5 Seconds Of Summer (5) - Week Of December 8, 2018

Hello, fam! So, before we get to this week's countdown, I would like to say congratulations to Atlanta United (the MLS soccer team) for giving the city its first world championship since the Braves did so in 1995! It's been a long time coming, but I'm glad they were able to get it done. So, thank you Atlanta United for all the hard work! Now with that, I have the countdown post for you all. There are no songs leaving the countdown this week, so let's get right to it!

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
45. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#44) [–1]
44. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#45) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
43. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (#41) [–2]
42. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#40) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
41. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (#43) [+2]
40. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#39) [–1]
39. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#38) [–1]
38. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#37) [–1] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
37. George Ezra – Shotgun (#42) [+5]
36. Alex Aiono – Big Mistake (#26) [–10]
35. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#36) [+1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
34. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body (#35) [+1]
33. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (#30) [–3]
32. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#31) [–1]
31. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#32) [+1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
30. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#22) [–8]
29. Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There's No Way (#34) [+5]
28. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#24) [–4]
27. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#28) [+1]
26. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#14) [–12]
25. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart (#20) [–5]
24. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#18) [–6]
23. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#25) [+2]
22. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don't Leave Me Alone (#29) [+7]
21. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (#27) [+6]
20. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#17) [–3]
19. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me (#33) [+14]
18. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – My Blood (#23) [+5]
17. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#16) [–1]
16. Camila Cabello – Consequences (#21) [+5]
15. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#15) [=]
14. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess (#8) [–6]
13. Shawn Mendes – Nervous (#19) [+3]
12. Ariana Grande – Breathin' (#12) [=]
11. lovelytheband – Broken (#13) [+2]
10. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#10) [=]
9. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#11) [+2]
8. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#3) [–5]
7. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#9) [+2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
6. Halsey – Without Me (#5) [–1]
5. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#6) [+1] [1 Week At #1]
4. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#4) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#1) [–2] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#7) [+5]
1. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#2) [+1] [5^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Halsey – Bad At Love (1^st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (–12)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me (+14)

Blurbs Like Me
- Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction for Beautiful that Camila Cabello became an ambassador for saving kids while they're in poverty. It's nice to see a singer do their part to help out children of need. Hopefully, she'll give them some pizza to eat, perhaps?

- The big drop from Side Effects was a little saddening. But at the same time, I'm not all that surprised considering that it's been around for a while. It had a nice run, but it's time may be nearing its end. Hopefully, it'll stick around for a little longer.

- Speaking of Camila, Spyder Harrison also mentioned before introducing Consequences that she calls Shawn Mendes by her nickname, Shawnito. I'd say that's a creative nickname. I wonder, does Shawn have a nickname for her as well? If he does, I'd like to find out!

- Good to see I'm A Mess finally drop out of the Top 10. That song still blows big time. Now if we can get it to drop some more, or better yet leave the countdown, that would be great.

- In Top 10 news, I'm pleased about Tequila making its entry. Just a few weeks ago, it looked like the song was done. But boy, I was wrong. It's nice to see it get a second wind.

- Then, we get This Feeling in the Top 3 this week. It would be a miracle if this somehow manages to hit #1 despite it not being very popular elsewhere. I'm glad it has peaked higher than their recent singles from Sick Boy.

Hit-Bound:

• Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me
• James Arthur – Empty Space
• Olly Murs – Moves
• Dan + Shay – Speechless
• Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
• Imagine Dragons – Machine
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Killer Queen
• Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
• Khalid – Better
• Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
• TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
• Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely
• Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart (DEBUT)
• Dean Lewis – Be Alright
• Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho

Entrant Reviews:
- We get only one new song on Hit-Bound this week. We have Mark Ronson, the artist behind easily one of my favorite songs I won't mention, collaborate with Miley Cyrus in their new single Nothing Breaks Like A Heart. After hearing this in full, I can say that it's nowhere near his best song. But there's plenty to like about this. I do like Miley's voice in this one, and the lyrics are nice. I'll have more on this should it debut.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Dan + Shay – Speechless
2. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
3. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
4. Olly Murs – Moves
5. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess

1 – Bad:
19. Halsey – Without Me

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
16. Shawn Mendes – Nervous
15. Anne-Marie – 2002
14. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower

4 – Good:
13. lovelytheband – Broken

5 – Great:
12. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
11. Camila Cabello – Consequences
10. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
9. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
8. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
7. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – My Blood
6. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
5. Imagine Dragons – Natural
4. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
2. Ariana Grande – Breathin'

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Dan + Shay – Tequila

Overall Grade: 80/100 = 80% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Queen – We Are The Champions (1977)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Paramore – Still Into You

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: MKTO – Superstitious

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Kesha – Praying (#16)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Dan + Shay – Tequila
2. Ariana Grande – Breathin'
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
4. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
5. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess
2. Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There's No Way
3. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know
4. Halsey – Without Me
5. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

AT40: Marshmello & Bastille (2) - Week Of December 8, 2018

Hello, guys! It's been another busy weekend for me, but at least I was able to get this post out a little earlier. As far as this week went, we didn't have too much going on in terms of activity other than a huge drop and a huge jump. We're basically coming down to the wire as 2018 is nearing its end. Let's just get into things. Before we get to this week's fresh 40, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week:

• Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#24)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille
40. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#39) [–1]
39. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#14) [–25]
38. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#37) [–1]
37. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#36) [–1]
36. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#35) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
35. Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara (#38) [+3]
34. Mine by Bazzi (#33) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
33. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#34) [+1]
32. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#30) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
31. Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee (DEBUT)
30. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (#32) [+2] 
29. Better by Khalid (#31) [+2]
28. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#27) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
27. Don't Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson (#28) [+1]
26. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#29) [+3]
25. Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper (#26) [+1]
24. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#22) [–2]
23. Thunderclouds by LSD (#23) [=]
22. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#25) [+3]
21. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (#40) [+19]
20. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#18) [–2]
19. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#21) [+2]
18. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#20) [+2]
17. I'm A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#13) [–4]
16. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#19) [+3]
15. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (#17) [+2]
14. Broken by lovelytheband (#16) [+2]
13. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#15) [+2]
12. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#3) [–9] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
11. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#11) [=]
10. Without Me by Halsey (#12) [+2]
9. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#5) [–4] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
8. Better Now by Post Malone (#6) [–2]
7. Lie by NF (#10) [+3]
6. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#8) [+2]
5. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#4) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
4. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#2) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
3. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#9) [+6]
2. Breathin' by Ariana Grande (#7) [+5]
1. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#1) [=] [2nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Thunder by Imagine Dragons (2nd And Final Week At #1) 

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Natural by Imagine Dragons (–25)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (+19)

New Entrants:
- Our only new song entering the countdown this week comes from the long-awaited return of Ellie Goulding! She has a new single titled Close To Me, which features Diplo and Swae Lee. I can say that when I first heard the new single being announced, I was intrigued by the prospect of Ellie collaborating with Swae Lee. And after hearing the song in its entirety, I can safely say that I was not disappointed with how it turned out. Now, do I think it's amazing? Not really. Nothing can top her previous singles (Love Me Like You Do, Burn, and especially Lights). But Close To Me still shows just how talented Ellie Goulding is as a singer. She has a good voice and uses it well. Swae Lee does a nice job with his verse, also. The lyrical content is pretty good, and while it's not quite as special it just shows that Ellie Goulding knows how to write a good song. The verdict: it's a great song and once again, Ellie does not disappoint.

Close To Blurbs
- We say goodbye to Promises this week. I thought it was another solid track for Calvin Harris, even though it's didn't quite live up to One Kiss. And the addition of Sam Smith was welcoming. I'm rather disappointed it didn't go as far in terms of success. It feels like he hasn't had many hits since This Is What You Came For two years ago.

- Natural by Imagine Dragons made a massive drop this week from the Top 15 all the way down to the Bottom 5. Yikes! The same thing happened with No Brainer just recently as a month ago. With that, both songs now have the biggest drop in the Ryan Seacrest era.

- On the flip side, we have Thank U, Next with a massive jump up to near the Top 20. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up in the Top 10 in record time.

- Without Me by Halsey entering the Top 10 is not very pleasing for me to see. It's a shame to see this song become more successful when she has done better. I would much prefer if Eastside would take its place, but it's very unlikely.

- As far as the Top 5 goes, we have Breathin' hitting a new peak at #2, which isn't surprising. But then, we have High Hopes now in the Top 5 as well. This would seem unimaginable about a few months ago. My, how things have changed since then. It's unfortunate that neither of them will make the Year-End list for this year, but they'll be there next year I'm sure.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Tequila by Dan + Shay
• 8 Letters by Why Don't We
• Ruin My Life by Zara Larsson

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Now Or Never by Halsey
• Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
• Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift
• I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
• Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Camila Cabello
• Thunder by Imagine Dragons
• Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine
• Cake By The Ocean by DNCE
• Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
• I Like Me Better by Lauv
• Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. I'm A Mess by Bebe Rexha
19. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

1 – Bad:
18. Without Me by Halsey

2 – Mediocre:
17. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
16. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.
15. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee

4 – Good:
14. Broken by lovelytheband

5 – Great:
13. Lie by NF
12. Back To You by Selena Gomez 
11. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
10. Consequences by Camila Cabello
9. Better Now by Post Malone
8. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
3. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
2. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Breathin' by Ariana Grande  

Total Score: 79/100 = 79% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson (2004)

Most Missed Song: Lights by Ellie Goulding

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha (#9)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Breathin' by Ariana Grande
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
3. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
4. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
5. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I'm A Mess by Bebe Rexha
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. Thunderclouds by LSD
4. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
5. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Dusk Till Dawn by ZAYN featuring Sia: To this day, I still think it's ZAYN's best song. The vocal chemistry between him and Sia is just phenomenal. Honestly, I wish the song was bigger than what it deserved.
End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future: I would never thought of the idea that Taylor and Ed would collaborate with Future, but I'm kinda glad it turned out pretty well. Too bad it ended up not being a huge success.

Panic! At The Disco (8) - Week Of December 1, 2018

What's up, guys? This post, along with my AT40 post, was late. Again, my apologies, but I was super busy last weekend. Anyway, Kid Kelly took over for Spyder Harrison this week, as he was got married this weekend. So, congrats to Spyder Harrison on his marriage! Before we get to this week's fresh 45, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

