Week of March 26, 2022 - Imagine Dragons/JID (1)

Hi, everybody! This week's Countdown definitely had its ups and downs, with its biggest up being glaringly obvious. So let's just jump into it, then.

Songs We're Saying Goodbye To

emo girl - Machine Gun Kelly/WILLOW (#27) [#21] {6 weeks}

I Hate U - SZA (#26) [#16] {10 weeks}

GHOST TOWN - Benson Boone (#22) [#10] {15 weeks}

We Don't Talk About Bruno - Encanto Cast (#20) [#20] {1 week}

Last Week's #1: Overpass Graffiti - Ed Sheeran (5)

#30: I'm Tired - Labrinth/Zendaya (DEBUT) [2 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#29: iPad - The Chainsmokers (DEBUT) [0 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#28: Oh My God - Adele (-13) [#3] {16 weeks}

#27: Peru - Fireboy DML/Ed Sheeran (+3) [#27] {4 weeks} *new peak*

#26: Freaky Deaky - Tyga/Doja Cat (DEBUT) [3 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#25: THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X (-4) [3 weeks at #1] {26 weeks}

#24: House On Fire - Mimi Webb (DEBUT) [5 weeks in Hit-Bound] {1 week}

#23: WYD Now? - Sadie Jean (+6) [#16] {7 weeks}

#22: Closer - Saweetie/H.E.R. (+2) [#19] {6 weeks}

#21: Bam Bam - Camila Cabello/Ed Sheeran (+2) [#21] {3 weeks} *new peak*

#20: Sweetest Pie - Megan Thee Stallion/Dua Lipa (+8) [#20] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#19: Weatherman - Eddie Benjamin (+6) [#19] {5 weeks} *new peak*

#18: Big Energy - Latto (-1) [#12] {9 weeks}

#17: COMPLETE MESS - 5 Seconds of Summer (-5) [#12] {3 weeks}

#16: Woman - Doja Cat (+3) [#15] {11 weeks}

#15: Fingers Crossed - Lauren Spencer-Smith (+3) [#12] {10 weeks}

#14: Dancing Feet - Kygo/DNCE (+2) [#14] {2 weeks} *new peak*

#13: Boyfriend - Dove Cameron (-) [#13] {4 weeks}

#12: One Right Now - Post Malone/The Weeknd (-2) [#4] {20 weeks}

#11: she's all i wanna be - Tate McRae (-) [#10] {7 weeks}

#10: When I'm Gone - Alesso/Katy Perry (-4) [#2] {5 weeks}

#9: abcdefu - GAYLE (-) [#4] {16 weeks}

#8: Sacrifice - The Weeknd (-4) [#4] {9 weeks}

#7: High - The Chainsmokers (+7) [#7] {8 weeks} *new peak*

#6: Love It When You Hate Me - Avril Lavigne/blackbear (+1) [#6] {8 weeks} *new peak*

#5: The Motto - Tiësto/Ava Max (+3) [#5] {7 weeks} *new peak*

#4: Overpass Graffiti - Ed Sheeran (-3) [5 weeks at #1] {19 weeks}

#3: Numb Little Bug - Em Beihold (+2) [#3] {6 weeks} *new peak*

#2: Light Switch - Charlie Puth (-) [#2] {9 weeks}

#1: Enemy - Imagine Dragons/JID (+2) [1st week at #1] {9 weeks} *new peak*

Last Year's #1: willow - Taylor Swift [1/4 weeks at #1]

