April 8, 2017 - Ed Sheeran (9)

Well we got some activity going on, even if things might not seem totally in prime shape. We did get rid of a lot of unnecessary remains, but they weren't quite traded for the best quality overall. Although Hit-Bound did have an interesting mish-mash going into it, so there's that. Let's get right to it. So without further ado, here are the songs leaving us this week.

• Let Me Love You by DJ Snake with Justin Bieber (#43)
• Make Me (Cry) by Noah Cyrus featuring Labrinth (#40)
• Words by Daya (#45)

The Countdown!
Last Week’s #1 Song: Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran
45. Love On The Brain by Rihanna (#31)
44. Death Of A Bachelor by Panic! At The Disco (#24)
43. I Got You by Bebe Rexha (#41)
42. Hymn For The Weekend by Coldplay (#44)
41. Side To Side by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj (#39)
40. Lights Down Low by MAX featuring gnash (debut)
39. Starboy by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (#37)
38. This Town by Niall Horan (#42)
37. Don't Leave by Snakehips featuring MØ (debut)
36. Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 (#38) (three weeks at #1)
35. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars (#35)
34. All Night by The Vamps featuring Matoma (debut)
33. L.A. Devotee by Panic! At The Disco (#36)
32. Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara (#34)
31. Heathens by Twenty-one Pilots (#26) (two weeks at #1)
30. Everyday by Ariana Grande featuring Future (#28)
29. Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes (#30) (two weeks at #1)
28. Water Under The Bridge by Adele (#29)
27. Miss You by James Hersey (#33)
26. Heavy by Linkin Park featuring Kiiara (#11)
25. Just Hold On by Steve Aoki featuring Louis Tomlinson (#27)
24. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Camila Cabello (#6)
23. Weak by AJR (#32)
22. All Time Low by Jon Bellion (#25)
21. I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift (#9)
20. Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley (#16)
19. Million Reasons by Lady Gaga (#19)
18. Heavydirtysoul by Twenty-one Pilots (#18)
17. Issues by Julia Michaels (#21)
16. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (#20)
15. Play That Song by Train (#17)
14. Paris by The Chainsmokers (#10)
13. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran (#5)
12. Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd (#8) (four weeks at #1)
11. Believer by Imagine Dragons (#22)
10. Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie (#23)
9. Cold by Maroon 5 (#15)
8. It Ain't Me by Kygo featuring Selena Gomez (#12)
7. Mercy by Shawn Mendes (#3)
6. Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (#2) (eight weeks at #1)
5. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (#13)
4. Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (#14)
3. HandClap by Fitz And The Tantrums (#7)
2. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars (#4)
#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Cake By The Ocean by DNCE (first of four weeks at #1)
1. Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran (#1) (ninth week at #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Death Of A Bachelor by Panic! At The Disco (-20)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Rockabye by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie (+13)

New Entrants
- So our first debut consists of Lights Down Low. As I may have said once, I do remember MAX from when he was on Nickelodeon, but I'm just not the biggest fan of his music altogether. There's really not a lot going on in this one, and then we get gnash with his own verse about what have you. Not helping his verse is the line "I promise that nobody else will ever treat you better", which brings back bad Shawn Mendes memories. We get songs about love all the time, but this isn't doing anything for me. It might grow on me, and it doesn't outright anger me at all, but I'm not pulling for this one right about now.

- On the note of acts who make appearances here every so often and not much elsewhere, we have MO, with Don't Leave. This song features Snakehips, a DJ duo who were on a couple tracks from last year that didn't gain a lot of traction at all, including Cruel with Zayn Malik, which never passed Hit-Bound. But I'm liking this. Lyrically, it's about MO begging her lover not to part with her even though the thought of it goes on in his head, wanting to love him as much as possible even though she knows how messed up she is. I'm sure we've all had times like that (except me, I'm single). But yeah, the song has a sad sentiment to it, although I'm enjoying it. So yeah. I hope to see this do well.

- Finally we have The Vamps, who had two other tracks on the countdown in the past few years, both of which were solid in their own right. But now we have All Night, which I would have to say is my least favorite of the three so far. One thing that kinda kills it for me is the "children" chanting in the chorus. Now, as far as songs that use that effect go, I know that's pretty hated for the most part. I mean, I didn't mind Mama Said by Lukas Graham as much as many did, even with that effect going on for it, but here it did get annoying for me. And the drop afterwards isn't the best. That's not to say the entire thing is bad though, and I'll say that it's closer to green than it is red, but right now I don't exactly care either way.

Turn The Blurbs Down Low
- Good riddance to all three of our exits. Make Me (Cry) thankfully flopped and wasn't with us long. As for Words, I'll reiterate what I said when the song debuted: I don't know what kind of message Daya wants to promote, but it sure isn't a beneficial one, and I'm just done with her and wish that she would just leave music for good. Honestly, that song really just made me shake my head in disapproval more than anything else. And I'm sure Adrian will be sad over Let Me Love You, but not me. The point is, none of you will be missed. Next!

- Of our current bottom 5, two of them consist of ones that took drops over ten spots down into the region. One of them I have been growing out of and the other has been here for a long time and this might be it for it after how well it's fared.

- Spyder made a mistake when introducing 24K Magic, saying that it was back up eight to #35. That was last week, silly man!

