- Ciara – Thinkin Bout You (#27)
- Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend (#34)*
- NOTD, Felix Jaehn, & Captain Cuts featuring Georgia Ku – So Close (#37)
- Post Malone – Wow. (#41)
- Billie Eilish – When The Party's Over (#45)
*Was not announced as an exit by Spyder Harrison
The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Shawn Mendes – If I Can't Have You
45. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings (#44) [–1]
44. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine (#43) [–1]
43. Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I'm So Tired... (#42) [–1]
42. Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier (#40) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
41. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (#25) [–16]
40. Push Baby – Mama's House (#38) [–2]
39. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo – Close To Me (#39) [=]
38. P!NK – Hustle (DEBUT)
37. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling (#33) [–4] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
36. PUBLIC – Make You Mine (DEBUT)
35. Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored (#31) [–4]
34. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#35) [+1] [Spent 8 Weeks At #1]
33. Alec Benjamin – Let Me Down Slowly (#28) [–5]
32. Blanco Brown – The Git Up (DEBUT)
31. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (#18) [–13]
30. Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days (#23) [–7]
29. P!NK – Walk Me Home (#28) [=]
28. Kaskade featuring Meghan Trainor – With You (#21) [–7]
27. Dan + Shay – Speechless (#26) [–1]
26. Panic! At The Disco – Dancing's Not A Crime (#24) [–2]
25. Lizzo – Truth Hurts (DEBUT)
24. Andy Grammer – Don't Give Up On Me (#32) [+8]
23. Bazzi – Paradise (#36) [+13]
22. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (#17) [–5]
21. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less (#30) [+9]
20. Ava Max – So Am I (#19) [–1]
19. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved (#20) [+1]
18. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy (#22) [+4]
17. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix) (#10) [–7]
16. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other (#16) [=]
15. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME! (#6) [–9]
14. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier (#14) [=]
13. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho (#8) [–5]
12. Halsey – Without Me (#12) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
11. Jonas Brothers – Cool (#13) [+2]
10. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (#15) [+5]
9. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me (#11) [+2]
8. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita (DEBUT)
7. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It (#9) [+2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]
6. Khalid – Talk (#7) [+1]
5. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don't Care (#5) [=]
4. Halsey – Nightmare (#2) [–2]
3. Jonas Brothers – Sucker (#4) [+1] [Spent 13 Weeks At #1]
2. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love (#3) [+1]
1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can't Have You (#1) [=] [3rd Week At #1]
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (1st of 2 Weeks At #1)
Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger (–16)
Biggest Jump Of The Week: Bazzi – Paradise (+13)
New Entrants:
- To kick off our new round of arrivals, we have more of P!NK with her latest single from Hurts 2B Human, in the form of Hustle. I personally think that there are much better songs from the album. But this is still pretty good overall. I like the instrumentation here and P!NK sounds good with her vocals, especially when she sings the chorus. Looking into the song, it talks about not wanting to be messed with. I guess P!NK has turned herself into a tough girl, heh. Anyway, my thought process was the same when Walk Me Home came around. We'll see if it sticks with me.
- Next, we have the band named PUBLIC with a song that's actually been around since 2014. It's called Make You Mine. I like what the song is going for here. Their vocals are pretty good and I like the production. I don't have too much else to say about it. Overall, I think this is pretty good. I hope it can stick around for a little while.
- Having country cross-over hits are becoming a trend this year as Old Town Road has been a major success, and it looks destined to break the record for most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, something which I don't want. But I won't get into that right now. Instead, I'll talk about another country cross-over hit that's on the rise. It's from Blanco Brown and he brings us The Git Up. I will say that it's better than Old Town Road in a way mainly because it has more of a country vibe. I'm not exactly huge on his voice overall, but at least he sounds slightly better than Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. Yeah, this is okay for now. My opinion may change.
- Not long after the departure of Juice, we get more of Lizzo with Truth Hurts. Believe it or not, the song has been around for about two years now. I did fell in love with this when I first listened to it. But my thoughts have kinda changed a little bit. I kinda like her voice for the most part, but the trap beat just doesn't mesh well with her voice. I prefer if she had something along the lines of Juice, which had a disco-throwback feel. I'm kinda happy she's getting success, though. But that song may not stick with me in the long run.
