Going on hiatus for a while

Hey everyone. Now, this announcement is something that many of you won't be wild about. To start, you probably already know that I skipped a week, the June 3 week (although that week I was on vacation so that excuses it kinda), and I didn't get out the June 10 week, either. And I've gone on record many times as feeling a lack of motivation to get these out, but I have my reasons.

Initially, this was going to be a VERY long-winded ramble about opinions, having to defend them all the time, overplay, the fact that sometimes stating my opinions on multiple pages can end up conveying the same thing, and even the fact that this blog kind of started out of boredom and not really having anything else to do one weekend and trying to find interest in something else. Not to mention how I feel like it's kind of turned me into a prick and how I say things that I feel aren't necessary. It was proving really hard for me to find the right way to put it.

Instead I'll just leave you guys with this: please understand, people, it's not that I don't like (talking about) pop music, I don't like blogging, or that I'm sick of listening to Hits 1 and their countdown. Or that it has anything to do with the music that has been released this year or last year. Nothing like that at all. But this all feels like a lot of high maintenance, and being associated with all these people can feel supportive, but at the same time it's very draining, and there's a part of me that has wanted to go on hiatus for some time now. As I said, this takes a lot out of me in more ways than one, not only with how much goes into every week, but because of all the negativity that goes around in this community, and how I can never think of anything new.

I've felt like this has been coming for a while now, ever since November when I was late on one of the updates. And then certain things happened and they took up quite a bit of my free time late last year and early this year, and I have been growing (back) into other things, not to mention how I need to work towards getting a proper full-time job along with that. Back when I was waking up at 6 AM to get my posts out before anyone else, it was kind of cool, but at the same time it was draining and that I feel like I forced myself to do,  which I feel like is part of what's made it harder for me to enjoy this.

But that brings me to the big question: am I quitting this for good? I'll say this definitively: I hope that won't be the case. Because if it does end up being the end, I'll be more upset about it than any of you. Maybe after not doing it for a while I'll feel motivated again. But I really can't make any promises for anything. I'll still hang out on Adrian's page and of course I'll read others', too.

Please know, right now I'm just doing this for myself. I know that some of you will be disappointed, but trust me, I am too, and again, I'll be even more so if I do say goodbye for good. Thanks for understanding, everyone, and stay awesome.

May 27, 2017 - The Chainsmokers + Coldplay (1)

Kid Kelly hosted this week's countdown while Spyder Harrison was out in Italy. As for this week, well, it's basically what you'd expect from Memorial Day weekend, not that much happened overall. I'm definitely pleased with our new #1, trust me, we'll get to it, but aside from that there wasn't too much to address. Although I have been doing this for a year now, so that's cool at least. But let's get on with it. So without further ado, here are the songs leaving us this week.

• Good Life by Kehlani featuring G-Eazy (#36)
• Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley (#43)

The Countdown!

Last Week’s #1 Song: Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran

45. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello (#42)

44. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 (#37) (three weeks at #1)

43. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (#45)

42. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd (#41) (four weeks at #1)

41. Still Got Time by Zayn Malik featuring PartyNextDoor (#38)

40. This Town by Niall Horan (#44)

39. Sooner Or Later by Aaron Carter (#40)

38. American Girls by One Ok Rock (#39)

37. All Night by The Vamps featuring Matoma (#22)

36. Kissing Strangers by DNCE (#33)

35. Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo (debut)

34. Heavydirtysoul by Twenty-one Pilots (#35)

33. At My Best by Machine Gun Kelly and Hailee Steinfeld (#31)

32. Just Hold On by Steve Aoki featuring Louis Tomlinson (#32)

31. Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (#29) (eight weeks at #1)

30. Malibu by Miley Cyrus (debut)

29. I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift (#30)

28. Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul (#25)

27. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring gnash (#28)

26. I'm The One by DJ Khaled with Justin Bieber and Chance The Rapper (#23)

25. Play That Song by Train (#19)

24. Weak by AJR (#18)

23. HandClap by Fitz And The Tantrums (#21)

22. Swalla by Jason Derulo featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj (#34)

21. Slow Hands by Niall Horan (#15)

20. Cold by Maroon 5 (#27)

19. Paris by The Chainsmokers (#9) (one week at #1)

18. L.A. Devotee by Panic! At The Disco (#12)

17. Mercy by Shawn Mendes (#26)

16. Now Or Never by Halsey (#14)

15. Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos (#15)

14. Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles (#24)

13. The Cure by Lady Gaga (#13)

12. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (#10)

11. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars (#17)

10. Attention by Charlie Puth (#20)

9. Heavy by Linkin Park featuring Kiiara (#7)

8. Issues by Julia Michaels (#8)

7. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (#3) (nine weeks at #1)

6. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez (#6)

5. Believer by Imagine Dragons (#5)

4. There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes (#11)

3. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (#2) (two weeks at #1)

2. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran (#1) (two weeks at #1)

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: New Romantics by Taylor Swift (first of two weeks at #1)

1. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay (#4) (first week at #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: All Night by The Vamps featuring Matoma (-15)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Swalla by Jason Derulo featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj (+12)

New Entrants (will review next week)

- (Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo)

- (Malibu by Miley Cyrus)

Blurb That Down For Me
- So for our exits, I could go on about how Chained To The Rhythm departed and I'm basically alright with that, but the bigger news is that with Good Life leaving, we've had our first one week tenure since 2014 where we had two (Turn Down For What by DJ Snake featuring Lil Jon and Welcome To New York by Taylor Swift, three if you count Out Of The Woods). I guess it's not that surprising that it departed quickly, given that Furious 8 hype has gone since, but dang.

- Before introducing I Feel It Coming, Kid Kelly mentioned that Selena Gomez denied rumors of a duet between her and boyfriend The Weeknd. I honestly don't feel like that collab would make all that much sense given how different their styles are. That aside, it's too bad this one's time is coming to its end.

- All Night took a drop down into the bottom 10. I'm alright with that as I was never huge for this song anyway.

- I'm very fascinated that Just Hold On is still here. And while I would like to say the same about I Don't Wanna Live Forever, I know it's still here because, well, Taylor Swift.

- So I guess I'm The One is gonna be like what One Dance was last year?

- Of our debuts from last week, the only one to do anything substantial was Swalla, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

- Ooooooh, Paris took a noticeable drop down to the bottom of the Top 20. For a former #1, this is taking a quick decline.

- After a bit of a slowdown, Sign Of The Times has finally entered the Top 20. The song's momentum has been pretty weird recently, but I'll take what I can get.

- It's no surprise that both Attention and There's Nothing Holding Me Back roared their way into the Top 10, given how much Hits 1 adores both their acts. I wonder how long they'll stay there.

- You know something I kind of found out about Believer? It's by a band named Imagine Dragons, and the bridge features the line "By the grace of the fire and the flames". TTFAF 2 CONFIRMED!!!!!!!1111. ...If you don't know what I'm talking about, you've probably never played or even heard of Guitar Hero, where Through The Fire and Flames by Dragonforce was one of the most iconic songs in that game series. In all seriousness, that is way too perfect to be coincidental.

- And of course, I would be remiss to not mention our very solid new #1. I had a feeling that Something Just Like This would be #1 eventually, given how much Hits 1 has favored The Chainsmokers, and I'm very happy about it what with it being my favorite song on the countdown and all. But the only downside about it is that Spyder Harrison wasn't there to introduce it. Hopefully it doesn't do a Victorious and be a one-weeker that Spyder ends up missing.

- Again, sorry if there weren't that many blurbs, but there really wasn't a whole lot to discuss this week.

The only thing new on Hit-Bound was the re-entry of Versace On The Floor by Bruno Mars, which is being pushed as the next single from the album. While it wouldn't be my first pick per se, I know a lot of critics are liking it, so sure.

Countdown Bottom 5

1. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5

2. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd

3. Play That Song by Train

4. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello

5. At My Best by Machine Gun Kelly and Hailee Steinfeld

Countdown Top 5

1. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay

2. The Cure by Lady Gaga

3. Believer by Imagine Dragons

4. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran

5. Swalla by Jason Derulo featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:

Once In A While by Timeflies — Can't deny that this uses the xylophone does this well. Here's a song that sounds quite lively in a year that felt so dreary.

This Is What You Came For by Calvin Harris with Rihanna — I may have liked this at first, and I'm sure there were worse EDM songs released last year, but I can't think of one as overhyped as this one.

QOTD: Fifth Harmony's first non-Camila Cabello single, Down, just dropped today. How do you think it will fare?

