Week of August 28, 2021 - Ed Sheeran (4)

Heyo! How are you guys? This week's Countdown was... also quite odd. There were a few good things that happened, but our Hit-Bound is being very confusing right now. I'll get into that later. For now, here are our exits for this week.

Songs We're Saying Goodbye To

Demeanor - Pop Smoke/Dua Lipa (#20) [#20] {5 weeks}

Shy Away - Twenty One Pilots (#14) [#7] {19 weeks}

Iko Iko (My Bestie) - Justin Wellington/Small Jam (#13) [#13] {8 weeks}

Last Week's #1: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran (3)

#30: Love Tonight - Shouse (DEBUT) [2 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#29: Summer of Love - Shawn Mendes/Tainy (DEBUT) [1 week in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#28: Wild Side - Normani/Cardi B (+2) [#28] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#27: everything sucks - vaultboy (+2) [#27] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#26: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems (-) [#26] {2 weeks}

#25: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish (-) [#25] {2 weeks}

#24: New Normal - Khalid (+4) [#24] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#23: Beggin' - Måneskin (-) [#23] {3 weeks}

#22: @ my worst - blackbear (DEBUT) [3 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#21: People Watching - Conan Gray (+6) [#21] {5 weeks} *new peak*

#20: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B (+4) [#20] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#19: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes (-1) [#18] {3 weeks}

#18: Take My Breath - The Weeknd (+4) [#18] {3 weeks} *new peak*

#17: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear (+4) [#15] {6 weeks}

#16: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow (-5) [#11] {4 weeks}

#15: 90s Kids - Jax (-3) [#12] {15 weeks}

#14: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd (+1) [#14] {9 weeks} *new peak*

#13: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo (-3) [1 week at #1] {20 weeks}

#12: Skate - Silk Sonic (+7) [#12] {4 weeks} *new peak*

#11: Arcade - Duncan Laurence (+5) [#10] {8 weeks}

#10: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello (+7) [#10] {5 weeks} *new peak*

#9: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots (-2) [#6] {6 weeks}

#8: A-O-K - Tai Verdes (+1) [#8] {12 weeks} *new peak*

#7: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo (-5) [9 weeks at #1] {14 weeks}

#6: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae (+2) [#4] {19 weeks}

#5: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan (-) [#3] {13 weeks}

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber (-) [#4] {7 weeks}

#3: Love Again - Dua Lipa (+3) [#3] {6 weeks} *new peak*

#2: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers (+1) [#2] {14 weeks}

#1: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran (-) [4th week at #1] {9 weeks}

Last Year's #1: Moral of the Story - Ashe/Niall Horan [2/6 weeks at #1]

Countdown Extra: Change My Clothes - Dream/Alec Benjamin

*sighs* Did this first song really need to debut? At #30, we have Love Tonight by Shouse making its entry onto the Countdown. I definitely didn't expect this to make it onto the Countdown, and I can't say I'm too thrilled that it did. This song sucks. It sounds like it's supposed to be a club song, except it's really haunting and creepy (with a saxophone!). Every singer sounds solid here, but it's not nearly enough to save the song. Also, the radio edit is four minutes long. The original song is 8:13. This really shouldn't be on the radio, and I don't get why it is.

After just one week in Hit-Bound, Summer of Love by Shawn Mendes and Tainy debuts at #29 this week. If you're unfamiliar with who Tainy is, he's a producer from Puerto Rico, and he worked on I Can't Get Enough with benny blanco, Selena Gomez and J Balvin from last year, a song that missed Hits 1. Anyways, this song isn't great. The production's kinda minimalistic, which should be fine, except that Shawn Mendes doesn't sound too great with that type of production. Plus, he's kind of whisper-singing, which also doesn't work too well with his voice. Overall, this is a very forgettable song that I hope doesn't stick around for too long, because it's just taking up space at the moment.

blackbear scores yet another song on the Weekend Countdown this week with @ my worst. I love this song. For starters, blackbear sounds great, the whole song is very catchy, and the dark production's great. Then, on top of that, he tried something really unique melodically. The verses use minor chords, and the chorus uses major chords. It ends up with a really cool effect, where it just feels like the song blossoms into the chorus. I love this, because not many artists do stuff like this nowadays. I hope this manages to stick around, because it's a fantastic song.

Best Debut: @ my worst - blackbear

Biggest Drop: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow & good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo (-5): Honestly, I just find it amusing more than anything that INDUSTRY BABY got the biggest drop after getting the biggest jump last week. As for good 4 u, I'm alright with it dropping, because it had a pretty good run here.

Biggest Jump: Skate - Silk Sonic & Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello (+7): Glad to see both of these songs jump into the top 15, because they're both quite good.

Countdown Ranking

0 - Awful:

#30: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

#29: Love Tonight - Shouse

1 - Bad:

#28: A-O-K - Tai Verdes

2 - Mediocre:

#27: Wild Side - Normani/Cardi B

#26: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae

#25: Summer of Love - Shawn Mendes/Tainy

3 - Decent:

#24: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish

#23: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#22: People Watching - Conan Gray

4 - Good:

#21: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems

#20: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers

#19: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

#18: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello

#17: everything sucks - vaultboy

#16: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

#15: 90s Kids - Jax

#14: Beggin' - Måneskin

#13: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear

5 - Great:

#12: New Normal - Khalid

#11: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow

#10: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan

#9: Skate - Silk Sonic

#8: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

#7: Take My Breath - The Weeknd

#6: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

#5: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#3: Love Again - Dua Lipa

#2: @ my worst - blackbear

#1: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots

Overall Score: 112/150 = 75%

5 Oldest Songs

#5: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan {13 weeks}
#4: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo & Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers {14 weeks}
#3: 90s Kids - Jax {15 weeks}
#2: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae {19 weeks}
#1: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo {20 weeks}

#1 Recommendation for Hits 1: 3 O'Clock Things - AJR

My Favourite Song Last Year: Bang! - AJR

My Least Favourite Song Last Year: Heather - Conan Gray

Most Missed Countdown Song: SICKO MODE - Travis Scott

Hit-Bound

HIT IT - Black Eyed Peas/Saweetie/Lele Pons [2]

I am not a woman, I'm a god - Halsey [1]

Drive You Home - Jackson Wang/Internet Money [2]

Ghost - Justin Bieber [1]

Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU [3]

Reckless - Madison Beer [3]

Visiting Hours - Ed Sheeran [2]

Change My Clothes - Dream/Alec Benjamin [2]

I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane [2]

Lilith - Halsey [1]

Say So - Masked Wolf [3; 2nd time]

seaside_demo - SEB [7]

t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l - WILLOW/Travis Barker [9]

So for whatever reason, both Love Tonight and Essence pulled a Sunday Best this week (playing in both Hit-Bound and the Weekend Countdown). This really didn't need to happen. Literally two songs dropped out of Hit-Bound this week that they easily could've put in instead of these two.

So, Halsey released her/their new album, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power yesterday, and Mikey Piff decided to add two songs from that album onto Hit-Bound this week, the first one being the actual single, I am not a woman, I'm a god. This is a good song. The chorus is actually quite catchy, and the production evolves nicely. On top of that, Halsey sounds great here. Yeah, not much else to say about this song, it's just solid, and I'll review it again if it debuts the Countdown.

Our next two debuts this week aren't actually singles, with the first one being from Justin Bieber's newest album, Justice. This song's called Ghost, and wow. This song's amazing. For one thing, Justin Bieber gives us one of the best vocal performances I've ever heard from him. The song's at a great tempo to keep it interesting while still keeping that ballad feel. Plus, the production's pretty interesting, and keeps me interested in the song. Overall, this is a fantastic song, and I hope that it's given a shot here.

