Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (1) - Week Of December 23, 2017

Hello, fam! Happy Christmas weekend to you all, and I hope you enjoy your presents! Hits 1 will be countdown their Top 45 Songs of the year starting today. I'll be reviewing that, plus I'm half-way through with my Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Review. So, I should have those ready by next week. But now, let's get right into this week's countdown. Spyder Harrison did indeed host the Christmas weekend edition of the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown, and...I thought this was a good week overall to start off this holiday weekend. Hopefully, things continue to pick up as get closer to 2018. Who knows? Maybe we'll get some more surprises at the start of the year. So without further ado, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 (#45)
• The Script – Rain (#44)
• Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber – Despacito (#43)
• Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#23) (!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The Countdown:

Last Week's #1 Song: Camila Cabello – Havana

45. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low (#40) [–5]

44. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#42) [–2] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]

43. Charlie Puth – Attention (#36) [–7] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

42. Harry Styles – Kiwi (#35) [–7]

41. Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato – No Promises (#41) [=]

40. Walk The Moon – One Foot (DEBUT)

39. Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor (DEBUT)

38. Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey – Glorious (#26) [–12]

37. Linkin Park – One More Light (#37) [=]

36. Louis Tomlinson – Miss You (DEBUT)

35. Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River (DEBUT)

34. The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn (#27) [–7]

33. Symon – Lonely Girl (#38) [+5]

32. Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay (#39) [+7] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

31. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#32) [+1]

30. Nick Jonas – Find You (#31) [+1]

29. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#10) [–19] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

28. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#30) [+2] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

27. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#33) [+6] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

26. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#20) [–6]

25. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#29) [+4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

24. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself (#28) [+4]

23. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (#34) [+11]

22. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#25) [+3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

21. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar (#22) [+1]

20. P!NK – What About Us (#20) [+1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

19. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#24) [+5]

18. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#18) [=]

17. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#19) [+2]

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

15. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves (#15) [=]

14. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (#13) [–1]

13. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#14) [+1]

12. ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (#17) [+5]

11. Kesha – Praying (#12) [+1]

10. Charlie Puth – How Long (#11) [+1]

9. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#8) [–1]

8. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It? (#5) [–3]

7. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#7) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

6. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go (#6) [=]

5. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do (#9) [+4]

4. Halsey – Bad At Love (#3) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

3. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#4) [+1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

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

1. Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé – Perfect (#2) [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd – Starving (2^nd of 4 Weeks at #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (–19)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (+11)

New Entrants

- We have four new debuts this week. Let's begin with the return of Walk The Moon. Two years have passed since Shut Up And Dance became the biggest summer song on Hits 1, spending a record-tying 12 weeks at #1. This week, they bring us their new single titled One Foot, the lead single off of their latest album What If Nothing. To put it short, this one is a lot of fun and listenable. Nicholas Petricca shows off his amazing vocals like he did in its predecessor. Will this be another hit for Walk The Moon? Only time will tell on that, but right now I'm glad it's here.

- Next up, we have Liam Payne with his second song on the countdown, by the name of Bedroom Floor. This is a step up from Strip That Down in terms of the production, and there's more singing going on. I do like how Liam shows off his vocals, though I do kinda question adding the falsetto. And believe it or not, Charlie Puth is one of the songwriters behind it. He helped Liam produced this song. While it's in blue at this moment, it could change to green soon.

- So, who's ready to hear more from Louis Tomlinson? Well, good news for you then: he makes his return with his third solo single titled Miss You. This one has some nice rock elements to it, and he uses the guitars pretty well. Louis Tomlinson does showcase his vocal talent pretty well like he did. The lyrical content talks about missing a girl that he loved and the memories they had. It's a good song, and whether it finally becomes a hit, I don't know. But I'm hoping for the best.

- Finally, we have the return of Eminem. And guess what, Ed Sheeran decides to tag along with their new single titled River. I'm quite surprised this one managed to debut straight to the countdown. I expected it to last at least one week on Hit-Bound, but I guess I was wrong. Anyway, there are some things I like about it, mainly Ed Sheeran's voice. I've only heard it a couple of times throughout the week, so I'm not quite sure how I feel about it just yet. My opinion could really go either way.

I Wanna Blurb You A Merry Christmas From The Bottom Of My Heart

- EVERYONE! WE MUST REJOICE! THE HUGE PIECE OF GARBAGE KNOWN AS SAM HUNT – BODY LIKE A BACK ROAD HAS FINALLY LEFT THE COUNTDOWN!!! GOOD RIDDANCE!!! YOU WILL NOT BE MISSED!!!

- As far as the remaining exits go, I didn't necessarily care the The Script – Rain in the big picture, so I'm okay with its departure. The other two songs, 1-800-273-8255 and Despacito, deserve some words for me. Let's first talk about the former. Some may hate this because they found it to be poorly executed, but I did like the meaning behind the song and it was something people can relate to. The latter, on the other hand, was the biggest song of the summer and I am surprisingly not sick of it unlike most people. I did enjoy Despacito while it lasted. With that said, both of these songs will be missed, by me at least.

- We had some noticeable drops this week. Both Attention and Kiwi have fallen to the bottom of the countdown. The former looks like it's nearing its end, though it had a good run while it lasted. The latter I'm kinda disappointed about, but I'm not surprised since it's not too big elsewhere.

- On that note, Sorry Not Sorry took a big drop out of the Top 10 for the first time in months. I'm sure ATR will be pleased with this news.

- On the flip side, Good Old Days takes a big jump into the Top 30. And forget what I said about last week when that song made its debut that was a little bit of a step down from Glorious. I'm finding this to be an amazing song, and I don't just say it because of Adrian, either. Actually, yes I did. There I said it. But seriously, though. I'm in love with this song and I'm hoping it can be successful like its predecessor.

