2017 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Review

Hello fam! This is my very first review of the Billboard Hot 100. Every year, Billboard counts down the Top 100 songs of the year, usually in ascending order from 1-100. The majority of these songs make the list due to streaming, sales, and radio. Streaming has outweighed pretty much everything in terms of how well the song does on the charts nowadays. Now, I'm sure you're probably wondering: how was 2017 in terms of music, you might ask? Well, you'll have to find out for yourself! Most people in the blogging community tend to factor in the song being overplayed, which affects their ranking of the song in question. However, in terms of how I do my ranking of the songs on the Year-End list, I don't factor in overplay unlike most people here. Because otherwise, this wouldn't be fun to talk about, now wouldn't it? But anyway, I've said pretty much all I needed to say for my introduction. Let's get on with it! So with that in mind, here is the color code that I will use, plus the number of points each song gets:

• Purple – Best Song (5 Points)
• Dark Blue – Top 10 (5 Points)
• Green – Great (5 Points)
• Blue – Good (4 Points)
• Pink – Decent (3 Points)
• Yellow – Mediocre (2 Points)
• Turquoise – Bad (1 Point)
• Red – Garbage (0 Points)
• Dark Red – Bottom 10 (0 Points)
• Orange – Worst Song (0 Points)

And there you have it! I unfortunately won't be able to do a full-on review of the songs listed below, but the color code for that song basically tells you all you need to know about my thoughts on it. And like I said, I don't put overplay as a factor like most people here. I look at how the song is produced, such as vocals, lyrics, production, etc. That's how I do things here. Also, the number in parentheses indicates the peak position of the song in question. Now with that being said, let's get to the Year-End Hot 100 for 2017!

The Hot 100 Chart:
Last Year's #1 Song: Love Yourself by Justin Bieber
100. The Fighter by Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood (#38)
99. Look At Me! by XXXTentacion (#34)
98. Do Re Mi by Blackbear (#40)
97. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA (#9)
96. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (#2)
95. Everyday We Lit by YFN Lucci featuring PnB Rock (#33)
94. Small Town Boy by Dustin Lynch (#36)
93. I Get The Bag by Gucci Mane featuring Migos (#11)
92. Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes (#6)
91. No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato (#38)
90. Down by Marian Hill (#21)
89. Malibu by Miley Cyrus (#10)
88. Water Under The Bridge by Adele (#26)
87. Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles (#4)
86. Slippery by Migos featuring Gucci Mane (#29)
85. Swalla by Jason Derulo featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign (#29)
84. What About Us by P!NK (#13)
83. Both by Gucci Mane featuring Drake (#41)
82. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd (#12)
81. Drowning by A Boogie Wit da Hoodie featuring Kodak Black (#38)
80. Love Galore by SZA featuring Travis Scott (#32)
79. Magnolia by Playboi Carti (#29)
78. Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid (#18)
77. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith (#4)
76. Hurricane by Luke Combs (#31)
75. All Time Low by Jon Bellion (#16)
74. Feels by Calvin Harris featuring Pharrell, Katy Perry, and Big Sean (#20)
73. Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley (#4)
72. What Ifs by Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina (#26)
71. Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos (#25)
70. Broccoli by D.R.A.M. featuring Lil' Yachty (#5)
69. Cold by Maroon 5 featuring Future (#16)
68. Goosebumps by Travis Scott featuring Kendrick Lamar (#32)
67. Praying by Kesha (#22)
66. LOYALTY. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Rihanna (#14)
65. Passionfruit by Drake (#8)
64. Swang by Rae Sremmurd (#26)
63. Juju On That Beat (TZ Anthem) by Zay Hilfigerrr featuring Zayion McCall (#5)
62. DNA. by Kendrick Lamar (#4)
61. Rolex by Ayo & Teo (#20)
60. Caroline by Aminé (#11)
59. Now Or Never by Halsey (#17)
58. Heathens by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS (#2)
57. In Case You Didn't Know by Brett Young (#19)
56. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage (#1, 8 Weeks)
55. Tunnel Vision by Kodak Black (#6)
54. Mercy by Shawn Mendes (#15)
53. Rake It Up by Yo Gotti featuring Nicki Minaj (#8)
52. T-Shirt by Migos (#19)
51. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (#4)
50. Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William and Beyoncé (#3)
49. Can't Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake (#1, 1 Week in 2016)
48. Bank Account by 21 Savage (#12)
47. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato (#6)
46. Let Me Love You by DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber (#4)
45. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (#4)

44. Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie (#9)

43. Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj (#4)

42. Paris by The Chainsmokers (#6)

41. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Camila Cabello (#2)

40. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran (#6)

39. Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift (#1, 3 Weeks)

38. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar (#6)

37. Fake Love by Drake (#8)

36. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo (#10)

35. Bounce Back by Big Sean (#6)

34. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (#4)

33. Love On The Brain by Rihanna (#5)

32. Slow Hands by Niall Horan (#11)

31. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid (#3)

30. Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara (#8)

29. Issues by Julia Michaels (#11)

28. iSpy by KYLE featuring Lil' Yachty (#4)

27. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez (#10)

26. I Don't Wanna Live Forever by ZAYN featuring Taylor Swift (#2)

25. Redbone by Childish Gambino (#12)

24. Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) by Cardi B. (#1, 3 Weeks)

23. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes (#6)

22. Attention by Charlie Puth (#5)

21. Location by Khalid (#16)

20. Starboy by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (#1, 1 Week)

19. Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mane (#1, 7 Weeks)

18. Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller (#2)

17. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (#7)

16. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars (#4)

15. Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee (#3)

14. Mask Off by Future (#5)

13. XO TOUR Llif3 by Lil' Uzi Vert (#7)

12. I'm The One by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper, and Lil' Wayne (#1, 1 Week)

11. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (#11)

10. Congratulations by Post Malone featuring Quavo (#8)

9. Believer by Imagine Dragons (#4)

8. Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt (#6)

7. Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (#1, 12 Weeks in 2016)

6. Bad And Boujee by Migos featuring Lil' Uzi Vert (#1, 3 Weeks)

5. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (#3)

4. HUMBLE. by Kendrick Lamar (#1, 1 Week)

3. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars (#1, 1 Week)

2. Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber (#1, 16 Weeks)

1. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (#1, 12 Weeks)

I'm In Love With The Shape Of Blurbs
- Let's first talk about the song sitting at #100, in the form of The Fighter by Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood. Some criticize this because it's not really country at all. As for me, I was kinda impressed with the way it turned out. Even though Carrie doesn't contribute to much of the song, it's still a pretty fun tune.

