Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Billboard Hot 100 Highlights August 19th, 2017


The end of Closer and the end of Meek Mill. For the most part. We got a surprising amount of new songs sweeping in to take their places. Also pretty good week for country. This is gonna be a weird week. Highlights.

Top 20

1. Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber (1)
2. Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller (2)
3. Unforgettable by French Montana ft. Swae Lee (6)
4. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars (3)
5. Believer by Imagine Dragons (5)
6. I'm The One by DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper & Lil Wayne (4)
7. Attention by Charlie Puth (9)
8. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back by Shawn Mendes (8)
9. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (7)
10. Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt (10)
11. Congratulations by Post Malone ft. Quavo (11)
12. Redbone by Childish Gambino (13)
13. Humble. by Kendrick Lamar (12)
14. Bodak Yellow by Cardi B (28)
15. Slow Hands by Niall Horan (18)
16. Strip That Down by Liam Payne ft. Quavo (16)
17. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay (15)
18. Bank Account by 21 Savage (21)
19. Stay by Zedd & Alessia Cara (14)
20. XO TOUR Llif3 by Lil Uzi Vert (17)

Fell Off Top 20

22. Now Or Never by Halsey (19)
23. Mask Off by Future (20)

Big Gains (10+)

14. Bodak Yellow by Cardi B (28)
31. Loyalty. by Kendrick Lamar (64)
34. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (55)
47. Do I Make You Wanna by Billy Currington (58)
48. What Ifs by Kane Brown ft. Lauren Alaina (63)
50. Drinkin' Problem by Midland (60)
51. No Promises by Cheat Codes ft. Demi Lovato (68)
54. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (69)
56. Flatliner by Cole Swindell (67)
63. Heartache On The Dance Floor by Jon Pardi (73)
64. Young Dumb & Broke by Khalid (82)
73. Reminder by The Weeknd (100)
80. Down by Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane (90)

Moderate Gains (5 - 9)

26. Rake It Up by Yo Gotti ft. Nicki Minaj (32)
32. Praying by Kesha (38)
37. Love Galore by SZA ft. Travis Scott (46)
42. Small Town Boy by Dustin Lynch (49)
46. Versace On The Floor by Bruno Mars (53)
52. 1-800-273-8255 by Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid (57)
53. It's A Vibe by 2 Chainz ft. Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz & Jhene Aiko (62)
59. No Such Thing As A Broken Heart by Old Dominion (66)
65. Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld (72)
66. Crew by GoldLink ft. Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy (74)
69. Somebody Else Will by Justin Moore (76)
76. Glorious by Macklemore ft. Skylar Grey (85)
79. First Day Out by Tee Grizzley (84)
83. 4 AM by 2 Chainz ft. Travis Scott (88)
86. It Ain't My Fault by Brothers Osborne (93)

Big Losses (10+)

44. 2U by David Guetta ft. Justin Bieber (29)
55. Malibu by Miley Cryus (42)
62. Whatever You Need by Meek Mill ft. Chris Brown & Ty Dolla $ign (51)
67. Bad Liar by Selena Gomez (54)
74. Back To You by Louis Tomlinson ft. Bebe Rexha (40)
84. What's My Name by China Anne McClain (61)
96. Heavy by Linkin Park ft. Kiiara (45)

Moderate Losses (5 - 9)

19. Stay by Zedd & Alessia Cara (14)
57. My Girl by Dylan Scott (52)
95. God, Your Mama, And Me by Florida Georgia Line ft. Backstreet Boys (89)

Dropouts

  • Numb by Linkin Park (34, 11, 33 weeks)
  • In The End by Linkin Park (37, 2, 39 weeks)
  • Closer by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey (39, 1, 52 weeks)
  • The Fighter by Keith Urban ft. Carrie Underwood (47, 38, 23 weeks)
  • Issues by Meek Mill (77, 77, 1 week)
  • Wins & Losses by Meek Mill (79, 79, 1 week)
  • 1942 Flows by Meek Mill (83, 83, 1 week)
  • Yours If You Want It by Rascal Flatts (87, 71, 10 weeks)
  • Imitadora by Romeo Santos (91, 91, 1 week)
  • The Story Of O.J. by Jay-Z (95, 23, 3 weeks)
  • We Ball by Meek Mill ft. Young Thug (96, 96, 1 week)
  • F**k That Check Up by Meek Mill ft. Lil Uzi Vert (97, 97, 1 week)
  • Heavy Heart by Meek Mill (99, 99, 1 week)

Returning Entries

75. do re mi by blackbear

New Entries

38. You Da Baddest by Future ft. Nicki Minaj
68. Unforgettable by Thomas Rhett
85. When It Rains It Pours by Luke Combs
87. They Don't Know by Jason Aldean
88. Honest by The Chainsmokers
89. The Weekend by SZA
90. New Rules by Dua Lipa
93. Wish I Knew You by The Revivalists
94. Every Little Thing by Carly Pearce
97. Learn To Let Go by Kesha
98. All The Pretty Girls by Kenny Chesney
99. For Her by Chris Lane

New and Returning Entries

1. Wish I Knew You

This is the kind of indie rock that I live for. Pretty heavy blues influences and a singer with a somewhat high but heavy vocal style. Also a bit of retro throwback in there, what with the saxophones and the music video taking place at a dance. School dance? This has been bubbling under forever, and now that it's on I don't want it to go. 2017 could be kind to us with another indie fluke hit. Also, the singer looks like Danny Sexbang. So there's that.