• LSD – Thunderclouds (#33)
• Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (#39)
• NF – Lie (#41)
• Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams (#43)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
45. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#42) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
44. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#31) [–13]
43. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (#45) [+2]
42. George Ezra – Shotgun (#44) [+2]
41. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (#22) [–19]
40. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#40) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
39. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#38) [–1]
38. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#37) [–1]
37. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#35) [–2] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
36. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#36) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
35. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body (#20) [–15]
34. Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There's No Way (DEBUT)
33. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me (DEBUT)
32. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#29) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
31. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#13) [–18]
30. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (#21) [–9]
29. David Guetta featuring Anne–Marie – Don't Leave Me Alone (DEBUT)
28. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#34) [+6]
27. Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next (DEBUT)
26. Alex Aiono – Big Mistake (#26) [=]
25. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#23) [–2]
24. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#24) [=]
23. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – My Blood (#27) [+4]
22. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#16) [–6]
21. Camila Cabello – Consequences (#28) [+7]
20. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart (#17) [–3]
19. Shawn Mendes – Nervous (#32) [+13]
18. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#18) [=]
17. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#19) [+2]
16. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (#30) [+14]
15. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#15) [=]
14. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#11) [–3]
13. lovelytheband – Broken (#12) [–1]
12. Ariana Grande – Breathin' (#14) [+2]
11. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#25) [+14]
10. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#9) [–1]
9. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#6) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
8. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess (#7) [–1]
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#5) [–2]
6. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#8) [+2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
5. Halsey – Without Me (#3) [–2]
4. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#4) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Anne–Marie – 2002 (#10) [+7]
2. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#1) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
1. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#2) [+1] [8^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (4^th And Final Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (–19)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie between Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower and Dan + Shay – Tequila (+14)

New Entrants:
- We'll get the most displeasing debut out of the way first. I was not looking forward to more Lauv, especially after we got slammed by I Like Me Better for most of the year. But alas, here he is and he's collaborating with Julia Michaels in his latest single titled There's No Way. Yeah, I'm not in love with this, as you can tell. I do find both of their vocals to be underwhelming, and they don't shine at all in the chorus. However, I'll go ahead and say that production-wise, it's a huge step up from its predecessor. That's the only redeeming quality of the song. But other than that, it's not very good in most aspects. So yeah, I'm not a huge fan.

- Immediately after that, we get the return of Little Mix! Now they've had quite a few songs on the countdown before, such as Wings in 2012 and especially Black Magic back in 2015. The latter was a huge favorite of mine, and it still is to this day. Here, they're collaborating with Nicki Minaj in their latest single titled Woman Like Me. The song does remind me of Side To Side, in which it does have a reggae vibe to it. I do like what Little Mix is going for in this one. Adding Nicki Minaj was a great idea as she contributes nicely to the song. The way she raps in some of the verses is just awesome. I love how they blend together in the chorus. I think they have a great vocal chemistry. To put it short, Little Mix's new single just rocks.

- The last time we've heard from David Guetta was three years ago, I believe, when he had Hey Mama as one of his biggest hits of 2015. Today, he makes his return to the countdown by collaborating with Anne-Marie in his new single titled Don't Leave Me Alone. Right off the bat, I can say that this is better than anything Anne-Marie has been a part of thus far (outside of Rockabye). I think she has a nice voice and she uses it well in the song. I also like the production David put together. He put forth the effort while doing his work on the song. The verdict: it's an enjoyable song and both of these artists don't disappoint me there.

- Unless you've been living under a rock for the past month or so, then you probably know by now that Ariana Grande has her new single titled Thank U, Next, which has been reigning at #1 for a few weeks now. Not only that, but her music video is breaking records left and right. Anyway, the song basically talks about Ariana simply thanking her ex-boyfriends, including the late Mac Miller, who passed away a few months ago. I do like the song in large part because of Ariana alone. As I've said before, she has a great voice and she uses it very well most of the time. My only concern for the song is that there's not too much going on in terms of the production. I do think a little more could be done in my opinion. Although this is probably one of her weakest lead singles out of all of them, it's still a good song on its own. I'm looking forward to seeing this one become a success here on this countdown, which it probably will.

Best Debut Of The Week: Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me

Don't Leave Blurbs Alone
- We'll start with our exits this week. First off, good riddance to both Thunderclouds and Lucid Dreams, especially the former. I could not stand that song at all. But I'm glad it's gone. As for the other two, Lie sputtered after having the biggest drop of the year a couple months ago and never recovered. And Kamikaze was not destined to last long. Too bad Walk The Moon will forever remain as one-hit wonders.

- High Hopes is back at #1 once again. That song has been dominating on Hits 1 for the second half of this year and it looks like with it still gaining momentum, it may very well carry on into 2019.

- 2002 has entered the Top 5 this week, which I'm okay with. Though I would much prefer if this didn't hit #1 as I'm slightly starting to lose interest. But if anything, I'll definitely take this over a certain song I won't mention any day.

- So in case anyone's wondering, yes, I do indeed have Tequila as my new favorite song on the countdown. This song has been getting better with each listen. I can safely say that this is one of the premier country songs of 2018 in my opinion. It's nice to see it make a massive jump back into the Top 20 this week!

- On the minus side, we have Lost In Japan making a big drop this week unfortunately. I had thought that it was a shoe-in to become another hit for Shawn Mendes. Boy, I was wrong. Not helping is that it's losing momentum elsewhere. Oh well.

Hit-Bound:

• Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
• Dean Lewis – Be Alright (DEBUT)
• Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
• Imagine Dragons – Machine
• Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
• Dan + Shay – Speechless (DEBUT)
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Killer Queen
• Olly Murs – Moves
• Alessia Cara – Trust My Lonely (DEBUT)
• Khalid – Better (DEBUT)
• James Arthur – Empty Space
• Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
• Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me
• TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine

Entrant Reviews:
- We have a new round of arrivals that I'll be covering. First, we have Dean Lewis with Be Alright. When listening to the song, I find that Dean has a good voice. But what stands out to me is the lyrics. I think they are well written for the most part. Overall, I can say it's a good song.

- Next, we have more Dan + Shay, this time with Speechless. I personally think this is just as good as their current representation on the countdown. I love their vocals, the production is great, and the lyrics are solid. What more can I say? Here's to hoping it makes its debut soon. I think they're the best duo in the country genre right now.