Countdown Extra: MF - Bailey Bryan/24kGoldn

Our first debut this week, at #30, is a song that I was hoping wouldn't debut, and I'm honestly unsure why it did debut, because it's the very opposite of what a radio song should be. The song in question is I'm Tired by Labrinth and Zendaya, and it's from the soundtrack of the TV show Euphoria, which has been blowing up quite a bit recently. Anyways, I was pretty mixed on the song when I first heard it, but I've decided now that I definitely don't like it. Let's start with the fact that this song shouldn't be anywhere near the radio. It's super boring, the production is okay, but definitely not enough to keep it interesting, and the song is literally moving at a snail's pace. On top of that, Labrinth is way oversinging, and he really doesn't sound good here. Zendaya sounds pretty good here, but that's about the only positive that I can give this song. There was also one very specific production choice that I don't like, and it's when Labrinth is the main singer, but you can hear an echo of Zendaya's voice. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. But for some bizarre reason, they decided it would be best if you heard Zendaya's echo before Labrinth's voice kicks in.... I mean, you have to realize how stupid this is. It really takes you out of the song, which is very easy to get taken out of to begin with.

Well, The Chainsmokers have released a follow-up single to High, which has been blowing up quite a bit recently. I'm unsure if this new song, iPad, is actually being pushed to radio right now or not, because Hits 1 is literally the only Top 40 station playing it at the moment, but it's a good song, so I'm not about to complain. I would probably say that this is better than High, and that's mainly because the production is so much better in this song. You can tell every little detail was super well-thought out, because it all fits together extremely well. The drop especially is really good, and the song has the perfect amount of build. The only thing about the production that I'm not a huge fan of is when the pitched-up vocals come in the first time, because the track turns way down, and the effect is kinda lost. That's only, like, ten seconds of the song, though, so it's definitely not enough for me to dislike the song. Andrew Taggart's voice still isn't the best, but it's definitely improved from songs like Kills You Slowly. He actually has some charisma here, which is nice. Honestly, I'd be a little sad if The Chainsmokers didn't collaborate with other artists anymore, but if this is what we get, I'll be okay.

Guys, the impossible has finally happened. Tyga has made his Countdown debut. After years of being edited out, he's finally made it! And as the lead artist too! I've never been a huge fan of Tyga, so I really didn't mind him being edited out most of the time, but he's been growing on me recently with Chosen, and then this collaboration with Doja Cat, Freaky Deaky. I feel like the reason I like this so much is because it honestly just feels like a fun Doja Cat song, with a couple Tyga verses. But, honestly, I don't find Tyga's voice that annoying here. In fact, I kinda like his verses. Obviously, Doja's verse is much better, but Tyga doesn't bring down the song whatsoever. Speaking of Doja, her chorus is super catchy, and she sounds great in it. The beat is really fun too, and I like the way it drops a little during the chorus, but then comes back full-force and stays that way throughout the verses. It fits really nicely. Yeah, overall, this is just a fun, catchy, song, and I'd love to see it do well here.

While we're on the topic of artists making their Countdown debuts, Mimi Webb makes hers this week with her new song, House On Fire. I still would've liked to see Good Without be that song, because it was fantastic, whereas this one is just really good, but I don't mind too much. Anyways, this is probably the most upbeat Mimi Webb song I've heard, and if this is any indication, she works just as well with upbeat songs as she does with ballads. She sounds fantastic, as per usual, and the production is great too. The lyrics are literally just Mimi planning arson (and possibly murder? I don't know, I'm still trying to piece that one together. "You said you're not at home, you liar" can be interpreted a couple different ways), and I love it. My only complaint with this one is that I wish it was, like, a minute longer, but it's fine. Overall, this isn't the best Mimi Webb song, but it's pretty great, and I'm glad it's doing well on radio.

Best Debut: Freaky Deaky - Tyga/Doja Cat

Biggest Drop: Oh My God - Adele (-13): I've been starting to get tired of this one, I skip it now whenever I hear it, so I'm totally fine with this going out. It did pretty well here.

Biggest Jump: Sweetest Pie - Megan Thee Stallion/Dua Lipa (+8): Yeah, I'm still not super sold on this one yet, but I guess I'm glad that it jumped this week. I can still see myself getting tired of quickly, though.

Countdown Ranking

0 - Awful:

#30: Weatherman - Eddie Benjamin

1 - Bad:

#29: I'm Tired - Labrinth/Zendaya

2 - Mediocre:

NONE!