- Easily the most noticeable things about this chart is that we have a bunch of hip-hop/rap music on this list, thanks in large part to streaming. While some of these songs were at least tolerable, most of them I listened to were annoying or just simply mediocre. I won't get into why most of these were bad, but the color code that I used pretty much tells you my thoughts on them.

- We have several songs here that were repeats from the 2016 Year-End list. The most notable ones are Treat You Better, Starving, Side To Side, Can't Stop The Feeling!, Let Me Love You, Heathens, and of course, Closer. I did like the first two (Treat You Better and Starving) from the start, but I realized that they weren't all that amazing in the big picture after paying close attention to the songs in general. The last three however, are still big favorites of mine and they stuck with me to the end.

- Despite Katy Perry not having the best of years given that most of her album, Witness, failed to take off, she was still able to have two songs make it to the Year-End list, Chained To The Rhythm and Feels. I pretty much explained both of these songs when I reviewed in My Top 50 Songs of 2017. She still shows that she has an amazing voice in these songs and I definitely enjoyed them from the start. I'm hoping someday she can come back better than ever and be able to get more big hits like she used to.

- Sitting at #67, we have Praying by Kesha. I'm indeed really happy that this was able to make the list. It's definitely the best comeback single from any artist by a landslide. I talked about this masterpiece of a song in my Year-End posts. But to put it short, it's well-written, the production is amazing, and Kesha shines her voice all throughout the song. It's good to have her back in the music business!

- Kendrick Lamar basically had a great year as an artist. He has a total of five songs that made the list. Though he did have Goosebumps and the disappointment that is of Don't Wanna Know, he did have three songs from his album DAMN. that made the list, many of which are good in its own merit. It's pleasing to see HUMBLE. not only spending one week at #1, but also managed to be very high in the Top 5, mainly due to the number of weeks it spent there. He is definitely one of the most talented hip-hop artists in today's music. Hopefully, we get more music from him.

- #25 is not a color-coding error. Yes folks, I have indeed grown into Redbone by Childish Gambino (Surprise!). I initially didn't like this at first mainly because of the strange vocals, but I warmed up to it in record time. Any soul ballad that takes me back into the 50's-60's works for me.

- Of course, the horrible country song known as Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt (if you can even call it country, that is) sits in the Top 10 at #8. I find it mind-boggling that this is one of the biggest country songs in a long time. I still don't get the appeal, because Body Like A Back Road is a full-on embarrassment to the country genre. Many in the YouTube circles, as well as the blogging community, panned this song because it is insulting on so many different levels. If we get more country music in 2018, I'm certain it'll be much, MUCH better than this New-York-Giants sized trash.

- As I said before, we have Closer being here as a repeat at #7. One would be surprised that this is so high on this list. But for me it's not, because it spent a very long time in the Top 10 (32 Weeks to be exact). Thus, it ties the record of weeks spent in the Top 10 with How Do I Live by LeAnn Rimes, which also accomplished this feat back in 1997. This was a historic run for a song that basically got The Chainsmokers, as well as Halsey, on the map.

- On the note of other historic runs, we have Despacito sitting at #2. This one spent 16 Weeks at #1, tying the record of One Sweet Day back in 1995. Many feared that it would potentially break the record, but thanks to Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift being released around that time, that wasn't the case. Despite all of its success (mostly due to the Justin Bieber remix), I was a little surprised that this wasn't #1 on many lists. Still, I'm happy that we managed to get a Latin crossover hit in the U.S.

- And of course, Shape Of You is #1. With how much Ed Sheeran has dominated 2017, it was not surprising to see it at the top spot. But I definitely have no problem with it, because I enjoyed the song from start to finish. I am happy for Ed Sheeran as an artist. Overall, he had a great year and let's hope his success continues going forward.

Top 100 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
100. Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt
99. Look At Me by XXXTentacion!
98. Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William and Beyoncé
97. Bad And Boujee by Migos featuring Lil' Uzi Vert
96. XO TOUR Llif3 by Lil' Uzi Vert
95. Swang by Rae Sremmurd
94. Juju On That Beat (TZ Anthem) by Zay Hilfigerrr featuring Zayion McCall
93. Tunnel Vision by Kodak Black
92. Broccoli by D.R.A.M. featuring Lil' Yachty
91. Mask Off by Future
90. Magnolia by Playboi Carti
89. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar
88. Do Re Mi by Blackbear
87. Fake Love by Drake
86. T-Shirt by Migos
85. Congratulations by Post Malone featuring Quavo
84. Bank Account by 21 Savage
83. Rake It Up by Yo Gotti featuring Nicki Minaj
82. Caroline by Aminé
81. Everyday We Lit by YFN Lucci featuring PnB Rock
80. I Get The Bag by Gucci Mane featuring Migos
79. Rolex by Ayo & Teo
78. Slippery by Migos featuring Gucci Mane
77. Both by Gucci Mane featuring Drake
76. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
75. Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) by Cardi B.
74. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Camila Cabello
73. Cold by Maroon 5 featuring Future
72. Down by Marian Hill

1 – Bad:
71. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo
70. Location by Khalid
69. Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes
68. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd
67. What Ifs by Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina

2 – Mediocre:
66. Bounce Back by Big Sean
65. Hurricane by Luke Combs
64. Drowning by A Boogie Wit da Hoodie featuring Kodak Black
63. Goosebumps by Travis Scott featuring Kendrick Lamar
62. Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid
61. Small Town Boy by Dustin Lynch
60. iSpy by KYLE featuring Lil' Yachty
59. Issues by Julia Michaels
58. Love On The Brain by Rihanna
57. Now Or Never by Halsey

3 – Decent:
56. In Case You Didn't Know by Brett Young
55. Love Galore by SZA featuring Travis Scott
54. I'm The One by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper, and Lil' Wayne
53. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur
52. Malibu by Miley Cyrus

4 – Good:
51. Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mane
50. The Fighter by Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood
49. Slow Hands by Niall Horan
48. No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato
47. Believer by Imagine Dragons
46. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
45. Attention by Charlie Puth
44. I Don't Wanna Live Forever by ZAYN featuring Taylor Swift
43. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato

5 – Great:
42. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
41. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara
40. Redbone by Childish Gambino
39. Thunder by Imagine Dragons
38. Swalla by Jason Derulo featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign
37. Let Me Love You by DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber
36. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
35. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
34. What About Us by P!NK
33. LOYALTY. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Rihanna
32. DNA. by Kendrick Lamar
31. Passionfruit by Drake
30. Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos
29. Can't Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake
28. Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj
27. Feels by Calvin Harris featuring Pharrell, Katy Perry, and Big Sean
26. Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller
25. Paris by The Chainsmokers
24. Starboy by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
23. Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee
22. Water Under The Bridge by Adele
21. All Time Low by Jon Bellion
20. Mercy by Shawn Mendes
19. Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
18. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid
17. Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift
16. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran
15. Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie
14. Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara
13. Heathens by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
12. Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
11. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
10. HUMBLE. by Kendrick Lamar
9. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran
8. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
7. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars
6. Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles
5. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay
4. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes
3. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez
2. Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley
1. Praying by Kesha

Final Score: 286/500

So, overall, I guess you can say it was a little above average. While I do think 2017 wasn't necessarily the best year overall, it was certainly an improvement over 2016. Still, I'm hoping 2018 will be a better year for music.

