ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. 13th April. The one where Australia continues "Choosin' Texas" in the top ten

So I am grateful that this week's chart is a bit slower,n no new entries and a bunch of songs re-entering this week mostly because this week's "Pretty Fly (for 1999)" is A LOT this week (seven new entries) and this week is a bit of a slow down with Ella Langley likely to have some impact next week however lets get straight to our top ten where "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean returned to number onem ow this is absolutely on its incredible streaming strength because the bottom has gone out of sales for this song, it's losing ground there fast.

Which might well open the way for Sam Fender and Olivia Dean to return to number one with "Rein Me In" which slipped back to number two, it's doing better on sales and if it can bridge that streaming margin than it can make a play for number one.

It seems like "IloveitILoveitIloveit" by Bella Kay has stalled out at number three, this is it's fourth consecutive week at number three and it's not really looking like making a push for higher spots which leaves it vulnerable to our big top ten gainer this week "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley which climbed six places to number four, this song is killing it on sales and just needs a good streaming uplift and this can absolutely make a play for number one. Hey Twitter stans, looks like the song you dismissed as a "local" hit is now a global hit. 

From there 'Dracula" by Tame Impala slipped one back to number five, the same goes for "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean to number six.

Unfortunately "Ordinary" by Alex Warren held firm at number six, that was not the case for " Stateside" by Pink Pantheress and Zara Larsson which slipped two spots to number eight. 

Finally both "Raindance" by Dave and Tems and "Where is My Husband" by Raye both fell one spot to numbers nine and ten respectively.

Losers

We did see some big losers this week with "Aperture" by Harry Styles down ten slots to forty nine, it could be out nex week.

"Father" by Ye and Travis Scott down twelve to forty two while "Swim" by BTS continues to fall away down ten to twenty nine.

Drop Outs

No real surprises with the drop outs this week with "All the Love" by Ye and Andre Troutman, "Potch Light" by Noah Kahan, "Click Clack Symphony" by Raye and Hans Zimmer ad "Body to Body" by BTS all gone.

Gains

"Sailor Song" by Gigi Perez got a ten place boost to number thirty eight while "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen climbed eight to thirty three.

Those two were the only big gains this week.

Re-Entries

Four returns this week and they are all older songs with "Carry You Home" back at fifty for Alex Warren. "Pink Skies" came over at number forty seven for Zach Bryan. 

Sadly "Manchild" by Sabrina Carpenter back at forty six and "APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars returning at number forty two.

That wraps our week with there being no new entries. Next week is probably going to be Ella Langley and Katseye...sadly.

Pretty Fly (For 1999) 11th April. Tearin' Up Electricity Til Time Is Through for No Scrub

 We have a LONG week here...seven new entries and the top ten continues to be whatever it is mostly because the top two didn't change with "Baby, One More Time" by Britney Spears keeping the number one slot ahead of "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain at number two.

However a new player for the top is emerging in the firm of "Why Don't You Get a Job" by The Offspring which jumped from eleven to number three, this has momentum on it's side big time as it blasted past "Anthem for the Year 2000" by Silverchair which slipped one to number four, 

"Touch It" by Monifah continues to climb much to my disgust, it's back up one spot to number five this week. 

The Vengabus has stalled! "We Like to Party (The Vengabus)" by Vengaboys is stuck in neutral at number six and is facing a threat from "Changes" by 2Pac which climbed two spots to number seven.

The rest of the top ten took dips this week with "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden down three to number eight, "This Kiss" by Faith Hill down two to number nine and finally "No Matter What" by Boyzone sliding five spots to number ten.

Losers

"Big Big World" by Emilia took a big big dump down eleven to be on the cusp of leaving the chart at number fifty. 

Chef's "Chocolate Salty Balls" have hit their used by date so they down ten slots to forty three wbile people have realized that "Nothing Really Matters" by Madonna doesn't really matter so it dived seven to forty two. 

Nobody's got the feeling with Five as "Got the Feelin'" just utterly collapsed from twenty eight to forty one. 

"Whiskey in the Jar" by Metallica is nearly three quarters empty in the chart jar as it dived nine spots to forty. 

People are tired of hearing about "Miami" from Will Smith clearlly as it skidattled eleven to thity eight. 

"When You're Gone" by Bryan Adams and Mel C is done as it slipped nine to thirty four while "How Do I Deal" by Jennifer Love Hewitt slipped nine to twenty six. 

Gains

We didn't have all that many major gains with the biggest gain of the week belonging to "Smile 'n' Shine" rising, smiling and shining all the way from forty seven to twenty nine. 

Honeyz follow up "End of the Line" rose six to twenty four.

Re-Entries

Just the one return with George Michael and Mary J. Blige collab "As" back at forty nine.

New Entries

Seven new entries this week, beginning with...

46. "Cigarettes Will Kill You" by Ben Lee

So I am going to be honest here...i am not a huge Bwn Lee fan, his voice can come off a little abrasive but here it does kind of work for the song especially wuth that repettive piano loop and Ben sliding closer to grunge in his vocal tone. The thing that is probably the most interesting about this song is the content where Lee frames the song around toxic relationships throough the lense of having a cigarette and how too much of a toxic habit will eventually kill you much like how a toxic relationship kills the people within it. Good song. 

39. "Electricity" by Something for Kate

Keeping the Australian flavour going, we have the latest for Something for Kate and this song is pretty dang great! I love the lyrics that focus on the breaking the limits of what humans can do in terms of wishing to move faster and find more energy and speed rather than be constrained being human, I guess it's more a thought of being more than a human being with superpowers? I also love the energy in the production that just radiates from the guitarwork here. Damn brilliant song, check it out!. 

33. "Freak On A Leash" by Korn

Was not expecting Korn, of all bands, to show up on the charts but here we are. "Freak on a Leash" is a single from the album 'Follow the Leader" and yeah, this is about as nu metal as it gets. I am not really a fan of distortion in music generally but it works fine here for what it is and the lyrics from Jonathan Davis that go into not allowing others comments and opinions to shape who he is or what he can be in the world. It's not really to my taste but hey, if nu metal and crunchy guitars that shred are your thing than check this out.

27. "Tearin' Up My Heart" by NSync

The firsr of two boy band songs to appear in the new entries this week with this one being the second single from NSync's debut album and I actually like this one more than "I Want You Back" more because the hook feels catchy and there's a resonance to the lyrics about where he is confused by this relationship which he knows is in trouble but he is unsure about whether to stay or go and it's slowly tearing him apart while she's witholding a decision on the relationship. It's a solid enough song that's got a better foundaton than "I Want You Back" so I'll take it.

22. "Strong Enough" by Cher

The follow up to "Believe" has arrived and sadly i am not really as much of a fan of this as I would like to be, the production feels way too elegant in some ways for a woman saying she's strong enough to move on without a deadbeat man who is sleeping with another woman in her life. At least, "Believe" worked for the dancefloor, this one feels more like an empowerment anthem that sounds scarcely believeable., not buying it. 

15. "Until the Time is Through" by Five

The latest single from Five and I think this one might be the best of the singles so far, it's less brash or abrasive as "If Ya Gettin' Down" and there's no forced rapping to be seen here, it's a gorgeous ballad wheree the group for a change sound great and there's none of that ridiculous rapping that has made them sound awful on previous singles but this hits the spot for its earnestness even if the idea of a couple staying together forever is a bit over reaching to some degree, still this is pretty cute. 

11. "No Scrubs" by TL,

We fimish off the week with the latest single from American R'n'B group TLC and they are back with a message for all those lazy blancmage men who are sponging off them, they are done with "scrubs" llke them and they won't tolerate getting with a guy who doesn't have a bit of cash to flash in his wallet and all three ladies can sell the attitude convincingly however Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes really is the best part of this song with her rap verse, it's punchy and nails the point. I also love the strings on this song. Good song, check it out.

That wraps our week and what a long week it is. Worst of the week is going to "Strong Enough" by Cher...it's the weakest of the songs here. Best is going to "Electricity" by Something for Kate. I really did like that song. 

ARIA Singles Top 50 Chart Review. 6th April. The one where we no talk about THAT guy.

 So this week surprised me in some ways, we got a new number one that I am incredibly excited to write about and we have a litany of movement to deal with so let's dive into the top ten where we have our first new number of 2026 and it's a first for the lead artist and the second for the featured artist...it's "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean, now make no mistake here, this is was absolutely won on the margins here because this sure as hell is not dominating in any of the sectors be it sales, streaming or Youtube but it did just enough to take the number one however this is not a strong chart topper by any matter of means.

It does leave the door open for "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean, which slipped back to number two this week, to return to number one considering it's strength on streaming. It did stay ahead of "ILoveitILoveitIloveit" by Bella Kay which remained at number three week despite a good week on streaming this week. 

Up three to number four is "Dracula" by Tame Impalawhile "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean remains at number five and "Stateside" by Pink Pantheress and Zara Larsson is on hold at number six. 

"Ordinary" by Alex Warren rebounded one slot to number seven because this song refuses to go away. "Raindance" by Dave and Tems climbed one spot to number eight.

An album boost saw Raye's "Where Is My Husband" climb two places to number nine while rising five places to be our sole new arrival to the top ten it's "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley at number ten. 

Losers

" Body to Body" by BTS slipped twenty slots this week to forty six while "Swim" sank fifteen places to nineteen. 