- We have more Alessia Cara with one of her weakest singles from her latest album, The Pains Of Growing which came out this week, titled Trust My Lonely. I talked about the song when it debuted on the American Top 40 last week. To recap, the production is just pretty weird and out of place. Alessia's vocals are okay, but she doesn't really stand out for much of the song. Not really a bad song, but she's had better.

- Finally, we have more of Khalid with his latest single, Better. Much like with Trust My Lonely, I find Khalid's voice to be okay, but doesn't really shine in the chorus. However, the production in the song is better, and I do like the lyrics though.

Best Debut on Hit-Bound: Dan + Shay – Speechless

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Dan + Shay – Speechless
2. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me
3. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
4. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
5. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations

YouTube 15:

• Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
• Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You
• Billie Eilish – Come Out and Play
• Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
• Cher Lloyd – None of My Buisness
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• ZAYN featuring Nicki Minaj – No Candle No Light
• Ariana Grande – Breathin'
• Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
• Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
• Loren Gray – Kick You Out
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
• Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
• Halsey – Without Me
• Jake Miller – Wait For You

Song Reviews:

- First off, we have Billie Eilish, who you guys probably know as been charting with a few songs on Billboard. Here, she has Come Out And Play. I'll go ahead and say that she has a unique voice for the most part. And I say this when it comes to her music in general.

- Next, we have ZAYN collaborating with Nicki Minaj in his latest titled No Candle No Light. It's a bit of a step up from its predecessor in some ways. I like the production in the song, and both artists did a nice job with their verses. Overall, it's a good song, but it pales in comparison to Dusk Till Dawn, which is easily his best song.

- Following that, there's Loren Gray with her single, Kick You Out. I like pretty much every aspect of the song. I think she has a good voice overall. She does well singing in the chorus, and I kinda like the lyrics in this one. Overall, it's a good song.

- Finally, Jake Miller has a single titled Wait For You. There's not a whole lot I can say about this one. I kinda like his voice here, but the production is a little too basic and I'm not big on the lyrical content. So yeah, I'm not really feeling the song.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

1. Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside

2. Ariana Grande – Breathin'

3. Billie Eilish – Come Out And Play

4. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby

5. Loren Gray – Kick You Out

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess

1 – Bad:
19. Halsey – Without Me

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Shawn Mendes – Nervous
16. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
15. Anne-Marie – 2002
14. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You

4 – Good:
13. lovelytheband – Broken

5 – Great:
12. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
11. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
10. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
9. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
8. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
6. Benny Blaco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
5. Imagine Dragons – Natural
4. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
2. Ariana Grande – Breathin'

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Dan + Shay – Tequila

Overall Grade: 80/100 = 80% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Britney Spears – Oops!... I Did It Again (2000)

Most Missed Countdown Song: George Ezra – Budapest

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Little Mix – Touch

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Kesha – Praying

My Top 5 Picks
1. Dan + Shay – Tequila
2. Ariana Grande – Breathin'
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
4. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
5. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess
2. Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There's No Way
3. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know
4. Halsey – Without Me
5. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Harry Styles – Kiwi: I love how Harry went for the 70's-80's rock vibe in this one. And hearing this again, it does somewhat remind me of I Love Rock And Roll by Joan Jett.
X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself: These guys haven't really had much to offer since both Renegades and Unsteady became big hits. This one is interesting in almost every way. While it's not as good as Renegades, at least it's something I can enjoy.
Nick Jonas – Find You: Since Nick started going solo after the break-up of the Jonas Brothers, he's had a few singles I loved. This turns out to be one of them. The song does sound similar to Lady Gaga – Perfect Illusion, especially when listening to the intro.

AT40: Marshmello & Bastille (1) - Week Of December 1, 2018

Hello, fam! This post came out much later than usual, my apologies. I had a busy weekend, meaning I barely had time to work on this post. But I finally got this out, so that's all that matters. Anyway, welcome to the month of December!  We're one step closer into 2019. So, my plan in the coming weeks will be all about doing my Year-End posts. Also, I want to remind everyone that I'm going to be doing a rankdown. Details will be at the page above. I still don't have a deadline set yet. I'll work on that. Until then, you guys have ample time to send me your submissions. Before we get to this week's fresh 40, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week:

• Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#19)
• I Like Me Better by Lauv (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
40. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (DEBUT)
39. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#38)
38. Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara (#39) [+1]
37. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#36) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
36. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (#37) [+1]
35. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#34) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
34. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#35) [+1]
33. Mine by Bazzi (#32) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
32. Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B (DEBUT)
31. Better by Khalid (#33) [+2]
30. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#29) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
29. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#31) [+2]
28. Don't Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson (#28) [=]
27. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#26) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
26. Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper (#30) [+4]
25. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#27) [+2]
24. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#23) [–1]
23. Thunderclouds by LSD (#25) [+2]
22. I Like It by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#21) [–1]
21. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#22) [+1]
20. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#20) [=]
19. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#24) [+5]
18. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#17) [–1]
17. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (#16) [–1]
16. Broken by lovelytheband (#18) [+2]
15. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#15) [=]
14. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#13) [–1]
13. I'm A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#12) [–1]
12. Without Me by Halsey (#14) [+2]
11. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#10) [–1]
10. Lie by NF (#8) [–2]
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#11) [+2]
8. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#7) [–1]
7. Breathin' by Ariana Grande (#9) [+2]
6. Better Now by Post Malone (#6) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B (#5) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#4) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
3. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#1) [–2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
2. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#2) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Thunder by Imagine Dragons (1^st of 2 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande and Lie by NF (-2)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (+5)

New Entrants:

- Only two debuts to cover this week. First, we have Ariana Grande with her lead single from her upcoming fifth album, titled Thank U, Next. As you already know, the song had been reigning at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three last few weeks now. Right off the bat, I can say that I do like the song overall. However, I can also say that it's over of her weaker singles, though it's definitely not a bad song. Ariana shows that she has a good voice, and I do like the lyrical content about her ex, including Mac Miller who sadly passed away a few months ago. I'm not necessarily big on the production. It lacks something that makes it interesting. I'm sure it'll end up doing well on this countdown and seeing as I do like the song right now, I'm looking forward to it.