2. Learn To Let Go

Ooh, nice. I am more than okay with Kesha getting her rock on. I hear some Paramore influences in the production choices and guitar melodies, even in Kesha's delivery and vocal effects. And she pulls it off surprisingly well. It's energetic and sounds pretty awesome. This might be my favorite of the Rainbow singles even. I wanna hear that album.

3. New Rules

I was trying to figure out the name of this song last night! I thought I heard it at work! But no, it's because I listened to Dua Lipa's self titled album a couple weeks ago. Whatever. This is great. Energetic tropical house with a weird but sticky drop for a chorus. It's a force to be reckoned with, and it's great. Please make Dua Lipa a thing.

4. They Don't Know

I guess I like Jason Aldean more when he gets rougher. And this is no exception. Lyrically it's about people who have to work hard to get by, which I guess isn't out of the ordinary for country. But it seems alright to me. And the instrumentation is great. Got a cool guitar solo too. Not as good as Lights Come On, but it's up there.

5. Honest

I actually listened to Memories...Do Not Open again yesterday while driving to important job like stuff. Actually took longer to hit the Hot 100 than I expected. I would've chosen It Won't Kill Ya or Young as the next single from the album, but I still like this. And I get what there is to hate about this. The lyrics are dickish in the name of being "honest" and they imply that there's cheating going on. But that doesn't bother me. The lyrics aren't that bad. They really do feel honest to me. I also like the instrumentation a lot, especially with that little guitar bit on the chorus and the chanting choirs in the bridge. It's somber and effective. But Young is better.

6. Every Little Thing

It's a country ballad. You usually get what you see with those, and this is no different. Slow methodical progression with neo-traditional guitars and pianos. Carly Pearce is also a pretty good singer so I can feel the emotion. Doesn't feel that special, but I wouldn't mind it sticking around.

7. do re mi

So I guess this returned because of a Gucci Mane remix? Plus I did hear it on the radio the other day so I guess it's got a second wind. Gucci's verse is filler, making direct reference to Black Beatles because desperate. The song itself has grown on me though. I dig the atmosphere and melodies, even if it's really dickish. Though I would probably enjoy this more as a Mansionz track.

8. The Weekend

Another song that's been bubbling forever. Like Love Galore, this honestly doesn't do much for me. I can see the appeal with its sensual atmosphere and SZA's performance (she's honestly a pretty decent performer), but again, it's just too sloppy for me to really connect with. It feels like a slog, and again, doesn't make me wanna check out her album. Not for me, but not terrible.

9. For Her

I was wondering when this was gonna chart. I didn't really like Fix, and I don't feel much differently about this. Like Fix, it's pretty synthetic and meatheaded, which I can't get into when it comes to country. Also he talks about the girl in the third person, which makes it much less romantic than it wants to be. Anyway, this has been bubbling under for forever so who knows if it's gonna stick around. I hope not.

10. You Da Baddest

He added yet another song to HNDRXX. Ugh. I've since listened to not just all of that album, but the entirety of Future's self titled album too. And to be honest, this is one of the better tracks between those two. Still bad. It's really sloppy and generic, but Future's guest stars kinda help him stay on track and make his songs feel like actual songs instead of fever dreams. Still, this isn't one of Nicki's better performances, as she repeats "hold up" repeatedly toward the beginning of her verse. Plus the whole thing is just more empty luxury and sex rap that I'm already sick of in 2017. Future already got one big hit this year, please don't give him another.

11. Unforgettable

Can't believe I'm saying this, but the best song with this name on the Hot 100 is performed by a member of Rae Sremmurd. This is just gross. A thorough description of a romantic night with a girl. He even admits it's weird he remembers it as well as he does, so why do it? Also, what Coldplay song are you singing? Something Just Like This? I guess it's more country than Craving You, but...Craving You is frankly better. This I do not like.

12. When It Rains It Pours

Wow Luke Combs is a dick. Although the instrumentation and production isn't bad, the writing really brings it down hardcore. It is a very descriptive, passive-aggressive description of how Luke Combs' life got better after his fiancé dumped him. He gets money, beach vacations, girls are flirting with him. And he's certain it's because he doesn't have to see his ex-future mother in law anymore. Actual lyrics from the song. Ugh. I liked Hurricane, but this just makes me feel dirty. But not as dirty as...