"Porchlight" by Noah Kahan saw it's light dimmed eight places to forty while "Aperture" by Harry Styles also did an eight place skid to thirty nine.

Drop Outs

None of the drop outs are that surprising with BTS and Harry Styles album tracks gone alongside "The Visitor" by Sienna Spiro and"Sleepless in a Hotel Room" by Luke Combs

Maybe the only song of this departing crew that might make the year end is "DTMF"  by Bad Bunny.

Gains

No real major gains this week, combination of new entries and returns keeping this at a minimum with the gains. I guess the biggest would be that gain for "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley into the top ten that I have already mentioned.

Re-Entries

Two returns this week witb "I Run" by HVN and Kaitlyn Aragon at fifty and "Just Keep Watching" by Tate McRae back at number forty five.

New Entries

So this week means I have to deal with the Kanye West conundrum because of our four new enties, two come from West's new album, I instigated a policy when West released the two previous albums that I would not cover any track that charted because of the way Kanye has behaved and that policy going to remind in place, yes, I am aware he has apologised but proof will be in his actions not in the words he says. I am also not obliged to give Kanye any kind of platforn,

So the two songs that did chart from Kanye are "Father" with Travis Scott at thirty two and "All The Love" feat. Andre Troutman at thirty three.

Moving on the other two new arrivals, he start with...

49. "Ween't For the Wind" by Ella Langley

Si I have been expecting more Ella Langley songs to show up given the success of "Choosin' Texas" so I am not surprised to see this song here and I think I'd be fine wth this song picking up even more traction bbecause this is really a damn solid song even though...yeah it's a bit compressed (it's Music Row production...what do you expect?) but there's something about this song that feels really homespun and like this is something that is coming from Ella's heart. 

It;s a sibg about somebody who isn't able to stay in the one place for too long and this is that person reflecting on that journey and just floating wherever the wind takes them. Damn good song, check it out if you are curious

42. "Click Clack Symphony" by RAYE feat. Hans Zimmer.

The only song from RAYE's new album "This Music May Contain Hope" to hit the chart this week and I am kind of sad about that given I think Raye deserves better than the crumbs she is being handed and this song really isn't one of the best cuts from the album...although its still decent, I just wish the song settled down a groove and melody because it just swerves from right to left and every which way with it's sound which I guess could be a part of the part. It's fine enough but I'd rather see "I Know You're Hurting On" on the chart over this.

That was our week wth "Weren't for the Wind" by Ella Langley taking best of the week. Worst of the week is between the two Kanye songs,,,you can choose which one as I have no desire to listen to unfinished music from a man who doesn't deserve anymore real attention.

Pretty Fly (For 1999). 4th April. End of the Line so Smile 'n' Shine!

 Kind of an abortive week at hand here, we've only got the two new entries to deal with but there has been a bunch of movement on the chart this week just not in our top three so let's get to our top ten where for yet another week it's "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears riding steady at number one and continues to hold off "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain at number two and "Anthem for the Year 2000" by Silverchair at number three.

Now where things get interesting is outside of that top three because back up to number four is "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden which rebounded one spot this week, it was followed by "No Matter What" by Boyzone which unfortunately continued it's rebound from last week up one to number five.

However the worst news inside our top ten is the rebound from number ten to number six for "Touch It" by Monifah...ugh...really?

At least all of that had the benefit of pushing "This Kiss" by Faith Hill down three to number seven while jumping ten slots into the top ten is "We Lke to Party (The Vengabus)" by The Vengaboys to nimber eight...definitely wasn't expecting this song to do so well but hey, the hook is catchy even if the constant refrain of "Weliketoparty" is annoying.

Then we have two other new arrivals to our top ten with 2pac's "Changes" jumping from forty two to number nine, another great song and I do love the sample use while "Heartbeat" by Steps is also into the top ten up five to number ten. 

Losers

Alright so let's deal with the big fallers this week and we start with Korn's "Got This Life" which slipped nine spots to forty three while "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy" by The Offspring is heading toward jumping off the chart cliff at speed down from twenty eight to forty two. 

Now for the fall I am absolutely delighted about which is that "DooDah!" by Cartoons slipped ten spots to forty one this week. I cannot wait to see the back of this song. 

"Believe" by Cher is also headed for the exit after a wonderful run down from twenty one to thirty eight. 

Human Nature's "Last to Know" slipped nien to number twenty three which is kind of sad because it's a really good cover. 

Re-Entries

One return this week with "Enjoy Yourself" by A+ returning at number twenty nine

Gains

So we havr quite a few good gains outside of our top ten, let's start with Dru Hill's "How Deep Is Your Love" up from thirty six to eighteen this week. 

"You Don't Know Me" by Armand Van Helden feat. Duane Harden had a nice ten place gain to nineteen.  

Will Smith's "Miami" has been having a weird chart run, this week, it's up thirteen to twenty seven while "Every Morning" by Sugar Ray up twelve to thirty two.

"What It's LIke" by Everlast got a nice boost from forty seven to thirty four and "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim is up six to thirty six

New Entries

Two new entries, starting with...

47. "Smile 'n' Shine" by Pandora

So both new entries today are follow ups to previously successful songs, this one for Swedish singer Pandora was originally released in 1997 and is only just charting now in Australia and honestly? I'd be surprised if this one takes off as much as "A Little BIt" did given this song isn't quite as catchy as that song was and this song doesn't work to Pandora's strengths as a vocallist either. I don't know. It's that bad but it's not a song that I am willingly going to go back to either. 

30. "End of the Line' by Honeyz

We finally got the follow to Honeyz hit "Finally Found" and I think I might like this one a lot more than "Finally Found", there's just more to this song in the production and the group sound great with the harmonies as they beg this guy to make up his mind about the relationship either tell her to leave or show that he wants her to stay because the relationship has hit the end of line line and he needs to be a big boy and make a decision. Unfortunately i don't see this being as big as "Finally Found",,,that song has a really good hook but it would be nice if it sticks around. Check it out.

Yeah, it's also the best of the week. The worst of the week is going to "Smile 'n' Shine" by Pandora...it just doesn't work for me like her previous single did.

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart Review: 30th March. The one where it's a mess.

So I apologise if I come off as grumpy this edition of the ARIA Singles Chart Review, some if it is due to in real life stuff and some of it is due to the sudden turn to...well...you'll see it was something of a rough week...we got a mini album bomb from the new BTS album "Arirang" which I do have opinions on which we'll get to but lets deal with the rest of the chart first where for yet amother week "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean continues to hold sway at the top, this song is still a titan on streaming and it's not going to be pushed off the top spot easily.


As I said last week, I don't think the compettion is going to come from "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean which remains glued to number two however "IloveitIloveitILoveit" by Bella Kay, which remained at number three, is fighting "Man I Need" for dominance on streaming right now and I can see it pushing it's way past "Rein Me In" in the weeks ahead.


There;s a new entry at number four courtesy of "Swim" by BTS in the first sign of "Arirang" having some impaxt on the chart even if it's not going to last which probably means there's a chance for "So Easy (To Fall in Love" by Olivia Dean holding steady at number five and "Stateside" by Pink Pantheress and Zara Larsson down two to number six to rebound next week...we'll see.


Tame Impala's "Dracula" rose one to number sevn this week while "Ordinary" by Alex Warren slipped one back to number eight and "Raindance" by Dave and Tems" held firm at number nine.


finally returninig to the top ten is "Golden" from K-Pop Demon Hunters up two slots, this will not hang around, it's more likely an Oscars boost.


Losers


The continued losses for the Harry Styles album continued as "Taste Back" dropped fourteen slots to number thirty seven, "Aperture" down nine to thirty one and "American Girls" fell six out of the top ten to number twelve. '


Outside of that "DTMF" by Bad Bunny fell seven to forty.


Drop Outs

So if you are wondering where the rest of the Harry Styles songs that didn't drop out last week are, they are here alongside "Just Keep Watching" by Tate McRae and "I Run" by HVN and Kaitlyn Aragon.


Gains

Not much in the way of big gains this week with "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish up six to tirty four and "Manchild" by Sabrina Carpenter also up six to thirty six.

Re-Entries

So this where the impact of Luke Combs album "The Way I Am" comes into play because he has two of the three new entries courtesy of "Sleepless in a Hotel Room" at forty seven and "Be By You" at number thirty nine. 

The third return is the now habitual return of "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen at nnumber forty four. 

New Entries

We have five new entries total this week but because we're somewhat in album bomb territory for BTS, I will only cover the songs in the top twenty so with that..."FYA" at forty eight, "Hooligan" at forty six and 'Body to Body" at twenty six.

This means we're starting our new arrivals with...

41. "The Visitor" by Sienna Spiro

Time fot another piano led ballad from Sienna Spiro and yeah, it's another boring as hell dirge that sounds like ass where she's bitching that she's just some temporary thing everytime in a relationship with a man. This isn't as bad as "Die On a Hill" but this sure as hell is basic and honestly, I really struggle to care at all about this.

4. "Swim" by BTS

So the biggest problem with BTS's new album is the production just how much it just sounds like it was done on the cheap given how thin a lot of it sounds but that isn't even the biggest problem with this song which is the actual single from the album, the biggest issue with this song is that it feels derivative of The Kid Laroi circa 2021 complete with the same sort of vocal delivery as Laroi, this is just completely forgettable rather than outright bad. BTS are capable of much better than this. 