- Our other debut for this week comes from the return of DJ Snake. Here, he has an interesting collaboration with Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B in his new single, Taki Taki. I like the Latin-based vibe that DJ Snake is going for. The verses in the song flow pretty nicely. I think all of the artists here are better suited for a song like this, especially Cardi B. She has proven that she's able to rap in a different language. Overall, it's quite a fun song. I would like to see it stick around.

Best Debut Of The Week: Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

Trust My Blurbs
- Good riddance to two of our exits. Drew Barrymore was simply uninteresting and ultimately unappealing to me. At least it didn't become a sleeper hit elsewhere. But more importantly, we must celebrate as I Like Me Better by Lauv has finally left the countdown! That song will never be missed.

- As you probably can tell, I'm not all that thrilled about our new #1 song. It's just mediocre EDM for me. Although I can say that it's better than Friends lyrically, I find the production to be underwhelming and Dan's voice only okay. It's a shame that this had to be the bigger hit over Wolves, which his easily the best thing Marshmello has been a part of.

- There's really not a lot of action as both Lie and our former #1 God Is A Woman dropped big by only 2 spots. The only other big move we get this week was Sunflower, which has risen 5 spots into the Top 20.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Tequila by Dan + Shay
• Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee
• 8 Letters by Why Don't We

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme & Post Malone
• Rather Be by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
• Animals by Maroon 5
• Time Of Our Lives by Pitbull & Ne-Yo
• Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani 
• Locked Out Of Heaven by Bruno Mars
• Needed Me by Rihanna
• Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) by Cardi B
• Demons by Imagine Dragons
• Song About You by Mike Posner

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. I'm A Mess by Bebe Rexha
19. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

1 – Bad:
18. Without Me by Halsey

2 – Mediocre:
17. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
16. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.
15. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee

4 – Good:
14. Broken by lovelytheband

5 – Great:
13. Lie by NF
12. Back To You by Selena Gomez 
11. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
10. Better Now by Post Malone
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. Natural by Imagine Dragons
3. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
2. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Breathin' by Ariana Grande  

Total Score: 79/100 = 79% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: ...Baby One More Time by Britney Spears (1998)

Most Missed Song: In The Name Of Love by Martin Garrix featuring Bebe Rexha

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha

My Top 5 Picks
1. Breathin' by Ariana Grande
2. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
3. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
4. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
5. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I'm A Mess by Bebe Rexha
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. Thunderclouds by LSD
4. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD
5. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:

Silence by Marshmello featuring Khalid: Interestingly, Marshmello had two songs debut on this countdown one year ago. As far as Silence goes, I thought he did a pretty nice job with the production, and I like the addition of Khalid. But this pales in comparison to...

Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello: This song. Easily the best thing Marshmello has done thus far. Again, I'll have more to say about this in a few weeks or so.

5 Seconds Of Summer (4) - Week Of November 24, 2018

Hello, fam! I hope everyone here has had a great Thanksgiving! I've been waiting a long time to do this. I have a special announcement that I want to share with you guys! I will finally be doing a rankdown of my very own! More details will be at the top of my page when you click on the link. I do not have a deadline set for submissions yet. I'll let you guys know when I decide to set it. Before we get to this week's fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying good-bye to this week:

• Pitbull featuring Theron Theron – Free Free Free (#25)
• Bryce Vine – Drew Barrymore (#38)
• Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone – Jackie Chan (#40)
• Kim Petras – Heart To Break (#41)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
45. Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello – Beautiful (Remix) (#45) [=]
44. George Ezra – Shotgun (#44) [=]
43. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams (#36) [–7]
42. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#42) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
41. NF – Lie (#43) [+2]
40. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#39) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
39. Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (#17) [–22]
38. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#28) [–10]
37. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (#35) [–2]
36. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#37) [+1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
35. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#32) [–3] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
34. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (DEBUT)
33. LSD – Thunderclouds (#34) [+1]
32. Shawn Mendes – Nervous (DEBUT)
31. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (#30) [–1]
30. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower (DEBUT)
29. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#33) [+4] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
28. Camila Cabello – Consequences (DEBUT)
27. Twenty One Pilots – My Blood (#27) [=]
26. Alex Aiono – Big Mistake (#21) [–5]
25. Dan + Shay – Tequila (#15) [–10]
24. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#26) [+2]
23. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#9) [–14]
22. Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith – Promises (#14) [–8]
21. Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper – Shallow (#24) [+3]
20. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body (#23) [+3]
19. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You (#29) [+10]
18. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside (#20) [+2]
17. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart (#31) [+14]
16. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity (#16) [=]
15. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks (#19) [+4]
14. Ariana Grande – Breathin' (#22) [+8]
13. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan (#11) [–2]
12. lovelytheband – Broken (#13) [+1]
11. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects (#18) [+7]
10. Anne-Marie – 2002 (#8) [–2]
9. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies (#4) [–5]
8. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#5) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
7. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess (#10) [+3]
6. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#7) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#6) [+1]
4. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier (#1) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
3. Halsey – Without Me (#12) [+9]
2. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#3) [+1] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
1. 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood (#2) [+1] [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Imagine Dragons – Thunder (2^nd of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Walk The Moon – Kamikaze (–22)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart (+14)

New Entrants
- We'll start things off with probably my least favorite debut of the week. New to the countdown, we have Alec Benjamin with his latest single titled Let Me Down Slowly. Now, Alec has had quite a few songs that were on the YouTube 15. His music is okay to say the least. I have mixed feelings about Let Me Down Slowly. I'm not really a fan of his vocals. It sounds a little too childish. The lyrical content and the production are okay, but they're not special. So yeah, I'm mixed on this. It's in blue, but it's slightly closer to red than it is green. So don't be surprised if it ends up being in red at some point in time.