For our last debut, we have a non-single from Halsey's new album, this song being called Lilith. This song's a little less interesting than I am not a woman, I'm a god, but it's still decent. Halsey sounds good here, and the production, while not too interesting, is interesting enough. Not much else to say about this one, I'll review it in more depth if it debuts the Countdown.

Our two Hit-Bound dropouts this week are Need To Know and i hope ur miserable until ur dead. For Need To Know, I just find it funny more than anything that it only lasted one more week. As for i hope ur miserable, that song was fantastic and it deserved to debut.

Best Debut: Ghost - Justin Bieber

Hit-Bound Ranking

0 - Awful:

#13: Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU

1 - Bad:

#12: HIT IT - Black Eyed Peas/Saweetie/Lele Pons

#11: t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l - WILLOW/Travis Barker

2 - Mediocre:

NONE!

3 - Decent:

#10: Reckless - Madison Beer

#9: Drive You Home - Jackson Wang/Internet Money

#8: Lilith - Halsey

#7: Change My Clothes - Dream/Alec Benjamin

#6: seaside_demo - SEB

4 - Good:

#5: I am not a woman, I'm a god - Halsey

5 - Great:

#4: Visiting Hours - Ed Sheeran

#3: Say So - Masked Wolf

#2: I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane

#1: Ghost - Justin Bieber

Overall Score: 41/65 = 63%

All I Need Are Your Bluuuuuuurbs Tonight

We lost three songs this week, Demeanor, Shy Away and Iko Iko. Demeanor was great and deserved more, Shy Away did well here, so I'm not too sad and Iko Iko was extremely forgettable.

People Watching is finally jumping, as it made its way up to #21 this week.

Hopefully with the four-spot boost that Rumors got it means that it'll be a big hit.

Why is Saturday dropping? This is ridiculous.

And finally, Love Again's up to #3, which is awesome. I'd love to see it hit #1 here.

How Hits 1 Songs Are Doing on the Hot 100

#1: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#2: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

#3: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

#4: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B

#5: Kiss Me More - Doja Cat/SZA

#6: Levitating - Dua Lipa

#7: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow

#8: Butter - BTS

#9: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

#10: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X

#11: Save Your Tears (Remix) - The Weeknd/Ariana Grande

#12: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

#13: Take My Breath - The Weeknd

#14: Peaches - Justin Bieber/Daniel Caesar/Giveon

#15: Leave The Door Open - Silk Sonic

#16: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems

#17: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#18: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish

#19: Heartbreak Anniversary - Giveon

#20: Need To Know - Doja Cat

#21: Blinding Lights - The Weeknd

#23: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers

#26: Late At Night - Roddy Ricch

#27: Thot S*** - Megan Thee Stallion

#28: RAPSTAR - Polo G

#29: traitor - Olivia Rodrigo

#31: Skate - Silk Sonic

#32: WITHOUT YOU - The Kid LAROI

#34: Heat Waves - Glass Animals

#36: Astronaut In The Ocean - Masked Wolf

#38: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

#39: Lil Bit - Nelly/Florida Georgia Line

#41: Beautiful Mistakes - Maroon 5/Megan Thee Stallion

#42: Beggin' - Måneskin

#53: Motley Crew - Post Malone

#55: A-O-K - Tai Verdes

#57: Wild Side - Normani/Cardi B

#58: Love Again - Dua Lipa

#61: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae

#62: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear

#64: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello

#66: Permission to Dance - BTS

#81: Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU

Top 10 on the Hunger Games Countdown

#10: Jalebi Baby - Tesher/Jason Derulo

#9: People Watching - Conan Gray

#8: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X

#7: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems

#6: PMA - All Time Low/Pale Waves

#5: Lifestyle - Jason Derulo/Adam Levine

#4: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots

#3: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello

#2: In The Morning - Jennifer Lopez

#1: positions - Ariana Grande

Top 10 If the Countdown Made Sense

#10: Love Again - Dua Lipa

#9: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae

#8: Take My Breath - The Weeknd

#7: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#6: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers

#5: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#3: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

#2: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

#1: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

Kwaheri, everybody! See you all in the next one.

If the Countdown Made Sense: Week of August 28, 2021 - Olivia Rodrigo (6)

Songs We're Saying Goodbye To

Fancy Like - Walker Hayes (#30) [#30] {1 week}

Shy Away - Twenty One Pilots (#29) [#22] {10 weeks}

Butter - BTS (#28) [#5] {13 weeks}

Iko Iko (My Bestie) - Justin Wellington/Small Jam (#26) [#26] {1 week}

Demeanor - Pop Smoke/Dua Lipa (#18) [#18] {4 weeks}

Last Week's #1: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo (5)

#30: 90s Kids - Jax (-6) [#24] {7 weeks} {-15}

#29: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems (DEBUT) [2 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {-3}

#28: People Watching - Conan Gray (DEBUT) [6 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {-7}

#27: Levitating - Dua Lipa (-) [#3] {39 weeks} {N/A}

#26: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X (-1) [1 week at #1] {20 weeks} {N/A}

#25: Say So - Masked Wolf (-3) [#22] {2 weeks} {N/A}

#24: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish (DEBUT) [1 week in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {+1}

#23: Kiss Me More - Doja Cat/SZA (-) [3 weeks at #1] {20 weeks} {N/A}

#22: HIT IT - Black Eyed Peas/Saweetie/Lele Pons (DEBUT) [1 week in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {N/A}

#21: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots (-) [#21] {4 weeks} {-12}

#20: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan (-) [#18] {12 weeks} {-15}

#19: Summer of Love - Shawn Mendes/Tainy (DEBUT) [1 week in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {+10}

#18: Wild Side - Normani/Cardi B (+1) [#18] {3 weeks} {+10} *new peak*

#17: Beggin' - Måneskin (-) [#17] {2 weeks} {+6}

#16: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear (-1) [#15] {6 weeks} {+1}

#15: A-O-K - Tai Verdes (-1) [#13] {7 weeks} {-7}

#14: Skate - Silk Sonic (-1) [#13] {3 weeks} {-2}

#13: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B (+3) [#13] {2 weeks} {+7} *new peak*

#12: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow (-) [#12] {4 weeks} {+4}

#11: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello (-) [#11] {5 weeks} {-1}

#10: Love Again - Dua Lipa (-1) [#9] {7 weeks} {-7}

#9: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae (-2) [#7] {16 weeks} {-3}

#8: Take My Breath - The Weeknd (+2) [#8] {3 weeks} {+10} *new peak*

#7: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd (+1) [#7] {8 weeks} {+7} *new peak*

#6: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers (-1) [#5] {13 weeks} {-4}

#5: Arcade - Duncan Laurence (+1) [#5] {9 weeks} {+6} *new peak*

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber (-) [#4] {6 weeks} {-}

#3: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran (-) [#3] {9 weeks} {-2}

#2: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo (-) [#2] {20 weeks} {+11}

#1: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo (-) [6th week at #1] {13 weeks} {+6}

Last Year's #1: Watermelon Sugar - Harry Styles [2/4 weeks at #1]

Biggest Drop: 90s Kids - Jax (-6)

Biggest Jump: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B (+3)

Hit-Bound

Change My Clothes - Dream/Alec Benjamin [2]

Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU [3]

Drive You Home - Jackson Wang/Internet Money [2]

everything sucks - vaultboy [4]

Ghost - Justin Bieber [1]

I am not a woman, I'm a god - Halsey [1]

I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane [2]

Lifetime - Swedish House Mafia/Ty Dolla $ign/070 Shake [3]

Lilith - Halsey [1]

Love Tonight - Shouse [3]

New Normal - Khalid [5]

Reckless - Madison Beer [3]

seaside_demo - SEB [7]

t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l - WILLOW/Travis Barker [9]

Visiting Hours - Ed Sheeran [2]

@ my worst - blackbear [4]

Kwaheri, everybody! See you all in the next one.

