AT40: Post Malone (4) - Week Of July 14, 2018

Hello, fam! I still haven't been able to come up with anything interesting to put for my introduction lately. It's like I've really run out of things to say. So I'll just go straight to the countdown. Although things still aren't in good shape, we did get quite a bit of activity on the AT40 this week. Plus, Ryan Seacrest is back on the job after being absent for two weeks straight, so that's good news. Before we get to this week's fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

• Tattoo (How 'Bout You) by In Real Life (#31)
• Let Me by ZAYN (#32)
• Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (#39) [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]
• Everyday by Logic featuring Marshmello (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign

40. Bed by Nicki Minaj featuring Ariana Grande (DEBUT)

39. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash (#37) [–2]

38. Move To Miami by Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull (#38) [=]

37. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (#35) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

36. Dinero by Jennifer Lopez featuring DJ Khaled and Cardi B. (DEBUT)

35. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. (#33) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

34. Home With You by Madison Beer (DEBUT)

33. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey (#30) [–3] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

32. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (#36) [+4]

31. Let You Down by NF (#28) [–3]

30. All Night by Big Boi (#34) [+4]

29. Growing Pains by Alessia Cara (DEBUT)

28. Better Now by Post Malone (#29) [+1]

27. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line (#25) [–2]

26. Familiar by Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin (#27) [+1]

25. New Rules by Dua Lipa (#23) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

24. Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani (#17) [–7]

23. Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Backstreet Boys (#26) [+3]

22. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar (#20) [+2]

21. Sit Next To Me by Foster The People (#21) [=]

20. God's Plan by Drake (#14) [–6]

19. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (#16) [–3]

18. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#22) [+4]

17. Alone by Halsey featuring Big Sean & Stefflon Don (#18) [+1]

16. Wait by Maroon 5 (#12) [–4]

15. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#24) [+9]

14. IDGAF by Dua Lipa (#11) [–3]

13. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#19) [+6]

12. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#15) [+3]

11. Nice For What by Drake (#13) [+2]

10. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa (#10) [=]

9. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#9) [=]

8. Never Be The Same Camila Cabello (#6) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

7. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes (#7) [=]

6. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#8) [+2]

5. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#3) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

4. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#5) [+1]

3. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#4) [+1]

2. Mine by Bazzi (#2) [=]

1. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#1) [=] [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (5^th and Final Week At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani (–7)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (+9)

New Entrants
- Okay, so we're cleaning house this week have four new songs making their debut. To start, we have Nicki Minaj with her latest new single titled Bed. She collaborates with Ariana yet again. They did recently release The Light Is Coming. It seems to me like these two make a great duo. Anyway, onto the song itself. This one is only okay for the most part. There's really not a whole lot going on in terms of the production, which I find to be a little underwhelming. Ariana's vocals are nice, but doesn't really stand out too much throughout the song. Personally, I'd say that The Light Is Coming is slightly better than this and I would prefer it over this. But those types of songs are often overlooked. While it's not a bad song overall, it's not something I'll be coming back to in about a year or so. Ariana and Nicki have done better.

- Jennifer Lopez makes her return this week with a song that she performed at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. She collaborates with DJ Khaled and Carid B. in the song called Dinero. I talked about this song briefly while it was grading the performance, which I wasn't very fond of at all. The song on its own isn't that good either. The production here is just bad all around. I found out that "dinero" means "money" in Spanish. This song basically talks about how they want it. I don't know about you, but this is the kind of stuff that doesn't appeal to me whatsoever. J-Lo herself doesn't sound good in the song. She has virtually no personality when she is singing. Cardi B. does make a decent contribution. But she couldn't save the song unfortunately. Jennifer Lopez has done much better in the past. Hopefully, it won't last long.

- Next, we have a new artist whose name is Madison Beer. She makes her debut with the song, Home With You. There's really not too much I can say about this one. One thing that I like about it is that Madison does have good vocals throughout the song. The lyrical content in the song is pretty good. While the production isn't necessarily the best, at least its decent to some degree. So yeah, I do like the song overall.

- We have Alessia Cara making her return this week. This time, she has a new single titled Growing Pains. The last time we saw her was when she was collaborating with Zedd in one of their biggest hits of 2017 with Stay, which was liked by some but pretty much turned on it near the end. Growing Pains is definitely the type of song that I'd like to hear from Alessia. It may sound like I'm biased in large part because I fell in love with most of her music, such as Here and Scars To Your Beautiful. But let me be honest: she hasn't disappointed me yet, and this song shows that she clearly has talent with her vocals. I love the chorus and the production here is rock solid. When hearing the song, it pretty much reminds me of her other single Wild Things, except it was a little more fast paced in comparison. Overall, the song is enjoyable. I hope it sticks around.

Best Debut Of The Week: Growing Pains by Alessia Cara

'Cause Growing Blurbs Are Keeping Me Up At Night
- Let's begin with our exits. First off, Everyday dropped out of the countdown after that big drop this week. It's a shame that we let songs such as Friends become hits, and not this particular song. I feel like it deserves much better. Tattoo (How 'Bout You) leaving wasn't a surprise at all given that In Real Life aren't well known. Let Me by ZAYN is one I didn't care too much about in the big picture. The one exit that stands out to me is Havana, which is Camila's biggest hit. It was one in which Camila improved on her vocals and it was definitely something I got into. While some may find you old right now, it's still fresh for me. Good-bye Havana, you will not be forgotten.

- Before introducing Perfect, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Ed Sheeran was planning to do a live performance for his fans. I'm sure he has such a huge fan base that he'd probably want someone to build a bigger stadium. I'll bet he'll have a good performance.

- It's very disappointing to see Done For Me dropping big this week. This is Charlie Puth's best song on the album and it's not getting the success it deserves. Looks like that one will not stick around for long, unfortunately.  :/

- Before introducing Back To You, Ryan Seacrest mentioned that Selena Gomez would like to return to television someday. I remember when she was the star in Wizards Of Waverly Place. I watched that show a lot back in the day and it was one of my favorites. I do hope that whatever role she takes, it'll turn out well.