Whew! And that does it for my Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Review for 2017! I hope you guys enjoyed reading! I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read my posts. It has been an honor sharing my journey with you guys and I look forward to more! This music reviewing stuff has been fun to talk about. Again, thank you all for reading and I hope your day gets better!

Imagine Dragons (5) - Week Of January 27, 2018

Hello, fam! I've been really busy with work as of late. When you're 25 going on 26 (And yes. In case you didn't know, my birthday is next weekend!), it's difficult to get a lot of spare time given that I now have a busy schedule. I'm just overwhelmed with a lot of stuff right now. And yet somehow, despite all of this, I still manage to keep reviewing music. I'm just one of those special guys that mostly gets these posts out on time on a consistent basis. Okay, maybe I'm not too special, but you see what I mean. The Grammy Music Awards is tomorrow night, and I'm glad to be off that day because I get to watch all of the performances. I do plan on writing a review of the Grammys, though it may take some time to get those done because like I said, I have a life and I'm working all the time. So if I don't have it done this week, it might be until next week. Thus, you'll just have to be patient and bear with me. And yes, I still have the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Review that I'm trying to post. Unfortunately, due to my schedule, I haven't gotten around to finishing it yet. I promise, I'll try to have those two posts out sooner or later. I just don't know when I'll get those done. But anyway, I've said enough. Let's get down to the action on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown! Before we get to this week's fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying good-bye to this week:

• Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor (#26)
• Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#39) [Spent 9 Weeks At #1] (!!!!!!!!)
• Harry Styles – Kiwi (#45)
• Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#44)

The Countdown:

Last Week's #1 Song: Imagine Dragons – Thunder

45. The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn (#45) [=]

44. P!NK – What About Us (#42) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

43. Charlie Puth – Attention (#41) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

42. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#20) [–22]

41. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It? (#31) [–10]

40. ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (#35) [–5]

39. Kesha – Praying (#36) [–3]

38. WØLVES – Animal (DEBUT)

37. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#29) [–8] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

36. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#39) [+3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

35. NF – Let You Down (DEBUT)

34. P!NK – Beautiful Trauma (DEBUT)

33. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#37) [+4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

32. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#32) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

31. Symon – Lonely Girl (#34) [+3]

30. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do (#16) [–14]

29. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#28) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

28. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (DEBUT)

27. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low (#30) [+3]

26. Justin Timberlake – Filthy (#23) [–3]

25. Louis Tomlinson – Miss You (#22) [–3]

24. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#18) [–6]

23. Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River (#24) [+1]

22. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (#7) [–15]

21. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix) (#33) [+12]

20. Maroon 5 – Wait (#38) [+18]

19. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I (#21) [+2]

18. Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't (#25) [+7]

17. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#19) [+2]

16. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#14) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

15. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar (#17) [+2]

14. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#10) [–4]

13. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#11) [–2]

12. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself (#27) [+15]

11. Camila Cabello – Havana (#6) [–5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

10. Walk The Moon – One Foot (#12) [+2]

9. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go (#8) [–1]

8. Charlie Puth – How Long (#2) [–6]

7. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves (#13) [+6]

6. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#3) [–3]

5. Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game (#15) [+10]

4. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (#9) [+5]

3. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#5) [+2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

2. Halsey – Bad At Love (#4) [+2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

1. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#1) [=] [5^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Heathens (2^nd and Final Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (–22)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Maroon 5 – Wait (+18)

New Entrants

- We have quite a shake-up in terms of new debuts this week. First, we begin with newcomer WØLVES making their very first appearance on the countdown. Their debut single is titled Animal. I do think this song is a lot of fun for the most part. The production here is pretty amazing and I like the vocals. Not too much else I can say about it. We'll see how far it gets.

- Next up, we have rapper NF debuting this week with the song that is currently gaining steam right now, by the name of Let You Down. I know some people are not very thrilled by me not liking the song. Allow me to explain why. The chipmunk vocals in some parts of the song just doesn't sit well with me, and I really don't like the vocal work from NF either. Sure the lyrical content is great and all, mainly because it talks about a father & son relationship, but how it's executed is just pretty poor. He doesn't really show any emotion and the chipmunk vocals blended together in the chorus doesn't make it any better. I'm sorry, but I'm just not impressed.

- Now that What About Us is about to be out of the picture, P!NK's next single is about to take its place. Enter Beautiful Trauma, the title track off of her latest album. Once again, P!NK almost never disappoints, and this song is no exception. Her voice shines like always throughout the song, and I love the production in this one. Those who like this can explain more about this one in detail better than I can, but the point is I'm hoping it can be just as successful as its predecessor.

- With the highest debut of the week, we have more Camila Cabello with her second single off of her self-titled album. Enter Never Be The Same. I talked about this one in detail when it debuted on the American Top 40. To sum it up, my concern about this song is her vocals. How she hits those high notes doesn't sit well with me, especially in the pre-chorus. I'm not too sold on the lyrical content. The production mostly makes up for some of these flaws I just mentioned. Here's how I view Camila Cabello at this moment. While she does have the potential to be a rising star, I think she needs to work on improving her vocals more, and maybe I'll probably like this more. But right now, it is what it is for me. I have it in blue for now, but it could change with more listens.

