Week of January 8, 2022 - Ed Sheeran (12)

Hey, all! Welcome to yet another week of life. My worst list is just on the edge of being done, so look out for that in the next day or two. As for the rankdown, it'll start as soon as Scott submits, and I deal with our most recent disqualification (I'll get to that later). No debuts again this week, so let's jump into it (yuh)!

Last Week's #1: Shivers - Ed Sheeran (11)

#30: SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY (Remix) - Amaarae/Kali Uchis/Moliy (-) [#30] {4 weeks}

#29: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber (-) [6 weeks at #1] {26 weeks}

#28: Male Fantasy - Billie Eilish (-1) [#27] {4 weeks}

#27: Who's In Your Head - Jonas Brothers (-3) [#4] {16 weeks}

#26: I AM WOMAN - Emmy Meli (-1) [#25] {3 weeks}

#25: Wandered To LA - Juice WRLD/Justin Bieber (-2) [#23] {4 weeks}

#24: traitor - Olivia Rodrigo (-7) [#8] {19 weeks}

#23: Do It To It - ACRAZE/Cherish (+5) [#23] {5 weeks} *new peak*

#22: U Gurl - Walker Hayes (+4) [#20] {7 weeks}

#21: For Tonight - Giveon (-1) [#18] {13 weeks}

#20: Meet Me At Our Spot - THE ANXIETY (+1) [#14] {13 weeks}

#19: Smokin Out The Window - Silk Sonic (-5) [#14] {9 weeks}

#18: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish (+4) [#18] {17 weeks} *new peak*

#17: I Feel Good - Pitbull/Anthony Watts/DJ White Shadow (+1) [#13] {5 weeks}

#16: GHOST TOWN - Benson Boone (-1) [#15] {5 weeks}

#15: Need to Know - Doja Cat (+1) [#8] {19 weeks}

#14: Bite Me - Avril Lavigne (-3) [#10] {7 weeks}

#13: feel like s**t - Tate McRae (-) [#12] {5 weeks}

#12: One Right Now - Post Malone/The Weeknd (-2) [#10] {9 weeks}

#11: Oh My God - Adele (+8) [#11] {5 weeks} *new peak*

#10: abcdefu - GAYLE (-2) [#8] {5 weeks}

#9: Moth To A Flame - Swedish House Mafia/The Weeknd (+3) [#9] {10 weeks}

#8: Message In A Bottle (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift (-1) [#7] {7 weeks}

#7: Overpass Graffiti - Ed Sheeran (+2) [#7] {8 weeks} *new peak*

#6: Better Days - NEIKED/Mae Muller/Polo G (-) [#6] {11 weeks}

#5: Easy On Me - Adele (-) [#2] {12 weeks}

#4: Ghost - Justin Bieber (-) [#4] {15 weeks}

#3: Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU (-) [#2] {16 weeks}

#2: THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X (-) [#2] {15 weeks}

#1: Shivers - Ed Sheeran (-) [12th week at #1] {15 weeks}

Last Year's #1: Golden - Harry Styles [3/4 weeks at #1]

Countdown Extra: More Than Friends - 24kGoldn

Biggest Drop: traitor - Olivia Rodrigo (-7): I'm sure this'll end up being part of the inevitable mass exodus next week. Which I'm totally fine with, this song faded on me the quickest of all of Olivia's songs (even if I still like this one more than deja vu, it actually grew on me, so...).

Biggest Jump: Oh My God - Adele (+8): I couldn't really care less how this song does here, it's kinda forgettable in my opinion, so whatever.

Countdown Ranking

-5 - Possibly the Worst Song I've Ever Heard:

#30: U Gurl - Walker Hayes

0 - Awful:

#29: Do It To It - ACRAZE/Cherish

#28: Need to Know - Doja Cat

#27: SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY (Remix) - Amaarae/Kali Uchis/Moliy

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

1 - Bad:

NONE!

2 - Mediocre:

#25: Smokin Out The Window - Silk Sonic

3 - Decent:

#24: I AM WOMAN - Emmy Meli

#23: Overpass Graffiti - Ed Sheeran

#22: Oh My God - Adele

4 - Good:

#21: Male Fantasy - Billie Eilish

#20: GHOST TOWN - Benson Boone

#19: Who's In Your Head - Jonas Brothers

#18: Easy On Me - Adele

#17: One Right Now - Post Malone/The Weeknd

#16: I Feel Good - Pitbull/Anthony Watts/DJ White Shadow

5 - Great:

#15: feel like s**t - Tate McRae

#14: traitor - Olivia Rodrigo

#13: Meet Me At Our Spot - THE ANXIETY

#12: Bite Me - Avril Lavigne

#11: Wandered To LA - Juice WRLD/Justin Bieber

#10: Shivers - Ed Sheeran

#9: abcdefu - GAYLE

#8: Better Days - NEIKED/Mae Muller/Polo G

#7: For Tonight - Giveon

#6: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish

#5: Message In A Bottle (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift

#4: Ghost - Justin Bieber

#3: THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X

#2: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#1: Moth To A Flame - Swedish House Mafia/The Weeknd

Overall Score: 105/150 = 70%

5 Oldest Songs

#5: Ghost - Justin Bieber, THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X & Shivers - Ed Sheeran {15 weeks}
#4: Who's In Your Head - Jonas Brothers & Cold Heart (Remix) - Elton John/Dua Lipa/PNAU {16 weeks}
#3: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish {17 weeks}
#2: traitor - Olivia Rodrigo & Need to Know - Doja Cat {19 weeks}
#1: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber {26 weeks}

#1 Recommendation for Hits 1: Scarlett - Holly Humberstone

My Top 10 Songs Last Year

#10: Holy - Justin Bieber/Chance the Rapper (#14)

#9: Monsters - All Time Low/Demi Lovato/blackbear (#3)

#8: my ex's best friend - Machine Gun Kelly/blackbear (#9)

#7: Bang! - AJR (#20)

#6: Mood - 24kGoldn/iann dior (#21)

#5: Levitating - Dua Lipa/DaBaby (#2)

#4: HOLIDAY - Lil Nas X (#17)

#3: Monster - Shawn Mendes/Justin Bieber (#11)

#2: positions - Ariana Grande (#6)

#1: Lasting Lover - Sigala/James Arthur (#27)

Most Missed Countdown Song: I Like It - Cardi B

Hit-Bound

It'll Be Okay - Shawn Mendes [3; 2nd time]

Sacrifice - The Weeknd [1]

You Problem - Monsta X [5]

Peru - Fireboy DML/Ed Sheeran [1]

Woman - Doja Cat [2]

I Hate U - SZA [5]

The Weekend - BIBI [12]

After You - Gryffin/Jason Ross/Calle Lehmann [1]

WYD Now? - Sadie Jean [5]

Big Energy - Latto [5]

Enemy - Imagine Dragons [1]

More Than Friends - 24kGoldn [4]

Have Mercy - Chlöe [10]

Abyss

Dynamite - Sean Paul/Sia

edamame - bbno$/Rich Brian

Let's go to Hell - Tai Verdes

Life Goes On - Oliver Tree

love nwantiti (ah ah ah) - CKay

The Outside - Twenty One Pilots

So with the return of new music this week, we got a brand new album from The Weeknd, Dawn FM! I've listened to it a few times, and boy is it great. The whole thing's got an 80s sound, compared to just a few tracks having it, then the rest being R&B, like After Hours, which is a great change. There was also this strange narrative to it that I don't really want to spoil in case you haven't listened to it yet, but it really makes the whole thing more of an experience. Some of my favourites from the album were Best Friends, Out of Time, the now-five minute long Take My Breath, and easily the best track, Less Than Zero. Now, the single that came with the album debuts on Hit-Bound this week, and it's called Sacrifice. This song's pretty good. I definitely don't think it's one of the best, but the upbeat, 80s vibe is very prominent here, which is fun. Abel sounds great here, as always, and the song's catchy enough to make it a good radio song. Yeah, overall, I don't think this was the best choice for the single, but it's still enjoyable enough for me to not really care that much.

We see 2022 riding the wave of afropop's rise in 2021, as Nigerian artist Fireboy DML teams up with Ed Sheeran on this new song, Peru, which is on the rise in streaming, and debuts Hit-Bound this week. This song's decent. It's not ridiculously interesting, but Fireboy DML's voice definitely sounds better than WizKid or CKay's. Ed Sheeran fits the song decently well, even if he doesn't add too much here. This song's kinda forgettable, but far from bad.

Well, after actually becoming a single, we see Woman by Doja Cat make a Hit-Bound re-entry after spending one week in Hit-Bound a few months ago. Since it's been so long, and my opinion's kinda changed on it since I first reviewed it, I figured I'd do a full review again. I find Doja Cat's music is generally a mixed bag for me. I quite liked Like That and her verse on Best Friend, but I still quite hate Say So and Need to Know. As for this song, it's definitely not her worst, but it's far from her best. The hook's pretty annoying, and she doesn't sound good in it, so that's not great, but the rapping verse is awesome, as well as the writing, so I think it all kinda balances out to a "mediocre". Who knows? This might grow on me even more in the future.

Next up is a song from three artists who have never reached Hits 1 before, After You by Gryffin, Jason Ross and Calle Lehmann. This song's honestly just a solid EDM song. Calle Lehmann sounds pretty good here, and the production as a whole is pretty well done, especially the drop. Yeah, not much else to say here, it's just a great EDM song.

So, back in October, my favourite artists of all time, Imagine Dragons, released a single from the soundtrack of the Netflix show, Arcane, called Enemy. It wasn't released to pop radio, but lately, it's really been gaining in streaming, so now it's here! This song's awesome. I definitely wouldn't say it's my favourite Imagine Dragons song, but it's definitely up there. It's just so much fun, with an extremely catchy chorus, and great vocals from Dan Reynolds. For some reason, Hits 1 played the version without rapper JID, which kinda sucks, 'cause I think he adds some nice freshness that the song needed, but I kinda like Dan's rap, so it's okay. Overall, though, I'm extremely happy that this is here, and I really hope that it can manage to debut sooner rather than later.