- Ryan Seacrest mentioned during the introduction for The Middle that Zedd loves using computers to help him get through the day. I mean, I don't blame him. A lot of people nowadays rely on computers for basically everything they do in their lives. I'm willing to bet that he may get a job working on computers someday.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Let You Be Right by Meghan Trainor
• Fake Love by BTS
• Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
• Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie
• Believer by Imagine Dragons
• Pray by Sam Smith featuring Logic
• Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande
• Slow Hands by Niall Horan
• On The Loose by Niall Horan
• Attention by Charlie Puth

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
19. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
18. I Like Me Better by Lauv
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

1 – Bad:
16. Wait by Maroon 5
15. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin

2 – Mediocre:
14. God's Plan by Drake
13. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.

3 – Decent:
12. Alone by Halsey featuring Big Sean & Stefflon Don

4 – Good:
11. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes

5 – Great:
10. Mine by Bazzi
9. Delicate by Taylor Swift
8. Nice For What by Drake
7. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani
6. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
5. Back To You by Selena Gomez
4. IDGAF by Dua Lipa
3. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande

Total Score: 64/100 = 64% (D)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis (2007)

Most Missed Song: Break Free by Ariana Grande featuring Zedd

#1 Recommendations For The American Top 40: Jumpsuit by TWENTY ØNE PILØTS and God Is A Woman by Ariana Grande

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

My Top 5 Picks
1. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
2. Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Backstreet Boys
3. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
4. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
5. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
2. All Night by Big Boi
3. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
4. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
5. I Like Me Better by Lauv

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld: This was quite an interesting single, especially since it was about female empowerment. Sure, it's not the best Hailee Steinfeld has offered, but it was something worthwhile.
Feels by Calvin Harris featuring Pharrell, Katy Perry, and Big Sean: Honestly, I think this is Calvin Harris's best of the two singles he released last year. The new groovy sound he was going for turned out well for him. The addition of Katy Perry was a good one, especially since she makes an amazing contribution to the song.

2018: A Mid-Year Review

Okay, so we're officially halfway through 2018. For this post, I'm going to be doing something different here that has never really been done before: the Mid-Year review. Basically, I'm just going over what has happened in 2018 so far in terms of music. I know that my Year-End posts aren't going to be until December, but I decided to compile some of the stats for this year so far. Here is the color code that I'll be using:

• Purple – Best Song
• Green – Great
• Blue – Good
• Pink – Decent
• Yellow – Mediocre
• Turquoise – Bad
• Red – Garbage
• Orange – Worst Song

We'll start with the list of #1 songs for both charts that I review weekly: The American Top 40 and the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. The list isn't that much different in comparison to last year around that point. Sure, we did have some new artists that have hit #1 this year. But other than that, the majority of the #1 songs in 2018 come from the same artists that have dominated in 2017. If I'm being honest, it's like we're basically picking up where we left off from that year. With that in mind, here are the list of #1 songs of 2018 so far:

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown:

• Imagine Dragons – Thunder (5 Weeks Total; 2 Weeks in 2017, 3 Weeks in 2018)
• Ed Sheeran – Perfect (2 Weeks Total; 1 in 2017, 1 in 2018)
• Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game (1 Week)
• Charlie Puth – How Long (2 Weeks)
• Macklemore featuring Kesha – Good Old Days (1 Week)
• Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (9 Weeks)
• Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go (1 Week)
• Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (1 Week)
• Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (1 Week)
• 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back (1 Week)
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (1 Week)
• Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (4 Weeks)

American Top 40:

• Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug – Havana (7 Weeks Total; 3 in 2017, 4 in 2018)
• Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé – Perfect (2 Weeks)
• Dua Lipa – New Rules (4 Weeks)
• NF – Let You Down (2 Weeks)
• G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I (1 Week)
• Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. – Finesse (Remix) (2 Weeks)
• Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (4 Weeks)
• Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (5 Weeks)
• Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla Sign – Psycho (2 Weeks)

So judging by the list, I'd say that this year's crop of #1 songs have impressed me for the most part. Sure, there were quite a few songs not to my liking, but the list looks good so far. Let's hope that we can continue to get more good songs to reach the top spot on both charts in the second half of 2018.

More Stats

In addition to compiling a list of #1 songs for this year so far, I also managed to compile some other things that occurred throughout the year. Those are things such as Biggest Drop and Biggest Jump from certain songs, along with some other stuff. Keep in mind that because we're at the halfway point, this is NOT the final update. There will most likely be some changes as we progress through the second half of the year. But here is some of the stats that I have gathered so far:

Hits 1 Weekend Countdown:

Smallest "Biggest DRRRRRROP!! Of The Week":

Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River [–5] (February 17, 2018)

Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same [–5] (February 17, 2018)

Lauv – I Like Me Better [–5] (February 17, 2018)

Smallest "Biggest Jump Of The Week":

NF – Let You Down [+8] (February 17, 2018)

U2 featuring Cheat Codes – Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way [+8] (June 30, 2018)

Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar [+8] (June 30, 2018)

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

X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself [–25] (March 3, 2018)

Biggest "Biggest Jump Of The Week":

Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho [+23] (June 23, 2018)

Smallest Combined Biggest Movers:
Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran – River, Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same, Lauv – I Like Me Better, and NF – Let You Down (23 Spots; February 17, 2018)

Biggest Combined Biggest Movers:
G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I, Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go, Bad Wolves – Zombie, Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me, and Echosmith – Over My Head (74 Spots; June 16, 2018)

Highest Debut Of The Year:

G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I (#20) (January 13, 2018)

Lowest Debut Of The Year:

Hundred Handed – Too Good (#42) (June 16, 2018)

American Top 40:

Smallest "Biggest Fall Of The Week":
Justin Timberlake – Filthy [–3] (February 24, 2018)
Imagine Dragons – Thunder [–3] (January 24, 2018)

Smallest "Biggest Rise Of The Of The Week":
Halsey featuring Big Sean and Stefflon Don – Alone [+3] (May 5, 2018)
Shawn Mendes – In My Blood [+3] (May 5, 2018)
Lauv – I Like Me Better [+3] (May 5, 2018)

Biggest "Biggest Fall Of The Week":
Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game [–18] (March 10, 2018)