No best of the week, I am giving worst of the week to "The Visitor" by Sienna Spiro for being uninspired dirge. 

Pretty Fly (For 1999) 28th March: Last to Know Me So Why Don't You Get A Job?

 So this is the kind of week where its just as expected, there's this weird stability about the top four of the top ten and the new arrivals to the chart are more or less what is expected including one new debut in our top ten which we will get too but let's begin at the very top where Britney Spears still reigns courtesy of "Baby, One More Time", it's a comfortable number one at this point ahead of "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain stuck at number two, "Anthem for the Year 2000" by Silverchair at number three and "This Kiss" by Faith Hill mercifully remaining glued to number four (frankly if this song climbs any fucking higher the temptation to scream will be too fucking great)

Then we have two songs rebounding after losses last week with "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden up one to number six and "No Matter What" by Boyzone somehow up three spots to number six...yeah, I am getting annoyed with how much the latter is sticking around. 

"Lullaby" by Shawn Mullins continues to be rocked to sleep at number seven while "Have You Ever" by Brandy climbs three places to number eight.

Now we get to our new entry at number nine and one I am going to have something to say about a bit later in this blog, it's "Why Don't You Get a Job" by The Offspring. This song has a huge chance of climbing higher in the weeks ahead so we will have to keep a watch on this song.

Finally in pleasing news. Monifah's "Touch It" slipped five spots to number ten. Good riddance to bad rubbish!

Losers

Nobody's moving to "Body Movin'" by Beastie Boys so that swan dived ten spots to forty eight this week while "Goodbye" by Spice Girls is heading toward the exit down from thirty nine to forty six.

Will Smith's "Miami" slipped eight to forty this week. Kind of sad this song wasn't  bigger...it's actually a pretty good song.

Dru Hill is finding out the public's love of "How Deep is Your Love" is not very deep so it's down twelve to thirty six while Madonna's "Nothing Really Matters" doesn't seem to care it fell ten to thirty two.

Former number one and this year's blog retrospective anthem "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" by The Offspring is on its way out as it tumbled from thirteen to twenty eight but we do have that new Offspring song to talk about. 

Gains

Our small group of gains are actually decent...I guess...Green Day's "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)" climbed nine spots to thirty nine and apparently people can't get enough of Chef's "Chocolate Salty Balls" so that's up six to thirty.

The one gain that absolutely sucks an unbelieveable amount of ass is "DooDah!" by Cartoons which climbed from it's debut of forty seven last week to number thirty one this week and no, that is not good news. 

Re-Entries

We do have the one re-entry this week courtesy of Jennifer Paige's "Crush" which came back at number fifty. Don't mind because while it was a hit in 1998, it's a damn great song. 

New Entries

Four new entries this week beginning with...

47. "What It's Like" by Everlast

So Whitey Ford aka Everlast is an American, singer, rapper and songwriter, he was also a member of House of Pain but given what this song about, I will not be making comment on House of Pain's "Jump Around" here but focus on what "What It's Like" is about with its strong focus on people having empathy for those doing it tough and to not judge somebody going through a nightmare like being homeless through no fault of their own and I do like the pretty damn solid guitar lick and how the song is able to weave three stories in to send it's message. Good song, check it out if you are curious. 

29. "You Don't Know Me" by Armand Van Helden feat. Duane Harden

So two Americans team up here with pruducer Armand Van Helden teaming up with vocallist Duane Harden for what is actually a pretty good slice of New York house music with a somewhat glossy touch that kind of works in the song's favour in bringing the city club vibe to the song which feels somewhat appropriate given the song is about overcoming others judgements and reminding them the individual is something more than just superficial perceptions by others. Check it out if you are curious.

14. "Last to Know" by Human Nature

So this is the only pop song we're covering this week and it comes from Australia's own Human Nature and it's a cover of a song from 90s r'n'b group Color Me Badd (the band I tore apart for the atrocious "I Adore Mi Amor" back during Good 1992 Vibrations) and while the original felt a little too bare bones, Human Nature amp up the pop with some spare guitar, some keyboards and harmonies to question why they are the last find out why their partner isn't giving them the affection they should because they are giving that affection to another person. It's not better than "Cruel" (that song is a high water mark for Human Nature to me) but its certainly good, give it a spin. 

9. "Why Don't You Get A Job" by The Offspring. 

We run out the week with The Offspring's follow up to "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" and I am going to say this, this song can be a bit obnoxiious thanks to that vocal delivery but again just like with "Pretty Fky (For A White Guy)", "Why Don't You Get A Job?" is a hilarious repudiation of those who sit around at home spending other people's momey without ever actually earning a dollar themselves. One poor dude has to lose his gold digging girlfriend "in the worst kind of way" with the response being that he should stop handing over his hard earned on the hook. Goofy ass song but well worth checking out.

Nothing that really warrants worst of the week so I am nixing that for this week however as for best of the week? Tight go but I think I am going to give to "Last to Know" by Human Nature...yeah it's a cover but I'm a sucker for boyband harmonies. 

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart Review: 23rd March

 This is a settle down week as the chart recalibrated following the Harry Styles album bomb last week and with a limited impact likely from BTS next week, we'll see how things play out however nothing is getting in the way of Olviia Dean's "Man I Need" which racked up another week at number one to break the record for the longest running non Australian chart topper and really...it's a margins game given the gap has closed on streaming. 

Which brings us to "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean which remains stalled at number two and is coming under heavy pressure from "IloveitIlloveitIloveit" by Bella Kay up one to number three after having spent the week at number one on Spotify streaming. 

Rising one spot to number four is "Stateside" by Pink Psntheress and Zara Larsson, also up one is "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Oliva Dean, these gains can be explained through "American Girls" by Harry Styles slipping three spots to number six. 

Remaining steady at number seven is "Ordinary" by Alex Warren because this song just clings on and on like an unremovable stain. 

For the first time since 2024, there's an Australian song in the top ten...shame it's "Dracula" by Tame Impala, it climbed seven points to hit the top ten for the first time in it's chart run.

"Raindance" by Dave and Tems is back in the top ten rebounding two spots to number nine while Raye 's "Where is My Husband" slumped two to number ten but should rebound soon courtesy of the release of her upcoming album. 

Losers

ALL the big losers are from the Harry Styles album bomb so let's blast through these quickly "Carla's Song" down nineteen to fifty, "Dance No More" has started grooving spots fifteen spots to forty four, people continue to not listen to "Are You Listening Yet?" as it's stumbled seventeen to thirty nine while "Pop" has well and truly popped down fourteen to thirty six, "Coming Up Roses" actually wilted eleven spots to thirty two, "Ready, Steady, Go" false started down eighteen to thirty one, "Taste Back" lost it's taste so down nine to twenty three while "Aperture" slumped twelve being out of focus to twenty two. 

Drop Outs

the rest of the Harry Styles album account for the drop outs this week with "The Waiting Game", "Season 2 Weight Loss" and "Paint by Numbers" departing the chart. 

Gains

Given everything else that wasn't Harry Styles moved up, I am going to focus only on those songs that had double digit gains this week, we start with Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" which finally got a good boost this week up ten slots to number sixteen as Australia finally decide to make this song a hit which is fine by me.

What I am not fine with are the continued gains for "White Keys" by Dominic Fike which climbed another ten places tp twenty and looks to have streaming traction...geezus...I know we're short of guys doing nicely in the pop mainstream but we do not need this!

"Fever Dream" by Alex Warren rebounded eleven spots to twenty four while Milky and Mallgrab's "Just the Way You Are" jumped ten spots to thirty.

Re-Entries

So we have two re entries this week with the first of those being "Die With A Smike" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars at number forty seven and the other being "Midnight Sun" by Zara Larsson back at number thirty four.

New Entries

Just the one new entry this week so let's talk about...

29. "Porch Light" by Noah Kahan

I have been so disappointed in the performance of the lead single "The Great Divide" mostly because that song really grew on me something insane but anyway we have the follow up single with it almost completely along the same lines as the previous single with this person Kahan is talking too having gossip about their health spreading all over the internet and how this person is tearing thier life apart even if Kahan's vocals are not at all impressive on this song. It's fine enough but he has done better. Meh.

That wraps our week, likely a bunch of BTS and maybe Luke Combs next week but we'll have to see. 

Pretty Fly (For 1999) 21st March. Every Morning As a DooDah Doodah

 So I am going to skip the preamble again this week mostly because I do have a bit to do in real life and I still have three year ebd lists that I need to write and get out however it's also a good thing that the top ten didn't change all that much with "...Baby, One More Time" by Britney Spears remaining a dominant number one.

"That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain just cannot bridge the gap and remains at number two, similar applies for the next four songs, those being "Anthem for the Year 2000" by Silverchair, "This Kiss" by Faith Hill at number four. "Touch It" by Monifah at number five and "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden at number six. 

The movement happens in the lower half of the top ren with "Lullaby" by Shawn Mullins up two slots to seven, it helped push "Jackie" by BZ and Joanne back one slot to number eight.

"No Matter What" by Boyzone rebounded done spot to number nine while "Doo Wop (Dat Thing" by Lauryn Hill slipped two places to number ten. 

Losers

"Tender" by Blur is feeling a bit tender this week after getting bashed ten slots to forty two. 

People have stopped sticking Chef's "Chocolate Salty Balls" in their mouthes and sucking them so it's down from twenty nine to thirty six. 