- So, Shawn Mendes has been going more Latin ever since the release of There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back, which remains to this day as a huge favorite of mine. This is further proven as he gives us his latest single with Camila Cabello titled Señorita, which makes its big debut all the way to #8. With that, the song now has its second highest debut in Hits 1 Weekend Countdown history, which was held by Jonas Brothers – Cool just a few weeks ago. Dang! This year has seen many songs debuting much higher on this countdown. There are rumors going around that these two are dating. And from what I've heard, it looks like they are. But anyway, onto the song. It incorporates many Latin elements, such as the guitar and some other instruments. I like the chemistry between the two artists. Shawn sounds better here than Camila. The song is about being in a relationship. The lyrical content and the music video perfectly describes the song. It's better than I Know What You Did Last Summer in most ways. Yeah, I'm digging this one overall. I have a feeling it's going to be here for a long while, and I'm rooting for its success.
Best Debut Of The Week: Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
I Love It When You Call Me Blurborita
- We'll begin with our exits. To start, it's about time Post Malone – Wow. dropped out of the countdown. I could never get into the song for some reason. I was losing interest in So Close, but it was better than its predecessor. And dang, I didn't really expect Thinkin Bout You to leave from a relatively high position! I thought it might hang around for at least a few more weeks. But I guess according to Hits 1 logic, a few weeks was too much. Finally, we say goodbye to two songs from Billie Eilish: When The Party's Over and Bury A Friend, the latter which was not announced by Spyder for some reason. Apparently, either he made a mistake there or he didn't want to acknowledge the fact that Billie Eilish had a bad week :P (something which another certain act is about to have).
- Spyder Harrison made the mistake during the introduction of Here With Me that it was down 2 to #9. Big mistake there, Spyder. That song did not jump last week. You better stop daydreaming about Mary Jane or whatever's on your mind and wake up. :P
- Some good things happened this week. In the Top 10, we get the entry from Never Really Over! This is definitely pleasing. But even more pleasing is the fact that it replaced Old Town Road, which made a scary jump into the Top 10 last week. I don't care what anyone says. And no, I don't say that because I love Katy Perry, either. Everything about the song is just spot on. Hopefully, it keeps up its momentum.
- Sweet But Psycho finally took a drop out of the Top 10. I'm sure some here are happy about it, mainly because "it's overplayed", etc. I mean, seriously. I know people are going to attack me for this, but I don't blame overplay at all like some others do. I still love Sweet But Psycho, and I loved it when it first came out. I'm glad it was a success.
- As I just mentioned, another certain act has had a bad week, also. Taylor Swift has ME! dropping out of the Top 10, meaning its shot at #1 is effectively over. That song has virtually lost momentum elsewhere and it is on a free-fall. I still love the song, but not as much as I used to. Then, there's You Need To Calm Down which also dropped this week. That one is just underwhelming overall, especially since she's had much better.
- I knew Love Me Less would makes a quick comeback. In fact, it jumped the exact same number of spots it dropped last week. Like I said, I really don't see anything about the song that's seriously worth caring about, and it's slightly been getting worse with each listen. It needs to start moving back down at the very least.
- Paradise is making a comeback after not doing very much the first few weeks, though I have a feeling it may not last very long. The song's not that memorable for the most part. I prefer to hear something along the lines of Mine. But I guess some people think differently.
- It appears as though the life of Bad Liar is beginning to die out. It seems like yesterday when Imagine Dragons first made their comeback with Believer two years ago. Need I should point out that they've been on the countdown since then. Now, we'll see how long Bad Liar sticks around.
- Dancing With A Stranger dropping big was not pleasing. But at the same time, it's not a surprise given that the song's momentum has finally stalled. Again, I do not blame overplay like some other still do. I still enjoy the song no matter what. It had a nice run while it lasted.