Biggest "Biggest Rise Of The Week":
Shawn Mendes – In My Blood [+15] (April 21, 2018)

Smallest Combined Biggest Movers:
MAX featuring Gnash – Lights Down Low and Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (9 Spots; April 28, 2018)

Biggest Combined Biggest Movers:
Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran and Future – End Game and Drake – God's Plan (30 Spots; March 10, 2018)

Highest Debut Of The Year:
Justin Timberlake – Filthy (#20) (January 27, 2018)

Lowest Debut Of The Year:
Lauv – I Like Me Better (#40) (January 13, 2018)
Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (#40) (January 20, 2018)
P!NK – Beautiful Trauma (#40) (February 10, 2018)
Troye Sivan – My My My! (#40) (February 17, 2018)
Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't (#40) (March 10, 2018)
Niall Horan – On The Loose (#40) (March 31, 2018)
Alice Merton – No Roots (#40) (April 14, 2018)
ZAYN – Let Me (#40) (May 19, 2018)
G-Eazy featuring Charlie Puth – Sober (#40) (June 16, 2018)

And that's all I have for this post. It took me a while to be able to put this together, but I've finally finished it. This has been a post in which is basically about how 2018 has shaped up so far. I'll be posting something similar to this in December, but I'll be including more stuff. As always, I'd like to say thank you for taking the time to read this. I would love to hear your feedback in the comments section below. I hope you guys have a good week and I'll see you all later this weekend!

AT40: Post Malone (3) - Week Of July 7, 2018

Hello, fam! This post came out a little later than I expected. I've been lacking the motivation to get these out lately. I do hope that my next post won't be as late, but I can't make any promises. At least I was able to get this out, so that's saying a lot. This is the second week in a row in which a guest host filled in for Ryan Seacrest, only this time, it was newcomer Bazzi. I thought he did alright with hosting. Before we get to this week's fresh 40, here are the songs leaving the countdown this week:

• Pray by Sam Smith featuring Logic (#37)
• Bad At Love by Halsey (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign

40. Everyday by Logic featuring Marshmello (#24) [–16]

39. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (#38) [–1] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1

38. Move To Miami by Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull (DEBUT)

37. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash (#36) [–1]

36. Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer (DEBUT)

35. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (#34) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

34. All Night by Big Boi (#39) [+5]

33. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. (#32) [–1] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

32. Let Me by ZAYN (#25) [–7]

31. Tattoo (How 'Bout You) by In Real Life (#35) [+4]

30. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey (#29) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

29. Better Now by Post Malone (#33) [+4]

28. Let You Down by NF (#26) [–2]

27. Familiar by Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin (#31) [+4]

26. Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Backstreet Boys (#28) [+2]

25. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line (#22) [–3]

24. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#30) [+6]

23. New Rules by Dua Lipa (#20) [–3] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

22. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#23) [+1]

21. Sit Next To Me by Foster The People (#21) [=]

20. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar (#18) [–2]

19. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (#27) [+8]

18. Alone by Halsey featuring Big Sean and Stefflon Don (#19) [+1]

17. Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani (#17) [=]

16. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (#11) [–5]

15. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#16) [+1]

14. God's Plan by Drake (#13) [–1]

13. Nice For What by Drake (#15) [+2]

12. Wait by Maroon 5 (#7) [–5]

11. IDGAF by Dua Lipa (#12) [+1]

10. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa (#14) [+4]

9. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#10) [+1]

8. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#9) [+1]

7. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes (#8) [+1]

6. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#4) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

5. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#5) [=]

4. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#6) [+2]

3. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#3) [=] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

2. Mine by Bazzi (#2) [=]

1. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#1) [=] [3^rd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (4^th of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Everyday by Logic featuring Marshmello (–16)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (+8)

New Entrants
- We have two new songs entering the countdown this week. First off, Enrique Iglesias makes his return along with Pitbull with their new single, by the name of Move To Miami. They last had a song called Messin' Around back in 2016, which was hated by some but I didn't really mind too much. As for their new single, I can say it's a bit of a step up from that song. One of the best things I can say about this is Pitbull, in which he shows that he's a good rapper. Enrique himself doesn't sound too bad either for the most part. It has a latin-based production which sounds good. It's not their best by any means, but I do like it.

- 5 Seconds Of Summer just recently released their latest album titled Youngblood, which instantly hit #1 on the Billboard 200. So, congrats to them for this achievement. The title track of the song makes its debut this week. I talked about this in detail when it first debuted on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. For those who haven't yet, you can check out my full review of the song. This is a good song in terms of the vocals, in which they sound more energetic throughout the song, especially in the chorus. Though, I'm not quite as big on the production, which is a step down from its predecessor. But it's really the vocals that I like about the song. So yeah, I like this, though it may not stick with me in the long run.

I'm Just A Dead Man Blurbing Tonight
- So, our two exits consist of one song that did well throughout its tenure, and another which was cut short after only two weeks. Pray didn't deserve to leave us so soon. I was hoping that one could catch on because it's one of the best that Sam Smith had to offer, but it was just not meant to be. Also, the departure of Bad At Love wasn't much of a surprise. It was quite a enjoyable song for the most part and we got to hear what Halsey was capable of. While it may not have hit #1 here, at least it had success. That song will be somewhat missed by me.

- Everyday took a massive drop all the way down to #40. Ouch! While I do like the song, I'm not too saddened by the drop given that the song wasn't too big elsewhere.

- Before introducing Perfect, Bazzi mentioned that Ed Sheeran has been a inspiration to his music. Given that Ed has dominated pretty much all of 2017, I would have to agree with him.

- I'm not surprised about the big jump from Girls Like You given that it's currently strong in sales at this moment. I'll admit that the song isn't nearly as bad after a few more listens, though it's not quite enough for me to put it in blue. However, what I can say is that it's better than their recent releases (save for What Lovers Do).