- Looks like What Lovers Do isn't giving up just yet, as it just climbed back into the Top 5. I'm not surprised since I heard it as Most Wutchuwanted the past few times throughout the week. But hey, I'm not complaining. We'll see how long it lasts.

- And we've come to our new #1! Ed Sheeran continues to reign supreme with his 4th song from Divide reaching the top spot. It was no surprise that it would wound up getting there, what with a couple of remixes making this song gain a lot of steam. And speaking of which, I have indeed decided to grade the remix, just for fun. :)

Hit-Bound:

• Sofi Tukker – Best Friend
• Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't
• Spencer – Whatever
• NF – Let You Down (DEBUT)
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game
• AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
• P!NK – Beautiful Trauma
• Alan Walker featuring Noah Cyrus and Digital Farm Animals – All Falls Down (DEBUT)
• Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels – I Miss You
• WØLVES – Animal
• G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I (DEBUT)
• Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (DEBUT)
• All Time Low – Last Young Renegade

- We had quite a shake-up on this week's edition of Hit-Bound. But first, we sadly say good-bye to Bruno Mars – Chunky. I had thought this would have a shot at debuting, but it didn't happen. Luckily, he has a new single coming next month, so I'm excited about what more he has to offer.

- To start our new round of arrivals, we have newcomer NF making his appearance with the song Let You Down. I talked about this briefly when it debuted on the American Top 40 not too long ago. But to put it short, I'm not fond of this one. The pitchy vocals in some parts of the song are really grating. I'll have more words when it debuts.

- I doubt most people were looking forward to hearing from Noah Cyrus again. But alas, here she is with the second debut on Hit-Bound. This time, she's being featured on new EDM artist Alan Walker's new single All Falls Down. This was trending on the YouTube 15 for a while now. I talked about this one last month when I did my take on the YouTube 15. Let's just say the production is one of the best things about it, and Noah's voice isn't annoying at all.

- Up next, we have another collaboration. I bet you weren't really expecting G-Eazy and Halsey to make a song together, didn't you? Anyway, they bring us Him & I. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one yet, although I can say I do kinda like Halsey's vocals for the most part. It's in blue for now, but my opinion could change.

- Finally, we have more music from Camila Cabello. This time, she has a new song titled Never Be The Same. I can't say I'm feeling this one yet, in part due to her vocals. I'll talk more about this later on when it debuts.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

1. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes

2. Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game

3. WØLVES – Animal

4. All Time Low – Last Young Renegade

5. Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels – I Miss You

Top 20 Review:

0 - Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Me

1 - Bad:
19. Lauv – I Like Me Better

2 - Mediocre:
None!

3 - Decent:
18. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft
17. Imagine Dragons – Believer
16. Charlie Puth – How Long

4 - Good:
15. Halsey – Bad At Love

5 - Great:
14. Camila Cabello – Havana
13. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes
12. Dua Lipa – New Rules
11. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask
10. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do
9. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go
8. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
7. P!NK – What About Us
6. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
5. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
4. ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn
3. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It?
2. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves

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

Overall Grade: 85/100 = 85% (B)

Throwback Picks Of The Week: José Feliciano – Feliz Navidad (1970) and Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You (1994) (Her most iconic Christmas song of all time, and this finally made the Top 10 on Billboard. Congratulations, Mariah Carey!)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Sia – Chandelier

Most Missed Hit-Bound Drop-Out: Ellie Goulding – Still Falling For You

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Walk The Moon – Surrender

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Adele – Water Under The Bridge and Bruno Mars 24K Magic

My Top 5 Picks

TIE: 1. Kesha – Praying

TIE: 1. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days
3. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves

4. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It?

5. ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn

My Bottom 5 Picks

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

2. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar

3. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low

4. Liam Payne – Strip That Down

5. Lauv – I Like Me Better

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

2017: A Year In Review, Part 2

Hello fam! For part 2 of my Year-End Review, this post talks about several things. This includes the #1 songs of either countdown and other stuff that I'll talk about. Obviously, a lot has happened this year. Thus, I was able to compile some of the stats about certain things. So with that being said, here's the color code that I'll be using throughout the entire post:

Purple - Best Song

Green - Great

Blue - Good

Pink - Decent

Yellow - Mediocre

Turquoise - Bad

Red - Putrid
Orange - Worst Song

First off, let's start by talking about our #1 songs from either countdown. There have been many songs that have reached #1, whether it be the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown or the American Top 40 With Ryan Seacrest. I would like to say congratulations to those artists who have reached #1 with their respective songs mentioned below. Here are the full list of songs that have managed to achieve that goal in 2017:

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown:

• Maroon 5 – Don't Wanna Know (3 Weeks)
• Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd – Starving (3 Weeks in 2016, 1 Week in 2017) (4 Total)
• TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Heathens (1 Week in 2016, 1 Week in 2017) (2 Total)
• Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (9 Weeks)
• Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (3 Weeks)
• Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (1 Week)
• The Chainsmokers – Paris (1 Week)
• Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay (4 Weeks)
• The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (3 Weeks)
• Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (5 Weeks)
• Imagine Dragons – Believer (3 Weeks)
• Charlie Puth – Attention (1 Week)
• Niall Horan – Slow Hands (3 Weeks)
• Liam Payne – Strip That Down (2 Weeks)
• Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (4 Weeks)
• Imagine Dragons – Thunder (2 Weeks)
• Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (1 Week)
• P!NK – What About Us (1 Week)
• Halsey – Bad At Love (1 Week)

American Top 40:

• Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj – Side To Side (3 Weeks)
• Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar – Don't Wanna Know (1 Week)
• Alessia Cara – Scars To Your Beautiful (2 Weeks)
• Machine Gun Kelly featuring Camila Cabello – Bad Things (2 Weeks)
• Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (10 Weeks)
• Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (3 Weeks)
• The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (1 Week)
• Kygo featuring Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (1 Week)
• Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay (5 Weeks)
• Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee – Despacito (5 Weeks)
• Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (1 Week)
• Charlie Puth – Attention (5 Weeks)
• Niall Horan – Slow Hands (2 Weeks)
• Liam Payne featuring Quavo – Strip That Down (1 Week)
• Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (1 Week)
• Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (2 Weeks)
• Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (1 Week)
• Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 (1 Week)
• Imagine Dragons – Thunder (2 Weeks)
• Camila Cabello – Havana (1 Week)

Overall, this was a rather solid list for the most part. We had quite a mixture of good and bad songs reaching the top spot, whether it be on the American Top 40, or the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. Again, congratulations to those artists who have reached #1 with their respective songs mentioned above. Again, as I've said, this was a pretty good list of #1's this year, and I'm hoping the same rings true (or maybe be even better) for 2018.