- Next, we have more Shawn Mendes with his third song on the countdown, by the name of Nervous. Although it's not officially his next single from his self-titled album, Hits 1 picked it up because they seem to love Shawn Mendes. I personally think there were better singles from that album in my opinion. Nervous is just a little underwhelming for my tastes. It sounds pretty similar to Bad Liar. First off, there's not much to the production other than just the acoustic guitar. Shawn himself sounds good in parts of the song, but doesn't really stand out in the chorus. The lyrics talk about him thinking about a girl and sometimes he can get stressed out. During the introduction for the song, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Taylor Swift helped him get through stage fright. Heh, it was nice of her to help out Shawn a little bit. That aside, I guess I can appreciate what the song wants to be. But I feel like the execution could've been better. It's not really a bad song, but again I feel like he can do better.

- Hits 1 seems to have a thing for Post Malone nowadays, as they continue to pick up music from him. He brings us a song taken from the movie soundtrack of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, titled Sunflower. The song also features Swae Lee, who he is collaborating with. My initial reaction to the song wasn't really the best. But after a few listens, I've slightly come around to it. I do kinda like their vocals in the song, and the verses are decent. My main problem is the production. I feel like there's not much going on and it doesn't really stand out. Yeah, I'm still pretty mixed on this as a whole. It's not too far off from being red again.

- With our highest debut this week, we have Camila Cabello with her next single off of her self-titled album. This time, we get a piano ballad in the form of Consequences. Right off the bat, it's a big step up from Never Be The Same vocally. Camila actually sounds good in this ballad. She doesn't try too hard to hit those high notes, much like she did in Never Be The Same which I wasn't fond of. It fits her well and I think she's better suited for songs like this. The piano sounds pretty divine throughout the song. The lyrical content is great for the most part. It tells a story about being in love can have its pros and cons. But judging by the lyrics, it's more about the cons than the pros. Overall, it's a sweet song. I'm glad she chose it as a single.

Best Debut Of The Week: Camila Cabello – Consequences

Let's Get Blurbical
- As far as our exits go, I never really liked Drew Barrymore, so I'm happy to see it off. Free Free Free was not destined to last very long. Jackie Chan I thought was pretty cool, but didn't quite stick with me in the long run. And finally, we lost Heart To Break. It was a great song overall and it deserved better. Kim Petras made a nice first impression there. I'm hoping we get to hear more from her soon.

- So, I recently found out that Taylor Swift is dating someone named Joe Alwyn and she gave a shout-out of him on Instagram. Aw, it was nice of Taylor to post something just like that. I guess they really like each other.

- Kamikaze took a massive drop this week. Yikes! It is clear that it won't become the next One Foot in terms of success.

- Before introducing I Wanna Know, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Bea Miller freaked out because Ariana Grande actually liked her tweet. Wow, she seemed to be impressed by this. I actually had that moment before where I freaked out because a celebrity liked my tweet. I love this feeling (no pun intended).

- So, Demi Lovato actually unfollowed Selena Gomez on Instagram?! That's a shocking turn of events if you ask me. It seemed like the two were close, but I guess something must've happened for this to occur. And Spyder Harrison called it "the end of the world as we know it". Geez, Spyder! You're really exaggerating there.

- Before introducing Eastside, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Ariana Grande posted a screenshot of her conversation with Halsey. Looking at the conversation, it's basically about them talking about their respective songs being successful. It seemed that they were still being nice to each other. I'll bet they're just glad that they're getting big hits.

- Don't Go Breaking My Heart took a rather shocking jump back into the Top 20. Heh, I guess the song's tenure isn't over yet as it looks to get a second life. I still like it though, so I'm cool with the shocking jump.

- It's really nice to see This Feeling in the Top 5. It's definitely the best things The Chainsmokers have released since Closer. It would be even nicer if this ended up hitting #1. I watched them perform on the halftime show of the Chiefs-Rams game and I must say, I was very impressed. Kelsea sounded great performing the song live. It was a thing of beauty. I hope to see more performances like this.

- It was only a matter of time until Without Me made its way into the Top 5. I'm not thrilled about this. Halsey has had better in the past and of course, this ends up becoming more successful at this moment (since her feature in Closer). I'm hoping it doesn't end up hitting #1, but I have my doubts.

- But then we get to our #1, in which Youngblood is back on top. I'm perfectly fine with this so long as it roadblock songs such as Without Me, Happier, and especially I'm A Mess. The song has been in the Top 5 for what seems like forever. I have a feeling that it may end up being ranked high on the Hits 1 Year-End when it comes around next month.

Hit-Bound:

• Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (DEBUT)
• TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
• Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
• James Arthur – Empty Space (DEBUT)
• Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
• Imagine Dragons – Machine
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Killer Queen
• Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (DEBUT)
• Steve Aoki featuring BTS – Waste It On Me
• Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
• Lauv featuring Julia Michaels – There's No Way
• Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me
• David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don't Leave Me Alone
• Olly Murs featuring Snoop Dogg – Moves

Entrant Reviews:

- To start things off in the world of Hit-Bound on Thanksgiving week, we have Ava Max with her debut single named Sweet But Psycho. I absolutely love this song overall. Ava shows that she has a great voice and the production is really good. I would like for this to debut soon.