Thanks for reading, everybody!

May 20, 2017 - Ed Sheeran (2)

Once again, another super late post that my excuse for basically boils down to laziness and not feeling all that great. And I know you guys are probably tired of me constantly going on about it, but I think you get the point I'm trying to make. But whatever. Also, the Billboard Music Awards were this past Sunday. To be honest, I don't think I'm up for making a review of that, because there wasn't really that much that I could think of to say about most of the performances. I know that doesn't sound very formal, but I just didn't care everything considered. There were ones to like but I just stopped caring further in. So yeah, I don't know what else to say. Let's just get to business. So without further ado, here are the songs leaving us this week.

• Cake by Flo Rida featuring 99 Percent (#27)
• All Time Low by Jon Bellion (#29)
• 24K Magic by Bruno Mars (#34)
• Don't Leave by Snakehips featuring MO (#39)
• Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj (#41)

The Countdown!

Last Week’s #1 Song: Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara

45. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (#45)

44. This Town by Niall Horan (#44)

43. Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley (#43)

42. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello (#32)

41. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd (#38)

40. Sooner Or Later by Aaron Carter (#37)

39. American Girls by One Ok Rock (#40)

38. Still Got Time by Zayn Malik featuring PartyNextDoor (debut)

37. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 (#42) (three weeks at #1)

36. Good Life by Kehlani featuring G-Eazy (debut)

35. Heavydirtysoul by Twenty-one Pilots (#31)

34. Swalla by Jason Derulo featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj (debut)

33. Kissing Strangers by DNCE (debut)

32. Just Hold On by Steve Aoki featuring Louis Tomlinson (#33)

31. At My Best by Machine Gun Kelly and Hailee Steinfeld (debut)

30. I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift (#24)

29. Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (#13) (eight weeks at #1)

28. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring gnash (#36)

27. Cold by Maroon 5 (#17)

26. Mercy by Shawn Mendes (#6)

25. Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie (#24)

24. Sign of The Times by Harry Styles (#28)

23. I'm The One by DJ Khaled with Justin Bieber and Chance The Rapper (#35)

22. All Night by The Vamps featuring Matoma (#16)

21. HandClap by Fitz And The Tantrums (#23)

20. Attention by Charlie Puth (#20)

19. Play That Song by Train (#21)

18. Weak by AJR (#16)

17. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars (#5) (one week at #1) (...)

16. Slow Hands by Niall Horan (#30)

15. Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos (#15)

14. Now Or Never by Halsey (#26)

13. The Cure by Lady Gaga (#18)

12. L.A. Devotee by Panic! At The Disco (#8)

11. There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes (#14)

10. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (#12)

9. Paris by The Chainsmokers (#9) (one week at #1)

8. Issues by Julia Michaels (#10)

7. Heavy by Linkin Park featuring Kiiara (#19)

6. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez (#7)

5. Believer by Imagine Dragons (#11)

4. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay (#3)

3. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (#2) (nine weeks at #1)

2. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (#1) (two weeks at #1)

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Victorious by Panic! At The Disco (first and only week at #1)

1. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran (second week at #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Mercy by Shawn Mendes (-20)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Slow Hands by Niall Horan (+14)

New Entrants

- So while Zayn Malik might have gotten decent success off of Pillowtalk, he hasn't been able to get much else through in his own power, save with another massive name. And yet, here he is with Still Got Time, with PartyNextDoor. Some people said they've had a hard time telling Zayn and PartyNextDoor apart while listening. The song is about these two trying to egg on the listener to stop worrying about looking for love, because they're (presumably) young and "still got time", apparently. But there's not much to the production or instrumentation, just some tropical sounding guitars and clapping. Yeah, this isn't much worth caring about. It's in blue now, but it's a little closer to red than it is green.

- So, who's sick of the Furious franchise? You are? Too bad, because they did release Fate of the Furious back in April. I didn't see it, but I know that Good Life was one of the songs from the movie. G-Eazy, while I do find him a little better than some give him credit for, his verses aren't much related to the theme of the Furious franchise, and neither is Kehlani's chorus. But it's at least a good enough feel good jam, and I know that it was on the YouTube15 not too long ago. But I have a feeling it won't last long what with Furious hype gone.