Hit-Bound Drop-Outs:

So, we have a list of songs that failed to graduate Hit-Bound (note that some of these songs here have charted on the American Top 40. Thus, you may see some of these on my list, whether it be in My Top 45 Songs Of 2017 or in My Bottom 10 Songs Of The 2017). Here they are:

• Bebe Rexha – The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody)*
• Calum Scott - Dancing On My Own
• Captain Cuts featuring Nateur - Love Like We Used To
• Carly Rae Jepsen - Cut To The Feeling
• COIN - Talk Too Much
• Dua Lipa - Blow Your Mind (Mwah)*
• Fall Out Boy - Young and Menace
• Gavin DeGraw - She Sets The City On Fire
• Katy Perry - Bon Appetit
• Katy Perry featuring Nicki Minaj - Swish Swish
• Kungs featuring Ephemerals - I Feel So Bad
• Little Mix - Shout Out To My Ex
• Little Mix - Touch
• Lorde - Green Light*
• Mansionz featuring G-Eazy - Wicked
• Maty Noyes - In My Mind
• Paramore - Hard Times
• Pentatonix - Hallelujah
• P!NK featuring Eminem - Revenge
• PRETTYMUCH - Would You Mind
• Rita Ora - Your Song
• Shawn Hook featuring Vanessa Hudgens - Reminding Me
• Taylor Swift - Gorgeous
• Why Don't We - Something Different*

*Denotes that the Song Charted On The American Top 40

Overall, as you can tell, there were plenty of good songs in my opinion that were stranded on Hit-Bound. It would've been nice to see them debut on the countdown, but unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be. However, there were a few songs that debuted on the American Top 40, as I mentioned. Now, with that in mind, I now present to you my Lights Over Paris Hit-Bound Hero Award. What that means is there's a song here that I really like and I was deeply saddened that it failed to graduate Hit-Bound. It was a serious competition between two songs I won't mention. But ultimately, I have made my decision. Now, here is the one song that I've decided to give this award to:

Lights Over Paris Hit-Bound Hero Award: Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut To The Feeling

Tenure Trophies

In terms of both the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown and the American Top 40, we've had some songs here lasting a long period of time, while others their tenures were cut short after a brief period. Here is the list of songs which either had the longest chart run or their shortest chart run.

Shortest-tenured songs on either countdown

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown:
Kehlani featuring G-Eazy – Good Life (1 Week) (Debuted May 20, 2016; departed May 27, 2016)

American Top 40:

NOTE: All of these songs mentioned below lasted only one week.

DJ Khaled featuring Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Jeremih, Future & Rick Ross – Do You Mind (Debuted February 4, 2017; departed February 11, 2017)
Kaleo – Way Down I Go (Debuted February 25, 2017; departed March 4, 2017)
PARTYNEXTDOOR – Not Nice (Debuted March 25, 2017; departed April 1, 2017)
Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson – Symphony (Debuted August 19, 2017; departed August 26, 2017)
Nick Jonas – Find You (Debuted November 11, 2017; departed November 18, 2017)
Fifth Harmony – He Like That (Debuted November 18, 2017; departed November 25, 2017)

Longest-tenured songs on either countdown

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown:
Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (49 Weeks) (Debuted January 13, 2017)

American Top 40:
Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (43 weeks) (Debuted February 11, 2017; departed December 9, 2017)

Other Stats

As mentioned earlier in my introduction, I've compiled some stats for either countdown. It took a while, but I was finally able to pull that off. So, here are some of the stats.

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown:

Smallest "Biggest DRRRRRROP!! Of The Week":

Hey Violet – Break My Heart [–7] (June 24, 2017)

AJR – Weak [–7] (June 24, 2017)

Smallest "Biggest Jump Of The Week":

John Legend – Love Me Now [+8] (January 7, 2017)

Bruno Mars – 24K Magic [+8] (January 7, 2017)

Biggest "Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week":

Bebe Rexha – I Got You [–29] (March 18, 2017)

Biggest "Biggest Jump Of The Week":

James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go [+25] (March 18, 2017)

Highest Debut Of The Year:

Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#13) (September 2, 2017)

Lowest Debut Of The Year:

NOTE: All of these songs had their lowest debut of the year, all of which debuted at #40.

AJR – Weak (#40) (March 4, 2017)
MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low (#40) (April 8, 2017)
Halsey – Now Or Never (#40) (April 15, 2017)
ONE OK ROCK – American Girls (#40) (May 13, 2017)

American Top 40:

Smallest "Biggest Fall Of The Week":

Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna – This Is What You Came For [–2] (January 21, 2017)

Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better [–2] (January 21, 2017)

TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Heathens [–2] (January 21, 2017)

Smallest "Biggest Rise Of The Of The Week":

Flo Rida featuring 99 Percent – Cake [+5] (April 15, 2017)

Biggest "Biggest Fall Of The Week":

Linkin Park featuring Kiiara – Heavy [–23] (June 24, 2017)

Biggest "Biggest Rise Of The Week":

ZAYN featuring Taylor Swift – I Don't Wanna Live Forever [+26] (January 14, 2017)

Highest Debut Of The Year:

Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#10) (September 16, 2017)

Lowest Debut Of The Year:

NOTE: All of these songs had their lowest debut of the year, all of which debuted at #40.