Hunger Games Countdown: Week of August 28, 2021 - Ariana Grande (2)

Songs We're Saying Goodbye To

Motley Crew - Post Malone (#30) [#3] {6 weeks}

SUN GOES DOWN - Lil Nas X (#29) [#2] {8 weeks}

Demeanor - Pop Smoke/Dua Lipa (#28) [#10] {4 weeks}

Last Week's #1: positions - Ariana Grande (1)

#30: Visiting Hours - Ed Sheeran (DEBUT) [1 week in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {N/A}

#29: Kiss Me More - Doja Cat/SZA (-5) [1 week at #1] {18 weeks} {N/A}

#28: Renegade - Big Red Machine/Taylor Swift (-9) [#19] {5 weeks} {N/A}

#27: Say So - Masked Wolf (-17) [#4] {6 weeks} {Jalebi Baby}

#26: Sucks Being Sober - Annika Wells (-24) [#2] {21 weeks} {Rumors}

#25: I Like That - Bazzi (-18) [#7] {2 weeks} {Essence}

#24: 2Drunk - Nick Jonas (-19) [1 week at #1] {23 weeks} {N/A}

#23: Dinero - Trinidad Cardona (-14) [#4] {6 weeks} {N/A}

#22: i hope ur miserable until ur dead - Nessa Barrett (DEBUT) [2 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {til the end of time}

#21: Way Less Sad - AJR (+5) [1 week at #1] {20 weeks} {People Watching}

#20: Reckless - Madison Beer (-) [#20] {2 weeks} {People Watching}

#19: @ my worst - blackbear (+2) [#17] {3 weeks} {N/A}

#18: Permission to Dance - BTS (-7) [#6] {6 weeks} {In The Morning}

#17: Your Power - Billie Eilish (-11) [#2] {14 weeks} {N/A}

#16: jump - Against The Current (-1) [#15] {2 weeks} {Jalebi Baby}

#15: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B (-11) [#4] {2 weeks} {Essence}

#14: til the end of time - almost monday (-11) [1 week at #1] {4 weeks} {F***BOY}

#13: F***BOY - Dixie (+3) [#3] {7 weeks} {N/A}

#12: NDA - Billie Eilish (+6) [#2] {6 weeks} {Lifestyle}

#11: By Your Side - Calvin Harris/Tom Grennan (+11) [#11] {2 weeks} {Lifestyle} *new peak*

#10: Jalebi Baby - Tesher/Jason Derulo (+13) [#4] {9 weeks} {N/A}

#9: People Watching - Conan Gray (+8) [1 week at #1] {4 weeks} {N/A}

#8: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X (+17) [#2] {14 weeks} {Saturday}

#7: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems (DEBUT) [2 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {positions}

#6: PMA - All Time Low/Pale Waves (+8) [#6] {3 weeks} {N/A} *new peak*

#5: Lifestyle - Jason Derulo/Adam Levine (+7) [#2] {24 weeks} {Don't Go Yet}

#4: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots (+9) [#4] {2 weeks} {In The Morning} *new peak*

#3: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello (+5) [#3] {3 weeks} {N/A} *new peak*

#2: In The Morning - Jennifer Lopez (+25) [1 week at #1] {28 weeks} {N/A}

#1: positions - Ariana Grande (-) [2nd week at #1] {33 weeks}

Last Year's #1: 7 Summers - Morgan Wallen [1/1 week at #1]

Biggest Drop: Sucks Being Sober - Annika Wells (-24)

Biggest Jump: In The Morning - Jennifer Lopez (+25)

Hit-Bound Exits

I DID IT - DJ Khaled/Post Malone/DaBaby/Megan Thee Stallion/Lil Baby [9]

Fancy Like - Walker Hayes [4]

Hit-Bound

#13: Drive You Home - Jackson Wang/Internet Money (-1) [2] {N/A}

#12: Change My Clothes - Dream/Alec Benjamin (-2) [2] {N/A}

#11: I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane (-4) [2] {N/A}

#10: I am not a woman, I'm a god - Halsey (DEBUT) [1] {N/A}

#9: Ghost - Justin Bieber (DEBUT) [1] {N/A}

#8: Summer of Love - Shawn Mendes/Tainy (-2) [2] {Skate}

#7: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber (+6) [6] {everything sucks}

#6: Lilith - Halsey (DEBUT) [1] {N/A}

#5: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers (-) [4] {N/A}

#4: HIT IT - Black Eyed Peas/Saweetie/Lele Pons (+4) [2] {Skate}

#3: Skate - Silk Sonic (+6) [3] {N/A}

#2: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish (+2) [2] {N/A}

#1: everything sucks - vaultboy (+10) [4]

Kwaheri, everybody! See you all in the next one.

Week of August 21, 2021 - Ed Sheeran (3)

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another weird as hell Weekend Countdown! Honestly, this week was just strange, and a lot of things happened that really didn't need to. I'll get into all of that soon, but for now, here are our exits.

Songs We're Saying Goodbye To

NDA - Billie Eilish (#29) [#27] {4 weeks}

Motley Crew - Post Malone (#28) [#26] {3 weeks}

working - Tate McRae/Khalid (#21) [#17] {8 weeks}

Renegade - Big Red Machine/Taylor Swift (#20) [#18] {4 weeks}

Lil Bit - Nelly/Florida Georgia Line (#11) [#6] {12 weeks} [x2]

Butter - BTS (#9) [#8] {12 weeks}

Last Year's #1: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran (2)

#30: Wild Side - Normani/Cardi B (DEBUT) [2 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#29: everything sucks - vaultboy (DEBUT) [2 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#28: New Normal - Khalid (DEBUT) [3 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#27: People Watching - Conan Gray (-2) [#25] {4 weeks}

#26: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems (DEBUT) [1 week in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#25: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish (DEBUT) [0 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#24: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B (DEBUT) [1 week in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#23: Beggin' - Måneskin (+4) [#23] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#22: Take My Breath - The Weeknd (+8) [#22] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#21: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear (-6) [#15] {5 weeks}

#20: Demeanor - Pop Smoke/Dua Lipa (+6) [#20] {5 weeks} *new peak*

#19: Skate - Silk Sonic (+3) [#19] {3 weeks} *new peak*

#18: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes (+5) [#18] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#17: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello (+1) [#17] {4 weeks} *new peak*

#16: Arcade - Duncan Laurence (-) [#10] {7 weeks}

#15: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd (+2) [#15] {8 weeks} *new peak*

#14: Shy Away - Twenty One Pilots (-) [#7] {19 weeks}

#13: Iko Iko (My Bestie) - Justin Wellington/Small Jam (+6) [#13] {8 weeks} *new peak*

#12: 90s Kids - Jax (-) [#12] {14 weeks}

#11: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow (+13) [#11] {3 weeks} *new peak*

#10: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo (-) [1 week at #1] {19 weeks}

#9: A-O-K - Tai Verdes (+4) [#9] {11 weeks} *new peak*

#8: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae (-1) [#4] {18 weeks}

#7: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots (-1) [#6] {5 weeks}

#6: Love Again - Dua Lipa (+2) [#6] {5 weeks} *new peak*

#5: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan (-) [#3] {12 weeks}

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber (-) [#4] {6 weeks}

#3: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers (-1) [#2] {13 weeks}

#2: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo (+1) [9 weeks at #1] {13 weeks}

#1: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran (-) [3rd week at #1] {8 weeks}

Last Year's #1: Moral of the Story - Ashe/Niall Horan [1/6 weeks at #1]

Countdown Extra: Reckless - Madison Beer

So I forgot to go over the Hit-Bound exits for last week, but basically, we lost four songs that are still getting spins today (Wild Side, New Normal, Lost and I Like That) and two songs that only spent one week in Hit-Bound (jump and PMA). So basically, the songs that had no reason to leave. Anyways, one of the songs that left Hit-Bound last week, Wild Side by Normani and Cardi B debuts this week at #30. This didn't need to happen. This song really isn't that good. It's super boring, and ridiculously forgettable. Both Normani and Cardi sound good here, but that's pretty much the only notable thing about this song. I can't possibly see this sticking around for very long, and I sure hope it doesn't.