It's Just Another Manic Blurbday

- Let's first talk about our exits. To start, we have two members of One Direction (Harry and Liam) who have songs that left. Both of their respective songs, Kiwi and Bedroom Floor, deserved better. It's a shame that Strip That Down became a hit over its successor because it is clearly the better single. As for Kiwi, I'm sad that it left, but at the same time it's not surprising given that people aren't really buying into Harry Styles's music. That said, both of these songs will be missed by me. That leaves us with two other songs. Look What You Made Me Do, as polarizing as it was, is still a favorite of mine and I may be one of the few who actually still likes it. It did get big for a while because of Taylor Swift's star power. But in the end, people weren't too fond of it and thus, it failed to become a bigger hit much like her singles off of 1989. While many are throwing a be-gone party over Look What You Made Me Do, I'm not going to be attending. Finally, we have the important exit. After spending a year and two weeks, Shape Of You, Ed Sheeran's biggest hit of his career, is officially no more. From day one, this song nearly broke many records, in terms of sales, streaming, and airplay. From the first listen, I knew he would have a big hit coming and soon enough, it appeared to be the case. 12 Weeks #1 on Billboard, 10 Weeks on the American Top 40, and 9 Weeks on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. That is an incredible accomplishment. I enjoyed this song from start to finish and I never really got sick of it. I know many people will say that Ed Sheeran is currently overrated, but honestly I can't help but enjoy his music. Farewell, Shape Of You. You lasted long and hard on this countdown. You will be truly missed.

- So, P!NK is going to perform in the Super Bowl. And guess what? Her hometown team, the Eagles, will be playing in that game. How cool is that to have your hometown team make it to the promised land? It'd be even cooler if her team actually won in the promised land. I watched that game last week against Minnesota and man, they dominated big time. Must be nice to watch them thrash the opposing team.

- Too Good At Goodbyes took a rather big drop down to the bottom 5. Yikes! It's dying out elsewhere right now, so I won't be too heartbroken if it leaves us soon.

- Before introducing Dusk Till Dawn, Spyder Harrison mentioned that there are rumors that Zayn is collaborating with Selena Gomez in a new song for the movie Aladdin. It's too bad that we'll have to wait until next year to see what these artists have cooking up, because the movie won't be out until then. Hopefully, their song will be at least to my liking.

- Speaking of Strip That Down, that one needs to go soon. I honestly don't really know anyone who still supports this.

- I would like to say congrats to Ed Sheeran and his girlfriend on their engagement! Very heartwarming!

- It was cool to hear Symon introduce her single, Lonely Girl. Very rarely do we hear artists introduce their own songs on the countdown.

- Before introducing What Lovers Do, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Adam Levine is rocking his platinum hair, mainly because his wife seems to love it so much. He is known for having dark hair pretty much for most of his life, but I guess his wife loved his blonde hair so much he decided to dye it for her. I'll be she's hoping that he keeps it that way. That said, with his song dropping big this week, it looks like this may be the end as its successor is starting to gain steam, and I'll talk more about it in a bit. But yeah, it did have a good run, so props to that.

- So, Justin Timberlake has been married to his wife for five years? I probably knew that he was with Jessica Biel, but I'm quite surprised that their marriage lasted that long. If only most of the other celebrities would at least take a page from his book, heh.

- Before introducing River, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Ed Sheeran brought three houses, and he's apparently looking to build an estate. I wonder will it be the start of something big? Maybe Michael Jackson's Neverland perhaps, or something else? Hmm...no one knows, but I'm interested to see what he has up his sleeve.

- I thought Too Much To Ask would be another moderate hit for Niall Horan after jumping to #7 last week. But that doesn't appear to be the case, as it fell out of the Top 10 quickly down to #22 this week. Looks like the end for this song is near.

- Finesse taking a big jump this week? Yes, please! Now how about getting in the Top 10, or even better, the Top 5? Please Hits 1, make it happen!

- However, I'm not thrilled to see Wait take a big jump as well. Of course, because this is Maroon 5, I unfortunately expect it to be here for a while, so I'll just have to learn to put up with it.

- Not surprised to see Hold Me Tight Or Don't make a rebound this week given that their album was released this past week. I wonder how long will the hype last? Hmm....

- And yet somehow, Believer is still hanging around in the teens. My goodness, this song's longevity is just great. Also, Spyder Harrison mentioned during its introduction that Dan Reynolds has a upcoming documentary named after the song title. I'm interested to see what happened during their hiatus from music in between albums.

- Ahead Of Myself made a nice recovery back into the teens this week after some unnecessary drops. Here's to hoping it continues its upward trajectory and eventually become another hit for the X Ambassadors like its two previous representations. And the guest DJ that introduced the song was from Niagara Falls. Very cool, and I still have yet to visit that place. I'm hoping someday that I'll be able to take a vacation there. I'll bet it has some cool stuff going on!

- It's good to see Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves making it back into the Top 10. Hopefully, it can enter the Top 5, or even better hit #1 at some point.

- How Long dropped out of the Top 5 relatively quickly. I thought it would potentially be #1 this week with how much I've been hearing it lately. Close, but no dice.

- On that note, we have two Top 5 entrants this week. Both End Game and Good Old Days are making their arrival, the former which may potentially end up being an elusive hit for Taylor Swift. The entrant from Good Old Days was pretty unexpected, but I'm happy to see that it's doing pretty well right now. Could that have the potential to be #1 in the near future? Let us hope.

- And of course, Thunder holds the top spot, which means the constant change of our #1 stops right here. A part of me wishes that we kept the streak going, seeing as some people are starting to hate this one now. But me and some others beg to differ.

Hit-Bound:

• Sofi Tukker featuring NERVO, Alisa Ueno, and The Knocks – Best Friend
• Troye Sivan – My My My!
• Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels – I Miss You
• The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy
• Portugal. The Man – Live In The Moment (DEBUT)
• Post Malone – I Fall Apart (DEBUT)
• All Time Low – Last Young Renegade
• Wild Things – Don't Wanna Feel It (DEBUT)
• Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (DEBUT)
• Alan Walker featuring Noah Cyrus and Digital Farm Animals – All Falls Down
• AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• Kesha featuring The Dap–Kings Horns – Woman
• Spencer – Whatever

- We have four new songs entering Hit-Bound this week. Let's get the displeasing debut out of the way, first. With Rockstar being as big as it was, I'm not surprised to see Post Malone follow-up with another single in its stead. Enter I Fall Apart. I know many people are tired of hearing me rant about his music, but honestly I'm not fond of his music. While it's slightly better than Rockstar, it's still something I can't get on board with. Sorry. I'll talk more when it debuts.

- I'll talk more about the other two debuts (Live In The Moment and Don't Wanna Feel It) some other time. Right now, let's dive in to Zedd's latest single, which seems to be getting too much hate from some mainly because it's basically Stay 2.0. But not me, because I very much enjoyed Stay for a while, though I'll admit Get Low was pretty mediocre. His new single, The Middle features country star Maren Morris. Now right off the bat, I like Maren's voice in this one and like Alessia Cara, she pretty much shines throughout the song. Sure, Zedd has done better and this is not his best song, but that doesn't mean I can't support this. I know I may feel very alone with this opinion, but I don't care right now because I like it. I'll have more on this when it debuts.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

TIE: 1. Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns – Woman

TIE: 1. Troye Sivan – My My My!