ZAYN featuring Taylor Swift – I Don't Wanna Live Forever (#40) (January 7, 2017)
Aminé – Caroline (#40) (January 21, 2017)
Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley – Chained To The Rhythm (#40) (February 25, 2017)
Flo Rida featuring 99 Percent – Cake (#40) (April 1, 2017)
Lady Gaga – The Cure (#40) (May 13, 2017)
Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson – Symphony (#40) (August 19, 2017)
Jonas Blue featuring William Singe – Hey Mama (#40) (September 9, 2017)
Harry Styles – Two Ghosts (#40) (September 16, 2017)
Hey Violet – Hoodie (#40) (September 30, 2017)
Blackbear – Do Re Mi (#40) (October 28, 2017)
Fifth Harmony – He Like That (#40) (November 18, 2017)
ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (#40) (December 9, 2017)

And finally, there is one last thing I want to mention. I will now present to you the Biggest Whiff Of The Year Award. Basically, what that means is there is one song in particular that despite it being a big hit elsewhere, failed to make it to the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. It was the one song that unfortunately held this honor because I actually liked it. So, I will now be giving this award to the one song that deserved to be there in my opinion. Here it is:

Biggest Whiff Of The Year Award: Kendrick Lamar – HUMBLE. 

Whew! That took a lot of work, but I've finally finished! Once again, I would like to thank you guys for reading my blog! You guys are the greatest. Hit me up in the comments section below and tell me what you think! I hope you enjoyed reading! I'm looking forward to continuing this journey of reviewing music going into next year and hopefully beyond! As I've said before, it's been an honor to be able to share my blog with you guys in my first year of doing this! Thanks again, and I hope you guys have a Merry Christmas!

Camila Cabello (1) - Week Of December 16, 2017

Hello, fam! As we get closer to the end of the year, I'm hard at work getting these Year-End post done. I'll probably have those ready by either after Christmas or within the next week. I'm also planning on doing a rankdown for you guys as soon as I figure out how the whole thing works. No word on what the rankdown will be, but I'll let you in on the details once I decide what rankdown I should do. Right now, we're going to be talking about this week's countdown. Let's dive right in! So without further ado, here are the songs dropping out this week:

• Mono Mind – Save Me A Place (#42)
• The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#39) [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:

Last Week's #1 Song: Halsey – Bad At Love

45. Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 (#45) [=]

44. The Script – Rain (#44) [=]

43. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber – Despacito (#43) [=]

42. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#41) [–1] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]

41. Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato – No Promises (#38) [–3]

40. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low (#38) [–2]

39. Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay (#36) [–3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

38. Symon – Lonely Girl (DEBUT)

37. Linkin Park – One More Light (#27) [–10]

36. Charlie Puth – Attention (#40) [+4] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

35. Harry Styles – Kiwi (#35) [=]

34. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (DEBUT)

33. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#33) [=]

32. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#34) [+2]

31. Nick Jonas – Find You (#28) [–3]

30. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#31) [+1]

29. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#26) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

28. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself (#29) [+1]

27. The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn (#21) [–6]

26. Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey – Glorious (#6) [–20]

25. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#19) [–6] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

24. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#32) [+8]

23. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#25) [+2] (Why is this still here?!)

22. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar (#24) [+2]

21. P!NK – What About Us (#8) [–13] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

20. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#15) [–5]

19. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#22) [+3]

18. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#13) [–5]

17. ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (#30) [+13]

16. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#20) [+4] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

15. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves (#18) [+3]

14. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#17) [+3]

13. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (#23) [+10]

12. Kesha – Praying (#16) [+4]

11. Charlie Puth – How Long (#14) [+3]

10. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#8) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

9. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do (#11) [+2]

8. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#5) [–3]

7. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#7) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

6. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go (#10) [+4]

5. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It? (#12) [+7] (:D)

4. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#4) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

3. Halsey – Bad At Love (#1) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

2. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#2) [=]

1. Camila Cabello – Havana (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd – Starving (1^st of 4 weeks at #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey – Glorious (–20)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (+13)

New Entrants

- To start off this week's new round of arrivals, we have the return of Symon, who is now one of the hosts for Hits 1 In Hollywood. Enter Lonely Girl. For those of you who don't remember Symon, let me refresh your mind for a second. She made her first appearance last year with her debut single, Say. That one I was never really a fan of, mainly because of the obnoxious rap breakdown and it was so repetitive. As for the song itself, she seems to have redeemed herself by doing a piano ballad. Her vocals do shine somewhat, and it's not very repetitive, which makes it a pretty easy listen. It's a big step up from her predecessor. While it's in blue for now, it's not very far from green. So, don't be surprised if it gets there soon.

- Now that Glorious is finally starting to flame out, Macklemore's latest single comes in its stead. The song in question is titled Good Old Days, which features Kesha. While it's a bit of a step down from its predecessor, I can't deny that this song is good by any means. Their vocals blend together really well, and I do like the lyrical content about wanting to go back to living the good old days, hence the title. Overall, it's a sweet song, and I'm hoping it can do well here.

Now I'm Just Another Lonely Blurb

- Let's begin with our two exits. First off, Save Me A Place had a nice countdown run, spending most of its tenure in the Top 10. This one virtually came out of nowhere, but I did enjoy it while it lasted. It was unlike any song I've ever heard before. That said, Save Me A Place will be missed, at least by me. But the saddest one for me (and many of us) is the departure of Something Just Like This. This is the first time that we do not have a song by neither The Chainsmokers nor Coldplay, especially the former, who've had a great countdown run dating back to January 2016. A rehash of Roses blended with great vocals by Chris Martin, it's safe to say that this song will be missed by many of us.

