AT40: NF (1) - Week Of March 17, 2018

Hello fam! I hope you all had a good week as we start St. Patrick's Day Weekend. We're getting pretty close to spring, which means warmer weather is on the horizon. But I'm not here to talk about the weather; I'm here to talk about music. So, I thought the countdown was okay. We did have some activity going on (besides our new #1 song, which isn't to my liking). Let's get right into things. Before we get to this week's Fresh 40, here are the songs we're saying good-bye to this week:

• I Miss You by Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels (#32)
• End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future (#35)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: New Rules by Dua Lipa

40. Attention by Charlie Puth (#39) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

39. Hold Me Tight Or Don't by Fall Out Boy (#40) [+1]

38. Beg by Jack & Jack (DEBUT)

37. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid (#36) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

36. Walk On Water by Thirty Seconds To Mars (#37) [+1]

35. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo (#33) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

34. I Fall Apart by Post Malone (#38) [+4]

33. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (DEBUT)

32. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA (#30) [–2]

31. Beautiful Trauma by P!NK (#31) [=]

30. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (#34) [+4]

29. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (#26) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

28. Lemon by N.E.R.D. featuring Rihanna (#28) [=]

27. My My My! by Troye Sivan (#29) [+2]

26. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato (#23) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

25. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#27) [+2]

24. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt (#16) [–8]

23. Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato (#24) [+1]

22. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (#19) [–3] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

21. God's Plan by Drake (#25) [+4]

20. LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari (#20) [=]

19. Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton (#22) [+3]

18. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage (#14) [–4]

17. Wait by Maroon 5 (#21) [+4]

16. Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid (#18) [+2]

15. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar (#17) [+2]

14. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#15) [+1]

13. Bad At Love by Halsey (#10) [–3]

12. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha (#12) [=]

11. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (#8) [–3] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]

10. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line (#13) [+3]

9. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#11) [+2]

8. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash (#9) [+1]

7. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello (#6) [–1]

6. How Long by Charlie Puth (#4) [–2]

5. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. (#5) [=]

4. New Rules by Dua Lipa (#1) [–3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

3. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey (#7) [+4]

2. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (#2) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

1. Let You Down by NF (#3) [+2] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (3^rd of 10 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt (–8)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Tie between I Fall Apart by Post Malone, Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons, God's Plan by Drake, Wait by Maroon 5, and Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey (+4)

New Entrants
- Our first of two entrants comes from newcomer duo Jack & Jack, with their single titled Beg. I discussed this one briefly when it was trending on the YouTube 15 back in the fall. I'm not too big on the production of the song overall. It just feels underwhelming. I think the production team didn't really do much to make it more lively. What I can say is that I like the vocals for the most part. Overall, it's just not a memorable song that I'll be coming back to in about a year or so. But that's just how I feel.

- We have more Marshmello once again, and this time he collaborates with Anne-Marie, who makes her return a year after Rockabye was a huge hit. The song is called Friends. Now, this is basically a friend-zone anthem which talks about just being friends. I'll simply say that this is a step down from Wolves in a way. I do like Anne-Marie, but she doesn't really shine too much, and I don't like her spelling out friends, especially in the chorus. So yeah, I'm not really feeling this song. I'll have more on this later this weekend on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. While I have it in blue for now, it's not too far from being red. So don't be surprised if I change it to that color soon.

B-L-U-R-B-S
- Our two exits consist of songs that didn't really take off elsewhere, especially I Miss You. It's a shame that this is one of Julia Michaels's better songs, but of course it had to be underrated. And I'm not too surprised by the departure of End Game. It's too bad that one will fail to make the Year-End list on Billboard. I'm having a hard time picturing Taylor Swift having another hit anytime soon, seeing as her latest album isn't as successful as its predecessor.

- We have NF reaching the top spot with Let You Down this week. I'm not too wild about this being #1. Given that it was blowing up on all fronts, I wasn't too surprised to see it there. But it doesn't make me happy. I know others like it and I can see why, but it's just not my personal taste.

- Perfect by Ed Sheeran doesn't seem to want to give up just yet. It's been in the Top 3 for a seemingly long time. Something tells me that it's going to be ranked very high on the Year-End charts come December.

- On that note, Him & I took a rather unexpected jump into the Top 3 this week. Honestly, I should've seen its success coming, mainly because people love Halsey. But I'm not complaining at all. Despite not doing well in sales or streaming, it's radio gains are impressive. I have a feeling it may actually be #1 on this countdown soon, that which I'll certainly be happy about.

- We have two new entrants in the Top 10 this week, with The Middle and Meant To Be both making their appearance into that region. The former I'm very pleased about and I'm still loving it right now. The latter, on the other hand, is extremely annoying. It's a shame that it had to be Bebe Rexha's biggest hits, especially when she's done so much better.

- Songs such as Havana, Bad At Love, and Let Me Go are still my favorites as of right now. I don't really see them fading on me anytime soon.

- Speaking of Bad At Love, I read somewhere that Halsey will be playing the role of Wonder Woman in the Teen Titans Go! movie. If I'm being honest, I'd much prefer the original Teen Titans as opposed to its successor, but I have nieces and nephews that really like its successor. I probably should tell them that. They wouldn't want to miss out on that movie!

- Speaking of which, looks like Hailee Steinfeld won't get a hit with Let Me Go as her song drops big out of the Top 20 this week. Meanwhile, it has reached a new peak of #2 on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. It would be really funny if this somehow manages to hit #1 on Hits 1 despite it not being big elsewhere, much like End Game did a month ago. Hits 1 logic is very different from other music charts, and in a good way since this is one of her best songs thus far.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Woman by Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns
• Mine by Bazzi
• On The Loose by Niall Horan

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie
• Work by Rihanna featuring Drake
• Stressed Out by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
• River by Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran
• This Is What You Came For by Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna
• Hide Away by Daya
• Mercy by Shawn Mendes
• Starving by Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd

Top 20 Review:
0 – Garbage:
20. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
19. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
18. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

1 – Bad:
16. Wait by Maroon 5
15. Let You Down by NF

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
14. Young, Dumb, And Broke by Khalid

4 – Good:
13. How Long by Charlie Puth

5 – Great:
12. LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari
11. Bad At Love by Halsey
10. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
9. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
8. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
7. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
6. Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton
5. New Rules by Dua Lipa
4. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
3. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
TIE: 1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