3. All Time Low – Last Young Renegade

4. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

5. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes

Top 20 Review:

0 – Putrid:
20. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar
19. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

1 – Bad:
18. Lauv – I Like Me Better
17. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
16. Imagine Dragons – Believer

4 – Good:
15. Charlie Puth – How Long
14. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft

5 – Great: 
13. Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't
12. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
11. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
10. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself
9. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go
8. Halsey – Bad At Love
7. Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game
6. Dua Lipa – New Rules
5. Camila Cabello – Havana
4. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I
3. Walk The Moon – One Foot
2. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days
1. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: The Bangles – Manic Monday (1986) (Fun fact: this song was actually released on this day 32 years ago.)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Ella Henderson – Ghost

Most Missed Hit-Bound Drop-Out: Kungs vs. Cookin' On 3 Burners – This Girl

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Liam Payne featuring Rita Ora – For You

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Shawn Mendes – Mercy

My Top 5 Picks

TIE: 1. Kesha – Praying
TIE: 1. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
3. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves
4. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days
5. Walk The Moon – One Foot

My Bottom 5 Picks

1. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar
2. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
3. Liam Payne – Strip That Down
4. Lauv – I Like Me Better
5. Maroon 5 – Wait

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

QOTW: Who do you want to win "Song Of The Year" in this year's Grammy Music Awards and describe to me in sentences why do you want that song to win?

AT40: Camila Cabello (7) - Week Of January 27, 2018

Hello, fam! I have been super busy with work all week long. I am literally burned out right now, hence why I still haven't gotten around to working on my Billboard Year-End Review. I'll try make this post quick, because I have to leave immediately after I finish with this. I don't have much to say about this week, so let's not waste any time. Before we get to this week's fresh 40, here are the songs dropping out:

• ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift (#30)
• Faking It by Calvin Harris featuring Kehlani and Lil' Yatchy (#28)

The Countdown:

Last Week's #1 Song: Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug

40. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (#39) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

39. New by Daya (DEBUT)

38. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#40) [+2]

37. Believer by Imagine Dragons (#36) [–1]

36. Mic Drop by BTS featuring Desiigner (#35) [–1]

35. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#33) [–2]

34. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes (#32) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

33. Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato (#37) [+4]

32. Slow Hands by Niall Horan (#29) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

31. Feels Great by Cheat Codes featuring Fetty Wap (#31) [=]

30. River by Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran (#38) [+8]

29. Attention by Charlie Puth (#25) [–4] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

28. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. (#34) [+6]

27. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid (#22) [–5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

26. Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid (#23) [–3]

25. LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari (#27) [+2]

24. One Foot by Walk The Moon (#26) [+2]

23. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line (#24) [+1]

22. Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan (#20) [–2]

21. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo (#19) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

20. Filthy by Justin Timberlake (DEBUT)

19. Best Friend by Sofi Tukker featuring NERVO, Alisha Ueno, and The Knocks (#21) [+2]

18. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (#15) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

17. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey (#18) [+1]

16. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt (#17) [+1]

15. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha (#16) [+1]

14. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato (#11) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

13. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash (#13) [=]

12. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA (#8) [–4]

11. Let You Down by NF (#14) [+3]

10. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future (#12) [+2]

9. How Long by Charlie Puth (#9) [=]

8. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (#7) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

7. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello (#10) [+3]

6. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith (#6) [=]

5. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage (#5) [=]

4. New Rules by Dua Lipa (#4) [=]

3. Bad At Love by Halsey (#3) [=]

2. Perfect by Ed Sheeran (#2) [=]

1. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (#1) [=] [7^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar (1^st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid (–5)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: River by Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran (+8)

New Entrants

- Our first of two debuts this week comes from the return of Daya. You may remember her with her two singles, Hide Away and Sit Still, Look Pretty, as well as her collaboration with The Chainsmokers in Don't Let Me Down, which was a huge success worldwide. This week, she brings us her new single titled New. While she does have a good voice, her songwriting skills are questionable, as evidenced in her first two singles, both of which were not to my liking. As for this one, I can't really say I care for this one too much. I'll say that it's better than her two predecessors in terms of the lyrical content, and the production is nice. But really, this song is nothing memorable. I doubt this will be a hit, seeing as it flopped pretty much elsewhere. So we'll see what happens going forward.

- As most of you probably know by now, Justin Timberlake has made his official comeback to music at the start of the year. Making his return to the American Top 40 this week, his new single is titled Filthy, the lead single off of his upcoming album, Man Of The Woods. I talked about this one in detail when it made its debut on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown two weeks ago. But to sum it all up, it's a weird song with a bombastic funk that pretty much goes on throughout the song. There's not a whole lot of singing going on; it's just him doing a rap breakdown in most parts of the song. And don't forget the music video which is him making a Steve Jobs impression. Now, it's a song that I don't really hate mainly because of some of the funny lines, but Justin Timberlake has done better. With a polarizing single like this one, I have a feeling it may not end up being the big comeback he was hoping for unless something drastic happens. We'll see.

Don't Want New, I Want Blurbs

There's not a whole lot for me to say given that nothing really happened this week, so I'll just keep it short.

- Our two exits consist of ...Ready For It? and Faking It, both of which were very good songs and I wished they deserved better. It's too bad the latter died out quickly, especially when Calvin Harris was coming off of his two predecessors, which had moderate success. As far as the former goes, the song's under-performance chart-wise pretty much shows that people aren't really buying into Taylor Swift's new style of work and they much preferred what she had off of 1989. That aside, both of these songs will be missed by me.

- Once again, our Top 3 remains the same, so there's really nothing to talk about here.

- One of the highlights for this week was the jumps from both River and Finesse, the latter which I'm very pleased about. With Finesse still gaining on all fronts, it won't be surprising to see it take another big jump within the next week or so. Once again, I'm looking forward to seeing that one becoming a huge hit on this chart.