- And now we have my favorite debut of the week. Jason Derulo has made some stuff that can be seen as weird in the good way (cough Get Ugly cough), in the bad way (cough Trumpets cough), and in the ugly way (cough Wiggle cough). Right here we've got Swalla, which I'll say falls in the very former category. While Jason's falsetto can be a bit hard to listen to, and Ty Dolla $ign doesn't have the best presence here, I think Nicki Minaj has the best verse here overall, as she does make some funny lines and takes a jab at certain opposing female rappers in the game. The production's quite cool as well, feels like a DJ Mustard song actually done right. Overall, there's not that much to say, except that I am enjoying this right about now. Whether it'll become a real hit or not, though, we'll have to wait and see.

- And then, DNCE is back. After Cake By The Ocean flooded 2016 and their two follow-ups had moderate success here, their newest single, Kissing Strangers, has arrived on the countdown. I had it in red for a little while (well, orange before Body Like A Back Road debuted Hit-Bound), so I guess I should talk about why. To put it light, the sentiment "Kissing strangers, till I find someone I love/trust", is not exactly the most appealing sentiment to me. And also the "ayyyyyyyyyy!"s in the verses and the "na na na na na na na na"s in the chorus, which...why are those even there. I was fooled by Cake By The Ocean and Toothbrush for a little while, but I'm not being fooled this time. But I guess it sounds kind of cool musically, so that's why I have it straddled between red and blue. That might change, but yeah. Not really a lot else to say here. Next.

- Finally we come to my least favorite debut of the week. With Starving continuing to test the patience of just about everyone here, and Bad Things continuing to grate on us (or at least me and Miles), hearing a duet between both their respective acts was not what I would welcome. And yet, they're here, with At My Best. Now, I do understand the idea between this song, that Hailee Steinfeld wants her lover to put up with her when she's depressed and miserable, or he'll miss out on the highest point of her time. But Machine Gun Kelly is not the best capable of delivering this kind of story in the best way, and that chorus being drenched in autotune does NOT help. While I will say it's better than Bad Things, this is not a song that leaves me feeling enthusiastic or empowered, in fact it only gets worse with every listen. And his new album, bloom, has been received pretty terribly by a majority of reviewers. So yeah, as I said, this is my least favorite debut of the week. Fun fact, however: both this and Swalla also debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week in late March (the week that Drake's More Life flooded the charts). But that aside, hopefully it doesn't last long.

'Cause You Know What I'm Blurbing

- As always, we begin with our exits. Cake I didn't care for even if it was amusingly bad. Side To Side and All Time Low will both be missed by me (and the latter by Adrian too). Don't Leave had the weakest tenure overall that I've seen in a long time, not even making its way out of the bottom third of the countdown. I do think it deserved better than that. But the saddest one, for me, would definitely be 24K Magic. While Adrian, Graham and WAMB10 (and maybe Jack) are all rejoicing over that, I will be doing the opposite. Goodbye, 24K Magic. You won't be forgotten, at least by me.

- Speaking of Machine Gun Kelly, dropping down into the bottom 5, we have Bad Things, which is certainly needed. Now to see to it that it leaves us already.

- Of our four debuts last week, two of them were floppy to get off, and the other two had double digit jumps, including Slow Hands having the biggest jump. Knowing how much Hits 1 tends to adore 1D associated stuff, this will be Top 10 in due time, I'm sure.

- Before introducing Heavydirtysoul, Spyder talked about how the guys were at a karaoke bar recently and played their own song, Stressed Out. The clip he played had the audience singing the epic "wake up, you need to make money" line. Haha. That aside, it's really too bad that this song didn't take off as well as I feel it deserved to.

- Before introducing I Don't Wanna Live Forever, Spyder talked about how Taylor Swift sent a fan a card and flowers due to not being able to attend her graduation party. Isn't that something. But how the heck did she manage to reach out to Taylor and invite her there in the first place? Fanmail?

- Mercy taking a big drop out of the Top 10 was certainly appreciated. I don't know how I'll feel about the song in the final picture, though.

- Yet again, Attention is continuing to do nothing except hold at #20. I wonder how much longer it's gonna cling to that spot.

- My goodness, Play That Song needs to stop re-entering the Top 20 and leave!!! Seriously, this will be in orange after Don't Wanna Know and Starving leave!!!