Total Score: 71/100 = 71% (C–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper (1984)

Most Missed Song: Something Better by Audien featuring Lady Antebellum

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: IDGAF by Dua Lipa

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
TIE: 1. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
3. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello
4. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
5. New Rules by Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
2. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
3. I Like Me Better by Lauv
4. I Fall Apart by Post Malone
5. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara: Some people here have turned on this one and I can definitely see why, mainly because Zedd is being branded as a sell-out. As for me, I'm not part of that crowd.
Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay: Simply put, this is basically Rozes meets Hymn For The Weekend. Everything about this is spot on from the production on down to Chris Martin's mesmerizing vocals. Plus, it helps that it has references to my favorite superheros, such as Batman, Superman, etc.
Thumbs by Sabrina Carpenter: It's a pretty interesting song, but her vocals didn't quite do it for me. The production and the beat had something going on, so I'll giver her that.

Zedd & Maren Morris (2) - Week Of March 10, 2018

Hello, fam! So, Kid Kelly decided to this week's countdown because Spyder Harrison was absent. I wonder what was going on with Spyder this time around? Anyway, we had some activity here and there, and that includes a certain act making a return to the countdown, which I'm sure some here will not be happy about at all. But at least we still have an amazing #1, which is nice. So with that being said, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• WØLVES – Animal (#37)
• P!NK – What About Us (#38) [Spent 1 Week At #1]

The Countdown:

Last Week's #1 Song: Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

45. Louis Tomlinson – Miss You (#45) [=] 

44. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do (#42) [–2]

43. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#44) [+1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

42. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#43) [+1] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

41. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar (#41) [=]

40. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself (#35) [–5]

39. The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy (#39) [=]

38. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#33) [–5] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

37. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#36) [–1] 

36. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#33) [+4] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

35. Symon – Lonely Girl (#30) [–5]

34. Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton – Say Something (#29) [–5]

33. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#28) [–5]

32. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#22) [–10] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

31. Alan Walker featuring Noah Cyrus and Digital Farm Animals – All Falls Down (#34) [+3]

30. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#25) [–5]

29. Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game (#31) [+2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

28. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up (#20) [–8]

27. Keala Settle – This Is Me (DEBUT)

26. Camila Cabello – Havana (#26) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

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

24. Troye Sivan – My My My! (#24) [=]

23. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix) (#15) [–8]

22. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back (#27) [+5]

21. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me (#21) [=]

20. Meghan Trainor – No Excuses (DEBUT)

19. Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River (#17) [–2]

18. Charlie Puth – How Long (#10) [–8] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

17. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#32) [+15]

16. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I (#13) [–3]

15. Maroon 5 – Wait (#14) [–1]

14. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#23) [+9]

13. P!NK – Beautiful Trauma (#16) [+3]

12. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (#19) [+7]

11. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low (#6) [–5]

10. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#11) [+1]

9. NF – Let You Down (#5) [–4]

8. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#2) [–6] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

7. Halsey – Bad At Love (#9) [+2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

6. Walk The Moon – One Foot (#12) [+6]

5. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves (#7) [+2]

4. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#8) [+4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

3. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (#3) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

2. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go (#4) [+2]

1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (5^th of 9 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Imagine Dragons – Believer (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (+15)

New Entrants
- So, we have only two debuts this week. Let's start with Keala Settle making her first-ever appearance on the countdown with the song taken from The Greatest Showman soundtrack, which is titled This Is Me. I'm a sucker for songs like this, especially when they come from a musical because these singers are very talented. Keala Settle fits in that category. I love her voice all throughout the song. The way she hits those high notes is easily the best thing about it. Plus, the production all across the board is top-notch. I'm sure some people who love this can explain more about it in detail better than I can. But simply put, this is divine on all levels.

- And now, the moment you've been waiting for...oh boy. We have the return of Meghan Trainor, which many here are not looking forward to. As for me, well believe it or not, I've been waiting for this day. Not to the point where I wanted to hear more from her, but to actually get a chance to review her music. Now, let me start off by simply saying that I don't find Meghan Trainor to be that annoying as some say she is. Actually, I don't find her annoying at all. I really really like her. Sure, her music may be questionable, but I liked some of her songs such as All About That Bass, Lips Are Movin', Like I'm Gonna Lose You, and to an extent, NØ. This week, she returns with her lead single from her upcoming album, by the name of No Excuses. Now, to say the least, it's a huge step up from songs such as Dear Future Husband and Me Too, both of which were shit. While the lyrical content is still kinda questionable, I do kinda like the production in a way, and her vocals don't really suck at all. I wonder how this will fare chart-wise this time around, especially after the majority of her last album was not to anyone's liking. Overall, it's alright for the most part. While I have it in blue right now, it could very easily change to green.

Can You Hear Me Blurbing?

- So, we have two exits this week. First off, I'm not necessarily heartbroken about WØLVES – Animal leaving, seeing as it's not popular elsewhere. P!NK – What About Us, however, I enjoyed from the start and though it wasn't quite her best work, it was still a very good song regardless and I was thankful for its success that it had by hitting #1 on this countdown. So good-bye, What About Us. You will definitely be missed by me (and Adrian, also).

- Before introducing There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back, Kid Kelly mentioned that Shawn Mendes was spotted with Hailee Steinfeld and Zedd at an Oscars after-party. He also said that it could lead to another collaboration of some sort. I'll be looking forward to that, but I know that some people won't given that some think Zedd is being branded as a sell-out.

- Lonely Girl seems to be having a wacky tenure with all these crazy jumps and drops. Can this song make up its mind already?

- Before introducing River, Kid Kelly mentioned that Ed Sheeran will not be attending his own wedding. I wonder how will that work out for him? Because after all, he is getting married. He wouldn't want to miss that!

- As one song from Imagine Dragons drops big, another takes a huge jump this week. Whatever It Takes makes its entrance in the Top 20. Now the question is, will it follow it's successor's footsteps and rise to the Top 5 quickly and stay there for a long period? We'll soon find out!

- Before introducing Him & I, Kid Kelly mentioned that G-Eazy and Halsey would likely become the power couple of 2018. I'm glad that this power couple made a powerful collaboration. Okay, it's not powerful, but you get the point.  Too bad this one is not in the Top 10 on this countdown as of yet, despite its massive success elsewhere.