Emilia's "Big Big World" is actually becoming smaller, smaller as it shrunk eight to thirty one/

Five's "Got the Feelin'" has lost some feeling down ten slots to twenty nine. 

Gains

Thrilled to see "Changes" by 2Pac up eight slots to twelve this week. The party is kicking into gear for The Vengaboys as 'We Like to Party (The Vengabus)" climbed twenty two spots to fourteen.

"Fly Away" is unfortunately taking off for Lenny Kravitz up eight to eighteen while Dru Hill's "How Deep is Your Love" is realizing the love for that song is truly deep up ten to twenty four. 

The New Radicals are getting what they give with "Get What You Give" rising from forty one to twenty e

Finally Propellerheads "Crash!" jumped from forty nine to forty one. 

New Entries

Three new entries this week beginning withh...

47. "DooDah!" by Caetoons

First up is a Danish band called Cartoons and...oh dear god... this is basically a dance version of "Campdown Races" just with vocals going "Everybody sung this song, doo dah doo dah". Its Eurodance trash that is the epitome of annoying and obnoxious as hell, it's even missing the fiddle or banjo that could have given this song some country vibes, instead it's just chintzy and somewhat crappy attempt at Eurodance. Skip it!.

45. "As" by George Michael and Mary J. Blige

So this is a collaboration that I was not expecting on any kind of level, ome of the biggest pop acts of the 80s and 90s collaborating with American r'n'b star Mary J. Blige, I was interested in how this would turn out and rurns out its a smoother r'n'b love song with prominent finger snaps with George and Mary trading verses on the song, I actually really like this as they both sound awesome and there's some decent chemistry here. My only nitpick is the lack of harmonies on the hook and it can feel like it's being shouted at me which is not something I tend to like in music but otherwise good song!

43. 'Every Morning" by Sugar Ray

Third single from the album "14:59" and this on the surface sounds like some of the most breezy pop rock ever with that guitar riff that is at least memorable and the vocal delivery sounds light almost to a level comedic but these lyrics are dark, it's about this girl cheating on him and all that happens when somebody commits infidelity and when there is a temptation to cheat. I actually don't mind this, I do like the guitar lick and the vocal delivery here. I've heard worse in this vein

So that means best of the week is awkward but Ill give the edge to "Every Morning" by Sugar Ray. Worst of the week is not so hard...that's going to "Doo Dah!" by Cartoons...I hope that song does not become a thing because geezus fucking christ. 

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart Review: 16th Match The one where I'd rather be listening to anything else...

So yeah, the Harry Styles album bomb for "Kiss All the time. Disco Occasionally" did happen and honestly while I do not like the album I am grateful for the disruption it caused on the chart even if it didn't get as far as disrupting our current runaway number one which yet for another week is "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean, now it just absolutely rules streaming to a ridiculous degree at this point, it really doesn't even need sales or Youtube to keep the number one.

It held up over "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean which remained at number two, mostly because streaming and sales took a bit of a dip this week and it just didn't have enough to compete with "Man I Need". 

The first sign of Harry Styles impact is at number three with "American Girls" entering the chart. More on this song later but this song is here thanks to decent rather than outright impressive streaming.

Rising three spots to number four is "IloveitIloveitIloveit" by Bella Kay, this song is getting some serious streaming traction now, whether or not it challenges 'Man I Need" remains to be seen. 

All of this pusbed the next four songs down two places, those being "Stateside" by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson at number five, "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean at number six, "Ordinary" by Alex Warren at number seven and "Where is My Husband" by Raye at number eight,

Rising three spots to return to the top ten is "12 to 12" by Sombr at number nine and finally rising twenty eight spots to number ten on the back of the album bomb is "Aperture" by Harry Styles (I still fundamentally hate this song).

Losers

So we had a whole raft of double digit losers this week beginning with the ten place slide to forty seven for "Manchild" by Sabrina Carpenter...I cannot wait to see this song gone permanently from the chart.

I also don't mind that "I Run" by HVN and Kaitlyn Aragon slipped eleven spots to forty six...I can live with this song disappearing too...just quietly.

Justin Bieber's "Daisies" took a thirteen place wilting to forty four while "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish lost ten places to forty three like wise for "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey which slumped ten to forty two,, 

"Baby Steps" by Olivia Dean got sat on it's bum down thirteen to forty one while "Just the Way You":by Milky and Mallgrab got a thirteen spot disfiguring to forty. 

Sombr's "Undressed" is nearly naked down thirteen to thirty nine while "DTMF" by Bad Bunny slumped nineteen to thirty seven (it's done well to be on the chart this long). 

Sieena Spiro's "Die On this Hill" hopefully will die off the charts as it slumped eleven to thirty six and "Fever Dream" by Alex Warren got a cold wet wipe to the face as it suffered a fifteen place drop to thirty five.

A rough week for Olivia Dean continued as "A Couple Minutes" dipped eleven to thirty four while "Opalite' by Taylor Swift got booted eleven to thirty three.

"Homewrecker" by Sombr got wrecked eleven spots to twenty.  

Drop Outs

So I am going to do the drop outs this way:

Gone and not coming back are "Deadline" by Blackpinkm "4 Raws" by EsdeeKid and "Be By You" by Luke Combs

Might come back with album release: "The Great Divide" by Noah Kahan

Might return should streaming return for them: "Nuevayol" and "Baile Involidable" both by Bad Bunny, "Midnight Sun" by Zara Larsson. "Let Alone the One You Love" by Olivia Dean. 

Long running hits that should have been gone ages ago but will probably return: "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen, "Sports Car' by Tate McRae and "Die with a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.

Gains

Outside of "Aperture" returning to the top ten thanks to the album dropping. The only other gain was for "Dracula" by Tame Impala up two to fifteen.

New entries

We are in album bomb territory for Harry Styles so I am only covering the best, worst and what made the top twenty this album is not interesting enough to cover the whole damn thing) so "Paint By Numbers" painted itsself in at thirty eight, "Carla's Song" is being sung at thirty one, "Dance No More" stalled at twenty nine, "The Waiting Game' waits to plunge next week at twenty seven,  "Pop" at twenty four and "Coming Up Roses" sprouting at twenty one. 

So that still leaves us with a meaty porton of this Harry Styles album to cover..unfortunately beginning with...

22. "Are You Listening Yet?" by Harry Styles

These reviews are going to be quite short because there's only so much you can say about an album that gives you very little to say except to call out the "Harry only wishes he could make music as good as LCD system and this one might be the worst example of this yet with the badly blended instrumentation not fitting in with anything on the album including the random guitar and hand claps while Harry sings "Are You Listening Yet?" repeatedly because he thinks that is what passes for a hook these days. Blergh. Never want to hear this again. 

13. Ready, Steady, Go" by Harry Styles

At least this song has a pulse and a bit of energy that doesn't make me want to turn it off and actually listen to LCD Soundsystem and Harry Styles actually seems to have an energy to his voals that is barely present on most of these songs and there's a nice guitar lick that really works at least until the sound effect on the song annoy me enough. Look, there are elements of the production that annoy me but I'll take this...its one of the better specimens on this album. 

12. "Taste Back" by Harry Styles 

The problem with this album is that it's more an LCD Soundsystem worship album that feels very devoid of any actual personality from Harry Styles if you cna hear him at all over the the production because half the time he sounds like he recorded the vocals in a nearby council toilet as the production reminds me a lot of one of the more dramataic Sega Megadrive games made for 2026. The song goes on about somebody reappearing in Harry's life and I am sorry but this isn't interesting or justifiies the annoyingly bad production on the vocals. Next. 

3.  "American Girls" by Harry Styles.

We bring this exploration of Harry Styles new album to a close with the second single and really, almost got to ask why because this really isn't anything other than LCD Soundsystem worship again complete with garbage vocal production, seriously..whoever was responsible for Harry recording thi song from possibly his toilet  or the bathroom should be fired immediately then again maybe when the song revolves around his friends dating American girls, it's probably better to ignore how banal the lyrics or bettter yet? Go and actually listen to some fucking LCD Soundsystem instead.

That was our week and boy that sucked,worst of the week is going to "Are You Listening Yet?" becaus I just cannot stand that song. "Ready, Steady. Go" gets the best of the week for being somewhat decent rather than just boring. 

Next week,, probably Noah Kahan. 

Pretty Fly (For 1999): March 14th. Enjoy Tender Shazam Changes

Let's not waste any time here and jump straight into things beginning wth our top ten and nothing really changed with our top two with "...Baby, One More Time" by Britney Spears holding station at number one ahead of "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain holding steady ar number two,

Rebounding two positions is Silverchair's "Anthem for the year 2000" to number three while "This Kiss" continues it's inexecrable run up three to number four. 

Speaking up inexecrable runs, Monifah's "Touch It" climbed twelve spots this week to number five because that's what the charts need...not. 

All this caused "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden to slide three to number six while "Jackie" by BZ and Joanne recovered one spot to number seven. 

"Doo Wop (Dat Thing)" by Lauryn Hill jumped two places to number eight. Finally, 'Lullaby" by Shawn Mullins stumbled three spots to number nine and "No Matter What" by Botzone fell one to number ten. 

Losers

The hits of 1998 are making their way out slowly but surely with "Hands" by Jewel losing it's grip down nine to fifty.

