1 song on the AT40 (which I'll talk about in just a moment), I'd rather listen to that than this any day. Yes, even Sicko Mode even though I'm not fond of the song at all either. But 7 Rings is just the bottom falling out of Ariana Grande's music. This is not a good direction for her. I know Ariana is definitely capable of better.

- Thankfully though, we get a second debut that is MUCH better than the one I just talked about. We get the return of The Weeknd once more, and he teams up with an EDM artist named Gesafflestein in Lost In The Fire. This is something enjoyable. First off, I love The Weeknd's voice. He knows just how to use it well, and that's something that I've been saying with most of his music. I enjoyed songs like In The Night, The Hills, Can't Feel My Face, and some more songs I won't mention right now. Gesafflestein did a nice job with his work as a DJ. He puts forth the effort in the production. In a way, it reminds me of the singles from Starboy, which I genuinely loved. Yeah, this is just a good song overall. The Weeknd has impressed me once again.

Best Debut Of The Week: Lost In The Fire by Gesafflestein featuring The Weeknd

Blurbs In The Fire
- As far as our exits go, Psycho was long overdue. While the wasn't as annoying as its predecessors before this, it was still underwhelming as a whole. I'm glad it's finally gone. Back To You was something I enjoyed and it had a nice run on the countdown. I'm glad it was pretty successful. That song will be missed by me.

- Much to the displeasure of many people here, Without Me is #1. I will just say that I don't hate this song at all anymore, but it does pale in comparison to some of the songs Halsey has released. I would prefer if a song like Eastside make it to #1 soon.

- This Feeling goes into the Top 10. The song's success is quite surprising, considering it's not that big of a hit elsewhere. But I'm happy regardless. It's easily the best thing these guys have put out since Closer. It's momentum may not last too long however, because they've just recently released their collaboration with 5 Seconds Of Summer, which we may see on the countdown soon.

- Consequences took a massive fall this week. Yikes! I do like the song, though I won't be too sad about it leaving soon. But seeing it take this big of a drop is hard to watch.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Hurts Like Hell by Madison Beer featuring Offset
• My Blood by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
• You Say by Lauren Daigle

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes
• Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper
• Sorry by Justin Bieber
• Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Good For You by Selena Gomez featuring ASAP Rocky
• One Dance by Drake featuring WizKid and Kyla
• New Rules by Dua Lipa
• Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash
• Don't by Ed Sheeran
• Believer by Imagine Dragons

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
19. Taki Taki by Dj Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

1 – Bad:
18. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
16. Without Me by Halsey

4 – Good:
15. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande

5 – Great:
14. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
13. Better by Khalid
12. Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson
11. Better Now by Post Malone
10. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
7. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
6. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
5. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
4. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee
3. Breathin' by Ariana Grande 
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Total Score: 82/100 = 82% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Open Arms by Journey (1982)

Most Missed Song: Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: GIRL by Maren Morris

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B (#13)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
3. Tequila by Dan + Shay
4. Breathin' by Ariana Grande
5. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. 7 Rings by Ariana Grande
2. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
3. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake
4. There's No Way by Lauv featuring Julia Michaels
5. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Beautiful Trauma by P!NK: It may not be a stand-out from P!NK, but it was something I genuinely loved. And the music video was pretty cool, in part because it featured actor Channing Tatum.
Wait by Maroon 5: Again, this song shows just how much Maroon 5 has changed for the worse. It's mediocre in terms of the production, especially because there's no band here. At least this wasn't performed at the Super Bowl Halftime show.
I Miss You by Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels: This is probably the best song Julia Michaels has been a part of. We truly got to see what she is capable of here. It's sad that this never ended up become the hit I wanted it to be.