After being announced as our new One to Watch last week, vaultboy makes his countdown debut this week with his One to Watch song, everything sucks. This song's good. I really like the production here, and I think vaultboy actually sounds quite good here, especially in the chorus. The song as a whole is pretty catchy and fun, and it's pretty enjoyable. However, I do have a couple complaints here. For one thing, the song is only 1:55, which is ridiculously short. Also, some of the lines here are... not great, and clearly geared for TikTok. Actually, come to think of it, the entire song is clearly geared for TikTok. But, overall, this is still a very solid song, and I'm not sad that it's the One to Watch.

Also dropping out of Hit-Bound last week and debuting on the Countdown this week, we have New Normal by Khalid at #28. My opinion on this song hasn't really changed since it debuted Hit-Bound. I really feel like I shouldn't like this song, because it's very R&B, and I don't generally like R&B songs, but somehow, I thoroughly enjoy this song. Khalid sounds fantastic throughout, and the chorus is actually kind of catchy. The production evolves nicely, and remains interesting until the end of the song. This definitely isn't Khalid's best, in fact, I'd say it ranks just above Better and below Love Lies with his solo stuff, but I'd still love to see it become a hit here.

After debuting Hit-Bound last week, Essence by WizKid, Justin Bieber and Tems makes its debut on the Countdown this week at #26. Yeah, I still like this song. I think it's very possible that it could fade on me, because it's pretty forgettable, but for now, I like it. Everybody here sounds good and fits well with their respective parts, and the beat's decent. It gets slightly boring as the song goes on, and I think it's a little too long, but it remains interesting enough that I still find the song good. I can't see this becoming a hit though.

I'm extremely conflicted on this next song, Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish. Here's how I feel: The first half of this song is super boring, and reminds me of my future or Your Power, both of which sucked, and Billie doesn't sound great during it. But, about halfway through the song, it picks up a lot and becomes a rock song, which somehow fits really well with Billie's voice. I actually really love this section of the song, specifically the part before the full instrumentation kicks in. The reason for that is because the instrumentation is way too loud and sounds like an earrape version of a song, which just makes it really hard to listen to. If I factored all of that together, this song would end up either in the "mediocre" or "bad" tier, but here's where I start to get really conflicted. The radio edit that Hits 1 plays slashes most of the boring part, and turns down the loud part a bit. So it basically takes everything I don't like about the song and makes it better in one way or another. I've decided I'll just factor in the radio edit (even though it's not on Spotify), but even then, the issues are still there, even if they're better than the OG version. So for now, this will be in the "decent" tier, but I would definitely expect that to change. Whether it'll change to "good" or "mediocre", I'm not sure, but we'll see.

Finally, we have the best debut of the week by far. It's Lizzo's big return, Rumors with Cardi B. I love this song. I think I listened to it one too many times this week, which is why it's not my favourite Countdown song this week, but it's still a great song. Both Lizzo and Cardi sound amazing in this song and have great chemistry together. The song is insanely catchy, and the instrumentation is really interesting and changes a lot throughout the song. The lyrics are also filled with self-confidence, which is something that Lizzo does really well. Overall, this is a great song that's destined to be a huge hit.

Best Debut: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B

Biggest Drop: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear (-6): After getting the biggest jump of the week last week, this song drops to #21. This kind of sucks, because I do like the song, but it's alright.

Biggest Jump: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow (+13): Ayy, nice to see this song all the way up at #11. I hope this can hit the top 10 somewhat soon.

Countdown Ranking

0 - Awful:

#30: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

1 - Bad:

#29: A-O-K - Tai Verdes

2 - Mediocre:

#28: Wild Side - Normani/Cardi B

#27: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae

3 - Decent:

#26: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish

#25: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#24: People Watching - Conan Gray

4 - Good:

#23: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers

#22: Iko Iko (My Bestie) - Justin Wellington/Small Jam

#21: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems

#20: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

#19: everything sucks - vaultboy

#18: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

#17: Beggin' - Måneskin

#16: 90s Kids - Jax

#15: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello

#14: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear

5 - Great:

#13: New Normal - Khalid

#12: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow

#11: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan

#10: Skate - Silk Sonic

#9: Demeanor - Pop Smoke/Dua Lipa

#8: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

#7: Shy Away - Twenty One Pilots

#6: Take My Breath - The Weeknd

#5: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#3: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B

#2: Love Again - Dua Lipa

#1: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots

Overall Score: 119/150 = 79%

5 Oldest Songs

#5: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan {12 weeks}
#4: Leave Before You Love - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers & good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo {13 weeks}
#3: 90s Kids - Jax {14 weeks}
#2: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae {18 weeks}
#1: Shy Away - Twenty One Pilots & deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo {19 weeks}

#1 Recommendation for Hits 1: 3 O'Clock Things - AJR

My Favourite Song Last Year: Bang! - AJR

My Least Favourite Song Last Year: Heather - Conan Gray

Most Missed Countdown Song: Heavy - Linkin Park/Kiiara

Hit-Bound

Need To Know - Doja Cat [2]

Change My Clothes - Dream/Alec Benjamin [1]

seaside_demo - SEB [6]

Summer of Love - Shawn Mendes/Tainy [1]

Drive You Home - Jackson Wang/Internet Money [1]

t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l - WILLOW/Travis Barker [8]

@ my worst - blackbear [3]

I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane [1]

Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU [2]

Visiting Hours - Ed Sheeran [1]

Love Tonight - Shouse [2]

Reckless - Madison Beer [2]

i hope ur miserable until ur dead - Nessa Barrett [2]

HIT IT - Black Eyed Peas/Saweetie/Lele Pons [1]

Say So - Masked Wolf [2; 2nd time]

Returning to Hit-Bound this week, we have Need To Know by Doja Cat, which only spent one week in Hit-Bound before being replaced by You Right. I'm not entirely sure why this is here, as it was mainly a promotional single, and I'm still not a huge fan of the song.

So... Dream is on Hits 1 now. If you're unaware of who Dream is, he's one of the biggest Minecraft content creators out there, and I guess he's doing music now. I'm 99% sure that this song, Change My Clothes is only here because Alec Benjamin is on the song. This song's decent. Alec Benjamin's definitely the better singer on here, but Dream isn't a bad singer. Alec just sounds really good on his hook and bridge. The production's cool, and I quite like it, but the song as a whole isn't very interesting and is pretty forgettable. I don't really see this becoming a hit, but Hits 1 likes to surprise me sometimes, so it definitely could be.

Shawn Mendes returns for the first time since late last year, when he gave us Monster, this time with a song called Summer of Love with producer Tainy. I tend to like Shawn Mendes, all of his stuff from the past couple of years was quite good, but I'm not quite feeling this one. It's just not very interesting. I get that he's going for a more chill vibe here, and Tainy's production pulls that off pretty well, but Shawn doesn't sound that great here. He's kind of whisper-singing, and it doesn't work with his voice at all. I wish there was more happening here too, because I get quite bored about halfway through. I'm sure this will be somewhat of a hit, but I wouldn't really care either way.

Internet Money score their second song on Hits 1 this week after Lemonade with a collaboration with Jackson Wang, Drive You Home. I'm not loving this song right off the bat, but it could definitely grow on me. Internet Money's production is great here, and Jackson Wang sounds decent, but I don't love the melodies here that much. The verses just aren't that interesting, and I feel like the chorus should have less breaks in between the lines. I don't know if that's just me or not, but my opinion on it could change. I guess I'd be fine if this debuted soon.