3 - Decent:

#28: Oh My God - Adele

#27: WYD Now? - Sadie Jean

#26: Woman - Doja Cat

#25: Peru - Fireboy DML/Ed Sheeran

#24: High - The Chainsmokers

#23: Overpass Graffiti - Ed Sheeran

4 - Good:

#22: COMPLETE MESS - 5 Seconds of Summer

#21: Bam Bam - Camila Cabello/Ed Sheeran

#20: Boyfriend - Dove Cameron

#19: Sweetest Pie - Megan Thee Stallion/Dua Lipa

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

#17: iPad - The Chainsmokers

#16: The Motto - Tiësto/Ava Max

5 - Great:

#15: Fingers Crossed - Lauren Spencer-Smith

#14: When I'm Gone - Alesso/Katy Perry

#13: Sacrifice - The Weeknd

#12: Closer - Saweetie/H.E.R.

#11: abcdefu - GAYLE

#10: Love It When You Hate Me - Avril Lavigne/blackbear

#9: Big Energy - Latto

#8: House On Fire - Mimi Webb

#7: Freaky Deaky - Tyga/Doja Cat

#6: Numb Little Bug - Em Beihold

#5: Light Switch - Charlie Puth

#4: THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X

#3: Enemy - Imagine Dragons/JID

#2: she's all i wanna be - Tate McRae

#1: Dancing Feet - Kygo/DNCE

Overall Score: 122/150 = 81%

5 Oldest Songs

#5: Woman - Doja Cat {11 weeks}
#4: Oh My God - Adele & abcdefu - GAYLE {16 weeks}
#3: Overpass Graffiti - Ed Sheeran {19 weeks}
#2: One Right Now - Post Malone/The Weeknd {20 weeks}
#1: THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X {26 weeks}

#1 Recommendation for Hits 1: Entertain Me - Ylona Garcia

My Top 10 Songs Last Year

#10: Anyone - Justin Bieber (#11)

#9: forget me too - Machine Gun Kelly/Halsey (#17)

#8: First Time - ILLENIUM/iann dior (#28)

#7: drivers license - Olivia Rodrigo (#3)

#6: WITHOUT YOU - The Kid LAROI (#20)

#5: Too Late - Cash Cash/Wiz Khalifa/Lukas Graham (#30)

#4: Astronaut In The Ocean - Masked Wolf (#29)

#3: My Head & My Heart - Ava Max (#12)

#2: Overdrive - Conan Gray (#8)

#1: Way Less Sad - AJR (#13)

Most Missed Song: I Write Sins Not Tragedies - Panic! At The Disco

Hit-Bound

Don't Lose Sight - Lawrence [3]

Remind Me - Tom Grennan [2]

make up sex - Machine Gun Kelly/blackbear [1]

In My Head - 24kGoldn/Travis Barker [1]

Sunroof - Nicky Youre/dazy [6]

Bones - Imagine Dragons [2]

IDGAF - BoyWithUke/blackbear [1]

Checkmate - Jena Rose [4]

10 Things I Hate About You - Leah Kate [1]

luv starved - GAYLE [2]

MF - Bailey Bryan/24kGoldn [2]

Stupid Song - Hot Chelle Rae [4]

let you - iann dior [4]

Tom's Diner - AnnenMayKantereit/Giant Rooks [1]

Don't Forget My Love - Diplo/Miguel [2]

Abyss

2step - Ed Sheeran

Chosen - Blxst/Tyga/Ty Dolla $ign

I AM WOMAN - Emmy Meli

I Love You So - The Walters

love nwantiti (ah ah ah) - CKay

Record Player - Daisy the Great/AJR

TO THE MOON - Jnr Choi/Sam Tompkins

So, Machine Gun Kelly released his second pop-punk album, mainstream sellout, this past week, and I haven't listened to it yet, and I probably won't, but this song is still good. Our first Hit-Bound debut this week is make up sex by MGK and blackbear, and apparently this isn't even the single from the album. The actual single is maybe with Bring Me The Horizon, but whatever, I really like this one, so I don't care in the slightest. The last time these two artists collaborated, it was on the excellent my ex's best friend, so I had decently high expectations for this one going into it. Did it deliver? Yeah. I wouldn't say it's as good as the aforementioned song, but both MGK and blackbear sound great here, with blackbear sounding especially great, and the production is pretty well-made. Definitely mixed better than it was in emo girl. Will this debut? Probably not, considering it's not a single, but I'd be fine if it did.