- So, who remembers James Arthur who gave us Say You Won't Let Go two years ago? Well, he's back with his latest single titled Empty Space. Right off the bat, I can't say I'm feeling this one that much. The production to the song is too out of place and James's voice is pretty underwhelming. Honestly, I'd rather listen to Say You Won't Let Go than this.

- Last but not least, we have the return of Zara Larsson! She has her new single, Ruin My Life, making its appearance on Hit-Bound. I briefly discussed the song when it was trending on the YouTube 15 a couple weeks ago. I love pretty much everything about the song from Zara's vocals to the production. I'll have more on this should it debut to the countdown.

Best Debut On Hit-Bound: Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
TIE: 1. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me
TIE: 1. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
3. Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life
4. David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don't Leave Me Alone
5. Lauren Jauregui – Expectations

YouTube 15:

Mikey Piff is taking over for Jenna Marbles this week on this Thanksgiving Weekend Edition of the YouTube 15. Here are the songs trending this week:

• Ariana Grande – Breathin'
• Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
• Hozier – Movement
• Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
• Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
• Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You
• Alessia Cara – Not Today
• Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier
• Cher Lloyd – None Of My Business
• Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
• Rita Ora – Velvet Rope
• Halsey – Without Me
• Benny Blanco featuring Calvin Harris – I Found You
• Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (No joke)
• Kyle featuring Alessia Cara – Babies

Song Reviews:
- We get another single from Hozier titled Movement. I do kinda like this for the most part. While the production is just okay, I like Hozier's voice to an extent. Not much else I can say about that. It's in blue, but it's slightly closer to green.

- Next, we have Alessia Cara with the first of two songs on the YouTube 15 this week. This time, she brings us another single from her new album The Pains Of Growing which comes out next week, titled Not Today. I can say it's a little better than Trust My Lonely, but not by much. Although the production is decent and not as weird, Alessia doesn't really shine too much in any part of the song. Her vocals are decent, but that's about it. So yeah, I'm not too much of a fan. Hopefully, the rest of her new album has some better songs.

- We have the return of Rita Ora with her latest single titled Velvet Rope. I really like her voice in this one. She sounds amazing when she sings in the chorus. The production is very good as well. Overall, I'm in love with this.

- Finally, we have rapper Kyle collaborating with Alessia Cara in her second appearance on the YouTub15, titled Babies. I personally think this is better than two recent singles from Alessia Cara. I like the verses for the most part, and the vocals are pretty good. The production is decent, but I think it could use a little more work. Overall, not a bad song at all.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Rita Ora – Velvet Rope
2. Ariana Grande – Breathin'
3. Alan Walker featuring AuRa and Tomine Hacket – Darkside
4. Clean Bandit featuring Marina And The Diamond and Luis Fonsi – Baby
5. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess

1 – Bad:
19. Halsey – Without Me

2 – Mediocre:
18. Marshmello featuring Bastille – Happier

3 – Decent:
17. Anne-Marie – 2002
16. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You

4 – Good:
15. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body
14. lovelytheband – Broken

5 – Great:
13. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
12. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
10. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
9. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
8. Benny Blaco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Emily Warren – Side Effects
6. The Struts featuring Kesha – Body Talks
5. Imagine Dragons – Natural
4. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity
3. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Ariana Grande – Breathin'

Overall Grade: 83/100 = 83% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Olivia Newton-John – Physical (1981)

Most Missed Countdown Song: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Jet Black Heart

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Kungs & Cookin' On 3 Burners – This Girl

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Dan + Shay – Speechless

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves (#20) and Kesha – Praying (#13)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Ariana Grande – Breathin'
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
3. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
4. Shawn Mendes – Lost In Japan
5. Silk City featuring Dua Lipa – Electricity

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess
2. LSD – Thunderclouds
3. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams
4. Halsey – Without Me
5. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar: Blech. I never liked this from the start. The verses don't offer any momentum whatsoever. While it's better than White Iverson, that isn't saying much.
Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves: For me, this is the best thing both Selena and Marshmello have been a part of. Everything about this is just awesome in every sense of the word. You'll see this on My Top 50 songs of the year, and I'll have more to say about it in my post.

AT40: Ariana Grande (3) - Week Of November 24, 2018

Hello, fam! I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving! Sometime next week, I plan on posting my Q&A where I can answer all of the questions you guys have sent me. And then after that, I'll be working on my Year-End posts. We're one step closer towards the end of the year, so I'll have to move fast. But first, here's the Thanksgiving Weekend edition of the American Top 40 post. Before we get to this week's fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