13. All The Pretty Girls

I was not looking forward to this. Kenny Chesney gets more and more unbearable the more I hear about him. The title alone makes me feel sick, and the lyrics only add to that. Not to mention the overproduction. I pray this follows the path of the last Kenny Chesney song and falls off immediately.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Billboard Hot 100 Highlights August 12th, 2017


Late edition of Highlights! Because the charts were late due to errors. Annoying but glad it got updated sooner rather than later. Looks like we've got some returning Linkin Park song (RIP Chester), as well as a Meek Mill album bomb. Highlights.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Billboard Hot 100 Highlights August 5th, 2017


Oh wow this was a sparse week. Highest debut at 75, four new entries, and mostly returning entries. Though I guess that's to be expected the week after an album bomb. But did we get anything interesting? We'll see. Highlights.

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Every Song on Billboard's 2009 Year End List Scored


I put this off for long enough. I don't know why either, it doesn't take that long to whip up. But, it's here. All the scored I gave songs on the 2009 year end list. To tie in with the Worst and Best list videos I made. Click here for the worst list, and here for the best. I'm pretty proud of these videos. Here goes. Each score is out of 5.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Billboard Hot 100 Highlights July 29th, 2017/4:44 Album Review



Jay-Z album bomb! Just my luck. Not to mention Kesha and Macklemore return. And...21 Savage. Groan. It's a busy week, and I had to work this morning. Also just my luck.

Gonna be trying something different with this post. I'm going to be ranking all the non-Jay-Z songs first, then reviewing 4:44 track-by-track at the bottom. Like I used to do. I figure it's better this way because it can be hard for me to rank album tracks, especially compared to other songs that aren't in that album. And I will probably be doing this whenever we get a significant album bomb. Not just a third of an album or something like that. And now...

 Highlights.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Billboard Hot 100 Highlights July 22nd, 2017


Perhaps it's a slow week on the Hot 100 if the highest debut is a Spanish language song? We shall see. Welcome to summer. Highlights.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Billboard Hot 100 Highlights July 15th, 2017


The Fourth of July. A time of freedom, fireworks, and apparently the charts being updated late. Whoops. But better late than never. I was at work so that delayed this even further. Highlights.

Top 20

1. Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber (1)
2. I'm The One by DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper & Lil Wayne (2)
3. Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller (4)
4. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars (3)
5. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (5)
6. Believer by Imagine Dragons (11)
7. Humble. by Kendrick Lamar (6)
8. Congratulations by Post Malone ft. Quavo (8)
9. Mask Off by Future (7)
10. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay (9)
11. Stay by Alessia Cara (10)
12. Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt (13)
13. Unforgettable by French Montana ft. Swae Lee (16)
14. Redbone by Childish Gambino (14)
15. XO TOUR Llif3 by Lil Uzi Vert (12)
16. Issues by Julia Michaels (15)
17. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (17)
18. There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes (19)
19. Now Or Never by Halsey (21)
20. It Ain't Me by Kygo x Selena Gomez (18)

Fell Off Top 20

24. Bad Liar by Selena Gomez (20)

Big Gains (10+)

45. That's My Girl by Dylan Scott (56)
46. The Cure by Lady Gaga (57)
54. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (85)
65. Small Town Boy by Dustin Lynch (75)
72. Do I Make You Wanna by Billy Currington (93)

Moderate Gains (5 - 9)

6. Believer by Imagine Dragons (11)
44. Craving You by Thomas Rhett ft. Maren Morris (53)
60. Loyalty. by Kendrick Lamar ft. Rihanna (69)
73. To The Max by DJ Khaled (78)
74. Love Galore by SZA ft. Travis Scott (81)
76. Yours If You Want It by Rascal Flatts (82)
81. What Ifs by Kane Brown ft. Lauren Alaina (90)
84. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (89)
85. Somebody Else Will by Justin Moore (92)
87. Butterfly Effect by Travis Scott (95)

Big Losses (10+)

58. Sign of the Times by Harry Styles (42)
80. How Not To by Dan + Shay (65)
91. Cold by Maroon 5 ft. Future (71)
97. Good Drank by 2 Chainz ft. Gucci Mane & Quavo (70)

Moderate Losses (5 - 9)