- One of the highlights one this week is that No Tears Left To Cry has made it into the Top 5. I can definitely see this being #1 real soon and I certainly will be happy, given our current #1. Honestly, I prefer this at the top over any other song right now.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Dinero by Jennifer Lopez featuring DJ Khaled and Cardi B.
• Home With You by Madison Beer
• Growing Pains by Alessia Cara

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Clarity by Zedd featuring Foxes
• Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo
• Hey Mama by David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha, and Afrojack
• Give Me Everything by Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo and Afrojack
• There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes
• Diamonds by Rihanna
• Location by Khalid
• Can't Stop The Feeling! by Justin Timberlake
• No Promises by Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
19. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
18. I Like Me Better by Lauv
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

1 – Bad:
16. Wait by Maroon 5

2 – Mediocre:
15. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B.
14. God's Plan by Drake

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
13. Alone by Halsey featuring Big Sean and Stefflon Don

5 – Great:
12. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
11. Nice For What by Drake
10. Delicate by Taylor Swift
9. Mine by Bazzi
8. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
7. Back To You by Selena Gomez
6. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
5. Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani
4. IDGAF by Dua Lipa
3. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa
2. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande

Total Score: 70/100 = 70% (C–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: End Of The Road by Boyz II Men (1992)

Most Missed Song: Good Time by Owl City featuring Carly Rae Jepsen

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Let You Be Right by Meghan Trainor

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#12) and Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers (#6)

My Top 5 Picks
1. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
2. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
3. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
4. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa
5. Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Backstreet Boys

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. All Night by Big Boi
4. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
5. I Like Me Better by Lauv

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Versace On The Floor by Bruno Mars: It's one of those slow dance songs that pretty much reminds me of a Michael Jackson song. Bruno definitely displays his raw vocals throughout the song. Too bad that one didn't really take off. David Guetta did remix the song to make it more radio-friendly, but I'd much prefer the original version, which is slow.
Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller: I'd say this was one of the best that DJ Khaled had to offer last year. It wasn't until recently that I figured out that the song samples Maria Maria. Pretty much everything about the song rocks, especially the electric guitar.

Taylor Swift (1) - Week Of July 7, 2018

Hello, fam! I hope everyone here has had a good 4th of July! The second half of the year is finally upon us. While not too much really happened this week, things are looking pretty good for the most part. We had some nice jumps from some good songs, and a solid new #1. I'll have more to say about it in the blurbs below. There are no songs leaving the countdown this week, so let's get right to it.

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
45. Camila Cabello – Havana (#45) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
44. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#44) [=] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
43. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go (#43) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
42. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I (#39) [–3]
41. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#36) [–5] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

40. Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days (#41) [+1]

39. Bad Wolves – Zombie (#42) [+3]

38. Dustin Atlas featuring Erin Bowman – Fake Friends (#33) [–5]

37. Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – Babe (#40) [+3]

36. Hundred Handed – Too Good (#35) [–1]

35. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#37) [+2]

34. Walk The Moon – One Foot (#22) [–12]

33. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho (#17) [–16]

32. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back (#32) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

31. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (#31) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

30. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#30) [=]

29. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me (#29) [=]

28. The Wrecks – James Dean (#38) [+10]

27. U2 featuring Cheat Codes – Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way (#27) [=]

26. Maren Morris – Rich (#24) [–2]

25. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me (#26) [+1]

24. Maroon 5 – Wait (#20) [–4]

23. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (#19) [–4]

22. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#18) [–4] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

21. Bazzi – Mine (#25) [+4]

20. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right (#28) [+8]

19. Niall Horan – On The Loose (#11) [–8]

18. Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It (#21) [+3]

17. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me (#6) [–11]

16. Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar (#23) [+7]

15. Halsey – Alone (#11) [–4]

14. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me (#14) [=]

13. Dua Lipa – IDGAF (#9) [–4]

12. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#34) [+22]

11. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#15) [+4]

10. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#16) [+6]

9. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends (#7) [–2]

8. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You (#10) [+2]

7. Ariana Grande – no tears left to cry (#5) [–2]

6. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#8) [+2]

5. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#13) [+8]

4. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#4) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

3. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#3) [=] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]

2. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#1) [–1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

1. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#2) [+1] [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (2^nd of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho (–16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (+22)

The Way You Make Me Blurb
- So, G-Eazy and Halsey decided to break up just as I started to think that they on the verge of supposedly becoming the power couple of the year. I guess they were not meant to be together in the long run after all.

- After spending a while in the 20's, One Foot has finally dropped out of that region. It's time on the countdown may sadly be coming to an end. At least it did good here, so props to that.

- However, I'm very pleased that Psycho was announced as the Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week this week. Hopefully this time around, it means that it can get out of the countdown soon.

- Before introducing Mine, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Bazzi has a really tiny pet. Wow, I haven't seen the picture of it yet. But I have a feeling he may hold the record for having the smallest pet of all time.

- Before introducing Familiar, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Liam Payne also broke up with Cheryl. Oh my, I guess Liam is back to looking for a special someone. That said, it's good to see Familiar enter the Top 20 this week.

- Whoa! High Hopes makes a big jump in its second week. I have a feeling that one is going to stick around for a long while given how much Hits 1 loves Brendon Urie right now. It helps that the hype around their new album is strong. If you haven't listened to it yet, I highly recommend you check it out.

- We have a couple of new Top 10 entrants this week. I'm not too surprised to see Youngblood already in that region in its fourth week. Like I just mentioned with High Hopes, I have a feeling that one is going to stick around also. Spyder Harrison mentioned during the introduction of the song that one of the members of 5 Seconds Of Summer talked about naming their kids (if they have one) a different name. I wonder what creative names have they come up with? Hmm...

- Selena Gomez – Back To You enters the Top 10 as well, but in addition jumps to the Top 5 this week. Now the question is, can this finally be the #1 song for Selena? I would like to see it happen someday. But I'm just happy that it's still gaining somewhat.

- And then, we've come to our new #1 for this week. I wasn't too surprised to see Taylor Swift take the crown with Delicate. It's a good song overall, so I'm cool with it being #1. Taylor has never really been the one to disappoint me with her singles, even though her album slightly pales in comparison to 1989.