- Why is I Like Me Better jumping?! Come on, people. This is just ridiculous on all levels. Seriously, I am just tired of hearing the weird production and cringe-worthy lyrics every time. Can we not with this song?

- On that note, we have songs from #15-#9 filled with mediocrity. Plus, we have four bad songs in a row. Poor Beautiful Trauma had to be thrown into this mess. Oh well.

- Thunder has finally dropped out of the Top 5. Looks like this may finally be it for this one. I'm sure some here will be very happy about it. Now we'll see how long this one hangs around.

- Walk The Moon – One Foot is giving up just yet, as it rebounded back into the Top 10 this week. It's quite a shame that it failed to live up to its expectations elsewhere and that the band are still be treated as a one-hit wonder, but at least it's doing better on Hits 1.

- Both Wolves and Perfect have re-entered the Top 5. I definitely don't mind seeing those two songs in that region, the former especially. I hoping it can be #1 at some point, but I'm probably asking for too much. I'm just happy that about its success so far.

- Speaking of #1, The Middle thankfully holds the top spot! Kid Kelly mentioned during its introduction that this is the collaboration that we didn't know we needed. I'm just glad that it happened anyway because I'm in love with it right now. Something tells me that it's going to be #1 for a long while, that which I'm certainly okay with.

Hit-Bound:

• Portugal. The Man – Live In The Moment
• Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me (DEBUT)
• Dustin Atlas featuring Erin Bowman – Fake Friends
• Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
• Welshly Arms – Legendary
• Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days
• Alice Merton – No Roots
• Khalid – Young, Dumb, And Broke
• Dua Lipa – IDGAF (DEBUT)
• Foster The People – Sit Next To Me (DEBUT)
• Marshmello featuring Anne–Marie – Friends
• Niall Horan – On The Loose
• Thirty Seconds To Mars – Walk On Water
• Bazzi – Mine

- In the world of Hit-Bound, we have three new debuts this week. To start, we have Demi Lovato with her latest single titled Tell Me You Love Me from the title album. This song is a step up from its predecessor. Demi absolutely shines all throughout the song, especially in the chorus. The production is spot on. Here's to hoping it debuts soon.

- With New Rules doing as well as it did (not here, but everywhere else), it was only a matter of time until its follow-up single would show up. Dua Lipa has her next single from her self-titled album titled IDGAF. This one is pretty-low key, but she does show that she has an unique voice, and in a good way. I love the chorus throughout the song. I'll have more on this come its debut.

- So, anyone remember Foster The People? If you don't, well allow me to explain. They brought us Pumped Up Kicks all the way back in 2011, which was a huge hit for them. Now this week, they bring us their latest single, Next To Me. Not a lot I can say about this one, but I do like the production and the vocals for the most part. Overall, it's a pretty good song and it would be nice to see it on the countdown.

- Remember when I said last week that I found No Roots to not be memorable in the long run? Yeah, scratch that. I'm starting to like that one now after more listens. Like Dua Lipa, Alice Merton does have a unique voice and she uses it well. Plus, I do like the groove as I said before. I'm hoping that it can become a cross-over hit for her.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

1. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me

2. Dua Lipa – IDGAF

3. Welshly Arms – Legendary

4. Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days

5. Alice Merton – No Roots

Top 20 Review:

0 – Putrid:
20. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
19. Lauv – I Like Me Better
18. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low

1 – Bad:
17. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same
16. Maroon 5 – Wait
15. NF – Let You Down

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
14. Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River
13. Meghan Trainor – No Excuses

4 – Good:
12. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
11. Charlie Puth – How Long

5 – Great:
10. P!NK – Beautiful Trauma
9. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go
8. Halsey – Bad At Love
7. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
6. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
5. Walk The Moon – One Foot
4. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I
3. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

Overall Grade: 69/100 = 69% (D+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Mike + The Mechanics – Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) (1985)

Most Missed Countdown Song: The 1975 – The Sound

Most Missed Hit-Bound Drop-Out: Paramore – Hard Times

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Sigala featuring Paloma Faith – Lullaby

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley – Chained To The Rhythm

My Top 5 Picks

TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves
3. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
4. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days
5. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me

My Bottom 5 Picks

1. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
2. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar
3. Bebe Rexha feeaturing Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
4. Lauv – I Like Me Better
5. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
James Hersey – Miss You: I don't really have too much to say about this one. While he does have nice vocals, this song isn't all that memorable in the big picture. 

AT40: Dua Lipa (4) - Week Of March 10, 2018

Hello, fam! I may have a few more surprises in store for you guys. So be on the look-out for that. Right now, I present to you this week's AT40 countdown post. We definitely had a lot of action this week, some for better and some not as much. And because of that, it gives me a lot to talk about. Let's get on with it, shall we? Before we get to this week's fresh 40, here are the songs we're saying good-bye to this week:

• River by Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran (#23)
• One Foot by Walk The Moon (#26)
• There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes (#40) [Spent 1 Week At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: New Rules by Dua Lipa

40. Hold Me Tight Or Don't by Fall Out Boy (DEBUT)

39. Attention by Charlie Puth (#38) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

38. I Fall Apart by Post Malone (RE-ENTRY)

37. Walk On Water by Thirty Seconds To Mars (#39) [+2]

36. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid (#35) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

35. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future (#17) [–18]

34. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (DEBUT)

33. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo (#32) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

32. I Miss You by Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels (#33) [+1]

31. Beautiful Trauma by P!NK (#36) [+5]

30. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA (#29) [–1]

29. My My My! by Troye Sivan (#34) [+5]

28. Lemon by N.E.R.D. featuring Rihanna (#31) [+3]

27. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#28) [+1]

26. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (#24) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

25. God's Plan by Drake (#37) [+12]

24. Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato (#27) [+3]

23. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato (#22) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

22. Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton (#30) [+8]

21. Wait by Maroon 5 (#24) [+3]

20. LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari (#21) [+1]

19. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (#18) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

18. Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid (#19) [+1]

17. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar (#20) [+3]

16. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt (#14) [–2]

15. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#15) [=]

14. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage (#11) [–3]

13. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line (#13) [=]

12. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha (#12) [=]

11. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#16) [+5]

10. Bad At Love by Halsey (#9) [–1]

9. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash (#10) [+1]

8. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (#5) [–3] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]

7. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey (#7) [=]

6. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello (#8) [+2]

5. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. (#6) [+1]

4. How Long by Charlie Puth (#3) [–1]

3. Let You Down by NF (#4) [+1]

2. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (#2) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

1. New Rules by Dua Lipa (#1) [=] [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (2^nd of 10 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future (–18)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: God's Plan by Drake (+12)

New Entrants
- We have an unwelcome re-entry from I Fall Apart by Post Malone. This is the first time we had a re-entry since I don't know how long. Thus, we only have two new debuts this week.