- Before introducing Bad Things, Spyder showed a snippet of a cover of Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran that Camila Cabello did with Shawn Mendes. I thought that was kinda interesting. But it was definitely pleasing to see this take the drop that it deserved. Now let's please get it out of the countdown! Also, I watched the video for the song that she was in with Pitbull and J Balvin for the new Furious movie that's releasing this coming weekend, and I will say I didn't care for the song, but she looked gorgeous in the video. I'll give her that.

- So is Play That Song going to do whatever it feels like? I'd honestly much rather it just leave.

- So The Chainsmokers dropped their debut album on Friday. I'll be honest, I didn't go in with overly high expectations, but I was underwhelmed overall. Aside from Something Just Like This and maybe one or two other tracks, there wasn't really anything I see sticking with me in the long run. I might give it another listen though. Twitter user T3chJ3t was pretty hard on the album when he reviewed it.

- Before introducing Believer, Spyder mentioned how Dan Reynolds has become a father of two twin girls. I think that's very nice news. I wonder what they'll grow up to think of his overdramatic singing. That being said, good to see this finally enter the Top 20.

- Before introducing Cold, Spyder talked about how Adam Levine was on the Howard Stern show, and when he mentioned seeing Alicia Keys wearing makeup, which he thought she doesn't do. Her response? "I'll do what the fuck I want!" Yeah, nice telling him off. That aside, I'm not happy to see this in the Top 10 again.

- Once again, Say You Won't Let Go continues to make its unexpected jump all the way into the Top 5. Seriously, this thing is a sleeper hit if ever I've seen one.

- Alongside that, both Rockabye, It Ain't Me and Stay are all solid and completely welcomed into the Top 10, so I'll take that.

- Before introducing That's What I Like, Spyder brought in his British butler friend Doosey to get formal with introducing Bruno Mars himself. That one argued that Spyder needs more excitement going on here, but he thinks things are alright enough. I know most will disagree. Anyway, I was really hoping it'd take the top spot... Please hit #1 next week!!!

Hit-Bound
Swalla by Jason Derulo featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj
Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles (debut)
American Girls by One Ok Rock
Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
Wicked by Mansionz featuring G-Eazy (debut)
Good Time, Good Life by Erin Bowman
Now Or Never by Halsey (debut)
I Feel So Bad by Kungs featuring Ephemerals (debut)
Sooner Or Later by Aaron Carter (debut)
Talk Too Much by Coin
Overwhelming by Jon Bellion
Green Light by Lorde
Good News by Ocean Park Standoff
Cake by Flo Rida featuring 99 Percent

- So we lost Touch by Little Mix, which was disappointing. Sounds like Black Magic is the only thing these girls will be well established for here in America.

- We also lost Slide by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos, but I heard it yesterday. It should re-enter in time. I think.

- Well, we have the big solo debut from yet another One Direction member. I'll talk more about Sign Of The Times when it inevitably debuts next week, but I can say I am liking it right now.

- So, Mansionz is a new group that includes Mike Posner. But Wicked does feel kind of shrill, although it does have good to it. I'm not totally on board with it at this time, however.

- I've been getting sick of Halsey. I'm not very big on Now Or Never. More words when it debuts. Adrian will probably adore it though.

- I Feel So Bad is pretty nice and smooth. It's not as good as This Girl which failed to make much of an impact, but it's nice.

- I honestly did not think we would hear more from Aaron Carter after the first half of the 2000s. Guess I was proven wrong. Sooner Or Later is kinda cool.


Top 20 Breakdown:
0 — Shit:
Starving by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd
Play That Song by Train

1 — Bad:
Cold by Maroon 5

2 — Meh:
None!

3 — Decent:
Issues by Julia Michaels
Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
Million Reasons by Lady Gaga
Mercy by Shawn Mendes
Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley

4 — Good:
Paris by The Chainsmokers

5 — Great:
Everything else lol

6 ― Favorite Song Bonus:
I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk

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

Countdown Top 5
1. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
2. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars
3. Don't Leave by Snakehips featuring MO
4. Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran
5. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars

Hit-Bound Top 5
1. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
2. Green Light by Lorde
3. Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles
4. I Feel So Bad by Kungs featuring Ephemerals
5. Swalla by Jason Derulo featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj

Most Missed Song: Tear In My Heart by Twenty-one Pilots

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1 And The Countdown: Human by Rag'N'Bone Man

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: 7 Years by Lukas Graham

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande — While I don't hate this as much as Adrian and Graham do or like it as much as Spectrum Pulse does, I'm kinda more in-between. Come on people, give these tweenies credit since they're growing up. They can't be all poppy happy forever.
You Don't Own Me by Grace featuring G-Eazy — Is it wrong that I didn't even remember that this was a cover for the longest time? That aside, this had a pretty weird chart run, and I wish it did better than it did.
Ride by Twenty-one Pilots — One of the most polarizing hits in recent years. And for the record, you think that one moment in the last chorus (you know the one) is either one of the worst moments in pop music in 2016 or one of the best. There is no middle ground. But didn't this song release in 2015, anyway?

QOTD: Pillowtalk, This Town, Just Hold On or Sign Of The Times? My top pick of those would definitely be Just Hold On.

Thanks for reading, everybody!