38. Swalla by Jason Derulo ft. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign (31)
41. DNA. by Kendrick Lamar (36)
51. Tunnel Vision by Kodak Black (44)
53. God, Your Mama, And Me by Florida Georgia Line ft. Backstreet Boys (46)
55. Slide by Calvin Harris ft. Frank Ocean & Migos (49)
57. Feels by Calvin Harris ft. Pharell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean (51)
63. It's A Vibe by 2 Chainz ft. Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz & Jhene Aiko (58)
67. Love. by Kendrick Lamar ft. Zacari (62)
79. Portland by Drake ft. Quavo & Travis Scott (72)
82. No Promises by Cheat Codes ft. Demi Lovato (77)
83. If I Told You by Darius Rucker (76)
86. Down by Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane (79)
90. Swish Swish by Katy Perry ft. Nicki Minaj (84)
92. Losin Control by Russ (86)
93. Reminder by The Weeknd (87)
99. Woke Up Like This by Playboi Carti ft. Lil Uzi Vert (94)

Dropouts

  • Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara (45, 8, 43 weeks)
  • Look At Me! by XXXTENTACION (60, 34, 20 weeks)
  • First Day Out by Kodak Black (61, 61, 1 week)
  • Relationship by Young Thug ft. Future (83, 83, 1 week)
  • My Old Man by Zac Brown Band (88, 68, 4 weeks)
  • Nobody Else But You by Trey Songz (97, 92, 3 weeks)
  • Subeme La Radio by Enrique Iglesias ft. Descemer Bueno, Zion & Lennox (98, 81, 6 weeks)
  • Real Hitta by Plies ft. Kodak Black (100, 100, 1 week)

Returning Entries

78. Versace On The Floor by Bruno Mars
89. Element. by Kendrick Lamar
98. Shining by DJ Khaled ft. Beyoncé & Jay-Z

New Entries

36. Signs by Drake
68. Don't Quit by DJ Khaled & Calvin Harris ft. Travis Scott & Jeremih
71. No Complaints by Metro Boomin ft. Offset & Drake
88. On Everything by DJ Khaled ft. Travis Scott, Rick Ross & Big Sean
94. Crew by GoldLink ft. Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy

New and Returning Entries Ranked

1. Don't Quit

When I saw the track listing for Grateful, I wondered if this song would also be on Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. It wasn't, but this would definitely fit on that album. Like most of Harris' recent material, this sounds fantastic. Amazing funk groove thanks to that bass. Travis Scott sounds better than he's ever sounded. And it transitions to Jeremih's part amazingly toward the end. Forget Wild Thoughts. This is the best song I've heard from Grateful so far. Also, fingers crossed for a Calvin Harris album bomb next week.

2. Versace On The Floor

Took it long enough. I thought this was released as a single about a month ago. This is still one of my favorites from 24K Magic for how smooth and exotic is. Though at this point I don't know if I expect it to be a hit. 78 isn't very high and it's been 8 months since the album released. Plus, That's What I Like is still huge.

3. Element.

Ooh, I forgot how cool this song is. Laid back beat but real cool flows. Glad this got a video. Though this wasn't the next single, Loyalty is. That's a good song too.

4. Shining

I haven't relistened to this since it originally charted. Thought it would shrink on me but it's still enjoyable. Mostly for Beyoncé's performance. The beat could be a bit more developed. Also I caught a 21 Savage reference from Jay this time around. C'mon man, you don't have to acknowledge that guy's existence.

5. Crew

Huh. I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised by this. The beat's pretty chill and there's some good rapping on this. Mostly from GoldLink, whose technique is way more impressive than Shy Glizzy's slower cadence. Plus Brent Faiyaz has a nice soulful chorus. I dig it. Apparently there's a remix with Gucci Mane too. Can't imagine he adds much. Maybe there to make Shy Glizzy look better.

6. On Everything

OH GOD DON'T LET TRAVIS SCOTT SING IN HIS UPPER RANGE. Seriously, he sounds identical to Lil Yachty on this song, and that's not a good thing. Especially when he sounds so shrill. But things start to pick up with Rick Ross' verse somehow. Didn't like the beat in the beginning, but it got better when it wasn't so stuttery. Can hear the flutes better, and it sounded epic. Big Sean's verse is pretty good too. Decent, but would be better if the chorus wasn't so godawful. I have no idea what's up with that outro though. It could've ended pretty much immediately after the last chorus.

7. Signs

Drake does his typical low-key tropical shtick to diminishing results. Not much new or interesting here. It's not bad, but I'll just take Passionfruit or Marvins Room, both of which this song reminds me of. Also apparently this was done to promote Luis Vuitton or something? Eh. I actually don't mind this so much but I thought Drake was going to take the rest of the year off?

8. No Complaints

Well actually... In which I continue to wonder why Metro Boomin is such an acclaimed producer. The beat is so dull that it relies almost entirely on Offset to sound menacing. Who, by the way, raps a line unfinished and starts it over the next bar. In the chorus. Yeah it also happened on Slide, I don't care. And Drake's there for name recognition and pretty much nothing else. Wasn't this supposed to be about being a thug? Drake isn't a thug.