Hit-Bound:

• Post Malone – Better Now
• Madison Beer – Home With You
• Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
• Train featuring Cam and Travie McCoy – Call Me Sir
• MNEK featuring Hailee Steinfeld – Colour
• Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
• Julia Michaels featuring Trippie Redd – Jump
• lovelytheband – Broken
• Alessia Cara – Growing Pains
• Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess
• Big Boi – All Night
• Dan + Shay – Tequila
• Cole Redding – Father Father
• Dennis Lloyd – Nevermind (RE-ENTRY)
• BTS – Fake Love

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
2. Alessia Cara – Growing Pains
3. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
4. Dan + Shay – Tequila
5. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends

1 – Bad:
19. Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It

2 – Mediocre:
18. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You 

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
17. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know
16. Halsey – Alone

5 – Great:
15. Niall Horan – On The Loose
14. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
13. Taylor Swift – Delicate
12. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
11. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
10. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
9. Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar
8. Selena Gomez – Back To You
7. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me
6. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
5. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
4. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
3. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right
TIE: 1. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry

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

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Michael Jackson – The Way You Make Me Feel (1987)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Taylor Swift – New Romantics

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: R5 – Smile

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Halsey featuring Lauren Jauregui – Strangers

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#2) and Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#1)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Ariana Grande – no tears left to cry
TIE: 1. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right
3. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
4. The Wrecks – James Dean
5. Dua Lipa – IDGAF

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
2. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
3. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
4. Lauv – I Like Me Better
5. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
None!

Panic! At The Disco (4) - Week Of June 30, 2018

Hello, fam! I apologize if this post was a little late, but I was busy all week and I was just simply worn out. I'm no Superman, unfortunately. I wish I was though, and maybe then I probably wouldn't be so tired. Still, I was finally able to get the post out. We're now officially at the halfway point of 2018. My goodness, I wonder where has the time gone? So, Brendon Urie basically took over the weekend in general, hosting both Hit-Bound and the Weekend Countdown. We did get plenty of activity with new songs entering the countdown. We also had some things go right and some things not quite as much. I sure hope things can continue to gain some steam as we start the second half of 2018. Let's get down to business! Before we get to this week's fresh 45, here are the songs leaving us this week:

• AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up (#30)
• Echosmith – Over My Head (#32)
• Sam Smith featuring Logic – Pray (#34)
• ZAYN – Let Me (#43)
• Charlie Puth – How Long (#45) [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
45. Camila Cabello – Havana (#44) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
44. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#38) [–6] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]
43. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go (#42) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
42. Bad Wolves – Zombie (#26) [–16]
41. Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen – These Days (#39) [–2]
40. Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – Babe (DEBUT)
39. G-Eazy featuring Halsey – Him & I (#41) [+2]
38. The Wrecks – James Dean (DEBUT)
37. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#37) [=]
36. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#36) [=] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]
35. Hundred Handed – Too Good (#40) [+5]
34. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (DEBUT)
33. Dustin Atlas featuring Erin Bowman – Fake Ass Friends (#29) [–4]
32. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back (#28) [–4] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
31. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (#33) [+2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
30. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#17) [–12]
29. The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me (#27) [–2]
28. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right (DEBUT)
27. Cheat Codes featuring U2 – Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way (#35) [+8]
26. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me (#25) [–1]
25. Bazzi – Mine (#21) [–4]
24. Maren Morris – Rich (#22) [–2]
23. Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar (#31) [+8]
22. Walk The Moon – One Foot (#24) [+2]
21. Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It (DEBUT)
20. Maroon 5 – Wait (#10) [–10]
19. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss (#23) [+4]
18. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#18) [=] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
17. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho (#7) [–10]
16. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#20) [+4]
15. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#9) [–6]
14. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me (#12) [+2]
13. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#19) [+6]
12. Niall Horan – On The Loose (#14) [+2]
11. Halsey – Alone (#13) [+2]
10. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You (#16) [+6]
9. Dua Lipa – IDGAF (#15) [+6]
8. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#8) [=]
7. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends (#5) [–2]
6. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me (#6) [=]
5. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#11) [+6]
4. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#3) [–1] [Spent 1 Week At #1]
3. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle (#2) [–1] [Spent 9 Weeks At #1]
2. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#4) [+2]
1. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#1) [=] [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (3^rd and Final Week At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Bad Wolves – Zombie (–16)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie between Cheat Codes featuring U2 – Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way and Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar (+8)

New Entrants
- So after a week with no exits, we have five new songs making their debut this week as we continue to do some more house cleaning for the summer. We'll start off with the return of the country duo Sugarland, who collaborate with Taylor Swift in their new song called Babe. It's been a long time since we've heard from Sugarland, which I think was back in the early 2010's or so. When it comes to their new song, I think it's a good song for the most part. Jennifer Needles does well with her vocals, and I like Taylor Swift's contribution to the song as well. The production here is nicely done. It pretty much reminds me of Taylor's earlier singles before her 1989 album, when she was still in the country genre. So yeah, it was an interesting collaboration that turned out well. It's nice to have Sugarland back after so long.

- We have a new band called The Wrecks who make their first appearance on the countdown with the song titled James Dean. There's plenty to like about this song. Let's begin with the production, which I found to be excellent on all levels. The rock vibe around it pulls me in. I do like the vocals here overall and the lyrics are pretty well-written. The song pretty much reminds me of I Love Rock 'n' Roll from The Arrows. I hear that classic song a lot back in my day, mainly when I watch commercials on TV just waiting for my favorite show to come back on. Those were the good times. Anyway, I love this song and I'm glad to see it graduate from Hit-Bound to the Weekend Countdown. We'll see how long this one stays.

- With Brendon Urie and Panic! At The Disco hosting both Hit-Bound and the Weekend Countdown this week in celebration of their new album, Pray For The Wicked which recently came out just last week, I figured their latest single High Hopes would make its debut. Having listened to his first two singles he released back in the spring, it gave me a glimpse of what his album would sound like. I predicted it would be upbeat and enjoyable and that's pretty much what happened. High Hopes is no exception. The song basically talks about having a vision for success and not giving up on one's dreams. This is definitely something all of us can relate to. We all have goals in our lives and we stop at nothing to be able to achieve them. As for the rest of the song itself, the production here is great for the most part and the vocals are pretty awesome all throughout the song. Brendon Urie mentioned during the introduction of their brand new song that he used a cardboard guitar to play his music. I'll bet that he probably learned to sing songs that way unlike most people who tend to use the piano. I guess he stands out different than the rest. Anyway, I do have high hopes (no pun intended) that Hits 1 will treat it well just like they're doing with their current representation, which is still #1.

