February 4, 2017 - Maroon 5 (3)

How about that? This is what I'm sure many have awaited. This was the Super Bowl weekend edition of the countdown. And while I should be happy to finally see a multitude of exits like this, the results that came out were a mixed bag, at least for me. But we did get some good activity in more spots than one. Let's just hope that can keep up. So without further ado, here are the songs leaving us this week.

• Fresh Eyes by Andy Grammer (#45)
• That's My Girl by Fifth Harmony (#44)
• Body Moves by DNCE (#41)
• Cold Water by Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber and MØ (#38)
• Can't Stop the Feeling! by Justin Timberlake (#34) (spent ten weeks at #1)
• Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran (#28)

The Countdown!
Last Week’s #1 Song: Heathens by Twenty-one Pilots
45. I Hate U, I Love U by gnash featuring Olivia O'Brien (#43)
44. Don't Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers featuring Daya (#36) (three weeks at #1)
43. Kids by OneRepublic (#39)
42. Greenlight by Pitbull featuring LunchMoney Lewis and Flo Rida (#42)
41. Into You by Ariana Grande (#40)
40. In The Name Of Love by Martin Garrix and Bebe Rexha (#33)
39. Guys My Age by Hey Violet (debut)
38. Million Reasons by Lady Gaga (#22)
37. Ride by Twenty-one Pilots (#32)
36. Send My Love (To Your New Lover) by Adele (#35) (one week at #1)
35. Love On The Brain by Rihanna (debut) (Not a color-coding error.)
34. Hymn For The Weekend by Coldplay (#26)
33. Let Me Love You by DJ Snake with Justin Bieber (#27)
32. Issues by Julia Michaels (debut)
31. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (#31)
30. You're Not There by Lukas Graham (#37)
29. Words by Daya (debut)
28. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (#30)
27. Heavydirtysoul by Twenty-one Pilots (debut)
26. Just Hold On by Steve Aoki and Louis Tomlinson (#29)
25. The Greatest by Sia featuring Kendrick Lamar (#2)
24. Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes (#20) (two weeks at #1)
23. Unsteady by X Ambassadors (#21)
22. Paris by The Chainsmokers (debut)
21. After The Afterparty by Charli XCX (#24)
20. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars (#19)
19. Death Of A Bachelor by Panic! At The Disco (#16)
18. Chase You Down by Runaground (#9)
17. Play That Song by Train (#23)
16. Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj (#25)
15. This Town by Niall Horan (#5)
14. Starboy by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (#6)
13. Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara (#12)
12. Love Me Now by John Legend (#13)
11. Heathens by Twenty-one Pilots (#1) (two weeks at #1)
10. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly and Camilla Cabello (#15)
9. Water Under The Bridge by Adele (#10)
8. I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift (#17)
7. All Time Low by Jon Bellion (#11)
6. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd (#3) (four weeks at #1)
5. HandClap by Fitz And The Tantrums (#18)
4. Mercy by Shawn Mendes (#7)
3. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (#14)
2. Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (#4) (eight weeks at #1)
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Hello by Adele (11th of 12 weeks at #1)
1. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 (#8) (third week at #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: The Greatest by Sia featuring Kendrick Lamar (-23)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: HandClap by Fitz And The Tantrums (+13)

New Entrants
- To kick off our debuts, we have Guys My Age by Hey Violet. This track has been called by many as Melanie Martinez-lite. This song is pretty weird in more ways than one, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. And the singer claims she's grown up because guys her age "don't know how to treat her", and I don't know if it's supposed to be sexy or not, but it's weird. This could turn to red soon.

- Well, we've got more Rihanna, to the surprise of virtually none. After Work became one of the biggest songs of last year despite being a total mish-mash, she had a few other releases from Anti, including Needed Me, which I gave the honorable mention of the Biggest Countdown Whiff of 2016, and Kiss It Better, which sadly flopped...and now we have Love On The Brain here. At first I thought this was just a slow, weak ballad that there wasn't much to, but if I'm being honest, this is growing on me. I initially said that a slow piece like this is not something that Rihanna should be doing, but for the kind of sex song that it is, it works well enough. But the song's not without its problems, for one she does make that scratchy "a-a-a-ow" sound in the post-verses which can get annoying. Also, some people have said that those backing vocals sound like they're from Chris Brown himself, which...raises a questionable message. But yeah, as I said, this is growing on me, so I don't mind that it's getting bigger. Also, Spyder said this was his current favorite. I don't think it'll stick with me in the long run, but I'll take it.

- Then there's Julia Michaels, with Issues, a song that Spyder claims we should be able to relate to. She's been behind songs for quite a few mainstream acts. The song is about how both people in a relationship have issues and yet she doesn't want to leave despite knowing how bad for her he is. We've had plenty of songs like this, and I'm not sure we need one in this vein, even if it does feel kinda cheesy in sort of a good way. I do say that in the lightest sense, though. It's in blue right now, but I'm not sure if I'd consider it closer to red or green. We'll see if I come to appreciate it more.