24kGoldn now has two songs in Hit-Bound, MF, his collab with Bailey Bryan that debuted last week, and now this new one, In My Head featuring Travis Barker. Honestly, I'd say this is the best song I've heard from him since Mood. Do I think it's better than Mood? Definitely not. Mood was a banger that will be impossible to match, but this one's more of a banger that takes a second to stick with you. But when it sticks, it sticks. It's a very catchy song, and even though "in my head" is repeated a bunch in the chorus, I think it actually works in the song's favour, because it makes it more memorable. Travis Barker's production is a lot less pop-punk-y than it usually is, but that's definitely not a bad thing, because I'm not sure full-on pop-punk would work very well with 24kGoldn's voice. So what we get instead is a trap beat that's mainly driven by guitars, which I think is much more Goldn's style. So, yeah, this is a great song, and I'd love to see it do well.

Remember that one song Toxic that spent one week in Hit-Bound late last year? No? I don't blame you, because it wasn't memorable and wasn't very good either. But, the guy that made that song, BoyWithUke, returns this week with a collaboration with blackbear (yes, two blackbear features in one week), IDGAF. I'm really unsure how the dude that made the awful song Toxic made this amazing song, but I'm all here for it. BoyWithUke actually sounds decent here, and I really don't mind his voice. I'm not a huge fan of the production for the first few bars of the verses just being the ukulele, but it doesn't bother me as much when it happens with blackbear's verse, simply because he can hold his own. Other than that, though, this song is a bop. The chorus is so catchy (seriously. I've had it stuck in my head for a while now), and both artists actually sound quite good together. Good job, BoyWithUke, you've made me a fan of your song.

So, Leah Kate debuted her song F U Anthem on Hit-Bound last week, and I wasn't a huge fan of it, but funnily enough, I don't have to listen to that song anymore! Because Leah Kate replaced herself this week with this much better song, 10 Things I Hate About You. The first improvement that I immediately hear is that the instrumentation is much better. It feels a lot more cohesive, and a lot less obnoxious, even if the mixing could still use some work in the chorus. Leah Kate sounds quite good throughout the song, and I kinda like the whole counting thing in the chorus. It's smart. So, yeah, overall, this is good, it could've been great if it was mixed just a little better, but it's fine.

Next up is a song that Hits 1 actually picked up on immediately when it was released, but after it didn't do much, they let go of it late last year. Well, let you by iann dior has been slowly but surely gaining on pop radio, and has even debuted on Billboard's Pop Chart now, so Hits 1 has brought it back! I always loved this song, so I'm super glad that it's back, and I hope that it can be given a shot to debut the Countdown sometime soon.

Wow, what a great streak of Hit-Bound debuts! There hasn't been a single song yet that I didn't like. What a shame it would be if Hits 1 picked up on a random awful cover. Yeah... Hits 1 picked up on a random awful cover. It's AnnenMayKantereit and Giant Rooks' cover of Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner. And in case you recognized the melody, yes, the original is the song that Centuries by Fall Out Boy sampled. Anyways, this song is very bad. For starters, nobody singing here sounds good. It starts with that little melody, which would be fine, except it sounds like it was literally a dude that opened up the voice messages app on his phone and started recording, and he missed a note in the middle of it and just went with it. I'm not even kidding. The rest of the melodies aren't that interesting, especially since nobody sounds good. Then, on top of that, the production is super weird. It really goes for the diner feel, which just makes for a weird pop song. I took a listen to the original to see if it was any better, and it wasn't. Oh, plus, there's like, twenty seconds of silence randomly near the end before the song starts up again. Yeah, this doesn't need to be here, and I'm not sure why it is.