Hit-Bound:
- Miley Cyrus – Mother's Daughter
- Stephen Puth – Look Away (DEBUT)
- Dominic Fike – 3 Nights (DEBUT)
- Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock – Cross Me
- SHAED – Trampoline
- Jonas Brothers – Only Human (DEBUT)
- Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me (DEBUT)
- AJR – 100 Bad Days
- Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again
- Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes (DEBUT)
- Asher Angel
featuring Wiz Khalifa– One Thought Away - Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her (DEBUT)
- The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
- OneRepublic – Rescue Me
- In Real Life – Crazy AF
Entrant Reviews:
- While we wait on Charlie Puth to release new music, his brother Stephen Puth has a new single in its stead, titled Look Away. Right from the jump, this is definitely not as good as its predecessor. I much prefer his deeper voice in Sexual Vibe over his voice in Look Away. I do like the guitar for the most part, so I'll give him that. This is okay, but not what I was hoping for.
- Next, we have Florida native and newcomer Dominic Fike with his song called 3 Nights. I don't really see much in this one that's seriously worth caring about. There's no melody here. His voice is underwhelming for the most part and the instrumentation is mediocre. It might grow on me, but I doubt it somehow.
- We have more of the Jonas Brothers with their new single from Happiness Begins, in the form of Only Human. The production is cute and I like their vocals quite a bit. I'll save most of my words for when it inevitably debuts.
- Immediately following that, we have Ellie Goulding who collaborates with Juice WRLD in her latest single titled Hate Me. I talked about this one when it was trending on the YouTube 15 last week. Objectively, the production is better than Close To Me. I kinda like Juice WRLD's verses here and Ellie sounds nice. This is nowhere near her best work, but it's still pretty good.
- As one song from Post Malone leaves the countdown, another is looking to take its place. Enter Goodbyes, his latest single which features Young Thug. I find this one to be better than Wow., but not as good as Sunflower. So, this song kinda lands in the middle for me. I like his voice and I think the beat is pretty decent. The only thing that concerns me is Young Thug's verse, which I find to be a little grating. Still, not a bad song.
- It's about time Hits 1 picked up a song from Thomas Rhett. Last year, he had Marry Me which despite being a hit on Billboard, never made it to Hits 1. That one was a huge favorite among YouTube critics and myself. This week, he brings us Look What God Gave Her. I like what it has to offer and he proves that he is a talented singer. While it's not as good as Marry Me, it's still enjoyable. I do hope to see it on the countdown soon.
Best Hit-Bound Entrant Of The Week: Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
Hit-Bound Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Ed Sheeran featuring Chance The Rapper and PnB Rock – Cross Me
1 – Bad:
14. AJR – 100 Bad Days
2 – Mediocre:
13. Dominic Fike – 3 Nights
12. In Real Life – Crazy AF
3 – Decent:
11. Stephen Puth – Look Away
10. Asher Angel
9. Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again
8. Post Malone featuring Young Thug – Goodbyes
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
4 – Good:
None!
5 – Great:
6. Ellie Goulding featuring Juice WRLD – Hate Me
5. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
4. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
3. Miley Cyrus – Mother's Daughter
2. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On Hit-Bound:
1. SHAED – Trampoline
Overall Grade: 51/75 = 68% (D+)
Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Steve Aoki & Boehm featuring Walk The Moon – Back 2 U
My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. SHAED – Trampoline
2. Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
3. Miley Cyrus – Mother's Daughter
4. Jonas Brothers – Only Human
5. OneRepublic – Rescue Me
YouTube 15:
- Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
- Alan Walker featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko – On My Way
- Dermot Kennedy – Outnumbered
- Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
- Nicki Minaj – MEGATRON
- Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
- Jaafar Jackson – Got Me Singing
- Halsey – Nightmare
- Ali Gatie – It's You
- Post Malone – Wow.
- Runaway June – Buy My Own Drinks
- Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
- Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
- Khalid – Talk
- Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW
Song Reviews:
- To start things off, we have Irish native Dermot Kennedy with his single titled Outnumbered. I can't say I care for this one too much. Looking into the song, it tells us one is overwhelmed and needs somebody to comfort that person, which people can relate to. The acoustic guitar is nice, but the trap beat comes in and it kinda ruins the song. Acoustic guitars and trap beats don't mix well. I'm not exactly feeling his voice. This is okay, but it could've been better.