- Before introducing Despacito, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Justin Bieber's mom praises Selena Gomez to some degree. I wonder will that inspire him to get back together with her? Hmm...

- Before introducing Lights Down Low, Spyder Harrison mentioned that MAX posted a bunch of pictures of his wife online. I guess he wanted to show just how much he loves his wife. And here I am, still single. Don't make me jealous. :P

- Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction for Stay that Zedd gave a bullied kid a gift to see him perform live. Very nice, and I'm hoping more celebrities like him can help other bullied children like he did. It's sad to see that bullying is still an issue.

- Well, this didn't take long. Hot Damn's big jump from last week was pretty short-lived, because it dropped 6 spots this week. Looks like the voters didn't want this song to be much higher, but I digress.

- Speaking of drop, Glorious had the unfortunate honor of being the Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week this week. It looks like the end is near, as it's dying down elsewhere.

- Before introducing There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Shawn Mendes considers Camila Cabello "girlfriend material". And believe it or not, those two were a couple for a brief period of time. Heh, I'm guessing Camila will probably have an easier time finding someone special, and she's hoping it works out well.

- I'm not thrilled by I Like Me Better taking a jump this week, but I'll live with it. I'll admit it's not an awful song mainly because I kinda like the vocals. But really everything else about this one brings it down for me.

- I'm also not thrilled by the fact that Body Like A Back Road is still on the countdown, let alone this high up. Who the hell is still listening to this?! This isn't the type of song I want to hear every time I want to drive out and about. Whoever is still voting for this song needs to stop!!!

- Looks like this is the end for What About Us, what with it officially dropping out of the Top 10 this week. It did have a nice run there, and I'm glad it got to #1. Hopefully, it can stay with us for a little longer.

- But as a consolation, Dusk Till Dawn took a big jump this week, and I'm very pleased about this. I've definitely been enjoying this song more and more with each listen. I'm hoping for the best, but you never know for sure. Anything can happen on Hits 1.

- On the note of country music, yes folks, what you see is not a color-coding error. I indeed have Meant To Be in orange. It is now my new worst song on the countdown, along with Body Like A Back Road. I had seriously considered putting Rockstar in orange, but I decided not to, in part because I'll admit that this song does have some cool lines. When it comes to Meant To Be, I recently watched ARTV's take on that song when he counted down his worst songs of 2017, and he couldn't have been more accurate. Honestly, I'm very disappointed in Bebe Rexha for choosing this single when there were better single choices for her album. I want songs such as I Got You and maybe The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody), not this. Again, sorry to those that like it, but this is just how I feel.

- On the other hand, Too Much To Ask taking a nice jump into the teens is nice to see. I reckon Niall Horan may have another big hit before we know it.

- Let Me Go is getting closer to the Top 5 with a small jump to #6 this week. I have a slight feeling this could be the next Starving, but you never really know. Again, anything can happen on this countdown. If Starving can hit #1 like it did last year, I wonder will history repeat itself with this song? Hmm...

- It's good to see ...Ready For It? make its jump back into the Top 5 despite the fact that it's dying out elsewhere in favor of End Game. Apparently, Hits 1 just can't get enough of Taylor Swift seeing has the majority of her singles have been in the Top 5 (with the exception of Out Of The Woods). Also, this Wednesday was her 28th birthday. So, I would like to wish her a Happy Birthday!

- And that's brings us to our new #1! With Havana still getting as big as it is, I figured the voters would push this song to the top spot eventually. But I'll surely take it. It's Camila Cabello's first #1 song as a solo artist. I'm glad this managed to take the top spot since I love this song now, so no complaints there.

Hit-Bound:

• AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
• Bruno Mars – Chunky
• Louis Tomlinson – Miss You
• Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels – I Miss You
• All Time Low – Last Young Renegade (DEBUT)
• Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game
• Walk The Moon – One Foot
• WØLVES – Animal
• Sofi Tukker – Best Friend
• Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor
• P!NK – Beautiful Trauma
• Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't
• Spencer – Whatever
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes

- Ryan Sampson hosted Hit-Bound this week as Mikey Piff was absent. For the second week in a row, we have only one debut. We have more All Time Low with their latest single titled Last Young Renegade. It's quite a step up from Good Times in terms of the production. It's one of the more upbeat songs that I want to hear from them. I'll talk more if it debuts.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

1. Bruno Mars – Chunky

2. Walk The Moon – One Foot

3. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes

4. Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game

5. All Time Low – Last Young Renegade

Top 20 Review:

0 - Putrid:
TIE: 20. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

1 - Bad:
None!

2 - Mediocre:

None!

3 - Decent:

19. Imagine Dragons – Believer
18. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft
17. Charlie Puth – How Long

4 - Good:
16. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
15. Halsey – Bad At Love

5 - Great:
14. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
13. Camila Cabello – Havana
12. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes
11. Dua Lipa – New Rules
10. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask
9. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do
8. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go
7. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
6. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
5. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
4. ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn
3. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It?
2. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves

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

Overall Grade: 88/100 = 88% (B+)

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

Most Missed Countdown Song: Lorde – Royals (The song that started it all for her, and it was just certified Diamond last week. So, congrats to her!)

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut To The Feeling

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Steve Aoki featuring Lauren Jauregui – All Night

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Adele – Water Under The Bridge and Bruno Mars – 24K Magic

My Top 5 Picks

1. Kesha – Praying

2. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves

3. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It?

4. ZAYN featuring Sia – Dusk Till Dawn

5. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself

My Bottom 5 Picks

TIE: 1. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road

TIE: 1. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

3. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar

4. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low

5. Liam Payne – Strip That Down

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Steve Aoki featuring Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On: It was around this time last year when Louis's mother sadly passed away. This song basically talks about his relationship with his mother. I do like Steve Aoki's contribution in this one. It's a sad song, but at the same time, its upbeat.
ZAYN featuring Taylor Swift – I Don't Wanna Live Forever: Taken from the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack, this was a pretty interesting collaboration. Though it doesn't live up to Love Me Like You Do, mainly because the song itself is a little less interesting, but I do like Taylor's contribution.