Clinton Kane returns this week with his third song on Hit-Bound, I GUESS I'M IN LOVE. I've really loved Clinton Kane's songs so far, and this definitely isn't an exception. It's weird, I've never been that into ballads, but there's just something about Clinton Kane that I can't get enough of. I love his voice here, the simple piano at the start is great, and it evolves really nicely, and the writing's also amazing. Overall, this is a great song (probably better than Fix It to Break It, but not quite as good as CHICKEN TENDIES) and I'd love to see it be a hit here.

Ed Sheeran brings his second single from his upcoming album, =, after Bad Habits (weird side note, but I'm glad the album cover for that was changed), and this new one's called Visiting Hours. It's another ballad, and, as I feel with most of Ed's ballads, I really like it. Ed sounds great here, and the production evolves really nicely. The lyrics also hit pretty hard, as it's about somebody he knew that passed away. I don't really see this being a huge hit, but I'm still glad it's here.

Finally, we have HIT IT by the Black Eyed Peas, Saweetie and Lele Pons. I haven't loved BEP's new sound, and I'm very glad that Hits 1 decided to skip out on their song GIRL LIKE ME with Shakira, as that was just a truly awful song, but unfortunately, they didn't do the same with this song. I don't like this song at all. I honestly question some of the production decisions here, they're just really weird. Honestly, the only good part of this song is Saweetie's verse, which is saying something, because I hated Tap In and wasn't too much of a fan of her verse in Best Friend. I'd rather not have this debut.

We lost a bunch more Hit-Bound songs this week, Sweet Dream, traitor, Psycho, Kiss My (Uh Oh) and til the end of time. I'm not convinced at all that Sweet Dream, traitor and Psycho are gone, and they'll probably all end up debuting the Countdown somewhat soon, which is good, because they're all good. As for Kiss My (Uh Oh), it was fantastic and deserved an actual shot here. til the end of time was fine, and was actually starting to grow on me, but I never expected it to even get close to debuting, so I'm not disappointed.

Best Debut: I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane

Hit-Bound Ranking

0 - Awful:

#15: Love Tonight - Shouse

#14: Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU

1 - Bad:

#13: HIT IT - Black Eyed Peas/Saweetie/Lele Pons

#12: t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l - WILLOW/Travis Barker

2 - Mediocre:

#11: Need To Know - Doja Cat

#10: Summer of Love - Shawn Mendes/Tainy

3 - Decent:

#9: Reckless - Madison Beer

#8: Drive You Home - Jackson Wang/Internet Money

#7: Change My Clothes - Dream/Alec Benjamin

#6: seaside_demo - SEB

4 - Good:

NONE!

5 - Great:

#5: Visiting Hours - Ed Sheeran

#4: Say So - Masked Wolf

#3: i hope ur miserable until ur dead - Nessa Barrett

#2: I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane

#1: @ my worst - blackbear

Overall Score: 43/75 = 57% (Holy crap, that score dropped a lot from last week)

All the Blurbs Are True, Yeah

We had six Countdown exits this week, NDA, Motley Crew, working, Renegade, Lil Bit and Butter. I'm quite happy that NDA and Lil Bit are gone, as they were both quite bad. Motley Crew was decent, and I don't really understand why it wasn't bigger than it was. Both working and Renegade got totally robbed and should've been much bigger hits here. As for Butter, I was starting to get quite tired of it, so I'm not disappointed at all that it's gone.

People Watching really deserves to be doing better than it is, because it's quite good. Also, I thought Hits 1 liked Conan Gray?

All of our debuts from last week got pretty big boosts this week, with Beggin' jumping up four spots to #23, Take My Breath jumping up eight spots to #22 and Fancy Like jumping up five spots to #18. I'm glad Beggin' got the jump, because it's pretty good, and I'm very happy that Take My Breath got a good jump, because I really like it. As for Fancy Like, why is this becoming a thing?

Speaking of songs that got big jumps, Demeanor finally jumped up into the top 20. I hope it can stick around, because I like it a lot.

For whatever reason, Iko Iko's at #13. This really doesn't need to be a hit, that's okay. Even though I like it, it feels like it's just taking up space that could be filled by... oh, I don't know... traitor?

Bruh, how is 90s Kids still here? We've gone through one and a half One to Watch cycles since it stopped being the One to Watch. I guess I'm not complaining, I'm just really confused.

Unfortunately, A-O-K is up at #9. This kind of sucks, because I still don't really like the song. I'd seriously rather not have this be a big hit here.

Love Again's up to #6, which is great, but did it really have to kick Saturday down to #7?

Wow, I can't believe it's been a full year since Bang! debuted the Countdown. I actually still listen to this song on the daily. It's still #3 on my most played songs on Spotify this month. This song was just a great introduction to a great album and still remains as my favourite AJR song to date. I honestly kind of regret only giving it #3 on my Year-End list sometimes, but then I re-listen to Come & Go and Blinding Lights and I realize that those songs are amazing too. Just wanted to take a moment to appreciate one of my all-time favourite songs.

How Hits 1 Songs Are Doing on the Hot 100

#1: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#2: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

#3: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

#4: Kiss Me More - Doja Cat/SZA

#5: Levitating - Dua Lipa

#6: Take My Breath - The Weeknd

#7: Butter - BTS

#8: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow

#9: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X

#10: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

#11: Save Your Tears (Remix) - The Weeknd/Ariana Grande

#12: Peaches - Justin Bieber/Daniel Caesar/Giveon

#13: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish

#14: Leave The Door Open - Silk Sonic

#15: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

#16: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#17: Heartbreak Anniversary - Giveon

#18: Blinding Lights - The Weeknd

#19: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers

#20: Need To Know - Doja Cat

#25: RAPSTAR - Polo G

#26: Late At Night - Roddy Ricch

#27: Lil Bit - Nelly/Florida Georgia Line

#28: WITHOUT YOU - The Kid LAROI

#29: Thot S*** - Megan Thee Stallion

#30: Astronaut In The Ocean - Masked Wolf

#31: Heat Waves - Glass Animals

#33: traitor - Olivia Rodrigo

#35: Skate - Silk Sonic

#36: Beautiful Mistakes - Maroon 5/Megan Thee Stallion

#37: telepatía - Kali Uchis

#41: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

#42: my ex's best friend - Machine Gun Kelly/blackbear

#44: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems

#48: Motley Crew - Post Malone

#50: Beggin' - Måneskin

#55: Permission to Dance - BTS

#60: Wild Side - Normani/Cardi B

#61: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae

#62: A-O-K - Tai Verdes

#63: Love Again - Dua Lipa

#64: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear

#66: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello

#77: NDA - Billie Eilish

#88: i hope ur miserable until ur dead - Nessa Barrett

Top 10 on the Hunger Games Countdown

#10: Say So - Masked Wolf

#9: Dinero - Trinidad Cardona

#8: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello

#7: I Like That - Bazzi

#6: Your Power - Billie Eilish

#5: 2Drunk - Nick Jonas

#4: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B

#3: til the end of time - almost monday

#2: Sucks Being Sober - Annika Wells

#1: positions - Ariana Grande

Top 10 If the Countdown Made Sense

#10: Take My Breath - The Weeknd

#9: Love Again - Dua Lipa

#8: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#7: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae

#6: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

#5: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#3: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

#2: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

#1: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

Kwaheri, everybody! See you all in the next one.