Breakouts/On The Verge

• Reggaeton Lento (Remix) by CNCO featuring Little Mix
• I Miss You by Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels
• Lemon by N.E.R.D. featuring Rihanna

Extras/Optional Extras

• Million Reasons by Lady Gaga
• Redbone by Childish Gambino
• What About Us by P!NK
• Want To Want Me by Jason Derulo
• Story Of My Life by One Direction
• Lean On by Major Lazer featuring DJ Snake and MØ

Top 20 Breakdown:

0 – Garbage:
20. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
19. Let You Down by NF

1 – Bad:
18. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato
16. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
15. Filthy by Justin Timberlake
14. Best Friend by Sofi Tukker featuring NERVO, Alisa Ueno, and The Knocks

4 – Good:
13. How Long by Charlie Puth
12. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man

5 – Great:
11. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
10. Thunder by Imagine Dragons
9. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt
8. Perfect by Ed Sheeran
7. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future
6. New Rules by Dua Lipa
5. Bad At Love by Halsey
4. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
3. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
2. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
1. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello

Total Score: 76/100 = 76% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: At Last by Etta James (1960)

Most Missed Song: Forget You by CeeLo Green

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Last Young Renegade by All Time Low

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk

My Top 5 Picks

1. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.

2. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello

3. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha

4. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug

5. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey

My Bottom 5 Picks

1. MIC Drop by BTS featuring Desiigner

2. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage

3. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line

4. Let You Down by NF

5. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie: A song that talks about motherhood is certainly listenable, especially when the production is excellent and the verses are well done. Definitely one of my huge favorites from last year.

Imagine Dragons (4) - Week Of January 20, 2018

Hello, fam! I just realized this week that I have not done my Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Review. I'm currently in the process of re-working my post. I'll have it ready for you guys to read sometime next week. And then after that, I'll be prepping to work on my very first review of this year's Grammy Awards, which takes place next weekend. I'm sure there will be a lot of good performances, but ultimately we'll see what happens during the entire show. Right now, let us focus on talking about this week's countdown, shall we? Now with that being said, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay (#42) [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:

Last Week's #1 Song: Ed Sheeran – Perfect

45. The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn (#41) [–4]

44. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#44) [=]

43. Harry Styles – Kiwi (#45) [+2]

42. P!NK – What About Us (#37) [–5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

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

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

39. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#38) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

38. Maroon 5 – Wait (DEBUT)

37. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#36) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

36. Kesha – Praying (#33) [–3]

35. ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (#32) [–3]

34. Symon – Lonely Girl (#27) [–7]

33. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix) (#30) [–3]

32. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#31) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

31. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It? (#35) [+4]

30. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low (#43) [+13] (What the heck?!)

29. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#28) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

28. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#29) [+1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

27. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself (#21) [–6]

26. Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor (#26) [=]

25. Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't (#19) [–6]

24. Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River (#14) [–10]

23. Justin Timberlake – Filthy (#24) [+1]

22. Louis Tomlinson – Miss You (#34) [+12]

21. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I (#20) [–1]

20. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#13) [–7]

19. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#18) [–1]

18. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#23) [+5]

17. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar (#16) [–1]

16. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do (#15) [–1]

15. Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game (#22) [+5]

14. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#17) [+3] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

13. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves (#8) [–5]

12. Walk The Moon – One Foot (#25) [+13]

11. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#12) [+1]

10. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#7) [–3]

9. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (#10) [+1]

8. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go (#4) [–4]

7. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (#11) [+4]

6. Camila Cabello – Havana (#5) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

5. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#1) [–4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

4. Halsey – Bad At Love (#2) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

3. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#6) [+3]

2. Charlie Puth – How Long (#9) [+7]

1. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#3) [+2] [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd – Starving (4^th and final week at #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie between MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low and Walk The Moon – One Foot (+13)

New Entrants
- So, our only entrant comes from Maroon 5 with yet another single titled Wait, their fourth single off of their latest album Red Pill Blues. Coming into the song, I had thought Maroon 5 would continue redeeming themselves following its predecessor currently on the countdown. But that didn't appear to be the case with this song (at least in my opinion). Now, it's not nearly as bad as the other two representations I won't mention, but there are flaws with their latest single, hence why I'm not fond of it. Adam's vocals are okay, but nothing else really grabs my attention. Another problem I encountered with the song is that Adam basically has taken over the entire band. I've noticed this in some of their other recent singles and that worries me. Sure, some of those singles turned out well, but at some point, I would like for the entire band to work back together and actually be the band they used to be because right now, their current path has been a mixed bag (at least that's what I think). I doubt that I'll put this on my worst lists for this year because like I said, it's not as bad as the other two predecessors (even though it's still undesirable), and we still have a whole year ahead of us, so I'm sure worse songs will show up in the near future. As much as I don't want this to be a hit, it's looks likely given that Maroon 5 are still relevant, so I'll be bracing myself for impact.

We Out Here Blurbin' In Finesse

- Let's begin with our exit. We say good-bye to Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay, which had quite a long stay here (no pun intended). I did hear this one quite a bit throughout the week and I thought it could stay for another week, but that didn't happen. I did enjoy the song when it was new, but it did eventually get old to me, so I didn't mind seeing it go.

- Before introducing Look What You Made Me Do, Spyder Harrison mentioned that a principal from a local school did a parody of Blank Space when making an announcement about the kids being out of school because of the snow. I guess he decided to be funny and make the kids laugh by doing this, heh.

- The guest DJ that introduced Kiwi was from my hometown of Atlanta! Very nice!

- I had thought Lonely Girl would continue its upward trajectory after that big last week, but that was not the case as it went back to square one, dropping out of the Top 30 this week. Man, talk about a weak countdown run for this song!

- Wow. Out of absolutely nowhere, Lights Down Low make a shocking jump this week. Not very thrilled about this. But seeing as that one has just started to gain elsewhere, I probably shouldn't have been that surprised. But yeah, I'm not happy.

- Before introducing Sorry Not Sorry, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Demi Lovato was on The Ellen Show performing her new single, Tell Me You Love Me and playing a game of "Who You'd Rather?". I guess she was having a lot of fun with Ellen Degeneres that day. That said, I'm hoping Tell Me You Love Me makes its debut soon.

- Fall Out Boy's latest album, MANIA, dropped yesterday. And before anyone asks, no I don't plan on reviewing it, seeing as its too time consuming for me and I have other stuff going on right now. That said, I'm quite shocked to see Hold Me Tight Or Don't drop this week. I won't be too heartbroken if this doesn't become a hit, given that their recent singles have not caught on to the audience at all.

- River took a surprising drop this week. Yikes! I'm sure it'll make a recovery at some point, as this one is gaining elsewhere right now. But if it doesn't, then I don't really care either way.