- Now for the one I bet some of you are expecting me to rip into... But I'm gonna try to keep from getting mad here. Well, we just finished getting beat into the dirt by Sit Still, Look Pretty, and I am not ready for more from Daya so soon. But alas, now we get Words. But no, that's not my only reason for hating this. While my anger here has died down some since, I still don't like it at all. For starters, the lyrics are about her refusing to label the feelings she has for her lover, but the line "We don't have to say love 'cause the words only get in the way" doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. I guess I can understand what they're about, but it still kinda gives off that vibe to the person she's supposed to be talking about, don't you think? And then there's that drop, which aside from being annoying, is totally ripping off that Woody Woodpecker sound effect DJ Snake is known for. It's sad, really, that after the pretty solid Here by Alessia Cara (sorry Graham, Parker and Adrian) had real message and became a hit, her next follow-up, Wild Things, was seen as generic and people started abandoning her for Daya here, for some reason. Her writers (and no, she did not write this song) have not been doing a good job with whatever message she wants to convey, between the pissy and creepy Hide Away and then Sit Still, Look Pretty, which contradicts it and comes off as condescending even (although I guess Don't Let Me Down was good at its core), and now this. If Daya is meant to be another Lorde alongside Alessia Cara, I can say right now that she's (or her writers are) failing miserably. ...Sorry if you expected more of a reaction from me there, but I guess I'm more just annoyed about what I just said than anything else. But yeah, that aside, I can't stand this song. Hopefully it doesn't get obnoxiously overplayed, at least.

- With Heathens dying down and Ride on its last legs, Twenty-one Pilots release their next single, Heavydirtysoul. Another Blurryface release, I'm kinda amazed how many singles they've been able to milk out from an album that first dropped in spring 2015. But enough about that. Onto the song. It's the opener to that album, which is meant to prep us for the exploration into Blurryface, the creation of Tyler himself. It's pretty cool, even if Tyler says it's not rap - just an attempt to make the voices stop. I'm really liking this one so far, but because it's Twenty-one Pilots, Hits 1 is sure to cling to it.

- So, who's still sick of The Chainsmokers?! You are? Don't worry, I am too, and it looks like they're here to stay. Even though we're still getting hammered into the ground by Closer, they're releasing this here, Paris. But I can say that I don't hate this. The guitar is pretty, and while I'm still not huge on Andrew Taggart's voice, it's kinda nice. Not much to say, the lyrics are about a relationship and how they're determined to keep it strong, but I'm not sure what that has to do with Paris. So yeah, I'm alright with it sticking around, as long as it doesn't become the next Closer.

Must Be Love On The Blurbs
- So as always, let's start with our exits and run through them quick.
Fresh Eyes: I liked this one a lot more than certain others did, but I'm alright with it departing.
Body Moves: Yeah, I'm not sad about this one departing. It was alright for a little while, but I knew it wouldn't stick with me.
That's My Girl: As I said last week, I did grow into this a little bit, but not a lot, and I can't say I'm sad to see this one off.
Castle On The Hill: This, on the other hand, I was very disappointed to see cut short. I shouldn't be surprised by this, though, because it hasn't officially impacted pop radio yet. What I think (and hope) will happen is that it'll eventually be re-released as an official single (most likely after Shape Of You dies down some), and then re-enter, like what happened with Out Of The Woods by Taylor Swift in how that had one week in 2014 then became a proper single in very late 2015 and re-entered. Let's hope so, at least.
Cold Water: I did like this one, even if it took me a bit to grow on it. But I'm not too sad to see it go.
Can't Stop the Feeling!: Definitely the most important song to take its departure here. Farewell, Can't Stop the Feeling!. You lasted long and hard here and did your job well. I know that quite a few find you old and annoying, but I still enjoy listening to you. I'm still amazed that Adrian never got sick of you either, even after everything. Maybe you'll win the Oscar, maybe not. Thank you for your time and service here. You won't be forgotten (at least not by me).

- Joining the bottom 5 are Don't Let Me Down and Kids. The former was one of the biggest songs of last year, and the latter never really got big anywhere. They won't be with us much longer.

- Speaking of the Super Bowl weekend, before introducing Million Reasons, Spyder informed us once more that Lady Gaga will be performing the halftime show. I wonder what she'll be performing...and if the fans will care. I genuinely wonder how many of the people watching are going to be entertained at all.

- So this could be it for Ride by Twenty-one Pilots. It's served us well.

- I would like to see You're Not There by Lukas Graham become a proper hit. Shame on the people who shit-talked this band after their international success.

- Holy drop from #2 Batman! Just when we thought The Greatest by Sia featuring Kendrick Lamar had a chance to hit #1, it tumbles down over halfway through the countdown. That's kinda crazy, but I'm not all too surprised, at least not as I should be.

- Before introducing 24K Magic, Spyder mentioned how Bruno Mars is planning to do a Prince tribute at the Grammys. Sounds good, I'd say! I'm sold. Even though some say he's more Michael Jackson than Prince.

- We have two songs re-entering the Top 20. They're both right next to each other, and one is a piece of whitebread stiff while the other is a solid flex anthem that for some reason I still like. I'll leave you to guess which is which.

