Billboard Hot 100 Highlights April 14, 2018

Welcome back, The Weeknd. Your EP is.......an EP. We'll get to that later. In the meantime, we have a somewhat diverse week ahead of us. Highlights.

Top 20

1. God's Plan by Drake (1)
2. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line (2)
3. Psycho by Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign (4)
4. Call Out My Name by The Weeknd (New)
5. Look Alive by BlocBoy JB ft. Drake (6)
6. The Middle by Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey (7)
7. Perfect by Ed Sheeran (5)
8. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B (3)
9. Freaky Friday by Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown (8)
10. Walk It Talk It by Migos ft. Drake (15)
11. Havana by Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug (10)
12. Mine by Bazzi (11)
13. Plug Wank by Rich The Kid (18)
14. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (14)
15. Pray For Me by The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar (12)
16. Be Careful by Cardi B (New)
17. Stir Fry by Migos (13)
18. Sad! by XXXTENTACION (9)
19. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar & SZA (16)
20. Ric Flair Drip by Offset & Metro Boomin (17)

Fell Off Top 20

22. New Rules by Dua Lipa (20)
24. Let You Down by NF (19)

Big Gains (10+)

53. Japan by Famous Dex (70)
84. No Roots by Alice Merton (100)

Moderate Gains (5 - 9)

10. Walk It Talk It by Migos ft. Drake (15)
13. Plug Wank by Rich The Kid (18)
25. Friends by Marshmello & Anne-Marie (30)
46. Delicate by Taylor Swift (52)
66. Tequila by Dan + Shay (74)
67. One Number Away by Luke Combs (73)
72. Sit Next To Me by Foster The People (78)
74. Sativa by Jhene Aiko ft. Rae Sremmurd (80)
90. For The First Time by Darius Rucker (95)

Big Losses (10+)

39. I Fall Apart by Post Malone (29)
48. Lemon by N*E*R*D & Rihanna (36)
54. Outside Today by YoungBoy Never Broke Again (40)
58. Changes by XXXTENTACION (39)
71. Moonlight by XXXTENTACION (48)
75. All On Me by Devin Dawson (62)
77. Red Roses by Lil Skies ft. Landon Cube (69)
86. Say Amen (Saturday Night) by Panic! At The Disco (60)
98. NBAYoungboat by Lil Yachty ft. YoungBoy Never Broke Again (75)

Moderate Losses (5 - 9)

8. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B (3)
18. Sad! by XXXTENTACION (9)
24. Let You Down by NF (19)
29. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (24)
31. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes (22)
32. Him & I by G-Eazy & Halsey (25)
33. Lights Down Low by MAX ft. gnash (27)
38. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (32)
40. King's Dead by Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake (31)
42. Bad At Love by Halsey (37)
44. Marry Me by Thomas Rhett (35)
45. Love Lies by Khalid & Normani (49)
59. Dura by Daddy Yankee (53)
64. Broken Halos by Chris Stapleton (58)
68. Hardaway by Derez De'Shon (61)
87. No Smoke by YoungBoy Never Broke Again (79)
97. Beautiful Trauma by Pink (88)

Dropouts

Love. by Kendrick Lamar ft. Zacari (43, 11, 40 weeks)
No Limit by G-Eazy ft. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B (41, 4, 29 weeks)
Wolves by Selena Gomez X Marshmello (44, 20, 23 weeks)
MotorSport by Migos, Nicki Minaj & Cardi B (45, 6, 22 weeks)
Gummo by 6ix9ine (56, 12, 20 weeks)
Lost In Japan by Shawn Mendes (64, 64, 1 week)
Pick It Up by Famous Dex ft. A$AP Rocky (71, 54, 20 weeks)
Betrayed by Lil Xan (77, 64, 20 weeks)
44 More by Logic (85, 22, 5 weeks)
This Is Me by Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble (87, 58, 12 weeks)
Narcos by Migos (89, 36, 9 weeks)
Booty by Blac Youngsta (93, 73, 5 weeks)
Rubbin Off The Paint by YBN Nahmir (96, 46, 17 weeks)
The Remedy For A Broken Heart (why am i so in love) by XXXTENTACION (97, 67, 2 weeks)
Dark Knight Dummo by Trippie Redd ft. Travis Scott (98, 72, 7 weeks)