- Miss You took a nice jump this week. I'm hoping it's a sign that Louis Tomlinson can have a big hit for once. Any song that has the classic rock vibes like this one is a plus for me.

- Before introducing Rockstar, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Post Malone got spooked when he was on "Ghost Adventures". And there was a video of that which went viral. I wonder does he have a career in ghost hunting or something? Hmm...

- One Foot back in the Top 20? Sure, count me in!

- I'm surprised to see Love So Soft still holding up well on this countdown despite it not being big elsewhere.  Even though this song doesn't quite live up to her best work, I still really really like Kelly Clarkson because even after all those years, she's still a very talented singer. I hope her next single from Meaning Of Life will catch on and actually become a big hit.

- Too Much To Ask makes its arrival in the Top 10. Not very surprising since Hits 1 still loves One Direction. I wouldn't be all that surprised if this ends up in the Top 5 at some point.

- Not surprised to see How Long in the Top 5 this week at #2. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being #1 at some point in time, given that Charlie Puth has become relevant in the music industry. Also, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Charlie's latest album has been delayed for reasons unknown. I guess we won't be able to hear what he has to offer for another week or so. Bummer.

- Oh boy. Meant To Be has also reached a dangerous new peak at #3. It's almost as nerve-racking when Body Like A Back Road hit there a few months ago. What's even worse is the fact that its in the Top 3 on iTunes as well. Please, keep it away from #1 if necessary.

- On that note, Ed Sheeran couldn't hang on to the #1 spot and thus the Imagine Dragons took it back this week. Once again, this constant change of our #1 songs just won't stop. I'm hoping that Thunder can hold on tight to the top spot just so that Meant To Be can start moving down already and not pollute the Top 5.

Hit-Bound:

• NF – Let You Down
• Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns – Woman
• Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same
• Alan Walker featuring Noah Cyrus and Digital Farm Animals – All Falls Down
• P!NK – Beautiful Trauma
• Spencer – Whatever
• Troye Sivan – My My My!
• Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels – I Miss You
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy (DEBUT)
• WØLVES – Animal
• All Time Low – Last Young Renegade
• AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
• Sofi Tukker featuring NERVO, Alisa Ueno, and The Knocks – Best Friend

- We have only one debut on Hit-Bound this week. The Chainsmokers make their unexpected return not long after the departure of Something Just Like This from a month ago. This time, they bring us Sick Boy. Andrew Taggart's vocals sound a little different, but he still showcases his talent all throughout the song. I do like the production in a way. It's almost certain to make its debut soon, so I'll have more words for it when that day comes.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

1. Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns – Woman

2. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes

3. All Time Low – Last Young Renegade

4. Troye Sivan – My My My!

5. WØLVES – Animal

Top 20 Review:

0 – Putrid:
20. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar

19. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

1 – Bad:
18. Lauv – I Like Me Better

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes
16. Imagine Dragons – Believer

4 – Good:
15. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
14. Charlie Puth – How Long
13. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft
12. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask

5 – Great: 
11. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do
10. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
9. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
8. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go
7. Halsey – Bad At Love
6. Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game
5. Dua Lipa – New Rules
4. Camila Cabello – Havana
3. Walk The Moon – One Foot
2. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days
1. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Etta James – At Last (1960)

Most Missed Countdown Song: MisterWives – Reflections

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

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Liam Payne featuring Rita Ora – For You

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Shawn Mendes – Mercy

My Top 5 Picks

TIE: 1. Kesha – Praying

TIE: 1. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)

3. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves

4. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days

5. Walk The Moon – One Foot

My Bottom 5 Picks

1. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar

2. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

3. Liam Payne – Strip That Down

4. Lauv – I Like Me Better

5. Maroon 5 – Wait

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk – I Feel It Coming: The Michael Jackson vibes in this song really pulls me in, and it was nice that we get to hear Daft Punk's vocals. Still a huge favorite of mine from last year.
Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill: One of Ed Sheeran's best songs lyrically. I love how it tells a story about friends doing different things. And the U2-like production is what grabs my attention the most.

QOTW: The Chainsmokers are back with their new single, Sick Boy. What are your thoughts on it and why? (In sentences, please)

And one last thing. Just to remind everyone that one of our bloggers, whose name is ".", is hosting a Rankdown which I'm participating in. The rankdown in question is about the 2017 Year-End List for Hits 1. Keep in mind that if you want to participate, TODAY is the last day to submit your rankings. The deadline to submit is at 3:00 P.M. EST. Here is the link below, as well as instructions on how the game works:

http://countdownguyblog.blogspot.com/p/2017-hits-1-ye-rankdown.html

Also, the link to submit your rankings is here: https://goo.gl/forms/GlcR525SW83xddpY2

AT40: Camila Cabello (6) - Week Of January 20, 2018

Hello, fam! Not too much happened this week in terms of activity. While we did trade two good songs, we also have two good songs (including a huge favorite of mine for this year, which I'll talk about shortly) taking its place. I don't have anything else to say in terms of the introduction, so let's just get right into the business of reviewing the AT40. So without further ado, here are the songs dropping out of the countdown this week:

• Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee (#39)
• No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato (#33)
• What About Us by P!NK (#32)

The Countdown:

Last Week's #1 Song: Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug

40. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (DEBUT)

39. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (#37) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

38. River by Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran (DEBUT)

37. Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato (#38) [+1]

36. Believer by Imagine Dragons (#35) [–1]

35. Mic Drop by BTS featuring Desiigner (#36) [+1]

34. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. (DEBUT)

33. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#40) [+7]

32. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes (#30) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

31. Feels Great by Cheat Codes featuring Fetty Wap (#31) [=]

30. ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift (#25) [–5]

29. Slow Hands by Niall Horan (#28) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

28. Faking It by Calvin Harris featuring Kehlani and Lil' Yatchy (#29) [+1]

27. LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari (#34) [+7]

26. One Foot by Walk The Moon (#27) [+1]

25. Attention by Charlie Puth (#21) [–4] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

24. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line (#26) [+2]

23. Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid (#23) [=]

22. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid (#19) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

21. Best Friend by Sofi Tukker featuring NERVO, Alisha Ueno, and The Knocks (#24) [+3]

20. Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan (#20) [=]

19. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo (#16) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

18. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey (#22) [+4]

17. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt (#18) [+1]

16. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha (#17) [+1]

15. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (#12) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

14. Let You Down by NF (#15) [+1]

13. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash (#14) [+1]

12. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future (#13) [+1]

11. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato (#9) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

10. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello (#11) [+1]