This week, we also get our first two Hit-Bound dropouts, Crisis and Hands On You. Crisis was good, but ultimately forgettable, so I don't care that it's gone. As for Hands On You, I think I heard it a grand total of one time, so I really don't care that it's gone.

Hit-Bound/Abyss Ranking

0 - Awful:

NONE!

1 - Bad:

#19: Life Goes On - Oliver Tree

2 - Mediocre:

#18: Dynamite - Sean Paul/Sia

#17: Woman - Doja Cat

3 - Decent:

#16: love nwantiti (ah ah ah) - CKay

#15: Peru - Fireboy DML/Ed Sheeran

#14: I Hate U - SZA

#13: WYD Now? - Sadie Jean

4 - Good:

#12: edamame - bbno$/Rich Brian

5 - Great:

#11: Have Mercy - Chlöe

#10: After You - Gryffin/Jason Ross/Calle Lehmann

#9: More Than Friends - 24kGoldn

#8: Let's go to Hell - Tai Verdes

#7: Sacrifice - The Weeknd

#6: You Problem - Monsta X

#5: The Weekend - BIBI

#4: Big Energy - Latto

#3: It'll Be Okay - Shawn Mendes

#2: The Outside - Twenty One Pilots

#1: Enemy - Imagine Dragons

Overall Score: 76/95 = 80%

Oh, the Blurb-ery, Everybody Wants to Be My EnemyyyyyyyYY

Ugh, no why did Do It To It and U Gurl jump so much this week?? I'm sure nobody wants this.

I'm glad Smokin Out The Window fell after its big jump last week. The song's just taking up space, and the sooner it's gone, the better.

Ayy, Happier Than Ever's in the top 20! That took way too long.

Care to explain why abcdefu dropped, Hits 1?

Glad Moth To A Flame is back in the top 10, though, I think it's the best think The Weeknd's released in the past year, aside from maybe the Ariana remix of Save Your Tears.

*psst*, Hits 1. Nobody actually cares about Overpass Graffiti. You don't have to make it a hit.

...Aaaaaand, Shivers is still our #1. At this point, it's only one week away from tying Sucker's record for the most weeks at #1 on the Countdown, which I would be fine with if it wasn't currently blocking THATS WHAT I WANT from the top spot.

How Hits 1 Songs Are Doing on the Hot 100

#2: Easy On Me - Adele

#6: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#7: Heat Waves - Glass Animals

#9: Shivers - Ed Sheeran

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

#14: Need to Know - Doja Cat

#17: abcdefu - GAYLE

#19: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

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

#28: Smokin Out The Window - Silk Sonic

#31: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

#32: Ghost - Justin Bieber

#33: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

#35: THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X

#36: Essence - WizKid/Justin Bieber/Tems

#38: Kiss Me More - Doja Cat/SZA

#39: One Right Now - Post Malone/The Weeknd

#40: Oh My God - Adele

#42: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#43: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish

#46: Better Days - NEIKED/Mae Muller/Polo G

#48: love nwantiti (ah ah ah) - CKay

#49: I Hate U - SZA

#53: Way 2 Sexy - Drake/Future/Young Thug

#56: Meet Me At Our Spot - THE ANXIETY

#59: Girls Want Girls - Drake/Lil Baby

#62: Big Energy - Latto

#64: Enemy - Imagine Dragons/JID

#68: Have Mercy - Chlöe

#71: Woman - Doja Cat

#72: My Universe - Coldplay/BTS

#75: For Tonight - Giveon

#80: Message In A Bottle (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift

#84: Life Goes On - Oliver Tree

#87: Do It To It - ACRAZE/Cherish

#92: I AM WOMAN - Emmy Meli

#95: Wandered To LA - Juice WRLD/Justin Bieber

Top 10 on the Hunger Games Countdown

#10: Soft Landing - JP Saxe

#9: Run (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran

#8: Permission to Dance - BTS

#7: It's You, Not Me (Sabotage) - Masked Wolf/Bebe Rexha

#6: I AM WOMAN - Emmy Meli

#5: Big Energy - Latto

#4: Rumors - Lizzo/Cardi B

#3: Paralyzed - Sueco

#2: Let's go to Hell - Tai Verdes

#1: abcdefu - GAYLE

Top 10 If the Countdown Made Sense

#10: abcdefu - GAYLE

#9: One Right Now - Post Malone/The Weeknd

#8: Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish

#7: Better Days - NEIKED/Mae Muller/Polo G

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

#5: Ghost - Justin Bieber

#4: THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X

#3: Shivers - Ed Sheeran

#2: Need to Know - Doja Cat

#1: Easy On Me - Adele

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