Returning Entries

82. Broken Clocks by SZA

New Entries

4. Call Out My Name by The Weeknd
16. Be Careful by Cardi B
26. Try Me by The Weeknd
27. Wasted Times by The Weeknd
35. I Was Never There by The Weeknd ft. Gesaffelstein
43. Hurt You by The Weeknd ft. Gesaffelstein
45. Medicine by Queen Naija
52. Privilege by The Weeknd
78. Boo'd Up by Ella Mai
89. OKRA by Tyler, The Creator
92. Take Back Home Girl by Chris Lane ft. Tori Kelly
94. Woman, Amen by Dierks Bentley
96. Proud by 2 Chainz ft. YG & Offset
100. Focus by H.E.R.

New and Returning Entries Ranked

1. Privilege

If Abel was going back to his mixtape sounds, I guess this is the best possible way he could've done it. That underlying piano melody is incredible, and the vocals are soothing in their dark undertones. And the effects piled on at times are actually a good fit, making it feel very ethereal rather than overpowering like on the rest of the EP. And with writing about, what else, The Weeknd boning the pain of a breakup away, it's a transcendent experience. Severely underrated song from this project, and I don't think I'll ever understand why that is.

2. Boo'd Up

I joked on Twitter about how this was the week of SZA ripoffs. Though honestly when I heard Ella Mai on this, I was more reminded of Rihanna than anything else. But if Rihanna really is her inspiration, she wears it well. The song is built around the sounds her heart makes when she's with the man she's singing to. And half the chorus is nonsense because of it, yeah, but it's fun nonsense. Plus the way the beat is built of that blocky yet bouncy production is really charming. It's a simple pop love song, but to me, definitely one worth hearing, and I'm glad it's here.

3. Proud

Never thought I'd hear these three guys pay tribute to their mama. But, here you go. Though it's a rap version of that concept with lyrics about not being a hoe thanks to their moms, I think it's still a nice gesture. 2 Chainz and YG snap on their verses too, though Offset seems to fumble a little bit, relying too much on autotune. Makes me wonder if Quavo was originally supposed to be on this. Still, the beat has plenty of energy and menace thanks to the subtle guitar-like sounds and deep bass. It's a surprisingly awesome beat, and it carries all three performers well. Yeah, I'm on board.

4. Hurt You

Seems to be the fan favorite from My Dear Melancholy, and for the most part I can agree. This reminds me in part of Comin Out Strong with Future, which I grew to love throughout 2017. But it ultimately feels more fleshed out. The melodies in both the beat and vocals are crisp and ethereal and the beat overall is dark and satisfying as I like mixtape Weeknd to be. But on the chorus, the vocal production is way too overbearing. It's too echoey, especially with that "ooh" ad-lib. Because of that along with the scare chord you can hear toward the end of the song, it almost feels like it's gonna transition to The Hills. Though thankfully it never does. Just an issue that keeps this from being my favorite from the EP. Wish more of this project could've kept up the same feel.

5. Focus

From the previews I heard of this song, I figured the intention was to make a beat that was intentionally unfocused to juxtapose against H.E.R.'s demands. But with a couple listens, I think it's come together for me. So yeah, I like this. H.E.R.'s voice is very delicate and pretty, which compliments the harps amazingly well. And the writing is solid too, begging for attention from a partner who doesn't seem to give her or their relationship attention. It's a good sentiment, and not one that demonizes the man. So yeah. Good stuff. Hope it sticks around.

6. Be Careful

I finally find a single where Cardi B is the lead artist and no one else likes it. On one hand I get it, but on the other...awwww. I like Cardi's fury on this song as she reacts to being cheated on, contrasting it with the chorus showing heartbreak. If this isn't about Offset, I don't know who it could possibly be about. Don't lie to us, Cardi. And yeah, I guess the beat isn't /that/ good, but it's bouncy with the panflutes. It's an interesting choice, to say the least. Not really being fiery but playing well to the sensitive side Cardi shows on the chorus. So it's alright. Though, to be fair, it's not even the best song on the album where Cardi goes off on a man for cheating on her. But we might get to that next week.