- To start, we have Fall Out Boy's latest single from MANIA, titled Hold Me Tight Or Don't. This one has been around for a while. In fact, it debuted on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown two months ago. Looks like the American Top 40 was late with this one, aren't they? Anyway, this is another song in which they're trying something new, much like they did with Young And Menace, which was a mess all around and thankfully didn't take off. They're going for a Latin vibe in this one. I do like the production in a way. The whistling sounds pretty cool. While it's nowhere near their best work thus far, I do think it's still a pretty solid track for the most part.

- For our second debut of the week, we have more Imagine Dragons. This time, they have their latest single off of Evolve, by the name of Whatever It Takes. Right off the bat, this is one of the best songs off of their album. It is more fast-paced than its two predecessors. When looking at the lyrical content, it's basically about succeeding in your goals no matter what. This is something that many of us can relate to because we all have at least one goal that we want to meet. There is a lot going on in terms of the production, mainly because it uses more instruments, whereas Thunder was a little weak with that, despite me still liking it. However, the best thing that I like about this song is easily the powerful chorus. That's where Dan Reynolds shines the most. Overall, it's a step up from Thunder. And judging by its strong sales and radio, this looks poised to be another hit for Imagine Dragons, that which I want to happen.

We're Gonna Blurb The Night Away
- Let's begin with our exits. First off, River I didn't necessarily care for, but I felt like it left pretty early for a song that features Ed Sheeran. It's too bad he can't even help Eminem get a hit like he did in the past. One Foot by Walk The Moon most definitely deserved better than this, especially after the success of Shut Up And Dance back in 2015. It's too bad that these guys are being considered a one-hit wonder. Finally, the exit I'm most saddened about is There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes. This is the first time since June 25, 2016 that we do not have a Shawn Mendes song on the countdown. It was definitely one of the best songs that he had to offer and I was thankful for the success that it had in a short period of time. He does have new music right around the corner from what I heard, so we'll hear more from him soon. But right now, I'll be sad over the song's departure. Farewell, There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back. You will be missed by me.

- Before introducing Attention, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that he covered one of Maroon 5's singles from their latest album. I wondered has he listened to their album, because not very many songs from there are to my liking. But I guess he just wants to cover them just for the fun of it, heh.

- I'm afraid that End Game is near its end with that big drop it took this week. I know I've said this numerous times, but people are just not fond of Taylor's new direction. They much preferred her older singles, such as from 1989 and some of Red. It's a shame that it's going to miss the Year-End list for Billboard.

- Strip That Down needs to go already. This is getting ridiculous. Who is still supporting this? It's a crying shame that it's still on this countdown, yet songs such as For You flopped. I'm just disappointed.

- Speaking of which, none of the singles from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack are taking off. Songs such as For You and Capital Letters are amazing, yet they aren't doing much chart-wise. In fact, the latter has never charted. I guess their success just wasn't meant to be (no pun intended). Oh well. :/

- The fact that I Like Me Better is still somewhat gaining (including the big 7-spot jump it had last week) is pretty darn sad, because it's only been getting worse every time I hear it. Can we not with this song?

- Of course, God's Plan would have a huge jump in its second week. Because of its massive popularity, I unfortunately expect it to stick around for a long while.

- On a positive note, songs such as Beautiful Trauma, My My My!, and Say Something made some big jumps this week. The very latter I'm certain it'll become a proper hit for Justin Timberlake, after the huge flop that was of Filthy. Seeing Chris Stapleton a country crossover hit would be pleasing to see.

- For those who don't like Never Be The Same (including myself), then I've got bad news for you: the music video was released just yesterday. Yeah, folks. I have a bad feeling that it may stick around for a long while, so I'll just have to learn to put up with it.

- In some good news, The Middle is in its third week and already its closing in on the Top 10. I'm sure it'll enter that region next week. It was #1 on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown, and it looks like the same may ring true here as well, given that it's gaining big on all fronts. That I'm also happy about and it's nice to see Maren Morris have a country crossover hit!

- Finesse has now entered the Top 5 this week! It was only a matter of time until it entered that region. It's one of my favorites off of 24K Magic so far, only behind songs such as the title track and Chunky, the latter which hasn't taken off yet given that it hasn't been chosen as a single. But for now, I'll certainly live with Finesse becoming another huge hit for Bruno Mars.

- Finally, we've come to our #1, in which the lovely Dua Lipa holds the top spot once again. Honestly, I couldn't be more happier about this. Her success story is definitely one of the highlights so far early in the year. And with her successor starting to pick up steam, I have a feeling she may have a shot at being a breakout artist of the year. That would be pleasing to me.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Woman by Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns
• Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
• Beg by Jack & Jack

Extras/Optional Extras:

• The Greatest by Sia featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Where Are U Now by Skrillex and Diplo featuring Justin Bieber
• Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
• Talking Body by Tove Lo
• 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
• Passionfruit by Drake
• Best Friend by Sofi Tukker featuring NERVO, Alisa Ueno, and The Knocks
• One Dance by Drake featuring WizKid and Kyla
• Cheap Thrills by Sia featuring Sean Paul

Top 20 Review:
0 – Garbage:
20. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
19. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
18. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

1 – Bad:
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
16. Let You Down by NF

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
15. Young, Dumb, And Broke by Khalid

4 – Good:
14. Thunder by Imagine Dragons
13. How Long by Charlie Puth

5 – Great:
12. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt
11. LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari
10. Bad At Love by Halsey
9. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
8. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
7. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
6. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
5. New Rules by Dua Lipa
4. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello
TIE: 1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

Total Score: 75/100 = 75% (C) 

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Rock With You by Michael Jackson (1979)

Most Missed Song: The Sound by The 1975 (This spent only one week on this countdown, which is such a shame because it is divine on all levels.)