If the Countdown Made Sense: Week of August 21, 2021 - Olivia Rodrigo (5)

Songs We're Saying Goodbye To

Save Your Tears (Remix) - The Weeknd/Ariana Grande (#30) [1 week at #1] {34 weeks}

Lil Bit - Nelly/Florida Georgia Line (#26) [#10] {16 weeks}

traitor - Olivia Rodrigo (#25) [#25] {1 week}

NDA - Billie Eilish (#19) [#19] {4 weeks}

Motley Crew - Post Malone (#14) [#14] {3 weeks}

working - Tate McRae/Khalid (#12) [#12] {7 weeks}

Last Week's #1: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo (4)

#30: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes (DEBUT) [4 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {-12}

#29: Shy Away - Twenty One Pilots (-) [#22] {10 weeks} {-15}

#28: Butter - BTS (-23) [#5] {13 weeks} {N/A}

#27: Levitating - Dua Lipa (+1) [#3] {38 weeks} {N/A}

#26: Iko Iko (My Bestie) - Justin Wellington/Small Jam (DEBUT) [7 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {-13}

#25: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X (-1) [1 week at #1] {19 weeks} {N/A}

#24: 90s Kids - Jax (+3) [#24] {6 weeks} {-12} *new peak*

#23: Kiss Me More - Doja Cat/SZA (-) [3 weeks at #1] {19 weeks} {N/A}

#22: Say So - Masked Wolf (DEBUT) [5 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {N/A}

#21: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots (-) [#21] {3 weeks} {-14}

#20: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan (-) [#18] {11 weeks} {-15}

#19: Wild Side - Normani/Cardi B (RE-ENTRY) [#19] {2 weeks} {+11} *new peak*

#18: Demeanor - Pop Smoke/Dua Lipa (+4) [#18] {4 weeks} {+2} *new peak*

#17: Beggin' - Måneskin (DEBUT) [4 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {+6}

#16: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B (DEBUT) [1 week in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {+8}

#15: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear (+1) [#15] {5 weeks} {+6} *new peak*

#14: A-O-K - Tai Verdes (-1) [#13] {6 weeks} {-5}

#13: Skate - Silk Sonic (+4) [#13] {2 weeks} {+6} *new peak*

#12: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow (+3) [#12] {3 weeks} {-1} *new peak*

#11: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello (-) [#11] {4 weeks} {+6}

#10: Take My Breath - The Weeknd (+8) [#10] {2 weeks} {+12} *new peak*

#9: Love Again - Dua Lipa (+1) [#9] {6 weeks} {-3} *new peak*

#8: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd (+1) [#8] {7 weeks} {+7} *new peak*

#7: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae (-) [#7] {15 weeks} {+1}

#6: Arcade - Duncan Laurence (+2) [#6] {8 weeks} {+10} *new peak*

#5: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers (+1) [#5] {12 weeks} {-2} *new peak*

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber (-) [#4] {5 weeks} {-}

#3: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran (-) [#3] {8 weeks} {-2}

#2: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo (-) [#2] {19 weeks} {+8}

#1: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo (-) [5th week at #1] {12 weeks} {+1}

Last Year's #1: ROCKSTAR - DaBaby/Roddy Ricch [3/3 weeks at #1]

Biggest Drop: Butter - BTS (-23)

Biggest Jump: Take My Breath - The Weeknd (+8)

Hit-Bound

Change My Clothes - Dream/Alec Benjamin [1]

Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU [2]

Drive You Home - Jackson Wang/Internet Money [1]

Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems [2]

everything sucks - vaultboy [3]

Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish [1]

HIT IT - Black Eyed Peas/Saweetie/Lele Pons [1]

I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane [1]

i hope ur miserable until ur dead - Nessa Barrett [2]

Lifetime - Swedish House Mafia/Ty Dolla $ign/070 Shake [2]

Love Tonight - Shouse [2]

Need To Know - Doja Cat [2]

New Normal - Khalid [4]

People Watching - Conan Gray [6]

Reckless - Madison Beer [2]

seaside_demo - SEB [6]

Summer of Love - Shawn Mendes/Tainy [1]

t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l - WILLOW/Travis Barker [8]

Visiting Hours - Ed Sheeran [1]

@ my worst - blackbear [3]

Kwaheri, everybody! See you all in the next one.

Hunger Games Countdown: Week of August 21, 2021 - Ariana Grande (1)

Songs We're Saying Goodbye To

Bad Girl - Daya (#30) [1 week at #1] {21 weeks}

Iko Iko (My Bestie) - Justin Wellington/Small Jam (#29) [#3] {4 weeks}

We're Good - Dua Lipa (#28) [1 week at #1] {23 weeks}

THINK ABOUT ME - jxdn (#27) [1 week at #1] {7 weeks}

telepatía - Kali Uchis (#26) [#3] {14 weeks}

Psycho - Dixie/Rubi Rose (#25) [#4] {3 weeks}

Last Week's #1: til the end of time - almost monday (1)

#30: Motley Crew - Post Malone (-23) [#3] {6 weeks} {til the end of time}

#29: SUN GOES DOWN - Lil Nas X (-7) [#2] {8 weeks} {I Like That}

#28: Demeanor - Pop Smoke/Dua Lipa (-18) [#10] {4 weeks} {N/A}

#27: In The Morning - Jennifer Lopez (-24) [1 week at #1] {27 weeks} {Sucks Being Sober}

#26: Way Less Sad - AJR (-5) [1 week at #1] {19 weeks} {F***BOY}

#25: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X (-17) [#2] {13 weeks} {N/A}

#24: Kiss Me More - Doja Cat/SZA (-6) [1 week at #1] {17 weeks} {positions}

#23: Jalebi Baby - Tesher/Jason Derulo (-19) [#4] {8 weeks} {Rumors}

#22: By Your Side - Calvin Harris/Tom Grennan (DEBUT) [9 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {Rumors}

#21: @ my worst - blackbear (-4) [#17] {2 weeks} {Lifestyle}

#20: Reckless - Madison Beer (DEBUT) [1 week in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {I Like That}

#19: Renegade - Big Red Machine/Taylor Swift (+4) [#19] {4 weeks} {PMA}

#18: NDA - Billie Eilish (-13) [#2] {5 weeks} {til the end of time}

#17: People Watching - Conan Gray (-15) [1 week at #1] {3 weeks} {PMA}

#16: F***BOY - Dixie (-) [#3] {6 weeks} {N/A}

#15: jump - Against The Current (DEBUT) [2 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {F***BOY}

#14: PMA - All Time Low/Pale Waves (+5) [#14] {2 weeks} {Permission to Dance}

#13: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots (DEBUT) [4 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {N/A}

#12: Lifestyle - Jason Derulo/Adam Levine (+8) [#2] {23 weeks} {Sucks Being Sober}

#11: Permission to Dance - BTS (-5) [#6] {5 weeks} {N/A}

#10: Say So - Masked Wolf (-1) [#4] {5 weeks} {N/A}

#9: Dinero - Trinidad Cardona (+3) [#4] {5 weeks} {2Drunk}

#8: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello (+5) [#8] {2 weeks} {N/A} *new peak*

#7: I Like That - Bazzi (DEBUT) [3 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {N/A}

#6: Your Power - Billie Eilish (+18) [#2] {13 weeks} {N/A}

#5: 2Drunk - Nick Jonas (+10) [1 week at #1] {22 weeks} {N/A}

#4: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B (DEBUT) [1 week in Hit-Bound] {1 week} {Sucks Being Sober}

#3: til the end of time - almost monday (-2) [1 week at #1] {3 weeks} {positions}

#2: Sucks Being Sober - Annika Wells (+9) [#2] {20 weeks} {N/A}

#1: positions - Ariana Grande (+13) [1st week at #1] {32 weeks} *new peak*

Last Year's #1: You Need To Calm Down - Taylor Swift [4/4 weeks at #1]

Biggest Drop: In The Morning - Jennifer Lopez (-24)

Biggest Jump: Your Power - Billie Eilish (+18)

Hit-Bound Exits

Kiss My (Uh Oh) - Anne-Marie/Little Mix [3]

Bummerland - AJR [1; 2nd time]

Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU [1]

Love Tonight - Shouse [1]

Take My Breath - The Weeknd [1]

Hit-Bound

#15: I DID IT - DJ Khaled/Post Malone/DaBaby/Megan Thee Stallion/Lil Baby (-8) [9] {N/A}

#14: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes (RE-ENTRY) [4] {N/A}

#13: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber (-2) [5] {N/A}

#12: Drive You Home - Jackson Wang/Internet Money (DEBUT) [1] {N/A}

#11: everything sucks - vaultboy (-3) [3] {N/A}

#10: Change My Clothes - Dream/Alec Benjamin (DEBUT) [1] {N/A}

#9: Skate - Silk Sonic (RE-ENTRY) [2] {Happier Than Ever & Summer of Love}

#8: HIT IT - Black Eyed Peas/Saweetie/Lele Pons (DEBUT) [1] {N/A}

#7: I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane (DEBUT) [1] {N/A}

#6: Summer of Love - Shawn Mendes/Tainy (DEBUT) [1] {Essence}

#5: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers (RE-ENTRY) [3] {Happier Than Ever}

#4: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish (DEBUT) [1] {Essence}

#3: i hope ur miserable until ur dead - Nessa Barrett (+6) [2] {N/A}

#2: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems (+8) [2] {Visiting Hours}

#1: Visiting Hours - Ed Sheeran (DEBUT) [1]

Kwaheri, everybody! See you all in the next one.