AT40: Camila Cabello (1) - Week Of December 16, 2017

Hello, guys. This is the last AT40 countdown of 2017! For the most part, this was a pretty good week to end the year. We had plenty of activity going on, a new #1, and...not much else after that. Also I'm hard at work on my Year-End posts, so they should be coming within the next two weeks or so. Before we get to this week's countdown, here are the songs leaving us this week.

• Love So Soft by Kelly Clarkson
  Last Week: #28 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 10
  
  
• Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) by Cardi. B.
  Last Week: #36 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 8

The Countdown:

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

40. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez [–1]
Last Week: #39 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 41

39. Dusk Till Dawn by ZAYN featuring Sia [+1]
Last Week: #40 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 2

38. Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #37 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 30

37. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line (DEBUT)
Last Week: N/A | # Of Weeks On Chart: 1

36. Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee [–11]
Last Week: #25 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 22

35. Best Friend by Sofi Tukker (DEBUT)
Last Week: N/A | # Of Weeks On Chart: 1

34. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #33 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 40

33. Silence by Marshmello featuring Khalid [+2]
Last Week: #35 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 3

32. Believer by Imagine Dragons [–2]
Last Week: #30 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 30

31. Do Re Mi by Blackbear [+1]
Last Week: #32 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 8

30. Faking It by Calvin Harris featuring Kehlani and Lil' Yatchy [+4]
Last Week: #34 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 5

29. Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid [+2]
Last Week: #31 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 7

28. No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato [–1]
Last Week: #27 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 28

27. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future [+11]
Last Week: #38 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 2

26. Let You Down by NF [+3]
Last Week: #29 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 4

25. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes [–5] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #20 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 31

24. Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William and Beyonce [–5]
Last Week: #19 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 16

23. Slow Hands by Niall Horan [–6] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #17 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 29

22. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt [+1]
Last Week: #23 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 10

21. Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan [+5]
Last Week: #26 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 6

20. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
Last Week: #24 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 7

19. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash [+2]
Last Week: #21 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 15

18. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello [+4]
Last Week: #22 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 3

17. Attention by Charlie Puth [–3] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #14 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 29

16. What About Us by P!NK [–4]
Last Week: #12 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 16

15. How Long by Charlie Puth [+3]
Last Week: #18 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 6

14. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo [–6] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #8 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 25

13. New Rules by Dua Lipa [+3]
Last Week: #16 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 11

12. ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift [+1]
Last Week: #13 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 11

11. Praying by Kesha [–2]
Last Week: #9 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 19

10. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage [+5]
Last Week: #15 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 8

9. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara [-6] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #3 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 22

8. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith [+3]
Last Week: #11 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 13

7. Perfect by Ed Sheeran [+3]
Last Week: #10 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 9

6. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #6 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 17

5. Bad At Love by Halsey [+2]
Last Week: #7 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 13

4. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
Last Week: #4 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 18

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

2. Thunder by Imagine Dragons [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
Last Week: #1 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 10

1. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug [+1] [1^st Week At #1]
Last Week: #2 | # Of Weeks On Chart: 10

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (7^th and final week at #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee (–11)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future (+11)

New Entrants
- Our first of two entrants in this final week comes from the return of Bebe Rexha, who this time collaborates with country band Florida Georgia Line in their single, Meant To Be. I already talked about this song when it debuted on Hits 1 last month. But yeah, this song was never that good at all (not to me, at least). Bebe's vocals are okay, but I'm not big on the vocals of the Florida Georgia Line. I'm not sold on the lyrical content either. While it's better than a certain country song I won't name, it's still undesirable all around. So, sorry to those that like it, but I'm just not a fan.

- For our final debut of the year, we have newcomer duo Sofi Tukker charting for the first time with their new single titled Best Friend. If you've been watching television lately, you've probably heard this song in one of the commercials for the iPhone X. Now, it's a little too weird for my liking, mainly because of the vocals. However, I do think the production is good for the most part. This song kinda reminds me of the theme song from the Fairly OddParents TV series, especially when hearing the chorus. My opinion on this song could go either way, but I may actually grow into it somehow.

All I Want For Christmas Is Blurbs
- As far as our exits go, Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) thankfully took the well-deserved exit. I wasn't impressed by how she tries to be Nicki Minaj without showing any personality of her own whatsoever. That aside, this song will never be missed and hopefully this is the last time I'll ever hear from it. Love So Soft, on the other hand, I actually liked and I was impressed with Kelly Clarkson's new direction in terms of her music, but in time it did fade on me a bit. Still, it's better than some of the other music currently on the charts right now.

- We had a lot of big drops this week, including Unforgettable, which is a little saddening. But on the other hand, there were some big jumps, with End Game having the biggest jump, which I'm thrilled about. I'm hoping the latter can be another big hit for Taylor.

- Before introducing Good Old Days, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Macklemore has a painting he looks to for inspiration. And he mentioned that Justin Bieber was the said artist. Heh, I wonder will Bieber himself help him try to get another big hit on the charts. That said, it's nice to see Good Old Days enter the Top 20. I'm hoping it can keep climbing higher.

- Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage jumping into the Top 10 is a big fat no. Stop the madness. Now.

- With Bad At Love by Halsey now in the Top 5, it's pretty clear that everyone is embracing Halsey at this point in time, what with Closer being a huge hit and Now Or Never being respectable. We'll see if Bad At Love has the potential to hit #1 like it did on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown.

- And by no surprise, Havana has now reached the #1 spot this. It was expected to happen since it's still at the top of the charts, but I'll certainly take it. It's nice to see Camila Cabello come this far since she left Fifth Harmony a while ago. Now here she is with her biggest hit up-to-date. So, congrats, Camila on your first-ever #1 as a solo artist!