- That's What I Like took a significant drop out of the Top 5 and 10. I don't know if that'll last or not, though, but with the song since peaking in other areas it won't be much of a surprise if it's coming to its end.

- The Cure continues to inch its way up. As you can see, it's now tied for my favorite song on the countdown. It'd be pretty nice to see this make Top 10, but with how much Lady Gaga hype has died down, I doubt it somehow. Very sad.

- Before introducing Heavy, Spyder talked about how Linkin Park had been making funny videos related to their food. Ah, we all have that problem when it comes to eating, at least us older people. Anyway, this song makes yet another out of absolutely nowhere big jump. The album just dropped though, so I'll give it that much.

- Before introducing It Ain't Me, Spyder talked about rumors that Selena Gomez was pregnant with The Weeknd's baby. And then he said that his script read that she was pregnant with The Weeknd himself?!?! Then he went on about how if that actually happened, would she name it The Weeknd Jr.?!?! Haha. How comedic. Anyway, I feel like this song could peak any day now.

- Although our Top 5 consists of mostly the same stuff, we have a completely welcome entrant from Believer. I would find it pretty interesting if this hit #1. But it's not something to highly anticipate.

- And on that note, Castle on The Hill retakes #1. I am okay with this, though I am hoping that Something Just Like This will take that top spot at some point.

Hit-Bound

Crying In The Club by Camila Cabello (debut)

Good Time, Good Life by Erin Bowman

Break My Heart by Hey Violet

Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo (debut)

Stay Together by Noah Cyrus

Good News by Ocean Park Standoff

Bad Liar by Selena Gomez (debut)

Young and Menace by Fall Out Boy

Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld

Wicked by Mansionz featuring G-Eazy

Malibu by Miley Cyrus (debut)

Overwhelming by Jon Bellion

Swish Swish by Katy Perry featuring Nicki Minaj (debut)

Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt

I will say, things on Hit-Bound got pretty interesting. I'll save my words for Strip That Down and Malibu for when they debut, but Crying In The Club is essentially Sia lite (and it shows because she worked on the song), and Bad Liar is insanely cheesy. But the big one is Swish Swish, which actually sounds like a real and proper song from Katy Perry that shows real tastelessness. And while I liked Chained To The Rhythm a lot more than many others, this is better for sure. More words come the inevitable debut.

Top 20 Breakdown:

0 — Shit:
20. Play That Song by Train

1 — Bad:
None!

2 — Meh:
19. Now Or Lever by Halsey

3 — Decent:
18. Heavy by Linkin Park featuring Kiiara
17. Weak by AJR
16. Issues by Julia Michaels

4 — Good:
15. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur

5 — Great:
14. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran
13. Paris by The Chainsmokers
12. Attention by Charlie Puth
11. L.A. Devotee by Panic! At The Disco
10. Slow Hands by Niall Horan
9. There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes
8. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez
7. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara
6. Believer by Imagine Dragons
5. Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos
4. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran
3. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars

6 ― Favorite Song Bonus:
1. Tie: The Cure by Lady Gaga
1. Tie: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay

Countdown Bottom 5

1. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5

2. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd

3. Play That Song by Train

4. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello

5. Cold by Maroon 5

Countdown Top 5

1. Tie: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay

1. Tie: The Cure by Lady Gaga

3. Swalla by Jason Derulo featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj

4. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars

5. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran

Hit-Bound Top 5

1. Swish Swish by Katy Perry featuring Nicki Minaj

2. Overwhelming by Jon Bellion

3. Good News by Ocean Park Standoff

4. Break My Heart by Hey Violet

5. Good Time, Good Life by Erin Bowman

Most Missed Song: I don't know... Once again I'm not very good at thinking up this stuff x_x

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Can't Stop the Feeling! by Justin Timberlake

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:

If It Ain't Love by Jason Derulo — Jason Derulo, basically.

Figure Me Out by The Summer Set — A nice song, but I do see why Adrian never had this in green. I did like The Night Is Young and Lightning In A Bottle more, admittedly.

Don't Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers featuring Daya — While Daya actually sounds alright here, that drop can get sleazy at times. Points for the drum breakdown, though.

QOTD: To you, were there any major highlights of the Billboard Music Awards? As I said, I didn't really care for the performances, but it was interesting to see Closer take multiple awards, and Drake even breaking Adele's record, as well as the speeches he gave.