- I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion to some, but this next debut is one that I was looking forward to since it was released. Back in March, Meghan Trainor made her official return with No Excuses. Not very many people were thrilled about it since they don't seem to like her music. I myself think the exact opposite, in a way. However, it did take me a while to grow into her earlier singles such as All About That Bass and Lips Are Movin' when she started to become a presence back in 2014. But since then, her music has been a mixed bag. Songs such as Dear Future Husband, Me Too, and her feature with Charlie Puth in Marvin Gaye were terrible, Like I'm Gonna Lose You was great and NØ lands somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, that doesn't stop me from supporting her music. In fact, I like Meghan Trainor like that. This week, she comes in with Let You Be Right, her second single which is called from her upcoming album titled Treat Myself, which comes out in August. I did kinda like No Excuses for the most part, but didn't quite stick with me in the big picture. Let You Be Right, however, is a whole different story. It's a huge step up from her predecessor in many other ways. For starters, she sounds amazing with her vocals all throughout the song, and I love the chorus. The lyrical content here is better as well. It basically talks about not wanting to fight while in a relationship with someone. Personally, I think this song shows that Meghan Trainor has steadily improved from Thank You, which was pretty bad. She recently released another song called All The Ways and that one is pretty good, too. But I think Let You Be Right is probably one of the highlights off of Treat Myself. Believe it or not, I'm looking forward to see what she has in store for her upcoming new album. This is a great choice for her second single and I would absolutely love to see this become a hit.

- Finally, with the highest debut of the week, Cardi B. makes her debut with her solo single which is called I Like It. I didn't really discussed this song in depth too much when it debuted on the American Top 40. But I'll try to put my best effort on reviewing this one. Now, it's not that much different when compared to her earlier singles. However, I will say that it is a step up from her singles such as Bodak Yellow (Money Moves), which I despised for the most part. It does have the Latin-based vibe and I tend to get into those type of songs. But frankly, there's not really a whole lot to like about this one. She sounds pretty annoying in most parts of the song. Hits 1 did edit out Bad Bunny and J. Balvin, but it really doesn't make too much of difference because I don't think they contributed to the song. Their verses sound okay, but nothing really stands out. Overall, I'm not much of a fan of the song. But given that the song is doing well in both sales and streaming, I can see this one sticking around for a while.

Best Debut Of The Week: Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right

I Had To Have High Blurbs For A Living
- We'll begin with our exits. First off, good riddance to Sober Up. That one had been around longer than it should, but I'm glad that it finally left. All I can say is that it's about time that song left. I'm hoping we don't hear from AJR again. Let Me didn't really stick with me, so I was kinda happy about the departure also. That leaves us with three songs. Over My Head I'm a little sad about and I kinda wished the song deserved better. It would be nice if Echosmith had another single waiting in the wings. It's disappointing to see Pray leave the countdown so soon, only lasting two weeks. Finally, the exit from How Long was expected. It had been here for a while and I'm sure some here are welcomed by this news. As for myself, I do still kinda like it, but I'm alright with it leaving.

- Before introducing Havana, Brendon Urie mentioned that the idea of that song came around while Camila Cabello was eating sushi. I guess she thought about that town when she decided what song she could come up with. I'm sure many other singers have had moments when they were out eating. Maybe they don't have time for some quiet thinking, huh?

- Before introducing Let Me Go, Brendon Urie mentioned that Hailee Steinfeld had her first kiss back when she was a kid. I'm sure some people had some memories like that. But I never got my first kiss back then unfortunately. I guess I wanted to wait until I was a little older, heh.

- Bad Wolves – Zombie has now fallen to the bottom 5 of the countdown. I doubt it last much longer here unfortunately. It was nice having it around while it lasted.

- However, it was nice to see I Like Me Better take a big drop after that unnecessary jump last week. Hopefully this means that it won't last much longer. But since I just jinxed it, watch it jump back up again next week.

- Brendon Urie mentioned upon introducing Mine that Bazzi was obsessed with space and that was the reason why he named his album, Cosmic. He even said that he would be an astronaut if he kept thinking about outer space. Heh, I've had some moments where I was obsessed with outer space as well. I'll bet he would make other famous people proud if Bazzi took up a career in being an astronaut.

- During his introduction for Done For Me, Brendon Urie said that Charlie Puth dressed up as a Sesame Street character when he was four years old. I'll bet he probably watched a lot of that show. I'm glad he had fun dressing up as one of the characters from that show.

- I figured Girls Like You would enter the Top 10 sooner or later. I'll admit that it's not nearly as bad as I thought after more listens, though not quite enough for me to put it in blue. It'll probably stay for a long while.

- Before introducing IDGAF, Brendon Urie mentioned that one of Dua Lipa's talents is her spelling, in which she knows how to spell every word. I wonder did she participate in any spelling bee contests back in her day? I mean, if she were to win every spelling bee, then she could be a worldwide champion. Oh boy, I'm sure that would make others jealous. :P

- So, Marshmello has some videos on YouTube of him being a chef and learning others how to cook. Does he have some sort of secret job that involves cooking food? He'll probably have to teach others while he continues to make music. Maybe he'll like to multitask.

- Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry jumped back into the Top 5 this week! I'm glad that this song still has a chance at being #1 sometime in the near future. I anticipate that day when it happens.

- Before introducing Delicate, Brendon Urie mentioned that Taylor Swift supports Selena Gomez. I wonder does she stan for her or she just likes her music? That aside, I have a feeling that Delicate may be #1 soon since it just reached the #2 spot and I wouldn't mind at all. This run kinda reminds me of Believer last year since that one took a while to catch on.

- And finally, the host himself, Brendon Urie and Panic! At The Disco holds at #1 yet again! What better way to be the guest host of the countdown that have your song still reigning the top spot.. I'm not complaining as I do still love that song. On that note, Charlie Puth came close last year when he hosted the countdown, as his song didn't take #1 until the following week. It's one of those moments in which the host actually has a song that's #1. Talk about a rare feat!