"Finally Found" by Honeyz is slowly finding it's way to the exit down eight spots to forty seven while "Time Of Your Life (Good Riddance" by Green Day has had the time of it's life on the chart but it fell ten spots to forty four.

"Slide" by Goo Goo Dolls lived up to its name sliding nine to thirty eight while "Body Movin'" by Beastie Boys slipped seven to thirty seven. Meanwhile Spice Girls continue their "Goodbye" tour down ten to thirty five. 

The biggest story though is that Cher's "Believe" collapsed out of the top ten down seven to eleven this week. 

Gains

So I already mentioned the big gain for "Touch it" by Monifah and outside that we only saw one or two other big gains...just a shame most of them aren't on the good side, "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz flew smoothly from forty three to twenty six. 

I guess points to "We Like to Party (The Vengabus)" by The Vengaboys which climbed nine to thiry six. 

New Entries

Five new entries this week, beginning with...

46. "Shazam!" by Spiderbait

Always nice to start the week's reviews with an Aussie act, this is the lead single from Spiderbait's lead single from their fourth album "Grand Slam" and its a fucking slapping banger of a song that doesn't let up from start to finish with it's fuzzy guitars, drums and handclaps which makes senses when it's considered that the song is about smiling and breaking free of feelings of being overwhelmed by dancing and smiling. Damn good song, nice to kick things off on a positive note. 

32. "Tender" by Blur

Another lead single this time from British band Blur, I was curious given how abrasive yet catchy "Song 2" was but turns out that this song is about the break up of Damn Albarn's relationship and all ip is a pretty vulnerable song that really hits some bittersweet notes especiallt with the gospel touches aroound the song and the interplay between Albarna dn Graham Coxon, Again, this is another pretty good song that is worth your time. 

31. "Enjoy Yourself" by A+

Switching from rock to hip hop for these next two songs and the first song we're dealing with is from American rapper going by the name A+ and this song sampling "A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy which was a prettry sizeable Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1976 with the content of the song being about having fun and living it up while they are young...its fine enough if you want some dumb party music. Check it out. 

20. "Changes" by 2Pac

So this might be bit a more complex but bare with me here, this song was recorded in 1992 before being remixed and released for 2pace's Greatest hits record in 1998 with the remix including a US r&b group called Talent who somehow don't get a featuring vredit on this but anyway I do love the cleverly flipped sample of 1986 hit "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and The Range as 2pac raps about the struggles of African American communities where police brutality, racism, poverty etc are prevalent and 2pac urges unty and personal responsibility while urging change in how black communities in the USA view and treat each other. It's an incredibly emotional song and my god it hits hardl. Check this out!

15. "Nothing Really Matters" by Madonna

The final single from Madonna's successful "Ray of Light" album and I have to be honest here I am not really all that impressed with Madonna's vocals fighting through layers of effects but she does sound good here, strident as she sings about finding fufillment and joy in motherhood and love rather than in her fame and public image. If it weren't for some of the more more egregious effects, this is also pretty good,

That was our week and wow, I am nixing worst of the week here because nothing here is worthy of that slot however "Changes" by 2pac is getting best of the week because yeah that song hitsin a way nothing else here does, 

ARIA Singles Top 50 Chart Review: 9th March

 I am a bit torn about whether to say this is a good or bad week because what does it truly matter with a likely Harry Styles album bomb (and given how forgettable the album is, I am not looking forward to covering that in any case) on the way but we do have a reasonable week here so let's start with the top ten where for yet another week "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean keeps the number one spot, it's just a monster on streaming tight now that not even Harry Styles can get near at this point. 

It held up over "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia which held on to number two but with it's streaming already seemingly on the downward slide, its going to come under some pressure from "Stateside" by Pink Pantherress feat. Zara Larsson which climbed a massive eight spots to number three this week but Harry Styles next week might curb some of that momentum for this song. 

So as a result we saw "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean fall back one to number four, "Ordinary" by Alex Warren back one to number five and "Where is My Husband" by Raye slipped one spot to number six.

The second big arrival to our top ten is "IloveitIloveitIloveit" by Bella Kay which raced up thirteen places to number seven, this song has some momentum behind it, it will be interesting to see what happens to this in the weeks ahead post Harry Styles bomb.

An album boost saw "I Just Might" by Bruno Mars rise six spots to number eight,

All of this saw Sombr's "Homewrecker" slide three spots to number nine and "Raindance" by Dave and Tems down two to number ten, 

 Losers

So we do have a chunk of songs that lost hard this week like "Let Alone the One You Love" by Olivia Dean which slipped eight to forty eight and "4 Raws" by EsDeeKid which tumbled twelve spots to forty seven. 

Sadly, "The Great Divide" by Noah Kahan had one of the biggest losses of the week down fourteen places to forty four, sad about that one because it's a really damn good song and deserves better. 

We also had some losses for songs that are country or country adjacent with "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen down seven to forty three and "Be by You" by Luke Combs down eight to forty two. I wouldn't mind if the Post Malone and Morgan Wallen song left already...it's had a great run and really is just clogging room on the charts at this point.

Closing in on the end of it's lap is "Victory Lap" by Fred Again, Skepta and Plaque Boy Max down seven to thirty six and while "I Run" is running in the run direction for HVN and Kaitlyn Aragon down seven to thirty five,

Drop Outs

Four songs dropped out this week and I am not really complaining about any of thhese to a degree with "Tit For Tat" by Tate McRae, "Sapphire" by Ed Sheeran, "I've Seen It" by Olivia Dean and...yet again.."Good Luck, Babe1' by Chappell Roan. 

Gains

Not much in the way of big gains outside our top ten although "Neuvayol" by Bad  Bunny up twelve spots to thirty four.

What I was disappointed with is the nineteen place gain for "White Keys" by Dominic Fike to twenty nine. Australia, seriously, we can do better than this nasal discharge.

Re-Entries

Just the one return this week with "Baile Involidable" by Bad Bunny back at forty nine. 

New Entries

Three new entries, starting with...

30. "Go" by Blackpink

Look, be glad that nothng else from Blackpink's recent EP broke through this week because it could have been so much worse than this and even then, "Go" isn't exactly anything to write home about, "Go" still features unnecessary noise that takes away from the song and it's not helped that Blackpink just sound incredibly nasal and like they have colds or something. As i said, it's probably one of the better songs on "Deadline" but that is about it. 

20. "Fever Dream"  by Alex Warren

My views on Alex Warren are mixed while I don't hate "Ordinary" with anywhere near the energy others have reserved for the song but its definitely become a song I have grown sick of and if "Eternity" had of made the year end list for 2025 than that would have made my worst hit songs list however I do like "Bloodline" with Jelly Roll so I was hoping this song was more "Bloodline" than "Eternity" and yeah...I think we got there! 

There's a bounce to the production on this song that makes it feel summery even though we're now past summer in Australia even if the lyrics are a bit naff, he is having this fever dream where he is seeing this girl everywhere  and knows he is damned if she loves him and damned if she doesn't, it plays a bit in dicey territory but I'll take it, it's one of his better efforts.

13. "Risk It All" by Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars just releasing his latest wedding song from his new album and I do find it interesting that this is the only new song from this album to hit the singles chart this week but we did get this pretty sweet piano ballad that throws in a latin flair (inspired by Bad Bunny, Bruno) thanks to the horns as Bruno declares he'd risk everything for this woman in his life with a sincerity that seems genuine enough. I like it. Check it out if you are curious,

That's our week. Best and worst fall out easily enough, I am going to give worst of the week to "Go" by Blackpink and the best of the week to "Risk It All" by Bruno Mars, it's just slightly better than "Fever Dream" by Alex Warren. 

Next week...yeah...Harry Styles album bomb...yay?

Pretty Fly (for 1999): How Deep is Your Vengabus, Animal?

 So we have a relatively busy week at hand here with changes in our top ten including a new entry breaking through rather high and another that song unfortunately broke into the top ten (much to my annoyance). but anyway let's jump straight into the top ten where "...Baby, One More Time" by Britney Spears remains solid at number one for another week thanks to another excellent week on sales.

The sales were good enough to hold off something of a charge from "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain which jumped two spots to number two this week on the back of sales. 

New entry at number three from Savage Garden courtesy of "The Animal Song" which I will talk about the quality of the song later but this did some nice numbers which dod help to push "Believe" by Cher back two spots to number four and "Anthem for the Year 2000" by Silverchait back two spots to number five. 

Shawn Mullins saw "Lullaby" fall back one spot to number six and howled "Eveeerrryything's gonna be alright"

Now I am less than thrilled about the four place gain for "This Kiss" by Faith Hill.to number seven...come on, we can do better but it saw the rest of our top ten fall with "Jackie" by BZ and Joanne down two spots to number eight, "No Matter What" by Boyzone down two to number nine and "Doo Woop (Dat Thing)" by Lauryn Hill down one to number ten. 

Losers

It was a pretty soul crushing week for a lot of older songs with the lack of faith hitting Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston's "When You Believe:" ten spots to fifty. 

The night is proving not to be so everlasting for Danni Minogue on the charts as "Everlasting Night" slumped six spots to forty eight.

B*Witched stumbled from thirty three to forty six as its chart run is seemingly being cut short. 

Former chart topper "Crush" by Jennifer Paige is finally being crushed down eight to forty two while "Finally Found" by Honeyz slipped from thirty two to thirty nine. 