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Lullaby by Sigala featuring Paloma Faith

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
TIE: 1. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
4. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
5. New Rules by Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
2. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
3. I Like Me Better by Lauv
4. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo
5. I Fall Apart by Post Malone

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Heavy by Linkin Park featuring Kiiara: Pretty much everything about this is spot on, and who would've thought that Kiiara would redeem herself after the horrible mash-up of a song that is Gold?
Bounce Back by Big Sean: I like the lyrical content about wanting to bounce back (hence the title), but I feel like the production and vocals needs more work. Maybe then, I could like it more.
It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez: Again, I was impressed with Kygo when he brought in Selena for this one. Everything about this is spot on, as is his latest album, Kids In Love.

Zedd & Maren Morris (1) - Week Of March 3, 2018

Hello, fam! So in case you didn't know, I just recently did a poll on your favorite throwback pick in honor of my blog reaching 50,000 Pageviews. After tallying the results, it looks like Thriller by Michael Jackson is indeed the winner by a landslide. It's definitely a fun classic and it'll always remain one of my favorites. I'll be doing polls every so often that pertains to music. Who knows? Maybe it'll be something different, but right now I don't know. You can leave me some suggestions in the comments below if you like. I'm always open for any new ideas that come to mind. Today, let's focus on another music-related topic: the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown! Honestly, I thought this was a great week, considering our new #1, which I'm most pleased about! We did have some activity here and there, some of which were good and some not as much. Also, we did get a return of a certain act which I know many here are not thrilled about. I'll talk more about it later on. Right now, let's get on with it! Before we get to this week's fresh 45, we say good-bye to the songs leaving us this week:

• All Time Low – Last Young Renegade (#29)
• Kesha – Praying (#42) (!!!!!!!!!)
• Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#45)

The Countdown:

Last Week's #1 Song: Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days

45. Louis Tomlinson – Miss You (#41) [–4] 

44. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#44) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

43. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#43) [=] [Spent 3 Weeks At #1]

42. Maroon 5 featuring SZA – What Lovers Do (#36) [–6]

41. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar (#40) [–1]

40. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#33) [–7] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

39. The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy (#30) [–9]

38. P!NK – What About Us (#39) [+1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

37. WØLVES – Animal (#35) [–2]

36. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#34) [–2] 

35. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself (#10) [–25]

34. Alan Walker featuring Noah Cyrus and Digital Farm Animals – All Falls Down (DEBUT)

33. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#38) [+5] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

32. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (DEBUT)

31. Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game (#25) [–6] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

30. Symon – Lonely Girl (#37) [+7]

29. Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton – Say Something (#31) [+2]

28. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#27) [–1]

27. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back (DEBUT)

26. Camila Cabello – Havana (#26) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

25. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#23) [–2]

24. Troye Sivan – My My My! (#32) [+8]

23. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#24) [+1]

22. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#21) [Spent 3 Weeks At #1] [–1]

21. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me (#28) [+7]

20. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up (#19) [–1]

19. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (#16) [–3]

18. Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't (#17) [–1]

17. Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River (#18) [+1]

16. P!NK – Beautiful Trauma (#13) [–3]

15. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix) (#22) [+7]

14. Maroon 5 – Wait (#15) [+1]

13. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I (#14) [+1]

12. Walk The Moon – One Foot (#8) [–4]

11. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#11) [=]

10. Charlie Puth – How Long (#2) [–8] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

9. Halsey – Bad At Love (#5) [–4] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1] 

8. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#6) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

7. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves (#9) [+2]

6. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low (#20) [+14]

5. NF – Let You Down (#12) [+7]

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

3. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (#1) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

2. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#3) [+1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#7) [+6] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (4^th of 9 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself (–25)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low (+14)

New Entrants

- To kick off this week's new arrivals, we have two Hit-Bound veterans making their debuts this week. First, we have the return of Noah Cyrus. Only this time, she's collaborating with Alan Walker and Digital Farm Animals in their single, All Falls Down. Last week while I was reviewing Hit-Bound, I thought this would be stranded on Hit-Bound and never graduate to the countdown, given that it had been there for a seemingly long time. But alas, I was wrong. Anyway, I'm sure many of you were not looking forward to what Noah Cyrus has to offer, especially given that her two previous representations were not to anyone's liking and her other song, Again, which was on the YouTube 15 a short time ago thankfully didn't become a hit. After hearing All Falls Down for the first time, I was quite impressed. Vocals-wise, she sounds much better than she does in her solo singles. The production here is good as well. I love the work Alan Walker did with this one. Also, we hear Juliander making his contribution, despite him not be credited in the song, but at least he does a good job. I'm glad Noah Cyrus gave us something that many here will like.

- With Thunder finally starting to begin its decline elsewhere (except here at least), another single for the Imagine Dragons makes its entrance. Enter Whatever It Takes, their third single off of Evolve. Now this is probably one of the best singles from that album. Though I did enjoy its two representations currently on the countdown, I may like this more. Production-wise, it's a step up from Thunder. This is more fast-paced than its two predecessors, in which I can hear Dan Reynolds's super fast vocals, especially at the beginning of his verses before we get to the pre-chorus. Reading the lyrical content of the song, it's him basically telling us that no matter what, he'll do whatever he can to accomplish a certain feat. This is something that we can relate to, because most of us have goals in our lives that we want to achieve. Looking at the sales and radio gains, it looks destined to become another potential hit for Imagine Dragons and I wouldn't mind at all. It's definitely one of the best songs that this band has to offer.

- Finally, with the highest debut of the week, we have the return of one of Hits 1's favorites. Unless you've been a avid Hits 1 follower for about four or so years, then you probably don't know much about 5 Seconds Of Summer. They were the ones that gave us one of their biggest hits of 2014, She Looks So Perfect. Since then, Hits 1 shared their love for them non-stop, picking up whatever singles they've released. The last time we saw them was back in 2016 when they had Girls Talks Boys from the Ghostbusters movie soundtrack, which not very many people here was fond of but I didn't really mind. It was definitely a different sound for these guys. At #27, they make their official return with their brand new single, titled Want You Back. Here, they're going for another different sound, one that sounds like it would fit on pop radio. It took me a couple of listens, but now I love it, though not quite on the same level as Jet Black Heart, which to me is their best single. The production here is spot on for the most part, and the vocals are pretty solid. It's another one of those love songs, only this time it's about wanting someone back. Lyrically, it does kinda remind me of Jet Black Heart, though the lyrics aren't quite as deep there. I wonder how Hits 1 will treat this one, given that the band isn't very popular elsewhere. I do hope for some success out of this song.