Hit-Bound:

• Big Boi – All Night
• MNEK featuring Hailee Steinfeld – Colour
• lovelytheband – Broken
• Dan + Shay – Tequila (DEBUT)
• Julia Michaels featuring Trippie Redd – Jump
• Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
• Alessia Cara – Growing Pains (DEBUT)
• Train featuring Cam and Travie McCoy – Call Me Sir (DEBUT)
• Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess (DEBUT)
• Post Malone – Better Now (DEBUT)
• Madison Beer – Home With You (DEBUT)
• Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
• BTS – Fake Love (RE-ENTRY)
• Cole Redding – Father Father

- Brendon Urie became the host of Hit-Bound this week, filling in for Mikey Piff. I'm sure he couldn't have picked a better week to host, because we had a massive shake-up all around. First off, we say good-bye to two songs: HRVY – Personal and In Real Life – Tattoo (How 'Bout You). I did find both of those songs okay, so their departures aren't too saddening.

- We also have a re-entry from BTS – Fake Love after one week off of Hit-Bound. That leaves us with six, yes SIX new songs entering this week. S, let's get down to reviewing, shall we?

- Country duo Dan + Shay have a new song that's been around for a while, by the name of Tequila. I love pretty much everything about the song for the most part. The vocals here are good and I like the production. It definitely sounds like country music, unlike a certain song I won't mention. I hope it can make its debut on the countdown soon.

- It's been quite a while since we've heard from Alessia Cara, but she makes her return with a brand new single called Growing Pains. Having only listened to the song once, I'll simply say that there's a lot to like about the song. Alessia shines pretty much throughout the song with her voice. There's a lot going on in terms of the production with great use of instruments. I'll have more on this should it debut.

- The return of Train was something I wasn't really looking forward to. But alas, here they are with their latest single titled Call Me Sir. The song also features Travie McCoy and country singer Cam. We last saw Train with Play That Song, which I wasn't very fond of at all. I pretty much have the same opinion on this one. It may not be as stiff as two certain songs I won't name, but it's undesirable to be honest. So yeah, not a fan of this. NEXT!

- As Meant To Be is finally dying out, Bebe Rexha has a new single in its stead, by the name of I'm A Mess from her new album, Expectations which was just released a short time ago. Right off the bat, it's a step up from her predecessor. I like how she shows off her voice and the production is good. The lyrical content is better written for the most part. I'll talk more about this if it makes it to the countdown.

- Next up, we have Post Malone with his latest single titled Better Now. I talked about this when it debuted on the American Top 40. But to quickly sum things up, the song here basically reminds me of Rockstar. He has improved on his vocals, so I'll give him that. But the rest of the song does nothing for me. Let's move on.

- Finally, we have Madison Beer who makes her first appearance on Hit-Bound. Enter Home To You. I don't have too much to say about this except it's a pretty good song. Her vocals are nice and I kinda like the lyrics. The production may not be the best, but it's decent.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
2. Alessia Cara – Growing Pains
3. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
4. Dan + Shay – Tequila
5. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
19. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
18. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

1 – Bad:
17. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
16. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You 

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
None!

5 – Great:
15. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know
14. Halsey – Alone
13. Niall Horan – On The Loose
12. Taylor Swift – Delicate
11. Selena Gomez – Back To You
10. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
9. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
8. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
7. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
6. Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani – Done For Me
5. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
4. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
3. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
TIE: 1. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry

Overall Grade: 80/100 = 80% (B–)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Michael Jackson – Black And White (1991)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding – I Need Your Love

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Shawn Hook featuring Vanessa Hudgens – Reminding Me

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Kygo featuring Imagine Dragons – Born To Be Yours

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#5) and The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#2)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right
TIE: 1. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
TIE: 1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
4. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
5. The Wrecks – James Dean

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
2. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
3. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
4. Lauv – I Like Me Better
5. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Camila Cabello – Crying In The Club: Camila's adventure as a solo artist started with this one. There's nothing really interesting I can say about this other than the fact that it's basically like a lighter version Cheap Thrills. Good thing she would improve with Havana.
Calvin Harris featuring Pharrell and Katy Perry – Feels: I'd say this is probably better than Slide, in large part thanks to Katy Perry making an amazing contribution like she always does. It's too bad tha Hits 1 edited out Big Sean, since he played a part in making the song great as well. It was definitely one of my favorites from last summer.

QOTW: Drake has dropped his latest album titled Scorpion. How do you feel about this and why?

AT40: Post Malone (2) - Week Of June 30, 2018

Hello, fam. So, this post came out a little later than expected, in part because I was busy all day. Anyway, Sabrina Carpenter is the guest host for Ryan Seacrest as he is out for this week. We're now in the second week of the Dark Age of the Countdown in AT40 land and things continue to get worse as we close out the first half of 2018. Despite me being very happy about one exit, we also lost two good songs and replaced them with more mediocrity. More on that in a bit. But yeah, this is not going to be a pretty review. Before we get to this week's fresh 40, here are the songs dropping out this week:

• All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA (#23)
• On The Loose by Niall Horan (#34)
• Rockstar by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage (#40)

The Countdown:
Last Week's #1 Song: Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign

40. Bad At Love by Halsey (#38) [–2]

39. All Night by Big Boi (DEBUT)

38. Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (#35) [–3] [Spent 7 Weeks At #1]

37. Pray by Sam Smith featuring Logic (#39) [+2]

36. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring Gnash (#33) [–3]

35. Tattoo (How 'Bout You) by In Real Life (#36) [+1]

34. Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (#32) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

33. Better Now by Post Malone (DEBUT)

32. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B. (#30) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

31. Familiar by Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin (#31) [=]

30. I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (#37) [+7]

29. Him & I by G-Eazy featuring Halsey (#27) [–2] [Spent 1 Week At #1]

28. Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Backstreet Boys (#29) [+1]

27. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. (DEBUT)

26. Let You Down by NF (#24) [–2] [Spent 2 Weeks At #1]

25. Let Me by ZAYN (#26) [+1]

24. Everyday by Logic featuring Marshmello (#25) [+1]

23. Love Lies by Khalid featuring Normani (#28) [+5]

22. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line (#20) [–2]