*NSYNC want their place in the top twenty back as "I Want You Back' tumbled ten spots to twenty six. 

Gains

Our gains are a mixed bag because on one hand I am thrilled tnat "Get What You Give" by New Radicals got a nice eleven place boost to thirty five however we unfortunately saw the creepiness that is "Touch It" by Monifah jump from twenty four to seventeen. 

New Entries

Five new entries beginning with....

49. "Crash" by Propellerheads.

Propellerheads are an English electronic duo who first firmed in 1995 with this song coming from an EP called "Extended Play" (imaginative naming...not) and really this is just an instrumental reworking of "At the Sign of the Swinging Cymbal"  but hey, it's pretty good., worth checking out if you are curious.

45. "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" by The Vengaboys

Time to turn our attention to Dutch Eurodance mixed group The Vengaboys who are making their debubt on the Australian charts with this song and honestly this song is hilarious in some ways especially with that horn that does sound like a bus on the way and is about to reach the station but come 0n the voice ad nauseum saying "We like to party" is kind of forced at this point however I do like the vocals on the verses and the song does make use of it's goofiness in a way that's endearing. Cute wau to introduce the group. 

32. "How Deep Is Your Love" by Dru Hill

So I was getting ready for this to be a god awful cover of the Bee Gees song of the same name but turns out American r'n'b group Dru Hill pulled out a pretty decent r'n'b song if the song didn't place the damn percussion at the front of the mix and bury the vocals to the point they are barely audible The content of this song is this guy is messing with a woman who also has other men on the side and she's left him questioning how deep her love is for him...it's pretty generic and when the the mixing is this ass, I think we can skip this safely.

14. "Whiskey in the Jar" by Metallica

So Metallica have tjurned to covering Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey in the Jar" which tells the story of an outlaw robbing a government or military official only for his wife to go behind his back to report him to authorities and take the money for herself. Now this cover is done well by Metallica, the band sounds great and James Hetfield certainly tells the story with a lot of fire in his belly, I like this. Check it out. 

3. "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden

So the latest single for Savage Garden's latest album "Affirmation" and a song that was written for the soundtrack of film called "The Other Sister" and honestly this is a song that doesn't leave me with much to say because yeah, there's some nice harmonies here and Darren Hayes mostly sounds really good. it's a song that delves into how someone with mental health and how someone dealing with depression etc finds it difficult tp express emotions and how to deal with a colourful and confusing rules with rules that stifle a person's personality. I get what this song is going for but I do think this song is somewhat forgettable even with the subject matter, it just doesn't quite hit hard enough for me. 

That leaves us with a weird week as a wbole. Worst of the week is going to "How Deep Is Your Love" by Dru Hill for that botch job on the mixing. Best of the week is tougher because there weren't that many stand outs...I'll give it to "Whiskey in the Jar" by Metallica but The Vengaboys in their Vengabus were close.

Top Ten Best HIt Songs of 1994

So as I said on the worst list...1994 was a damn great year for the charts if you didn't look at the very top and that remains true. I had a hell of a time putting together this list in that there were so many damn great songs that deserved recognition such was the strength of pop, rock and even r'n'b and hip hop, Even more importantly it felt like the 90s in terms of the music finally woke up and finally found some sounds that didn't feel dated to the eighties and that can only be a good thing. 

Now just a reminder that "Zombie" by The Cranberries charted higher on the 1995 year end so I'll talk about that song when I get around to making a 1995 best hit songs list, now that I've cleared that up...let's get stuck into the ten best hit songs of 1994.

Number Ten

In 1993, this band released a cover of Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain" that really isn't all that good so imagine my shock and delight that they released this song...and it was better than I could have ever expected...

"Mountain" by Chocolate Starfish

For awhile this was my number one favourite hit of the year but ultimately that weird beeping noise in the back of the mix pushed this back to here for me but god, this song still hits like a hammer with the instrumentation feeling rugged yet comforting and the content hits hard too all about a relationship where one person wants the other to be their mountain and settle down but the other person isn't ready and really just wants to spend more time flowing like that river doing whatever it is they have a passion for rather than settling down and getting that sensible steady job like the partner asked them to get. I get the pathos...great song!

Number Nine.

Sp we're staying Australian and dealing with the first of two Aussie pop divas to make this list and maan...what a delight this song is...

"Chains" by Tina Arena

If you are looking for a powerhouse vocal performance from a woman in 1994 than look no further than this song from Tina Arena, this is an incredibly impassioned love song where Tina realizes that she is so in love with this guy that she is in metaphorical chains for him and this song makes use of it's dramatic swell so well that I almost felt like I was also tied in chains to this dude and Tina sells this song so well its convincing. 

Number Eight

Sometimes there's no denying that a pop song is this good....

"The Sign" by Ace of Base

I don't know what you want me to say about this song when the song's broad appeal is so dang obvious, that catchy hook that will be left stuck in your head for days on end especially given the hook is that ridiculously catchy and earwormy, it's pretty much what good pop music especially out of Sweden (one of the homes of great pop music) should be.

This song deals with someone that is seeing the sign that their relationship is finally done and it's time to find the strength inside to move on to hopefully something better and happier, I love the messaging of this song and it deserves its place as one of the best pop songs of the 90s

Number Seven

You all know I rather harsh on terrible cover versions of songs...well, this time around, here's a cover song that gets things right for a change.

"Ain't Nobody" by Jaki Graham

This is a cover that took the original by Chaka Khan (that was already great) and decided not to mess with it too much but added sosme more 90s big beat bounce and groove that Jaki Graham is effortlessly able to play to in order to sell this song to a newer generation. Now Jaki is definitely over singing on the hook a little but I kind of pin that down to selling the idea that nobody other than her lover could make her feel so good and happy. It's a cute song that I was happy to place on this list.

Number Six

Then there's the alternative, a relationship on the brink and one pushes the other out the door and the regret hits almost immediately...well we got a song about that in 1994...

"Stay (I Missed You)" by Lisa Loeb & Nine Tales

There's something about this jittery emotional song that hits all the right notes with me, Lisa Loeb delivers this song as though she's nervously trying to convince this person she knows she pushed away to come back into her orbit and she regrets what she did to push this person who was genuinely in with her away even though this lover had issues with her talking too much etc. I also love the simplicity of the production here, it's just a spare guitar, Loeb's voice and some restrained backing vocals, it's only not higher because...

Nnumber Five

I like hip hop when it's breezy, the samples are bright and colourfjul, having fun and laying down some bars, Trap drudge does nothing for me so when this song turned up on the year end list...I was thrilled

"Hip Hop Holiday" by 3 The Hard Way

The minute that flip of "Dreadlock Holiday" by 10cc gets going where they rap "We don't like hip hop...we love it!" just makes me smile combine that with that reggae breakdown that reminds me suspiciously of "Inoformer" by Snow and this might well be more of the more infectious hits of 1994. The group get verses off bragging about the rhymes and swagger they bring to their music. This is fun, funky and sure does feel like one hell of a breezy hip hop holiday. 

Number Four

I know people are going to be shocked that more of the "Seattle Sound" aka grunge is not featured more prominently on this list and I there's a part of me that wishes I did find room for Soundgarden amd others but if there was a song from the Seattle scene that hit...it was this one...

"Daughter" by Pearl Jam

I don't know what it is about this song that just works for me, is it Eddie's more restrained vocal delivery that just hits like a train when he does let loose into the middle eight of the song, the instrumentation especially that damn guitar riff that kicks so much arse but somehow I think it all boils down to the content of the song...it's about this poor child who has a learning disability and because not much was known about learning difficulties at the time...the kids that struggled at school due to ADHD were always pinned as the ones misbehaving so got 'beaten"

What is chilling about the ending of this song is the line "the shades go fown" and it's never expressly said what happened to the girl at the centre of this song although you can guess from what I said earlier. 

Number Three

I asked social media if this song was this artist's best work...the overwhelming response was yes.

Not like I am about to disagree.

"Confide in Me" by Kylie Minogue

There's not too many songs like "Confide In Me" that blend elements of western and eastern pop music so damn well like this, it just blows my mind how absolutely flawless this production is that swells and ebbs with Kylie's voice so damn well but let's not mince words here...Kylie is the star of the show here, it's her vocals that make this song the absolute power house it is as she urges this other person to share the problem they are facing with her reminding them that a problem is meant to be shared so others can help and support the person to fix it. This is just a great pop song and could have been my number one in a weaker year. 

Number Two

I am not shocked this is so high, the artist behind this song has a habit of making songs that get to the core of the matter in question and this song was no different...

"Streets Of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen

This song can be summed up in one word: devastating, it comes from the first major film at the time called "Philadelphia" which was the first film to seriously tackle the AIDS issue on the silver screen and this song from Bruce Springsteen realizes the seriousness and really underlines the impact that the AIDs crisis had on people who had the virus at the time, citing the loneliness and social isolation of a man who is dying of AIDS face and the desperate search for connection with others.

Bruce just nails the complexity here, it's not even just social connection, it's the loss of identity and that production also provides that haunting atmosphere that just broke me. It's a haunting song that emotionally hits all the right notes...it's not number one though...what could that be?

Number One

Nothing else was ever going to be number one on this list, this number one pick was fate...it was meant to be. This song is special in ways that take my breath away and thus...

"Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" by Elton John

Nothing else felt right at number one...nothing...this song hits so hard and powerfully I just break down and sob like a baby to the point I couldn't imagine anything else topping this list, there's a magic to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" that I don't think anything else from 1994 can match from Elton's vocal delivery that's just warm and comforting and that orchestral in instrumentation that just sounds so full its overwhelming and maybe it just hits even harder given we are years removed from 1994 and the world hasn't exactly gotten better. 

It's the perfect song for one of the best Disney movies ever "The Lion King" (nothing beats it...outside of maybe Peter Pan) and maybe the perfect song that provides an escape from the troubles of the world as Elton sings to open the song "There's a calm surrender to the rush of dayWhen the heat of the rolling world can be turned away". Maybe it's just the ultimate comfort song for me alongside "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House.but whatever the case it's the number one best hit song of 1994.

ARIA Singles Top 50 Chart Review: March 2nd.

 This feels like a really quiet week which I will take considering that Bruno Mars and Blackpink are likely to both make an impact on the chart in a big way next week however let's dive into this week's top ten where for a fifteenth week, it's "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean, it's dominant on sales and streaming but not yet on Youtube. 

What did shock and thrill me is the four place gain to number two for "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean thanks to major streaming gains but it was enough for "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean to be pushed back to number three, "Ordinary" by Alex Warren back to number four and "Where is My Husband" by Raye back to number five.

Sombr's katest top ten hit "Homewrecker" climbed  two places to number six thanks to streaming.  Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia" held steady at number seven which is interesting for reasons you'll see why later. 

"Raindance" by Dave and Tems rebounded one spot to number eight and Sombr's '12 to 12" returned to the top ten up two spots to number nine while "Golden" from K-Pop Demon Hunters also returned to the top ten up two spots to number ten. 

Losers

"Good Luck, Babe" bv Chappell Rean is  back on the cusp of leaving the chart (again) down fourteen spots to fifty. 

Bad Bunny's "Nuevayol" tumbled twenty places to forty six (Frankly I am surprised this song is still on the charts at all)

It will rebound in a couple of weeks time but "Aperture" by Harry Styles continues to fall in the mean time down ten places to thirty seven. 

Finally "Opalite" by Taylor Swift collapsed twelve places because an artificial boost via gaming the charts only nets rewards for so long and when there are other songs that do what this song is trying to do better,...yeah...

Drop Outs

Djo's "Back to beginning" returned to the On Replay Singles chart after it's ten week stint on the chaet thanks to virality. 

Long running hit "Yukon" by Justin Bieber took it's exit this week along with "Baile Involidable" by Bad Bunny ad "Sally, When the Wine Runs Out" by Role Model. 

Gains

So I am going to get to the big gain of the week in a moment but I do want to mention "Stateside" by Pink Pantheress which jumped six places to number eleven and looks likely to climb even higher in the weeks ahead thanks to the song being used by American ice skater Alysa Liu during her gold medal winning skate at the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.

However the biggest gain of the week is "IloveitIloveitIloveit" by Bella Kay up a massive twenty two spots to twenty,

"4 Raws" by EsDeeKid rebounded eight spots to thirty five and "I've Seen It" by Olivia Dean up eight to forty one. 

Re-Entries

Three returns this week with "Just Keep Watching" by Tate McRae back at forty four and "I Had some Help" by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen returning at thirty nine.

Finally back at number twenty seven is a 2002 song from Italian house music group Milky that originally peaked forty seven at the time, this time a remix with Mallgrab ensuring it returned to the chart,,,I don't see this lasting long on the chart but we'll have to see.

New Entries

Just the one new entry this week...

47. "White Keys" by Dominic Fike

Oh god, we're not giving Dominic Fike another hit again, are we? We've been lucky in that the new rules kept the terrible "Baby Doll" off the charts but we did get this and so I guess I do need to talk about in some capacity...and it meets my very low expectations of being alternative shlock that pop radio would accept as transgressive, who told Fike that his vocal delivery needed to be so inexecrably annoying to the point I had to turn the song off at multiple points? Also this bare bones production is unmitigated amounts of ass as that guitar sounds like it was in the middle of being fucking neutered. 

As for the content, its about a failed relationship and Fike musing on his early years geowing up in Florida and given how obnoxious he sounds on this sound, I don't blame the girl for leaving him because nooo, this song is not worth it. 

That was our week and geezus, I hope Bruno strikes in a big way to get ass like "White Keys" off the charts.

Pretty Fly (For 1999) February 28th Get What You Give Away in an Anthem for 2000

 So we have on the surface a pretty standard week here if you can call it that, three new entries and plenty of movement but remember last week that the showdown for the number one spot was on? That happened and we wound up with a brand new chart topper because Britney Spears did it as sales pushed "Baby, One More Time" to the top, this song has legs right now to be a long term chart topper. 

It pushed "Believe" by Cher back to number two as the numbers weighing in Britney's favour meant it couldn't hang on much longer. 

There's a new entry at number three coming from Silverchair with "Anthem for the Year 2000" having an impressive sales week to lodge itself this high although I would argue Silverchair arguably have the profile to do that. 

Rising on spot off the debut is "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain at number four likewise for "Lullaby" by Shawn Mullins which jumped one to five although both those gains could be on the back of increasing weakness for the fading "Jackie" by BZ and Joanne.

What's not going away like an extremely virulent case chlamydia is "No Matter What" by Boyzone which remains stubbornly at number seven no matter how much spray and wipe I use to try to remove this godawful song from the chart.

That cannot be said for The Offspring's "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy" which slipped four places to number eight, its fading gracefully now. 

I am happy to see a one place gain for "Doo Wop (Dat Thing)" by Lauryn Hill to numner nine. I just wish itb wasn't at the expense of "How do I Deal" by Jennifer Love Hewitt down one to number ten. 

Losers

Celine Dion and R. Kelly need three busloads of angels to save "I'm Your Angel" exiting the chart, this week it slipped from forty two to forty nine.

Grinspoon are pushing all the wrong buttons as their EP "Pushing Buttons" slumped from thirty six to forty one. 

"Finally Found" by Honeyz is on its way out as it slipped ten spots to number thirty two while "From this Moment On" by Shania Twain slumped from twenty four to thirty one. 

Gains

We don't have that much in the way of big gains, unfortunately it seems more than enough people do want to touch Monifah's "Touch It" so that got an eight place boost to twenty four off of it's debut last week.

However it looks like some people want to go a long way together with "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim rising from it's debut of forty one to thirty five.

Will Smith's "Miami" is up eight to thirty six which is nice to see. I still like that song. 

New Entries

Three new entries and all some variation of rock this weekbeginning with....

46. "Get What You Give" by New Radicals

So New Radicals are an American pop/rock act with with song being their first to hit the ARIA singles chart and you know what? I actually really love this! It's a song about finding hope  and connection in a world that has become cold, cynical and corporate with the song reminding everyone that you only get back as much as you put into life. Throw in that guitar, the rather passionate delivery of the lyrics and you have a pretty damn great song, Check it out

44. "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz

The fourth single from Lenny Kravitz album "5" and boy, I wish I liked this more than I do especially as this song really is limited in soaring to any kind of great height by that production where thr guitars are choked that they cannot soar or fly away like Lenny Ktavitz wants to do and honestly, I'm not buying Kravitz's performance on the hook either, this song just isn't doing anything for me so I'm going to skop it more often than not. 

3. "Anthem for the Year 2000" by Silverchair

Lead single from "Neon Ballroom" and again, I am not feeling this song as much as I probably should, this has a pretty damn good hook and the instrumentation and production feel so by the numbers for a song that's aimed at rebelling against authority or even vaguely speaking truth to power (even if meant to be taken sarcastically) even Daniel Johns sounds less punchy and the song just lacks that punch that the best anthemic rock songs have. 

Best and worst fall out easily this week with "Get What You Give" by New Radicals the best this week. The worst going to "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz.

"Pop" Country Gone Haywire: Lee Brice's "Country Nowadays" is the height of entitled, privileged whining

There are moments where country music just nails the mood and strikes the right tone, I have examples of how great the genre can be on my best of 2026 playlist already (See Carter Faith and William Beckmann's collab from earlier this year and Emily Scott Robinson's beautiful new album "Appalachia" but every so often the genre hits a turd like in 2017 with "Body Like a Backroad" by Sam Hunt which unfortunately became a staple of the genre that year and this year it's Lee Brice's "Country Nowadays"

Firstly, let's do a little background on Lee Brice, he originally worked behind the scenes as a songwriter for Jason Aldean and even co wrote Garth Brooks song "More than a Memory" amd from there was signed to Curb Records in 2007 and has since released several albums and even collaborated with Carly Pearce on "Hope You're Happy Now".so yes, you can absolutely say that Brice was apart of the instigation of the worst period for mainstream country in years where all the male artists wanted to do was drink beer off the back of tailgates and leer at women although Brice was on the decidedly more tasteful side of the nonsense, he did have one or two songs I liked. '

All that brings me to his new song enttled "Country Nowadays" that he performed at the "alternate" Superbowl half time show much to the amusement of the internet, there already several Youtube Poops mocking this song and honestly I am not sure they go far enough to underline just how extraordinarily privileged this song comes across so I am going to breakdown the fundamentals of this song's lyrics (I am not going to discuss the actual music because I am not giving this song a click)

"I just wanna catch my fish, drive my truck, drink my beer
And not wake up to all this stuff I don't want to hear
Like the same kind of gun I hunt with, just killed another man
When the only thing mine ever shot was a deer from my deer stand"\

You can go catch your fish, drive your truck and drink beer, Lee, NOBODY is stopping you. Also if you don't want to wake up to the news of another school shooting in America, you can just not turn the TV on in the morning and avoid social media but the real reason you don't want to wake up to the news of another school shooting or another innocent person being murdered is that you don't want your thoughts on gun ownership and putting bullets through an animal challenged by people who actually want gun reform.