9. How Long by Charlie Puth (#10) [+1]

8. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA (#4) [–4]

7. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (#5) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

6. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith (#8) [+2]

5. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage (#6) [+1]

4. New Rules by Dua Lipa (#4) [+3]

3. Bad At Love by Halsey (#3) [=]

2. Perfect by Ed Sheeran (#2) [=]

1. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (#1) [=] [6^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj (3^rd and Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift (–5)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between I Like Me Better by Lauv and LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari (+7)

New Entrants

- With Camila Cabello's debut album as a solo artist being released this past week and Havana doing very well so far, it was no surprise that she would follow-up with a new single as the audience continues to embrace her. Enter Never Be The Same, the second single off of her self-titled album. I can't really say I'm loving this too much. And the biggest reason for that is because of Camila's vocals. Other than the chorus, she sounds too high pitched in some parts of the song, especially in the pre-chorus. It's pretty obvious that she still needs to work on her vocal lessons. This was the reason why many people didn't really like Camila before she improved herself with Havana. As for the rest of the song itself, the production is pretty good. But the lyrics kinda leave something to be desired and like I said, I'm not sold on Camila's vocals. I may have it in blue for now, but my opinion could change.

- Ed Sheeran continues to chug along by being featured on some side projects, such as End Game. This week, he decides to collaborate with Eminem who makes his return in their single titled River. Now, I didn't have much of an opinion on the song because this one kinda came out of nowhere. But after a few listens, I started to come around to it. Basically, this song is about a bad relationship and how he regrets doing what he did to his lover. I do like Ed's contribution in this one, and Eminem proves to me that he's still one of the best rappers. Though, I'll admit, Eminem doesn't quite have the charisma like he once did. When comparing to his older singles such as Love The Way You Lie and a few others, I can tell the difference. In terms of everything else about the song in general, the chorus is nice and I do like the production. While it's a pretty good song, I can't say that this will stick with me in the big picture.

- Again, if you're into the new Bruno Mars like me and a few others, I'm sure you were looking forward to his latest release. This week, he makes his return with his fourth single off of 24K Magic, titled Finesse. And he decided to make a remix by bringing in Cardi B., a newcomer in the music industry whose single Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) became her biggest hit in 2017. When Chunky debuted on Hit-Bound, I thought that would be his next single. But unfortunately, that was not the case. I'm hoping Chunky can be its successor down the road. Right now, I'm glad that he released Finesse as a single because it is an amazing song. Bruno showcases his talent and charisma like he always does, which was the biggest reason why I love the original version so much. But the remix manages to step it up a notch, mainly because Cardi B. actually makes a nice contribution for once. The music video is basically a dedicated to the classic TV show, In Living Color, which I watched since I was a child. I've pretty much said all I needed to say about this one. Sure, we're still have a whole year ahead of us, but right now this song is definitely a candidate for My Top 10 songs of the year and maybe even Top 5. And given that it just recently hit the Top 3 on Billboard, I have a feeling that it's going to get some love on this chart as well, and I am ready for it (No reference to Taylor Swift).

So Let The Blurbs Run

- We'll begin the week by talking about our exits. To start, No Promises had a very good countdown run for a song that never really hit the Top 5. I did enjoy it while it lasted, but I don't mind seeing it go. Unforgettable did pretty well too, and I'm glad that it got the recognition it deserved because it was a really good song overall. Finally, we lost What About Us, which was another great song that did quite well. P!NK has never disappointed me with her music so far and this song was no exception. I was happy with the success that it had on Hits 1 and many other charts. That song will be mostly missed by me.

- Our Top 3 remains the same, so nothing to really talk about here.

- We have two new entrants in the Top 5. Unfortunately, one of those entrants is from Rockstar, which has reached a dangerous new peak at #5. The sad thing about it is that this song still has a chance to hit #1 at some point, given that it's still very popular right now. I hope our Top 3 can stay the same.

- But sitting right in front of it at #4 is the entrant from New Rules. That which I'm definitely pleased about and I'll most certainly take it over #5 any day. It's good to see Dua Lipa finally get the recognition she deserves.

- Well, it looks like What Lovers Do won't be getting the #1 spot unfortunately, seeing as that one is starting to decline elsewhere. Hopefully, it can hang around the countdown for a little longer.

- We had two songs jumping big this week. First off, I'm not too thrilled about the jump from I Like Me Better. However, I'm pleased to see LOVE. take a big jump as well. I'm hoping Kendrick Lamar can get another hit like he did with HUMBLE. last year.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Filthy by Justin Timberlake
• New by Daya
• Reggaeton Lento (Remix) by CNCO featuring Little Mix
• I Miss You by Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Hotline Bling by Drake
• 7 Years by Lukas Graham
• Dusk Till Dawn by ZAYN featuring Sia
• Treasure by Bruno Mars
• Heart Attack by Demi Lovato

Top 20 Breakdown:

0 – Garbage:

20. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
19. Let You Down by NF

1 – Bad:
18. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo
17. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
16. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato
15. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith

4 – Good:
14. How Long by Charlie Puth
13. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
12. Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan

11. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man

5 – Great:
10. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
9. Thunder by Imagine Dragons
8. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt
7. Perfect by Ed Sheeran
6. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future
5. New Rules by Dua Lipa
4. Bad At Love by Halsey
3. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
2. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
1. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello

Total Score: 74/100 = 74% (C)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Every Breath You Take by The Police (1983)

Most Missed Song: When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: For You by Liam Payne featuring Rita Ora

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Mercy by Shawn Mendes

My Top 5 Picks

1. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.

2. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello

3. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha

4. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug

5. One Foot by Walk The Moon

My Bottom 5 Picks

1. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line

2. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage

3. Mic Drop by BTS featuring Desiigner

4. Let You Down by NF

5. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Caroline by Aminé: All I can say about this is his vocals are obnoxious, and the way he tries to sing makes me cringe. No, that is not how you make a good first impression as an artist.
Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran: Ah, yes. Ed Sheeran's big return to music. I like it's simplicity, and it does have some funny lines. I like how he tries to make something different.

And one last thing before I conclude my post. There is a rankdown going on in the blogging community which I'm participating in. The rankdown in question is about the 2017 Hits 1 Year-End list. Here is the link below, as well as instructions on how the game works:

http://countdownguyblog.blogspot.com/p/2017-hits-1-ye-rankdown.html

Now keep in mind that if you want to participate, the deadline to submit your rankings is Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 3:00 P.M. EST., which is tomorrow.

The link to submit is right here: https://goo.gl/forms/GlcR525SW83xddpY2