• Jackie Chan by Tiesto & Dzeko featuring Preme And Post Malone (#20)
• Song About You by Mike Posner (#36)
• No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper (#38)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
40. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#39) [–1]
39. Trust My Lonely by Alessia Cara (DEBUT)
38. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#37) [–1]
37. Be Alright by Dean Lewis (DEBUT)
36. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#35) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
35. Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (#40) [+5]
34. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#33) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
33. Better by Khalid (DEBUT)
32. Mine by Bazzi (#31) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
31. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini (#34) [+3]
30. Shallow by Lady Gaga featuring Bradley Cooper (#32) [+2]
29. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#28) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]
28. Don't Matter To Me by Drake featuring Michael Jackson (#30) [+2]
27. Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake (#29) [+2]
26. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#25) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
25. Thunderclouds by LSD (#24) [–1]
24. Sunflower by Post Malone featuring Swae Lee (#27) [+3]
23. Promises by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith (#23) [=]
22. Consequences by Camila Cabello (#26) [+4]
21. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny featuring J. Balvin (#21) [=]
20. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa (#22) [+2]
19. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine (#19) [=]
18. Broken by lovelytheband (#16) [–2]
17. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#13) [–4]
16. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (#17) [+1]
15. Beautiful (Remix) by Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello (#15) [=]
14. Without Me by Halsey (#18) [+4]
13. Natural by Imagine Dragons (#12) [–1]
12. I'm A Mess by Bebe Rexha (#11) [–1]
11. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco (#14) [+3]
10. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid (#10) [=]
9. Breathin' by Ariana Grande (#9) [=]
8. Lie by NF (#8) [=]
7. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (#7) [=]
6. Better Now by Post Malone (#6) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
5. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#5) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
4. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#3) [–1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
3. Happier by Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE (#4) [+1]
2. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#2) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
1. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid (1^st And Only Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Back To You by Selena Gomez (–4)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Body by Loud Luxury featuring Brando (+5)

New Entrants
- To kick things off on this Thanksgiving weekend, we have Alessia Cara with Trust My Lonely, which is her second single off of her new album, The Pains Of Growing. It wasn't too long ago that she had Growing Pains on the countdown. I thought it was a good lead single to start things off, but it ended up being a flop. As for her new single, I'm not really feeling this one. To say the least, the production is weird and a little out of place for the majority of the song. Alessia does sound good, but is a little underwhelming in the chorus. So yeah, I was a little disappointed after hearing the song. I expected more out of Alessia. She has singles that I like, but I'm not particularly sold on this one. It may be blue for now, it could change.

- Next, we have Dean Lewis with his single, Be Alright. I don't have much I can say about this one. I do like his voice. Dean is a pretty good singer. One of the things that stand out to me is the lyrics. I think the song is well written for the most part. It describe a hard relationship between one another. The production here is nice. So yeah, it's a sad, but sweet song. I wouldn't mind if this sticks around.

- Lastly, we have Khalid with his second single, titled Better. Khalid has had a nice year overall with Love Lies becoming his biggest hit to date. Now, he's looking to carry that momentum into next year with his latest release. I do like Khalid overall. I personally think he has a nice voice. In the song, he sounds okay. He doesn't shine too much in the chorus, though. That's my only complaint about it. However, I do like the lyrical content and I also think the production is good for the most part. I like the piano work in the song. So yeah, it's not nearly as good as his predecessor, but it's decent enough.

Best Debut Of The Week: Be Alright by Dean Lewis

I Don't Wanna Lose Your Blurbs Tonight
- Let's begin with our exits. To start, I thought Jackie Chan was actually pretty cool despite the lyrical content. I didn't care that much for Song About You. Mike Posner has done better, though it wasn't a bad song. And finally, it's nice to see No Brainer leave. It lost it's appeal to me after a while. DJ Khaled can do better. I'm hoping we get something along the lines of Wild Thoughts.

- Before introducing Friends, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Marshmello had to take off his helmet just to get through security at the airport. My guess is that the people working at the airport wants to see who's behind the costume. I'll bet they were shocked to see who it was.

- I would appreciate if Sicko Mode would not move up any further. I don't get what people like about this. It's just annoying in every possible way.

- Before introducing I Like It, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Bad Bunny has not made an album yet, though he did say that he's working on new music. I'll be interesting to see what he has in store. Hopefully, it'll be good.

- All of the songs from #10-#5 held their positions this week, which was one of the signs that there wasn't a whole lot of movement on the countdown (though part of that is due to it being around Thanksgiving).

- Happier is inching closer to #1 by hitting a new peak of #3. Not something I'm looking forward to, but I know it'll happen. It's quite a shame that Wolves didn't do this well, yet songs like this and Friends become more successful.

- It's a good thing God Is A Woman holds at #1 for another week. Ariana has been killing it this year so far. And with Breathin' in the Top 10 and her successor hitting #1, her momentum is definitely going to carry into next year. I did read a post where she paid tribute to the late Mac Miller. I'll just say that I thought it was nice of her. Mac Miller will indeed be missed.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Tequila by Dan + Shay
• Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande
• Taki Taki by DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Love Yourself by Justin Bieber
• Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
• Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon
• Latch by Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
• No Brainer by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper
• Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
• Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Backstreet Boys
• All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA
• Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie
• Burn by Ellie Goulding
• Cheerleader by OMI

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. I'm A Mess by Bebe Rexha
19. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

1 – Bad:
18. Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine
17. Without Me by Halsey

2 – Mediocre:
16. Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille

3 – Decent:
15. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

4 – Good:
14. Broken by lovelytheband

5 – Great:
13. Lie by NF
12. Back To You by Selena Gomez 
11. Beautiful by Bazzi featuirng Camila Cabello
10. Better Now by Post Malone
9. High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco
8. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Eastside by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
5. God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande
4. Natural by Imagine Dragons
3. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa
2. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Breathin' by Ariana Grande  

Total Score: 77/100 = 77% (C+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Your Love by The Outfield (1985)

Most Missed Song: Stressed Out by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Close To Me by Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Praying by Kesha (#10)

My Top 5 Picks
1. Breathin' by Ariana Grande
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey 
3. This Feeling by The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini
4. Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes
5. Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. I Like Me Better by Lauv
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. I'm A Mess by Bebe Rexha
4. Thunderclouds by LSD
5. Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Let You Down by NF: While I'm sure there are people who like this in part because of the song's premise, I feel like his delivery is lacking and I find the chipmunk vocals to be unnecessary. So yeah, I wasn't feeling this too much. At least its successor is better.