To kick off our Abyss debuts, Ed Sheeran released two songs with J Balvin this past week... and Hits 1 decided to pick up on neither of them, and instead chose a non-single from =, 2step. Yup, I have no clue why either, but I guess I'm not really complaining. This song's quite good. I would definitely say that this is better than Overpass Graffiti, way better than The Joker And The Queen and probably Bad Habits too, but I'm not sure if it's better than Shivers. Anyways, Ed sounds pretty great throughout, the song is super catchy, and the production is really cool. The way the drums and the strings work together is really nice to listen to. Honestly, I'd be fine with this becoming a hit here, even though it definitely shouldn't be here.

let you isn't the only song that returned to Hits 1 this week, because Chosen by Blxst, Tyga and Ty Dolla $ign started getting played on the station! Even though this didn't debut Hit-Bound, and it's just in the Abyss, it actually has a better chance of debuting when it's in the Abyss, because that means it's actually being played outside of Hit-Bound.

...And last but certainly not least, we have a song that's been blowing up a lot recently, TO THE MOON by Sam Tompkins. The hook of this song samples a Bruno Mars non-single from Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Talking to the Moon, which has become a bit of a fan-favourite. I'm actually not a huge fan of the sample, because the dude's voice keeps cutting out, but it doesn't bother me that much. Because on top of that, we have Jnr Choi, who actually really sounds like Pop Smoke, and the production also has a very similar Pop Smoke style to it too. I'm a huge fan of Jnr Choi's flow here, and I think it works extremely well with the song. I'd really love to see this debut next week, and I think it will.

This week, we lost the aforementioned F U Anthem and Another Man's Jeans, and Boys Don't Cry from the Abyss. I didn't like F U Anthem or Another Man's Jeans, so I'm very glad to see both go. As for Boys Don't Cry, I'm really sad that it never ended up debuting on the Countdown, because it was a great song.

Best Hit-Bound Debut: IDGAF - BoyWithUke/blackbear

Hit-Bound/Abyss Ranking

0 - Awful:

#22: Tom's Diner - AnnenMayKantereit/Giant Rooks

#21: I Love You So - The Walters

1 - Bad:

NONE!

2 - Mediocre:

NONE!

3 - Decent:

#20: I AM WOMAN - Emmy Meli

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

4 - Good:

#18: luv starved - GAYLE

#17: 10 Things I Hate About You - Leah Kate

#16: Stupid Song - Hot Chelle Rae

#15: MF - Bailey Bryan/24kGoldn

#14: Checkmate - Jena Rose

#13: 2step - Ed Sheeran

5 - Great:

#12: make up sex - Machine Gun Kelly/blackbear

#11: In My Head - 24kGoldn/Travis Barker

#10: Don't Forget My Love - Diplo/Miguel

#9: Sunroof - Nicky Youre/dazy

#8: Remind Me - Tom Grennan

#7: Record Player - Daisy the Great/AJR

#6: TO THE MOON - Jnr Choi/Sam Tompkins

#5: Don't Lose Sight - Lawrence

#4: IDGAF - BoyWithUke/blackbear

#3: let you - iann dior

#2: Chosen - Blxst/Tyga/Ty Dolla $ign

#1: Bones - Imagine Dragons

Overall Score: 90/110 = 82%

Now Imma Set Your Blurb on Fire

This week, we lost emo girl, I Hate U, GHOST TOWN and We Don't Talk About Bruno. emo girl was never good, so I'm definitely not upset that it's gone. I Hate U got a little boring after a while, so I'm also not too upset to be done with it. GHOST TOWN was good, but it had a pretty good run here, so I'm fine with it going. But, We Don't Talk About Bruno!? Come on, Hits 1. This is actually a really big hit, it makes no sense to only keep this around for a week. And it wasn't on the survey last week, so it's gone gone. Every time I regain faith in you, Hits 1, smh.