I'm Always Gonna Blurb You Back

- As always, we'll begin with our exits. To start, Too Good At Goodbyes was destined to leave for sometime. Second, I'm not too shocked about Last Young Renegade departing, even though it was one of my favorites from All Time Low. I'm sure we'll hear more from them soon. Who knows what else they have under their belt? Finally, we have the departure of my favorite song from last year, in which Kesha – Praying is officially no more. I will always remember the time she made a comeback after her struggle in the years prior. We finally got to hear what she was really capable of without auto-tune. I immediately fell in love, and so did many in the countdown community. I'll be grieving over its departure. Thank you for your time and service, Praying. You will be missed.

- Before introducing Rockstar, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Post Malone's album is coming up soon. Yeah...no. Sorry, but I'm not really looking forward to what he has to offer, what with this and his latest release on Hit-Bound becoming an annoyance (at least for me and many others).

- Ouch! Sick Boy took quite a big drop in its second week here. I would be surprised by this, but given that this song failed to blow up elsewhere, I shouldn't be. I guess most people preferred their collaborations over their solo work.

- On that note, Ahead Of Myself took a big drop out of the Top 10 and all the way out of the Top 30 altogether. Yikes! I'm not necessarily heartbroken about this, though I do hope it can hang around for a little longer. One can only hope it pulls an Unsteady and make a comeback, like a certain song is doing right now and we'll get to that in a little bit.

- It's good to see There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back jump out of the Bottom 10. Even after almost a year, I still love this song. I do think it's one of Shawn Mendes's best thus far. I'm hoping this can last a year on the countdown, but one can dream.

- Once upon a time, End Game was #1 last month. Fast forward to today, it is now sitting at #31. What's with the unfortunate drops? Well, I guess it has something to do with many not buying into Taylor's new style of work it seems.

- Even after it faded elsewhere, Feel It Still simply just doesn't want to give up yet. It's been in the #23-25 range for a seemingly long time. It's almost like Believer in which it just won't budge from a certain range.

- Speaking of which, both My My My! and Pray For Me took a nice jump into the 20's. Now to see that they can both have more success on the countdown.

- Speaking of Believer, it's getting close to lasting a year on this countdown. Can it hang around for a few more weeks to accomplish this feat? We'll soon find out!

- I Like Me Better has only gotten worse for me with each listen. The weird production and some of the cringe-worthy lyrics don't sit well with me at all. Hopefully, it makes its way down some and ideally leave next week.

- Before introducing Beautiful Trauma, Spyder Harrison mentioned that P!NK's daughter actually set up a candy stand backstage. Oh boy, I guess she won't be able to eat all of the candy after all, because people want to buy some it seems. It's like setting up a lemonade stand and many people are thirsty. I'll bet she's making us all hungry for some candy right now, heh.

- Both How Long and Bad At Love are now out of the Top 5. It looks like their time may be over, given that they're starting to die out elsewhere. But since I just jinxed it, watch them jump back into that region next week.

- Spyder Harrison mentioned upon introducing Wolves that Selena Gomez loves to do things with Justin Bieber together. Boy, it must be fun to have someone do stuff together. That said, I was hoping Wolves would enter the Top 5 given how much I heard it as Most Wutchuwanted, but not today. Hopefully next week, maybe?

- Lights Down Low strangely decides to make a big jump this week. I'm not thrilled about this. I never even liked the song to begin, but now it's become an annoyance. It's almost close to a year since it debuted and now it's starting to catch on?! Now it's become the next Unsteady in which the song will never go away.

- I'm not too thrilled about Let You Down entering the Top 5, either. As I said in my last post, it just doesn't really appeal to me, and the chipmunk vocals are unnecessary in my opinion. Though I'll certainly take this over Lights Down Low any day.

- Thunder just simply won't budge from the Top 3. Something tells me that this will be ranked very high on Hits 1's Top 45 Of 2018 come December. With its successor now on the countdown, it's sure to move down sooner or later.

- But then, we come to our new #1 this week! I'm indeed really happy with The Middle not only entering the Top 5, but also hitting the top spot! It caught on much faster than its predecessor did, which took about two months to get there since its debut last year. But yeah, The Middle definitely grew on me with each listen. It's good to see Maren Morris having a cross-over hit. Hopefully, it can hog the #1 spot for a while.

Hit-Bound:

• Bazzi – Mine
• Meghan Trainor – No Excuses (DEBUT)
• Khalid – Young, Dumb, and Broke
• Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days
• Niall Horan – On The Loose
• Portugal. The Man – Live In The Moment
• Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns – Woman
• Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
• Thirty Seconds To Mars – Walk On Water
• Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
• Welshly Arms – Legendary
• Keala Settle – This Is Me
• Alice Merton – No Roots (DEBUT)
• Dustin Atlas featuring Erin Bowman – Fake Friends (DEBUT)

- So, we have another shake-up on Hit-Bound this week. But first, we say good-bye to Wild Things – Don't Wanna Feel It. I thought that song was good, but I'm not too sad about it leaving since it wasn't popular elsewhere.

- Let's begin with the first of three debuts, in which we have a song that is currently popular on Alt Nation. Alice Merton makes her first appearance with her single, No Roots. I did listen to this a couple of times and I do kinda like this, mainly for the groove and her nice vocals. But it's not something I'll be coming back to in the long run.

- Next up, we have the return of Erin Bowman, who is collaboration with Dustin Atlas in the song called Fake Friends. Right off the bat, I'm not too sold on their vocals. They seem a little underwhelming. And the production isn't quite on point. My opinion could change, but it'll likely remain as is for now.