7. Medicine

I wasn't crazy about this song on my first listen, but by the second one something clicked with me. Mostly that this is a much improved version of Ciara's Like A Boy. It's a song where Queen Naija wants to flip the roles on his cheating boyfriend, but without the sexism. And also the song is much better produced. Even though it leans more toward today's desaturated R&B sound and Naija kinda reminds me of a discount SZA. But even despite that, she's got enough personality and bite to make a song like this work, so it doesn't bother me. Plus, the way she calls herself a savage makes me wonder if she's subbing Tank on this. Probably not, but that's gonna be my headcanon from now on. Good stuff.

8. Woman, Amen

Dierks Bentley back again, and he put a good foot forward. If a little safe. It's pretty natural sounding, got some soothing melodies. But where this song really shines is the framing, where Bentley sounds genuinely grateful for the girl in his life not just for superficial reasons, but because he feels she's made him a better person. Now that's romantic. Not as romantic as Brett Eldredge's The Long Way, but for what it is, it's good.

9. OKRA

I asked why this charted on Twitter this morning, and some people responded it's because Flower Boy was popular last year. True, but that also missed the point I was trying to make. That being what the hell is this? This beat is pretty bad, with the verses being a dull, fuzzed out monotone bass note, maybe oscillating every once in a while. And the chorus is not much better (though it is better), with the simple piano line that feels pretty empty. Tyler himself surprisingly does salvage this though. He's got some clever punchlines and his delivery is actually perfect for this beat. It's low-key and growly, accomplishing 21 Savage's gimmick much better than Savage himself. Still, as someone who liked Flower Boy, this feels like a step down. 

10. I Was Never There

It's not a good sign when blaring sirens are the first thing you hear on a song. Especially when they feel this atonal and directionless. The rest of the song is fine, I guess. Feels like a typical Weeknd song where he's wallowing in his own self-destructive habits. I guess it gets a bit interesting with the bridge seeming to fall into madness before getting back to The Weeknd's crooning. But other than that, compared to the two songs that follow it on the EP, it ultimately feels pretty hollow and not that memorable.

11. Try Me

I don't really know what to say to this. I guess the blaring electronic riff muffled in the background was a cool idea. Got me wondering if this was a song that sampled the song Starboy. Other than that, there was little here that kept my interest. It's Weekndy. It's depressing and stuff. It's not really memorable. And it kinda burnt me out early on because I know I'm not going to remember this anyway.

12. Wasted Times

This is the song from My Dear Melancholy that Skrillex had a hand in producing, and you can tell. I'm not opposed to these two artists collaborating, but here's not the time. Not in a song about The Weeknd's debauchery. The percussion feels more suited to a dance song than a moody Weeknd song. As such, this feels like the remix version of itself. Not really any "wub wub" or anything, but still pretty jarring. That and the pitch shifted vocals toward the end, which further push this into the uncanny valley. Though even without those elements, I don't know if this would be a very good song. It would feel like another generic Weeknd song with little reason to return to it. Much like most of Thursday and Echoes Of Silence.

13. Broken Clocks

Someone asked me the other day why I didn't rank returning entries anymore. And well...it's back. Mostly because in this case there's only one return. But sorry, I still don't like this. This beat is absolutely awful.

14. Take Back Home Girl

Reminder that Chris Lane was always terrible. And has just gotten worse and worse as time's gone on. This feels so lifeless and stiff with no prominent guitar melody and overpowering drum machines. I guess the writing isn't that bad though. Typical relationship stuff. Though the phrase "take back home girl" is so hokey and lame, especially when you repeat the word "home" every time yousay the phrase. Easily my least favorite part of the song, because it also shows off just how bad Lane's vocal production is. Also it doesn't make sense for Tori to sing this part as well. It kinda doesn't work as a duet at all, really. Usually I appreciate the girl's perspective in a love etc. song, but it feels unnecessary here.

15. Call Out My Name

Oh god this is a slog. Miserably produced, overpowering drums, The Weeknd droning on and on about how he misses this girl and even considers cutting himself for her. The chorus is just ugly and not at all satisfying, and then two minutes in THE FUCKING VOCAL EFFECTS JUST GO STATIC KILL ME. This is just so thoroughly pathetic and awful. Not The Hills levels of pathetic and awful, but...it's up there. And with this debuting so high and being released as the first single from this project, I don't think I'm in for a fun rest of the year. I'm sorry. I throughly hated this song.