21. Sit Next To Me by Foster The People (#22) [+1]

20. New Rules by Dua Lipa (#18) [–2] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

19. Alone by Halsey featuring Big Sean and Stefflon Don (#21) [+2]

18. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar (#13) [–5]

17. Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani (#17) [=]

16. Back To You by Selena Gomez (#19) [+3]

15. Nice For What by Drake (#16) [+1]

14. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa (#15) [+1]

13. God's Plan by Drake (#11) [–2]

12. IDGAF by Dua Lipa (#14) [+2]

11. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (#8) [–3]

10. I Like Me Better by Lauv (#12) [+2]

9. Delicate by Taylor Swift (#10) [+1]

8. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes (#9) [+2]

7. Wait by Maroon 5 (#5) [–2]

6. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (#6) [=]

5. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie (#7) [+2]

4. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (#2) [–2] [Spent 5 Weeks At #1]

3. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey (#4) [+1] [Spent 4 Weeks At #1]

2. Mine by Bazzi (#3) [+1]

1. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (3^rd of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest Fall Of The Week: Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar (–5)

Biggest Rise Of The Week: I Like It by Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin (+7)

New Entrants
- To start off this week's new arrivals, we have Big Boi making his debut with the song called All Night. Not too much I can say about this one. I listened to this a couple of times in its entirety...and simply put, it straight up sucks. It's not really all that different in comparison to some of the hip-hop/rap songs we've been getting on Billboard. I'm not very fond of the guy's voice. The production here is very bland pretty much across the board and the lyrics aren't to my liking either. So yeah, pretty much everything about this song blows. Moving on.

- Oh, great. We have more Post Malone who replaces himself with his latest single, which is steadily gaining steam while his current representation spends another week at #1. Enter Better Now. Right off the bat, it's really not all that different compared to his previous singles. The positive thing I can say about this is that Post Malone sounds okay with his vocals. But outside of that, the song really does nothing for me. The production pretty much reminds me of Rockstar, which I still loathe. Simply put, I'm not a fan of this either. But unfortunately, I can see it sticking around and probably become another hit for him. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but we'll just see.

- It was only a matter of time until we get another Maroon 5 song on the countdown as Wait begins to die out. With the highest debut of the week, they have a new single which is currently gaining a lot of steam. The song is called Girls Like You, which features Cardi B. who has made her presence known in 2018. I talked about this in depth when it debuted on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown two weeks ago. But to sum it all up, I just don't like the idea of Adam Levine taking over the band. In their recent singles such as Don't Wanna Know and Cold, that seems to be what he's doing. This song is no exception. Cardi B's contribution is okay, and so is Adam's vocals. But the rest of the song is just mediocre all around. I know I said this before, but I miss the days of Maroon 5 sounding like a band. Oh well.

I Need A Blurb Like You
- We'll begin with our exits. First off, All The Stars sadly left after weeks of decline. I was hoping it would catch on especially after the Black Panther hype, but it didn't and was therefore underrated on the countdown. On The Loose was enjoyable and I felt that Niall should've had another hit. I'm hoping we hear more from him soon. On a more positive note, let us celebrate as I say good riddance Rockstar, which has left the countdown!

- We have Friends entering the Top 5. Blech. This is another song that continues to get worse with each listen. I can't wait until this song starts moving down soon.

- I'm getting annoyed that I Like Me Better is now in the Top 10. Who is still supporting the song? This isn't what I want to hear on the radio every day. I hope its time in the Top 10 is short-lived.

- Not too thrilled about the big jump from I Like It either. With the song doing well in sales and streaming, I unfortunately expect it to stick around.

Breakouts/On The Verge:

• Move To Miami by Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull
• Dinero by Jennifer Lopez featuring DJ Khaled and Cardi B.
• Home With You by Madison Beer

Extras/Optional Extras:

• Summer by Calvin Harris
• Almost Love by Sabrina Carpenter
• Break Free by Ariana Grande featuring Zedd
• Don't Tell 'Em by Jeremih featuring YG
• Thumbs by Sabrina Carpenter
• Latch by Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
• Send My Love (To Your New Lover) by Adele
• Locked Out Of Heaven by Bruno Mars
• Why by Sabrina Carpenter

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 – Garbage:
20. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
19. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
18. I Like Me Better by Lauv
17. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

1 – Bad:
16. Wait by Maroon 5 

2 – Mediocre:
15. God's Plan by Drake 

3 – Decent:
None!

4 – Good:
None! 

5 – Great:
14. Alone by Halsey featuring Big Sean and Stefflon Don
13. Nice For What by Drake
12. Delicate by Taylor Swift
11. Mine by Bazzi
10. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
9. Back To You by Selena Gomez
8. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
7. New Rules by Dua Lipa
6. Pray For Me by The Weeknd featuring Kendrick Lamar
5. IDGAF by Dua Lipa
4. Done For Me by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani
3. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
2. One Kiss by Calvin Harris feautring Dua Lipa

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande 

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

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

Most Missed Song: Praying by Kesha

#1 Recommendation For The American Top 40: Let You Be Right by Meghan Trainor

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie between There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes (#12) and Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (#3)

My Top 5 Picks
1. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
2. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B.
3. One Kiss by Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa
4. The Middle by Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey
5. Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Backstreet Boys

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
2. Friends by Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie
3. All Night by Big Boi
4. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
5. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Down by Fifth Harmony featuring Gucci Mane: One of their first singles without Camila, and if I'm being honest it sounds pretty much like Work From Home, which I detested. Only good thing I can say is that the vocals are slightly better.
Redbone by Childish Gambino: It took me a while to grow into the song after it left the countdown. I realized that the song has some throwback vibe to it. That kind of stuff pulls me in. I may have disliked it when it was new. But I've since grew into it.
2U by David Guetta featuring Justin Bieber: This was a good song for the most part. While it wasn't David's best work, I thought he did a nice job here, and I like Bieber's vocals. With Justin Bieber as big as he was last summer, I thought he would give David a huge hit. But I was wrong. I guess people were starting to get tired of Bieber around that time, mainly due to his overexposure.