Thanks for reading, everybody!

May 13, 2017 - Zedd + Alessia Cara (2)

And here we are again with yet another late post. I know I keep going on about it but honestly my motivation has been declining more and more. And unlike certain people I won't name, it has nothing to do with (the lack of) exits here. No, I've just not been in the best of moods recently when it comes to this place and just in general, I don't really know why. Actually, I do know why, but explaining it here would take a while. I've wanted to talk about that in depth but haven't been able to get it to sound right. But you're not here to hear me talk about that right now. You want me to get on with my countdown post. So be it! So without further ado, here are the songs leaving us this week.

• Water Under The Bridge by Adele (#39)
• Miss You by James Hersey (#43)
• Million Reasons by Lady Gaga (#44)
• Love On The Brain by Rihanna (#45)
  

The Countdown!

Last Week’s #1 Song: Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara
45. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (#40)
44. This Town by Niall Horan (#41)
43. Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley (#42)
42. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 (#27) (three weeks at #1)
41. Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj (#38)
40. American Girls by One Ok Rock (debut)
39. Don't Leave by Snakehips featuring MO (#36)
38. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd (#29) (four weeks at #1)
37. Sooner Or Later by Aaron Carter (debut)
36. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring gnash (#35)
35. I'm The One by DJ Khaled with Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper (debut)
34. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars (#34)
33. Just Hold On by Steve Aoki featuring Louis Tomlinson (#31)
32. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello (#28)
31. Heavydirtysoul by Twenty-one Pilots (#33)
30. Slow Hands by Niall Horan (debut)
29. All Time Low by Jon Bellion (#32)
28. Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles (#37)
27. Cake by Flo Rida featuring 99 Percent (#25)
26. Now Or Never by Halsey (#30)
25. Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie (#11)
24. I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift (#24)
23. HandClap by Fitz And The Tantrums (#23)
22. Weak by AJR (#18)
21. Play That Song by Train (#21)
20. Attention by Charlie Puth (#20)
19. Heavy by Linkin Park featuring Kiiara (#16)
18. The Cure by Lady Gaga (#19)
17. Cold by Maroon 5 (#12)
16. All Night by The Vamps featuring Matoma (#22)
15. Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos (#17)
14. There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes (#26)
13. Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (#9) (eight weeks at #1)
12. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (#8)
11. Believer by Imagine Dragons (#10)
10. Issues by Julia Michaels (#13)
9. Paris by The Chainsmokers (#3) (one week at #1)
8. L.A. Devotee by Panic! At The Disco (#14)
7. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez (#7)
6. Mercy by Shawn Mendes (#4)
5. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars (#5) (one week at #1)
4. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran (#6) (one week at #1)
3. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay (#15)
2. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (#2) (nine weeks at #1)
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Cake By The Ocean by DNCE (fourth and final week at #1)
1. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (#1) (second week at #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 (-15)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie between There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes and Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay (+12)

New Entrants
- First up we come to long-time Hit-Bound resident, American Girls by One Ok Rock. Spyder mentioned before introducing the song that these guys are so huge in Tokyo, and they even had Fall Out Boy open for them. (Might not be exact wording...) To me, similar to Talk Too Much by Coin, which debuted Hit-Bound the same week as this but failed to make the countdown, this song sounds like one of those songs you would probably hear for the first time in a Rock Band game. That's not to say that I think the song is bad, not at all. But it does feel a bit loud for my tastes. That may be a bit ironic from someone who likes Believer, but I don't know. So I'm not that big on it right about now, but that could certainly change.

- I must say, hearing Aaron Carter after roughly a decade and a half definitely feels nostalgic. I remember some of his early 2000's releases, including Aaron's Party (Come and Get It) and That's How I Beat Shaq from his second album, as well as Leave It Up To Me from Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, The Movie, and then a couple other albums that had a few representations. And now, a decade and a half later, here he is with a new song by the name of Sooner or Later. And he definitely sounds different being twice his age from his last work. I think the song is about the thought of a girl's return to him, which is something I'm sure some have longed for in their lives. It sounds nice enough, and I'm liking it for the time being. I don't know what more Aaron Carter has in him at this point, but if he doesn't do much else then I can say he did well for his time.