Peru jumped up to #27 this week, which is nice, because it was just holding on at #30 for the past few weeks, and it's a pretty good song.

Can we please not make Weatherman a thing? I've already had enough of it, and it's still pretty new.

For whatever reason, COMPLETE MESS took a hit this week. I would expect this to rebound pretty soon, because Hits 1 doesn't really do 5SOS flops.

Honestly, it's kinda funny to see how quickly When I'm Gone is falling after reaching #2 so quickly. It's kinda fading on me, so I'm more than fine with this.

High is up at #7, which is cool. I'd be totally fine with this reaching the top five.

Speaking of the top five, The Motto is now a part of it. This is an undeniably good song, so I'm glad to see it there.

Overpass Graffiti dropped to #4 this week, which means we have a new #1!! But before we get to that, I would like to say that I actually don't mind Overpass Graffiti that much, and I'm okay with the amount of time it spent at #1, even if it shouldn't have happened.

And our new #1 is... Enemy! I always love seeing Imagine Dragons get a #1 song here, so I'm very happy even if this isn't my favourite song from them. It's still pretty great, and I'm glad that it's gotten JID more on the radar, too. All I ask is that this doesn't get replaced immediately, please and thank you.

How Hits 1 Songs Are Doing on the Hot 100

#1: Heat Waves - Glass Animals

#2: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber

#4: abcdefu - GAYLE

#5: We Don't Talk About Bruno - Encanto Cast

#6: Ghost - Justin Bieber

#7: Easy On Me - Adele

#8: Enemy - Imagine Dragons/JID

#9: THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X

#10: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

#11: Shivers - Ed Sheeran

#12: Woman - Doja Cat

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

#14: Big Energy - Latto

#15: Sweetest Pie - Megan Thee Stallion/Dua Lipa

#16: Need to Know - Doja Cat

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

#19: Levitating - Dua Lipa

#20: pushin P - Gunna/Future/Young Thug

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

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

#25: I Hate U - SZA

#31: You Right - Doja Cat/The Weeknd

#32: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

#33: Light Switch - Charlie Puth

#36: Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

#38: Fingers Crossed - Lauren Spencer-Smith

#39: Bam Bam - Camila Cabello/Ed Sheeran

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

#49: Boyfriend - Dove Cameron

#54: Numb Little Bug - Em Beihold

#59: she's all i wanna be - Tate McRae

#63: Peru - Fireboy DML/Ed Sheeran

#64: The Motto - Tiësto/Ava Max

#74: Circles Around This Town - Maren Morris

#75: Freaky Deaky - Tyga/Doja Cat

#79: Sacrifice - The Weeknd

#80: Smokin Out The Window - Silk Sonic

#81: TO THE MOON - Jnr Choi/Sam Tompkins

#83: High - The Chainsmokers

#89: I Love You So - The Walters

#92: I'm Tired - Labrinth/Zendaya

#93: Bones - Imagine Dragons

#100: Closer - Saweetie/H.E.R.

Hunger Games Countdown Top 10

#10: Paralyzed - Sueco

#9: Another Man's Jeans - Ashe

#8: Lifestyle - Jason Derulo/Adam Levine

#7: Love It When You Hate Me - Avril Lavigne/blackbear

#6: How Long - Tove Lo

#5: Faking Love - Anitta/Saweetie

#4: Crisis - Joshua Bassett

#3: Celebrity Skin - Doja Cat

#2: Jigsaw - Conan Gray

#1: luv starved - GAYLE

If the Countdown Made Sense Top 10

#10: THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X

#9: High - The Chainsmokers

#8: Closer - Saweetie/H.E.R.

#7: Fingers Crossed - Lauren Spencer-Smith

#6: Light Switch - Charlie Puth

#5: Enemy - Imagine Dragons/JID

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

#3: Big Energy - Latto

#2: Woman - Doja Cat

#1: abcdefu - GAYLE

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