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

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

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
17. How Long by Charlie Puth

4 – Good:
16. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato
15. Bad At Love by Halsey
14. Attention by Charlie Puth

5 – Great:
13. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
12. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
11. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
10. New Rules by Dua Lipa
9. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA
8. Thunder by Imagine Dragons
7. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
6. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid
5. What About Us by P!NK
4. Perfect by Ed Sheeran
3. ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift
2. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello

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

Total Score: 83/100 = 83% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey (1994)

Most Missed Song: Come With Me Now by Kongos

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: All Night by Steve Aoki featuring Lauren Jauregui

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

My Top 5 Picks
1. Praying by Kesha
2. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello
3. ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift
4. Dusk Till Dawn by ZAYN featuring Sia
5. Perfect by Ed Sheeran

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Do Re Mi by Blackbear
2. Mi Gente by J. Balvin featuring Willy William and Beyoncé
3. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
4. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
5. Let You Down by NF

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Water Under The Bridge by Adele
Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mane

2017: A Year In Review, Part 1: My Bottom 10 Songs of 2017

Hello, fam! So, we have officially reached the end of the year, and man, what a year it has been! I now introduce to you my first-ever Year-End post on this blog! Today, I'm going to talk about my Bottom 10 Songs Of 2017. Here, I'll list the songs that I hated from the start (or I did like at first, but then hated it) and my thoughts on them. But before we get into my bottom 10, here are the list the dishonorable mentions:

• Aminé – Caroline
• Ariana Grande featuring Future – Everyday
• Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
• Blackbear – Do Re Mi
• Cardi B. – Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)
• Daya – Words
• DNCE – Kissing Strangers
• Drake – Fake Love
• Fergie featuring Nicki Minaj – You Already Know
• Fifth Harmony featuring Gucci Mane – Down
• Flo Rida featuring 99 Percent – Cake
• Hey Violet – Guys My Age
• Khalid – Location
• Machine Gun Kelly featuring Camila Cabello – Bad Things
• Machine Gun Kelly featuring Hailee Steinfeld – At My Best
• Major Lazer featuring Travis Scott, Camila Cabello, and Quavo – Know No Better
• Marian Hill – Down
• Maroon 5 featuring Future – Cold
• Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar
• Post Malone featuring Quavo – Congratulations
• Sabrina Carpenter – Why
• Selena Gomez featuring Gucci Mane – Fetish
• ZAYN featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR – Still Got Time

So with that in mind, I now present to you My Bottom 10 Songs of 2017. These were the songs that I never liked from the start. They were so bad that I couldn't stand any of them. Therefore, these had to make the list. Now with all that being said, here are my Bottom 10 Songs of 2017:


10. Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar – Don't Wanna Know
Now, don't get me wrong: I pretty much like Maroon 5 as a band. They have made some pretty solid music before (Daylight, Love Somebody, Moves Like Jagger, etc.). Even though their last album, V, wasn't quite as good as their previous albums, at least it was still enjoyable to some degree. Don't Wanna Know, however, was a different story.  I never even liked this song. And unlike This Summer's Gonna Hurt where it was a guilty pleasure of mine until I paid attention to the critics, I didn't like this song at all, not one bit. It has the same tropical elements that we've been getting pretty much recently, which was pretty cool. But the problem with this song is that the lyrical content is appalling, and Kendrick Lamar doesn't make it any better, either. The repetition of the word "know" was extremely unnecessary as well. As Spectrum Pulse himself has said when he reviewed the song, Maroon 5 virtually does not have a pulse here. Probably the best thing I can say about this is the music video where they were dressed in Pokémon costumes. Now that was cool. But yeah, the song itself is just garbage. Here's to hoping they don't make anymore songs like this. NEXT!

9. Noah Cyrus featuring Labrinth – Make Me (Cry)
Prior to this being released, not very many people knew that Miley Cyrus had a younger sister named Noah. Her debut single kinda came out of nowhere late last year. Now to make it simple, this song is another example of how not to make a good first impression as an artist. Their weak vocals with almost no personality whatsoever, the dull premise, and the poor lyrical content makes this forgettable if I do say so myself. However, the single biggest reason why this is in my Bottom 10 is the production, which is a giant mess across the board. And no, adding the teardrop sound to replace the word "cry" is not cool at all. One may think otherwise, but in reality, it makes the song even worse. It's a good thing her debut single didn't catch on to the public. SKIP THIS!

8. Charli XCX featuring Lil' Yatchy – After The Afterparty
Don't you hate it when an artist makes a great first impression, only to follow-up with a disappointment? Yeah, that's pretty much what happened with Charli XCX, who sings the amazing Boom Clap. That one was amazing. But this one, on the other hand, was a big letdown if I do say so myself. It's supposed to be a party song, but from a critical standpoint, it's anything but. The sleazy lyrical content and her annoying vocals kills the song for me big time. And Lil' Yatchy doesn't help make the song any better. In fact, he doesn't really contribute at all. When I think of Charli XCX, I think of songs such as Boom Clap, not this giant mess. As some people have put it, this song is just childish. I'm sorry, but she needs to do way better than this. SKIP THIS!

7. Train – Play That Song
Before this song came around, it had been a while since we last heard from Train. They brought us the fun & enjoyable Drive By and 50 Ways To Say Goodbye. I was expecting pretty much more of the same from Train when they announced a new single back in the fall of 2016. To put it easy, this song is trash, period. At first listen, I thought it was just bland and too generic all around, which is part of the reason why I loathe Hey, Soul Sister. Unfortunately, it only got worse every time I hear it. The production here is just too flat and underwhelming for my tastes. As the title says, they want radio DJ's to play that song. But for me, I have to change the station every time it comes on because frankly, this song flat out reeks. Making matters worse is that it spent a seemingly long time on the charts. Now like I said, I still enjoy both Drive By and 50 Ways To Say Goodbye, although not as much as I used to. But this, I just can't. This is probably one of their worst singles to date and I hope they do much, much better than this giant mess. NEXT!

6. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar
You know, I was disappointed last year when Selena Gomez decided to release Hands To Myself as a single when there were better choices off of Revival. Sure, I may have liked it at first, but it got annoying relatively quickly. Hands To Myself at least had something going on (even though it's not good), but this song I'm talking about right now virtually has nothing to it whatsoever. Almost everything about Bad Liar is just pointless. Selena's vocals do not shine at all during any part of the song. In fact, she's basically singing in auto-tune all throughout. She shows absolutely no personality of any kind whatsoever. Not only that, but the lyrical content is dumb, also. This is supposed to be a sultry song that tries to do that, but it just doesn't work. I can't believe there were critics (not Spectrum Pulse, but some people) who have praised this song and called it her best song to date. This is the kind of stuff that drives me off the wall. In fact, it makes me hate the song even more now. Can Selena Gomez PLEASE go back to making upbeat fun pop songs instead of this giant mess?

5. Julia Michaels – Uh Huh
Now, this was a horrible follow-up to Issues. I did kinda liked its predecessor to some degree unlike most people here. But this, however, was a different story. She doesn't showcase any vocal talent at all whatsoever, and the lyrics are just as bad. Much like with Bad Liar, this is another song that tries to be sultry, and it just doesn't work. In fact, this is probably the worst sultry song I've ever heard in my entire life. I'm hoping she improves from there. Otherwise, I'll find someone else to turn to. NEXT!

4. AJR – Weak
Blech. AJR is a band that hasn't been really good at making music. This song is another example of just how bad they truly are in general. Outside of some really cool lines (e.g. "No thank you"), the rest of the song has some of the worst lyrics I've heard in a while. And don't even get me started on that chorus, especially in the last verse, because it's just unbearable. Believe it or not, this was a song that I actually liked at first because like I said, it had some of the cool lines, until I really started to pay more attention to everyone else's opinions about it. Honestly, I'd just wish they'd stop right there and leave the music business for good. NEXT!

3. Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert – Bad and Boujee
Blech. More atrocious rap music. I won't even go into this one in detail because I'm pretty sure most people will know why it was hated (and rightfully so). Terrible lyrics, lazy production, horrible vocals, etc. I could go on. Keep in mind that this was #1 on Billboard early this year, which drives me crazy. As I've said before, I used to like rap music when it actually had a meaning, but now we have rap music with nonsensical lyrics flooding the charts. It's the same thing time and time again, and I've gotten sick of it. I'm sure most bloggers and critics can explain Bad and Boujee better than I could. But to put it short, this song is just garbage. NEXT!

2. J. Balvin featuring Willy William – Mi Gente
After many people got jaded by Despacito getting overplayed, they tried to find something else to turn to. And lo and behold, this was the song right there. While I did enjoy Despacito from the start (and I still do), the same cannot be said for Mi Gente. I'm going to make it simple: Mi Gente is a embarrassment to the Latin genre, period. As someone who enjoys Latin music (Gloria Estefan, Santana), this was a huge disappointment to try and follow-up with one of the biggest songs of 2017. Let's just describe this song in general. The background loop with the horns is annoying to the point where it is just unbearable. The lyrical content is dumb, too. And that's not even the worst of it. The worst thing about it is that the two artists show absolutely no personality of any kind whatsoever. Keep in mind that this was #3 on Billboard, and that was all thanks to the remix with Beyoncé which didn't make the song any better. Can we please make more songs like Despacito? Again, like I said, Mi Gente is such an embarrassment to the Latin genre and overall, a complete dumpster fire.

Now, we've come to my worst song of the year, folks. It is a song that is hated by many people, including myself. This was unfortunately one of the biggest hits of this year. Here it is...







1. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road
There's no question that this is one of every music critic's least favorite songs of 2017. I'm going to explain how it became this way. Even before this song took off on pop radio, this somehow managed to gain a lot of steam in sales. I recently watched Spectrum Pulse's take on that song, and he couldn't have been more accurate. Simply put, Body Like A Back Road is easily the worst country song I've ever heard in my entire life. When listening to the song, I'm hearing him singing about how he compares a girl's body to a back road. This is insulting on so many different levels. And not helping is the fact that his vocals are bad all throughout the song in general. Plus, the production is extremely lazy across the board. Keep in mind that this spent a record-breaking 34 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Let that sink in for a minute. But outside of that, I was lucky that this was never #1 on most charts despite being the biggest country song of the year. Heck, it was never even in the Top 5 on Billboard, and thank the high heavens for that. Still, the song's success shows just how bad the quality of country music has been in recent years. Back in the day when I enjoyed country music, you had artists such as Rascal Flatts, and yes, Taylor Swift, who have made the genre better because their songs were well-written and their vocals were good. They may not be as good as before, but at least I don't outright hate them. Nowadays, you have bro-country taking over the charts, and not in good quality. There's a reason why many of the bro-country songs were slammed by many YouTube music critics, because the songs I won't mention right now sucked. And just when I thought I couldn't find a worse country song than Cruise, which was easily my worst song of 2013, Body Like A Back Road decides to come along. It's a shame that this had to be the biggest country song of the year especially when there are clearly better country songs out there that are more deserving of it. Simply put, this song is simply an embarrassment to the country genre and one can only hope country music can get better chart-wise in terms of quality.

Whew! And there you have it! These were my bottom 10 songs of 2017. I would like to say thank you for those who've read it, and I hope you guys enjoyed it!. Hit me up with your thoughts in the comments section below. Again, thank you for reading my blog, as always. There will be more Year-End posts to come, so stay tuned! :)