Week of August 14, 2021 - Ed Sheeran (2)

Hey, everyone! Just so you all know, I'll be gone for all of next week. My posts for next week will come out on the Monday. This week's countdown was pretty interesting. There was a lot of movement, and we got a ton of new Hit-Bound songs that I get to review today. Here are our three exits for this week.

Songs We're Saying Goodbye To

MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X (#21) [#2] {18 weeks}

WANNA BE - jxdn/Machine Gun Kelly (#20) [#18] {5 weeks}

Kiss Me More - Doja Cat/SZA (#5) [#2] {17 weeks}

Last Week's #1: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran (1)

#30: Take My Breath - The Weeknd (DEBUT) [0 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#29: NDA - Billie Eilish (-2) [#27] {4 weeks}

#28: Motley Crew - Post Malone (-2) [#26] {3 weeks}

#27: Beggin' - Måneskin (DEBUT) [3 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#26: Demeanor - Pop Smoke/Dua Lipa (+2) [#26] {4 weeks} *new peak*

#25: People Watching - Conan Gray (+4) [#25] {3 weeks}

#24: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow (+6) [#24] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#23: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes (DEBUT) [3 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#22: Skate - Silk Sonic (+2) [#22] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#21: working - Tate McRae/Khalid (-4) [#17] {8 weeks}

#20: Renegade - Big Red Machine/Taylor Swift (-2) [#18] {4 weeks}

#19: Iko Iko (My Bestie) - Justin Wellington/Small Jam (-) [#16] {7 weeks}

#18: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello (+7) [#18] {3 weeks} *new peak*

#17: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd (+6) [#17] {7 weeks} *new peak*

#16: Arcade - Duncan Laurence (-3) [#10] {6 weeks}

#15: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear (+7) [#15] {4 weeks} *new peak*

#14: Shy Away - Twenty One Pilots (+1) [#7] {18 weeks}

#13: A-O-K - Tai Verdes (+3) [#13] {10 weeks} *new peak*

#12: 90s Kids - Jax (-) [#12] {13 weeks}

#11: Lil Bit - Nelly/Florida Georgia Line (-2) [#6] {12 weeks}

#10: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo (+1) [1 week at #1] {18 weeks}

#9: Butter - BTS (-1) [#8] {12 weeks}

#8: Love Again - Dua Lipa (+6) [#8] {4 weeks} *new peak*

#7: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae (-3) [#4] {17 weeks}

#6: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots (+1) [#6] {4 weeks} *new peak*

#5: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan (+1) [#3] {11 weeks}

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber (+6) [#4] {5 weeks} *new peak*

#3: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo (-) [9 weeks at #1] {12 weeks}

#2: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers (-) [#2] {12 weeks}

#1: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran (-) [2nd week at #1] {7 weeks}

Last Year's #1: Midnight - Alesso/Liam Payne [1/1 week at #1]

Countdown Extra: everything sucks - vaultboy

So our first debut this week skips Hit-Bound. It's Take My Breath by The Weeknd at #30. This is the first single from his next album, and it doesn't stray very far from the '80s-sounding singles we got from After Hours. As always, Abel sounds great throughout the song, and the chorus is super catchy. Tie that all together with great production, and you have a very solid song. I wouldn't say this is nearly as good as Blinding Lights or In Your Eyes, but I would say that it's better than Save Your Tears.

After dropping out of Hit-Bound last week, Beggin' by Måneskin debuts at #27 this week. I'm gonna be honest: this song's grown on me a lot since it debuted Hit-Bound a month ago. I still don't love the guy's voice here, but I do love the instrumentation, and the verses are great. I'd love to see this become a hit here, because it's quite a good song.

*sighs* For whatever reason, Fancy Like by Walker Hayes has actually managed to debut the Weekend Countdown. My only question is: why? This song's very bad. Honestly, it's worse than NDA. I strongly dislike Walker Hayes' voice, and the production here's grating too. The chorus is also just straight-up annoying. I can see myself getting very tired of this song very quickly if it decides to stick around here, which I hope it doesn't. We don't need country songs like this here.

Best Debut: Take My Breath - The Weeknd

Biggest Drop: working - Tate McRae/Khalid (-4): Aw, that sucks. Luckily, it's only four spots, so it could definitely make a rebound next week, which I hope it does.

Biggest Jump: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello & Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear (+7): I'm more happy about Memory getting a good boost than I am about Don't Go Yet, but it's nice to see both songs gaining traction here.

Countdown Ranking

0 - Awful:

#30: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

#29: NDA - Billie Eilish

1 - Bad:

#28: A-O-K - Tai Verdes

#27: Lil Bit - Nelly/Florida Georgia Line

2 - Mediocre:

#26: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae

3 - Decent:

#25: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#24: Motley Crew - Post Malone

#23: People Watching - Conan Gray

4 - Good:

#22: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers

#21: Iko Iko (My Bestie) - Justin Wellington/Small Jam

#20: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

#19: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello

#18: Renegade - Big Red Machine/Taylor Swift

#17: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

#16: 90s Kids - Jax

#15: Beggin' - Måneskin

#14: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear

#13: working - Tate McRae/Khalid

5 - Great:

#12: Butter - BTS

#11: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow

#10: Skate - Silk Sonic

#9: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan

#8: Shy Away - Twenty One Pilots

#7: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

#6: Take My Breath - The Weeknd

#5: Demeanor - Pop Smoke/Dua Lipa

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#3: Love Again - Dua Lipa

#2: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

#1: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots

Overall Score: 113/150 = 75%

5 Oldest Songs

#5: Our Song - Anne-Marie/Niall Horan {11 weeks}

#4: Lil Bit - Nelly/Florida Georgia Line, Butter - BTS, good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo & Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers {12 weeks}
#3: 90s Kids - Jax {13 weeks}
#2: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae {17 weeks}
#1: Shy Away - Twenty One Pilots & deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo {18 weeks}

#1 Recommendation for Hits 1: 3 O'Clock Things - AJR

My Favourite Song Last Year: Lose Somebody - Kygo/OneRepublic

My Least Favourite Song Last Year: Daisies - Katy Perry

Most Missed Countdown Song: Jumpsuit - Twenty One Pilots

Hit-Bound

Say So - Masked Wolf [1; 2nd time]

Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU [1]

everything sucks - vaultboy [2]

Sweet Dream - Alessia Cara [5]

Reckless - Madison Beer [1]

Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems [1]

i hope ur miserable until ur dead - Nessa Barrett [1]

Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B [1]

Love Tonight - Shouse [1]

traitor - Olivia Rodrigo [2]

@ my worst - blackbear [2]

Psycho - Dixie/Rubi Rose [4]

t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l - WILLOW/Travis Barker [7]

Kiss My (Uh Oh) - Anne-Marie/Little Mix [3]

seaside_demo - SEB [5]

til the end of time - almost monday [3]

Both Say So and t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l re-entered Hit-Bound this week. For one of them, I'm very happy, because I thought it was gone forever, and for the other one, I really wish it had have stayed gone. Take a wild guess as to which is which.