- Oh boy. Some people are not going to like this, but Meghan Trainor is back. This time, she brings us her latest release titled No Excuses. I'll just simply say that I don't find Meghan Trainor to be that annoying as many say she is. I don't really find her annoying at all. In fact, I actually really, really like her, even though her music's been kinda mixed for me. Though Me Too and Dear Future Husband were both garbage, I liked her other singles such as All About That Bass, Lips Are Movin', Like I'm Gonna Lose You, and to an extent, NØ. As for her latest single...well, I'm not entirely sure what to think of it. Sure, I do like the production and her vocals are better. But the songwriting is still pretty questionable. Then again, my initial reaction to her previous singles wasn't the best either. I'll have more on this when it debuts.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Welshly Arms – Legendary
2. Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns – Woman
3. Keala Settle – This Is Me
4. Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days
5. Thirty Seconds To Mars – Walk On Water

YouTube 15:

• G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I
• HRVY – Personal
• Sigala featuring Paloma Faith – Lullaby
• Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)
• James Arthur – Naked
• Camila Cabello – Havana
• Jake Miller featuring Jabbar Hakeem – The Girl That's Underneath
• Ed Sheeran – Perfect
• Jax Jones featuring Ina Wroldsen – Breathe
• NF – Let You Down
• Cash Cash featuring Nikki Vianna – Jewel
• Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
• Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
• Imagine Dragons – Thunder
• ROZES featuring Nicky Romero – Where Would We Be

- Sigala just released his new single titled Lullaby, which features Paloma Faith. I absolutely love the production. Her vocals are amazing all throughout the song, and Sigala does a excellent job as a DJ. Overall, it's a great song and I'm hoping it can potentially be a hit.

- Next, we have Jake Miller with his latest release, titled The Girl That's Underneath, which features hip-hop artist Jabbar Hakeem. I was juggling between blue and green for this one, and I decided on the latter. The reason being is because I do like the production and what this song has to offer. The groove is nice, and Jake Miller does good vocals-wise. Jabbar also shows some talent as well. Not too much else I can say about this.

- Cash Cash has a new song called Jewel, which features Nikki Vianna. There's a lot to like about this song. Nikki's vocals are fantastic. She kinda reminds me of Ariana Grande, especially when we hear the chorus. Overall, it's a really good song. Both of these artists definitely won me over with that one.

- We have more Khalid, and he's bringing Fifth Harmony member Normani for the fun in their latest release, Love Lies, which is taken from the Love, Simon soundtrack. It's a bit of a step up from his predecessor. Both of their vocals are on point for the most part, and I like the production. I can see this probably becoming another respectable hit for Khalid, which I hope it does.

- Who remembers ROZES? You know, the artist that collaborated with The Chainsmokers two year ago with Roses? No? Well, she's back with her latest single titled Where Would We Be, which features DJ Nicky Romero. I won't quite go there and say it's as good as Roses, but ROZES does show what she's capable of throughout the song. And Nicky Romero does a nice job with the production, though the drop isn't quite the best. Still, not a bad song at all.

My Top 5 YouTube 15 Picks

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

2. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I

3. Sigala featuring Paloma Faith – Lullaby

4. Cash Cash featuring Nikki Vianna – Jewel

5. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies

Top 20 Review:

0 – Putrid:
20. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
19. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
18. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low

1 – Bad:
17. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same
16. Maroon 5 – Wait
15. NF – Let You Down

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
14. Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River

4 – Good:
13. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
12. Charlie Puth – How Long

5 – Great:
11. Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't
10. P!NK – Beautiful Trauma
9. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go
8. Halsey – Bad At Love
7. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
6. Walk The Moon – One Foot
5. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I
4. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days
3. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

Overall Grade: 71/100 = 71% (C–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Madonna – Ray Of Light (1998) (Fun fact: The same name for the album was released on this day, 20 years ago.)

Most Missed Countdown Songs: Ariana Grande featuring The Weeknd – Love Me Harder and Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj – Side To Side

Most Missed Hit-Bound Drop-Out: Lorde – Green Light

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Sigala featuring Paloma Faith – Lullaby

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers – Paris

My Top 5 Picks

TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

TIE: 1. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves

3. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix)

4. Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days

5. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me

My Bottom 5 Picks

1. AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up

2. Post Malone featuring 21 Savage – Rockstar

3. Bebe Rexha feeaturing Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

4. Lauv – I Like Me Better

5. MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
AJR – Weak: I already explained this when I reviewed My Bottom 10 Songs Of 2017. I'm sure there are many worse songs from the band objectively, but I can't really think of one as obnoxious as this one. After watching Spectrum Pulse's take on this, along with their entire album The Click, it gives me a good reason to slowly step away.
Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay: I'm sure some are looking back and saying that he's being branded as a sell-out, hence why they don't like his current representation, but not me. I still like it even though it's not his best work, and bringing in Alessia Cara was a good decision on his part.

QOTW: Well, folks. Meghan Trainor is back. How do you feel about this?

AT40: Dua Lipa (3) - Week Of March 3, 2018

Hello, fam! This week, since my blog now has over 50,000 Pageviews, I decided to do something else special, along with posting my Pageview Special that I did last week. I added a poll asking you about your favorite throwback pick of all time. I'll tally up the results immediately upon the conclusion of the poll, which closes tomorrow morning. If you haven't already, now is the time to vote! Anyway, putting that aside, we now enter the first American Top 40 countdown of March. We had quite a shake-up of activity, some for better and some not quite as good. Things are picking up to speed as we close in on Spring. So, with that in mind, here are the songs dropping out this week:

• Filthy by Justin Timberlake (#18)
• Best Friend by Sofi Tukker featuring NERVO, Alisa Ueno, and The Knocks (#20)
• I Fall Apart by Post Malone (#39)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: New Rules by Dua Lipa

40. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes (#40) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

39. Walk On Water by Thirty Seconds To Mars (DEBUT)

38. Attention by Charlie Puth (#37) [–1] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

37. God's Plan by Drake (DEBUT)

36. Beautiful Trauma by P!NK (#38) [+2]

35. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid (#34) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

34. My My My! by Troye Sivan (#36) [+2]

33. I Miss You by Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels (#32) [–1]

32. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo (#30) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

31. Lemon by N.E.R.D. featuring Rihanna (#33) [+2]

30. Say Something by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton (DEBUT)

29. What Lovers Do by Maroon 5 featuring SZA (#28) [–1]

28. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#35) [+7]

27. Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato (#29) [+2]

26. One Foot by Walk The Moon (#26) [=]

25. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (#24) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