- Before introducing Starboy, Spyder mentioned how The Weeknd and Selena Gomez are vacationing in Italy, and how quickly that got serious between them. I was disappointed that he didn't mention how last week Justin Bieber said he doesn't listen to The Weeknd's "wack" music (Cold Water left, and the electro-DJ introduced both Let Me Love You and I Feel It Coming, the former was after Flat Screen Favorites).

- Yep, Love Me Now by John Legend has become my favorite song on the countdown. I was hoping it'd enter the Top 10, but hopefully that'll come in due time.

- Last week's #1 took quite the tumble, out of the Top 10 entirely. I think that's the biggest drop out of the top spot since Stressed Out last March. Coincidence? (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

- The guest DJ who introduced Water Under The Bridge gave an 18th birthday wish to his best friend. Awwwww! That was nice.

- But that brings us to our Top 10... WHOA. Talk about a shake-up. Four new entries, only one of which I don't like, and three I'm really enjoying, along with All Time Low by Jon Bellion making a re-entry into the area.

- And then our #1. Ugh. Here we go again. Here's another one that continues to get worse. Shape Of You can't take that top spot soon enough.

Hit-Bound
Weak by AJR (debut)
Cake by Flo Rida and 99 Percent (debut)
Dancing On My Own by Calum Scott
That's What I Like by Bruno Mars
I Got You by Bebe Rexha
Believer by Imagine Dragons (debut)
Don't Leave by Snakehips featuring MØ
Lights Down Low by MAX featuring gnash
L.A. Devotee by Panic! At The Disco (debut)
Miss You by James Hersey (debut)
Shout Out To My Ex by Little Mix
Versace On The Floor by Bruno Mars
All Night by The Vamps featuring Matoma (debut)
Make Me (Cry) by Noah Cyrus featuring Labrinth

- MAX hosted Hit-Bound this week. As I've said, I remember the small time when he was on Nickelodeon, but those are days that have since passed.

- To start, we have Weak by AJR. I like the idea behind this one, and although it has some annoying parts, I like what it wants to be.

- Then there's more Flo Rida, with Cake, but I'm not totally feeling this one. Also, this 99 Percent guy sounds too much like Flo Rida himself.

- Also, apparently Dancing On My Own is a cover by Robyn. Is it wrong that I didn't even know that original even existed before recently?

- And we also have the resurgence of Imagine Dragons, with Believer. Although it does feel a little forced, for lack of a better word, I kinda like it. It's definitely not as good as It's Time or On Top Of The World, but it's cool for now.

- We're also in for more Panic! At The Disco, after both Death Of A Bachelor and Victorious have been big here, we enter another fast paced track with L.A. Devotee. This is kinda fun, even though it's not something I see myself sticking to in the long run.

- Miss You by James Hersey is another track that there's not really much to.

- And there's The Vamps, too. Wake Up was alright and I really enjoyed Somebody To You with Demi Lovato, but All Night isn't quite as good. Maybe it's the chanting in the chorus, I don't know.

Top 20 Breakdown:
0 — Shit:
20. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5
19. Play That Song by Train
18. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd

1 — Bad:
17. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly and Camilla Cabello

2 — Meh:
16. Chase You Down by Runaground
15. Death Of A Bachelor by Panic! At The Disco

3 — Decent:
14. Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara
13. Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
12. This Town by Niall Horan

4 — Good:
None!

5 — Great:
11. Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj
10. Heathens by Twenty-one Pilots
9. Mercy by Shawn Mendes
8. HandClap by Fitz And The Tantrums
7. Starboy by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
6. All Time Low by Jon Bellion
5. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran
4. Water Under The Bridge by Adele
3. I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift
2. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
1. Love Me Now by John Legend

Overall score: 69/100

Countdown Bottom 5
1. After The Afterparty by Charli XCX
2. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5
3. Play That Song by Train
4. Unsteady by X Ambassadors
5. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd

Countdown Top 5
1. Love Me Now by John Legend
2. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
3. Heavydirtysoul by Twenty-one Pilots
4. I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift
5. Water Under The Bridge by Adele

Hit-Bound Top 5
1. Shout Out To My Ex by Little Mix
2. Don't Leave by Snakehips featuring MØ
3. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars
4. Versace On The Floor by Bruno Mars
5. Believer by Imagine Dragons

Most Missed Song: On Top Of The World by Imagine Dragons

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Magnets by Disclosure featuring Lorde

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Hollow by Tori Kelly — Definitely not as good as Should've Been Us from 2015, which I really liked, but she does display some good range here.
Something In The Way You Move by Ellie Goulding — Ellie Goulding. Nuff said.
Pillowtalk by Zayn Malik — The debut of the first guy to depart from One Direction, this one doesn't quite master the sexy type perfectly, unfortunately.

QOTD: Do you think Can't Stop the Feeling! will win the Oscar for Original Song? If not, why? I know I'm asking a little in advance before the Oscars, but seeing as it just left I figured I may as well now. Anyway, it was a #1, so I think it has a chance, but if it doesn't then City Of Stars might take it instead.

Thanks for reading, everybody!