Our first Hit-Bound debut this week is a collaboration between... what? Elton John and Dua Lipa? May I ask why? There's also production from PNAU, who if you remember, made a song called Go Bang back in 2018. Yeah, I don't like this song. I've never really liked Elton John's voice, and here's really no exception. Also, the production's just weird. I'm not sure why, but I really don't like it, and it doesn't feel like it should be on pop radio. Sure, Dua Lipa sounds good here, but it's not nearly enough to save the song.

Madison Beer returns this week for the first time since 2019's Hurts Like Hell, this time with a song called Reckless. This song's solid. The melodies and the production are great here, and I think the production evolves really well for a ballad like this. However, I think this song needed a voice more powerful than Madison Beer's. She's not a bad singer, but I think she's more cut out for pop-y songs than power ballads. Also, weird side note, but the chorus here really sounds like the pre-chorus from Good Thing by Zedd and Kehlani, a much better song from last year.

Next up is WizKid (yes, the guy that featured on Drake's One Dance) teaming up with Justin Bieber and Tems on a song called Essence. Honestly, this is just a very solid R&B song. All of the artists fit well with their respective parts, and the production's pretty good. Honestly, I don't have much else to say about it. It's just a very solid song, although it's kind of forgettable.

Nessa Barrett scores her second song on Hits 1 this week, with a very cheery song, i hope ur miserable until ur dead. 😄 This is just a great pop-rock song. I thought that la di die was good, but the instrumentation here is honestly incredible, Nessa Barrett sounds great throughout, and her voice fits really well with the song. I actually really love this song, and I'd love to see it become a hit.

Lizzo returns this week after a while with a new song, Rumors featuring Cardi B. This song is fantastic. Honestly, I'd call it the best rap/pop song yet this year. Both Lizzo and Cardi B sound great here, and have great flow and chemistry. The self-confidence in the lyrics are great, and it's one of the things that I love about Lizzo. The production here is also fantastic, specifically when the electric guitar kicks in near the end. I love this song and I'd love to see it become a huge hit.

Finally, we have a song called Love Tonight by a group called Shouse. Yeah, I don't like this song. Everybody here sounds fine, but the song gives off a bit of a creepy vibe, which I really don't like. The production also doesn't seem to fit here, as if you're just listening to the melodies, it could easily be a fun, upbeat song, but instead it's haunting with a saxophone. I'd rather not have this become a hit.

Best Hit-Bound Debut: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B

Hit-Bound Ranking

0 - Awful:

#16: Love Tonight - Shouse

#15: Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU

1 - Bad:

#14: t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l - WILLOW/Travis Barker

2 - Mediocre:

NONE!

3 - Decent:

#13: seaside_demo - SEB

#12: Reckless - Madison Beer

#11: til the end of time - almost monday

4 - Good:

#10: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems

#9: everything sucks - vaultboy

#8: Psycho - Dixie/Rubi Rose

5 - Great:

#7: Sweet Dream - Alessia Cara

#6: traitor - Olivia Rodrigo

#5: Kiss My (Uh Oh) - Anne-Marie/Little Mix

#4: i hope ur miserable until ur dead - Nessa Barrett

#3: Say So - Masked Wolf

#2: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B

#1: @ my worst - blackbear

Overall Score: 57/80 = 71%

Take My Blurbs... Away

So, vaultboy has been chosen as the next One to Watch, but his song everything sucks hadn't been getting spins all week, so it's just the Countdown Extra rather than actually debuting the Countdown. Strange.

Our three exits this week were MONTERO, WANNA BE and Kiss Me More. MONTERO was good but old, and I'm satisfied with how it did here. WANNA BE was never that good, so I'm not disappointed that it's gone, and Kiss Me More is now the highest dropout ever, leaving from #5. I never really liked the song, so I'm not disappointed that it's gone.

NDA fell to #29 this week. Hopefully this means that it won't stick around for too much longer.

Demeanor is up to #26, which is great. I hope it sticks around for more than a month.

INDUSTRY BABY got a big boost from its debut last week up to #24, which is great. I'd love to see this song do well here.

Surprisingly, You Right is actually becoming a hit. I didn't really expect this, and I'm not too sure if I'm on board with it.

Love Again jumped up to #8, which is fantastic. I'd love to see this hit #1 sometime in the near future.

STAY is all the way up at #4! Hopefully, this can become both artist's first #1.

And finally, I'd like to talk about Twenty One Pilots for a bit. I recently went and listened to all of their albums, and discovered that I really like the band. Their first, self-titled album wasn't that good, but from then on, the rest of them (Vessel, Blurryface, Trench, Scaled And Icy) are all great, and I've discovered a lot of songs that I really like, specifically on their newest album, Scaled And Icy. The album was released on the same day as SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo, but personally, I think that it's better than SOUR. Nearly every song is really upbeat, which is a really fun new direction for TØP. My favourites from that album are Shy Away and Saturday, Redecorate, Never Take It and The Outside. All are great, and I'd highly suggest you listen to them.

How Hits 1 Songs Are Doing on the Hot 100

#1: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#2: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

#3: Levitating - Dua Lipa/DaBaby

#4: Butter - BTS

#5: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

#6: Kiss Me More - Doja Cat/SZA

#7: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow

#8: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X

#9: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

#10: Save Your Tears (Remix) - The Weeknd/Ariana Grande

#12: Leave The Door Open - Silk Sonic

#13: Peaches - Justin Bieber/Daniel Caesar/Giveon

#14: Skate - Silk Sonic

#15: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

#16: Blinding Lights - The Weeknd

#17: Heartbreak Anniversary - Giveon

#18: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#19: RAPSTAR - Polo G

#20: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers

#22: WITHOUT YOU - The Kid LAROI

#26: Lil Bit - Nelly/Florida Georgia Line

#27: Permission to Dance - BTS

#28: Astronaut In The Ocean - Masked Wolf

#29: Late At Night - Roddy Ricch

#30: Thot S*** - Megan Thee Stallion

#31: Heat Waves - Glass Animals

#32: Need To Know - Doja Cat

#33: telepatía - Kali Uchis

#34: Beautiful Mistakes - Maroon 5/Megan Thee Stallion

#38: Best Friend - Saweetie/Doja Cat

#39: Motley Crew - Post Malone

#44: Beggin' - Måneskin

#47: my ex's best friend - Machine Gun Kelly/blackbear

#48: Mood - 24kGoldn/iann dior

#49: traitor - Olivia Rodrigo

#50: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

#54: Essence - WizKid/Tems

#59: NDA - Billie Eilish

#61: Wild Side - Normani/Cardi B

#62: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae

#63: Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello

#65: Love Again - Dua Lipa

#67: A-O-K - Tai Verdes

#68: Memory - Kane Brown/blackbear

#81: Way Less Sad - AJR

#84: Lost Cause - Billie Eilish

#91: my future - Billie Eilish

#92: Build a B**** - Bella Poarch

#100: working - Tate McRae/Khalid

Top 10 on the Hunger Games Countdown

#10: Demeanor - Pop Smoke/Dua Lipa

#9: Say So - Masked Wolf

#8: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X

#7: Motley Crew - Post Malone

#6: Permission to Dance - BTS

#5: NDA - Billie Eilish

#4: Jalebi Baby - Tesher/Jason Derulo

#3: In The Morning - Jennifer Lopez

#2: People Watching - Conan Gray

#1: til the end of time - almost monday

Top 10 If the Countdown Made Sense

#10: Love Again - Dua Lipa

#9: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#8: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

#7: You - Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae

#6: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers

#5: Butter - BTS

#4: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#3: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

#2: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

#1: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

Kwaheri, everybody! See you all in the next one.