24. Wait by Maroon 5 (#27) [+3]

23. River by Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran (#22) [–1]

22. Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato (#21) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

21. LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar featuring Zacari (#23) [+2]

20. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar (#30) [+10]

19. Young, Dumb, and Broke by Khalid (#19) [=]

18. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (#17) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

17. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future (#12) [–5]

16. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#25) [+9]

15. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#16) [+1]

14. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt (#14) [=]

13. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line (#15) [+2]

12. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha (#13) [+1]

11. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage (#6) [–5]

10. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash (#11) [+1]

9. Bad At Love by Halsey (#5) [–4]

8. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello (#7) [–1]

7. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey (#10) [+3]

6. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. (#9) [+3]

5. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (#4) [–1] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]

4. Let You Down by NF (#8) [+4]

3. How Long by Charlie Puth (#3) [=]

2. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (#2) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

1. New Rules by Dua Lipa (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (1^st of 10 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Tie between End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future and Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage (–5)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar (+10)

New Entrants
- To kick off this week's new arrivals, we have Thirty Seconds To Mars with their new single titled Walk On Water. It took me a couple of listens, but I finally have an opinion on the song. To sum it up, I think it's a cool tune. The chorus is energetic pretty much all throughout the song, and I like the vocals for the most part. There are some people here who don't like it mainly because it's political, and I can definitely see where they're getting at, mainly when looking at the lyrical content. But I'm not among that crowd. Of course, it may stick with me in the big picture and my opinion will change as time goes on. But right now, I'll consider it a great song.

- Next, Drake is back...again. We haven't seen too much of him last year since Fake Love thankfully wasn't a huge hit and Passionfruit didn't really take off. He brings us God's Plan. Simply put, I'm just not a fan of this one. His vocals are okay, but the production here is just underwhelming and I'm not sold on the lyrical content. That's really all I have to say about this one. And with it being the biggest hit at this moment, I have a bad feeling the same may ring true here also. So, I'm prepared for the worst.

- Finally, Justin Timberlake replaces himself on the countdown with his latest single, titled Say Something which features country star Chris Stapleton. This one has more singing going on as opposed to his predecessor. Both of these artists show what they're capable of vocally. I love the use of guitars. Though the song is repetitive, it definitely sounds like true country music, unlike a certain song I won't mention, but I'm sure you all can figure it out by now. Overall, it's a great collaboration that works well and I'm hoping it gets some success.

Blurb Something
- In terms of our exits this week, we have a song that has left us after spending only one week for the second time this year. But I Fall Apart was never to my liking anyway, so I have no complaints about this at all. Best Friend I just recently grew into and I'll admit, it was catchy, but I knew it wouldn't last long. And finally, there's Filthy. Despite me have mixed opinions on that one, I'm shocked that it took such a brutal exit, especially from a high position. I thought it might stick around for a few more weeks, but never mind. Guess people were not very kind to Justin Timberlake's new single, heh.

- I'm very glad that New Rules managed to hold at #1 for the third week in a row. I still really love that song. Hopefully, Dua Lipa keeps this streak going for another week or so.

- Rising to #4 this week is Let You Down. Unfortunately, this song just doesn't really appeal to me. I get why some like this, mainly for the meaning, but it just doesn't work for me. Though, I have a feeling it may be #1 in the near future. So, I'll be bracing myself for impact.

- As much as I don't really like Let You Down, I'll most certainly take this over Rockstar any day, which is now finally out of the Top 10! I've been waiting a long time for this to happen! Now, I'm hoping this can leave the countdown for good!

- In other Top 20 news, we have two new songs entering that region, both of which were debuts from last week. Pray For Me was expected, and it looks destined to become another hit for The Weeknd. With the hype from Black Panther still going strong at this moment, that shouldn't be much of a problem.

- But also new to the Top 20, we have The Middle making its entrance. Words cannot simply describe how pleased I am by this. This song is just catchy to me. As I said before, it has quickly become a huge favorite of mine at this moment, hence why I have it in purple. I'm having a really hard time choosing between this and Finesse, which is also my favorite as well, and I ultimately decided on the former. Of course, we still have a whole year ahead of us and I'm sure something better will come along. But right now, I'm really enjoying these two songs and they both deserve success, which they're thankfully getting right now.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Woman by Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns
• Hold Me Tight Or Don't by Fall Out Boy

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Slow Hands by Niall Horan
• Filthy by Justin Timberlake
• Starboy by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
• I Fall Apart by Post Malone
• Praying by Kesha
• Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller
• Ride by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
• Cake By The Ocean by DNCE
• Stitches by Shawn Mendes

Top 20 Review:
0 – Garbage:
20. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
19. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
18. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

1 – Bad:
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
16. Let You Down by NF

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
15. Young, Dumb, And Broke by Khalid

4 – Good:
14. Thunder by Imagine Dragons
13. How Long by Charlie Puth

5 – Great:
12. Let Me Go by Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt
11. End Game by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future
10. Bad At Love by Halsey
9. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé
8. New Rules by Dua Lipa
7. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
6. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey
5. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
4. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello
3. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
2. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

Total Score: 74/100 = 74% (C–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Billie Jean by Michael Jackson (1983)

Most Missed Songs: Sorry by Justin Bieber and Praying by Kesha

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Want You Back by 5 Seconds Of Summer

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley

My Top 5 Picks
1. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
2. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
3. Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha
4. Wolves by Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello
5. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
2. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
3. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo
4. I Like Me Better by Lauv
5. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Dancing On My Own by Calum Scott: It's a cover version of this song, though it wasn't executed well, not to mention he sounds bored when hearing his vocals.
Bad And Boujeee by Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert: Once again, many YouTube critics as well as some in the blogging community can explain this one in detail better than I can. But simply put, this is shit in every way possible. Do I even need to say anymore?
Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur: Some critics had this on their worst lists for 2017, but I didn't really mind for the most part. I'll admit, however, that his delivery was somewhat lacking, but it's still a sweet song for what it is.
Cold by Maroon 5 featuring Future: Like I said before, this song is another example of how Adam Levine has basically taken over the band. They've lost the groove they once had, and Future's verse doesn't help.
Everyday by Ariana Grande featuring Future: Speaking of Future, adding him to the song wasn't a wise choice, and I can't get on board with the lyrics. This was just a disappointment for Ariana. She has done better.