- So, seeing the name I'm The One, before recently my brain could only think of the song of the same name by Van Halen, which is best known for having the hardest section to FC in any Guitar Hero game. DJ Khaled is definitely no Van Halen, but I digress. Justin Bieber sings the chorus on this, and he is for sure the reason this song caught on as quickly as it did. The beat is pretty reminiscent of Don't Mind from last year, but I'd rather take this one. They kept Chance The Rapper around here, but cut out Quavo and Lil Wayne's verses as to save time presumably. Chance is alright, but with only that verse, the song does feel short. This song recently debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and while I'm definitely not wild that it dethroned That's What I Like and that was unfortunately left with but one week at the top, it is pretty interesting. But I'm not huge on it right now. Maybe that'll change.

- Finally we have the follow-up from Niall Horan. As This Town continues to linger after Hits 1 was as kind to it as they were, his follow-up, Slow Hands, has made way. This one has gotten some note for being more upbeat and having more going on than the former representation. While I'm kind of liking it right now, I'm not figuring out what isn't getting me to quite love it. Maybe it'll click with me in due time, it is in green but it could become blue. We'll see.

I'm The Blurb Yeah, I'm The Blurb Yeah
- As far as our exits go, Water Under The Bridge was by far the best and the one that will be the most missed by me. I did like Million Reasons and Love On The Brain in the long run, but I'm alright with their departures. And Miss You probably won't be remembered long from now but eh.

- So nice to see Don't Wanna Know have the biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! into the bottom 5. Can we please get this dumbass song off the countdown already?!

- Before introducing Side To Side, Spyder mentioned how Nicki Minaj paid off the student loans of some of her followers. I heard about that, and that is pretty interesting given how she has been known for...well, some negative things that have gone on. And I still actually like the song after all this time. Huh.

- The guest DJ who introduced 24K Magic was from El Paso, Texas, and even opened with a Spanish greeting. Nice to see listeners who actually take somewhat of an interest in foreign languages!

- I'm very fascinated that All Time Low is still here.

- I find it rather ironic - and sad - that Rockabye, a song about motherhood, had to drop on Mother's Day weekend.


- Before introducing Slide, Spyder talked about how Calvin Harris was recently listed as among the wealthiest people from Scotland. That's not surprising at all, but then Spyder spoke of how he's among the wealthiest people still living in an apartment. Is that really true???

- I was not expecting L.A. Devotee to enter the Top 10. Something Just Like This is completely welcomed into the Top 5, though. Maybe it'll hit #1 like these guys have already had THREE representations to do so?!?! Let's hope...

- Not gonna lie, there's a part of me that didn't want Stay to hold at #1, if only so we could potentially have a long chain of changing #1s like back in late winter/spring 2015 where nothing held at #1 for three months. But no, it had to break there. But I'm alright with it keeping at the top.

Hit-Bound
Good News by Ocean Park Standoff
Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld
Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt (debut)
Swalla by Jason Derulo featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj
Overwhelming by Jon Bellion
Stay Together by Noah Cyrus (debut)
Break My Heart by Hey Violet
Wicked by Mansionz featuring G-Eazy
Still Got Time by Zayn Malik featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR
Young and Menace by Fall Out Boy
At My Best by Machine Gun Kelly and Hailee Steinfeld (debut)
Good Time, Good Life by Erin Bowman
Kissing Strangers by DNCE
Bon Appetit by Katy Perry

- Oh boy... Body Like A Back Road is here. I was really hoping it wouldn't show up given how rare country songs appear here, but alas, it did. This (being the biggest country song in years) is beyond insulting. This is legit the worst song to appear on Hits 1 since Me Too. Hopefully it doesn't debut, but I'll save my thrashing for when it inevitably does, because it will NOT be pretty.

- I don't really have much to say about Stay Together at the moment. It isn't as crappy as her other song that I won't name, but it's really just there. I'll talk more about it if it debuts.

- Oh great, more Machine Gun Kelly? I recently watched a slamming review of his new album bloom, and At My Best is another one of his weak representations. God bless.

- That's right, I have no defined opinion on Bon Appetit. It's really hard for me to explain. As with Adrian, I really feel as if it could go either way for me.


Countdown Bottom 5
1. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5
2. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd
3. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello
4. Play That Song by Train
5. Cold by Maroon 5

Countdown Top 5
1. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
2. The Cure by Lady Gaga
3. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran
4. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
5. Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos

Most Missed Song: Uh...I dunno? Shows how lazy I can get when I get these out late...?


Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Can't Stop the Feeling! by Justin Timberlake

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Sit Still, Look Pretty by Daya — While there were definitely worse songs last year objectively, I really don't think any countdown song from 2016 tested my patience as much as this condescending yelper talking about how great she thinks she is. Remind me how Daya is trying to save music again?
Can't Stop the Feeling! by Justin Timberlake — While this sure is no Uptown Funk or Shut Up and Dance in terms of quality, I definitely can appreciate it for what it is, even if there's not really that much to say about it.

QOTD: Closer or Shut Up and Dance? With all the talk about overplay on Mark's blog, I thought, why not take two of THE biggest songs that Hits 1 has had out in their time? I think you guys can guess which one is my pick - the one that I actually liked from day one.

Thanks for reading, everybody!

May 6, 2017 - Zedd + Alessia Cara (1)

So this will be a condensed post since there wasn't much going on at all and this post is already late as is. As many others have said, there really wasn't a lot to this week, but at least we have an interesting new #1, which I'm happy to take. Aside from that, there's not really a lot that happened for me to really discuss. I didn't even listen to the full countdown, so you can tell that I'm behind in getting this out. There are no songs leaving us this week, so let’s go.

The Countdown!
Last Week’s #1 Song: Paris by The Chainsmokers
45. Love On The Brain by Rihanna (#45)
44. Miss You by James Hersey (#43)
43. Million Reasons by Lady Gaga (#42)
42. Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley (#44)
41. This Town by Niall Horan (#38)
40. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (#39)
39. Water Under The Bridge by Adele (#40)
38. Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj (#41)
37. Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles (#36)
36. Don't Leave by Snakehips featuring MO (#37)
35. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring gnash (#26)
34. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars (#32)
33. Heavydirtysoul by Twenty-one Pilots (#21)
32. All Time Low by Jon Bellion (#34)
31. Just Hold On by Steve Aoki featuring Louis Tomlinson (#31)
30. Now Or Never by Halsey (#30)
29. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd (#35) (four weeks at #1)
28. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello (#28)
27. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 (#27) (three weeks at #1)
26. There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes (#29)
25. Cake by Flo Rida featuring 99 Percent (#20)
24. I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift (#24)
23. HandClap by Fitz And The Tantrums (#23)
22. All Night by The Vamps featuring Matoma (#17)
21. Play That Song by Train (#19)
20. Attention by Charlie Puth (#33)
19. The Cure by Lady Gaga (#25)
18. Weak by AJR (#22)
17. Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos (#16)
16. Heavy by Linkin Park featuring Kiiara (#15)
15. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay (#18)
14. L.A. Devotee by Panic! At The Disco (#11)
13. Issues by Julia Michaels (#14)
12. Cold by Maroon 5 (#13)
11. Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie (#12)
10. Believer by Imagine Dragons (#9)
9. Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (#10) (eight weeks at #1)
8. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (#5)
7. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez (#8)
6. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran (#7) (one week at #1)
5. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars (#6) (one week at #1)
4. Mercy by Shawn Mendes (#3)
3. Paris by The Chainsmokers (#1) (one week at #1)
2. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (#2) (nine weeks at #1)
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Cake By The Ocean by DNCE (third of four weeks at #1)
1. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (#4) (first week at #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Heavydirtysoul by Twenty-one Pilots (-12)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Attention by Charlie Puth (+13)


There will not be any blurbs so I can get this post out quick. Sorry for the inconvenience, everybody.

Likewise, we have two Hit-Bound debuts: I'm The One by DJ Khaled with Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper and Slow Hands by Niall Horan. They'll both probably be debuting tomorrow, so I'll save my words for them then.


Countdown Bottom 5
1. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5
2. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd
3. Play That Song by Train
4. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello
5. Cold by Maroon 5

Countdown Top 5
1. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
2. The Cure by Lady Gaga
3. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars
4. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
5. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran


Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago: None. Also, this is the third year in a row where the first countdown in May has had no exits.

QOTD: With the album and video having dropped, do you think Sign of The Times will stick around and become a real hit? I may have said before, but I predict it'll end up more in the vein that Drag Me Down did in 2015 in debuting high but then going erratic from there.

Thanks for reading, everybody!