- Next is the son of Jermaine Jackson, named Jaafar Jackson. He brings us Got Me Singing. This feels like a little under-produced song as a whole that's not exactly exciting. It doesn't have very much to offer outside of some nice elements, and I find his voice to be okay. I personally think he has potential, but the song doesn't exactly do it for me.
- Oh, look. We have more country music in the fold. This time, a country girl group Runaway June give us Buy My Own Drinks. To put it short, it's one of the better country songs at the moment, though it's not nearly as good as a certain song I won't mention. They have good vocals and I like the lyrical content. That's all I have to say about this one.
- I've kept my thoughts quiet about this next song until it showed up on the YouTube 15 this week. Ed Sheeran has recently released his latest album titled No.6 Collaborations Project. One of those songs that I'll talk about is the collaboration between Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars in BLOW. I'm not going to mince words here: I was pretty mixed of his first two singles he released prior to the album. I Don't Care is decent, but I didn't like Cross Me. The latter just didn't feel like Ed Sheeran to me. But BLOW is something much different, and in a good way. I love the rock feel and it reminded me of some of the classic rock music I grew up with. The chemistry between those three is just excellent. In fact, they all sound great in the chorus. I like the guitar solo in every way. This is just a powerful track and I can consider it to be the best off of the album.
YouTube 15 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
15. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
1 – Bad:
14. Post Malone – Wow.
13. Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
2 – Mediocre:
12. Khalid – Talk
11. Jaafar Jackson – Got Me Singing
3 – Decent:
10. Dermont Kennedy – Outnumbered
9. Alan Walker featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko – On My Way
4 – Good:
8. Ali Gatie – It's You
5 – Great:
7. Nicki Minaj – MEGATRON
6. Halsey – Nightmare
5. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
3. Runaway June – Buy My Own Drinks
2. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The YouTube 15:
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW
Overall Grade: 52/75 = 69% (D+)
Most Missed YouTube 15 Song: Nick Jonas featuring Anne-Marie and Mike Posner – Remember I Told You
My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks
1. Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW
2. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
3. Runaway June – Buy My Own Drinks
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
5. Sebastian Yatra featuring Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha – Runaway
Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Crap:
20. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
1 – Bad:
19. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Easier
18. Jonas Brothers – Cool
2 – Mediocre:
17. Khalid – Talk
16. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
15. Halsey – Without Me
3 – Decent:
14. Alec Benjamin – If We Have Each Other
13. Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber – I Don't Care
12. The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds Of Summer – Who Do You Love
4 – Good:
11. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
5 – Great:
10. Halsey – Nightmare
9. Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
8. Ava Max – So Am I
7. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me
6. Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME!
5. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
4. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
3. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can't Have You
TIE: 1. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
Overall Grade: 73/100 = 73% (C)
Throwback Pick Of The Week: Toto – Africa (1982)
Most Missed Countdown Song: Harry Styles – Sign Of The Times
#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Ed Sheeran featuring Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars – BLOW
Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#8)
My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
TIE: 1. Shawn Mendes – If I Can't Have You
3. Dan + Shay – Speechless
4. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
5. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road (Remix)
2. Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
3. Lauv featuring Troye Sivan – I'm So Tired...
4. Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored
5. MAX featuring Quinn XCII – Love Me Less
Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Alessia Cara – Growing Pains: It was nice to see Alessia come back with this single, which just so happens to be one of the few good songs off The Pains Of Growing. I like the production here and her vocals are great. Too bad this never had the same popularity as her previous singles.
Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones: Easily a masterpiece off of MANIA. 'Nuff said. Oh, and I should mention that their music video resembles that of Kayne West's Flashing Lights. That's probably where they got that idea from.
Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart: Ah yes, the big comeback single from these guys. Everything about this just works to perfection. And I think this did well on Hits 1 because, "OMG, Backstreet Boys are back!"