"I just want to grow my corn, feed my dogs, wear my boots

Not turn the TV on, sit and watch the evenin' news
And be told if I tell my own daughter that little boys ain't little girls
I'll be up the creek in hot water in this "cancel your ass" world"

Trans people simply existing do not stop Lee from growing vegetables and feeding his dog nor are anyone else's private parts or lack there of anyone's concern and shouldn't be in the news anyway...who cares if somebody wants a penis instead of a vagina..how does their decision affect Lee Brice or Fox News?.

As for complaining about "cancel culture" since when was Lee ever cancelled? Again, two of his biggest hits have been fairly  recent with "One of them Girls" and the collab with Carly Pearce that I mentioned earlier. Also if cancel culture was actually a fucking thing, Chris Brown wouldn't still be gaining hits and relevance on the charts to this fucking day. It looks pretty myopic and incredibly privileged for somebody like Lee Brice who has had a modicum of success on the charts to be whining about cancel culture.

" It ain't easy being country in this country nowadaysThe direction the fingers point when everything goes up in flames
Sayin' I'm some right-wing devil 'cause I was small town, Jеsus raised
It ain't easy being country in this country nowadays"

Oh wow, whining it's hard to be country nowadays when the genre is actually having the biggest boom in terms of success on the Hot 100 and around the world, there's actually never been a better time to be an artist making real country music eg: Ella Langley, Luke Combs etc not that Lee would know what actual drums are that aren't borrowed from a drum machine are. 

As for the religious implications here, can I suggest Lee go spend some more time with his bible and learn how to be humble because this entitled privileged whining in song form does not imply that he understands what God and Jesus meant by modesty and humility...yes, modesty is not just dress standards for women, they apply in terms of behaviour for everyone.

"I just wanna cut my grass, watch my gamе, say my prayers
Not get a picture of a flag up in flames as people cheer
Yeah, the same one my grandaddy fought for being stepped on like it's trash
And I'm a downright hateful monster if I back the blue and badge"

Okay, I do agree flag burning is not a good thing and it's something that peaceful protest should not resort to but again...nobody is stopping Lee Brice from praying, watching football or mowing his overgrown lawn that probably has more weeds than any actual realisation from Lee Brice that this privileged whining is just not going to cut it, he is free to do all that shit he names in this song but the real world is going to keep being the real fucking world..is Lee Brice even cognisant of the fact that ICE have murdered innocent people, that his president Donald Trump is in the Epstein files and as a result Trump is threatening to start a WAR with Iran...where's the song talking about the actual real shit that is happening, Lee?

As for support the police, he is free support whoever he wants just as long he is aware that people are allowed to disagree. We all face consequences for things we say and do, we are not free from the consequences of our free speech like so many entitled and privileged people seem to believe they are.

Final part of this shit show of a song is this:

"All I do is mind my business, live my life the best I can
Try to be a real good husband, a real good daddy, a real good man
But because I have my morals and a small town point of view
You assume that you don't like me means that I don't like you, too"

Minding his own business when he was complaining about trans people earlier in his own song? I would suggest none of that was minding his own business. Now I am not going to judge him as a husband or as a parent however morals do come into question when you sign up to perform as part of what is fairly blatantly a Donald Trump and Republican suppprting grift like Turning Point USA while Trump is still in the Epstein Files and may possibly  be deeply involved, eyeing bombing other countries and pushing US democracy to the brink of extinction, Lee may well have bigger issues to worry about that trans kids and school shootings in the news on his small town home TV. 

This isn't escapism from Lee Brice, this is just privileged shitlord material that doesn't have the good sense to have some balance and acknowledge that there are real problems in the US and the world that need to be dealt with such as the pedophiles in positions of power (which is wild Lee doesn't acknowledge that given he has kids) and when we have this sort of worthless art in country, it actually hurts the genre and those artists in country trying to speak truth to power.

Fuck this song.

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart Review: 23rd February

So there have been some shifts on the chart this week that I did not see coming and some of them on the absolutely amazing side but let's set sail with the top ten because remaining at number one for a fourteenh week, it's "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean at number one, it's got massive streaming margins ahead of "So Easy (Tio Fall In Love)" also by Olivia Dean, she's still a dominant presence in the top ten right now.

Holding steady at number three is "Ordinary" by Alex Warren. Streaming and sales are mostly done with this song but Youtube is not letting this song go away. Rebounding one spot to number four is "Where is My Husband" by Raye (a song I am kind of sick of at this point, I wouldn't mind if it started to lose some traction)

Rising two to number five off the back of a sales boost is "Opalite" by Taylor Swift, we'll see how long the sales boost and traction from the video hold up because streaming is dine for this song, what's getting ready to move past it is "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean which climbed eight places to reach a new peak of number six, it pushed "The Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift back one to number seven.

"Homewrecker" by Sombr is the second new arrival to our top ten rising ten spots off its debut to number eight, this song is looking to be absolutely huge in the next few weeks. 

Holding steady at number nine is "Raindance" by Dave and Tems, tbe fact this song is still doing great on streaming is impressive to me. Finally in no surprise to anyone, "DtMF" by Bad Bunny fell six places to number six...I would be surprised if this song doesn't leave quickly.

Losers

"Yukon" bty Justin Bieber couldn't make much of it's return so it slipped thirteen places to fifty this week. 

"Baile Involidable" by Bad Bunny slipped seven places to number forty one while "Aperture" by Harry Styles contiinues to free fall down seven to twenty seven. 

Drop Outs

 Six drop outs this week and I am not complaining about any of these being gone with long running hits like "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter, "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen, "Gabriela" by Katseye and "Just Keep Watching" by Tate McRae gone

Also gone are "Fame is a Gun" by Addison Rae and "The Days (Notion Remix)" by Chrystal. Massive net win here!

 

Gaiuns

Not much in the way of gains outside the two already mentioned in the top ten. The biggest gain unfortunately comes from "Die On this Hill" by Sienna Spiro up six to twenty two sadly.

Re-Entries

Two returns this week, Ed Sheeran in the country at the moment meant that "Sapphire" returned at forty seven while "I've Seen It" by Olivia Dean made it's return for the third time at fifty. 

New Entries

Four new entries this week, lets start with...

45. "Sally, When the Wine Runs Out" by Role Model

So this finally turns up in the top 50, for those who are unaware, Role Model is a former rapper turned singer/songwriter hailing from the USA with this song released as a single in February last year and having some viral traction without ever really breaking through in Australia, this song got some renewed interest this past week thanks to Robert Irwin playing the role of Sally at Role Model's appearance at Laneway Festival in Perth and yeah this song has something of a charm that would net an audience over on Triple J with it's electric guitars and stompy bassAnother  as Role Model tells Sally that he'll buy her couple of drinks but begs her not to fall in love with him or to leave when the wine runs out only for him to realize that he is catching feelings for her. 

Definitely a cute summer song that I wouldn't mind sticking around. 

42. "IloveitIloveitIloveit" by Bella Kay

Another new name on the charts this week in the form of nineteen year old Bella Kay, an American singer who was born in Texas but is now living in Florida with this song coming from her yet to be named second album and I am not sure how to feel about this one especially given the themes running in the lyrics where she is acknowledging that she is in a toxic and possibly abusive relationship but she loves it because the drama associated with such a horrifically bad relationship is giving her validation and a visceral thrill from all the drama of it even though she knows it's bad for her...now that 

Also this song feels very bare bones in the production with just an acoustic guitar and some backing vocals supporting Bella. I want to like this because we do need more guitar driven songs on the charts...check this out if you are curious but I am not going to be surprised if the content of this song gets some pushback. 

39. "Midnight Sun" by Zara Larsson

Oh I am not surprised to see this here what with the revisit Australia and the rest of the world seems to be giving Zara Larsson's music amidst this bizarre obsession with 2016 (2016 was a terrible year for the world in general), "Lush Life" would be in the top ten of this chart if it were not for ARIA"s new rules and with this song being the title track from Zara's album last year that was generally well recieved, I was curious.

Well turns out that Zara is playing into the Pink Pantheress lane of pop music with more than a few glances at Charli XCX's notes and that dtop into the chorus does feel very computer music but it's not terrible and I have heard worse. Decent song...that's about all I have to say about this one

33. "Be By You" by Luke Combs

So I cannot be the only one feeling a sense of trepidation over this new Luke Combs album that's coming next month, right? The singles for this album have at best been underwhelming to outright mediocre so I went into this song with some very limited expectations given the disappointment of the past singles nad much to my very welcome surprise, Combs swings back toward neo traditional country with this ballad dedicated to his wife and how he wants to spend every moment he can with her and their three children.

It's a pretty sweet love song that definitely works for Valentines Day hence why it chaeted. 

It's also tbe best song of the week. As for the worst...nothiing outright terrible here and I actually like all four to some degree...I think I am going to go with "IloveitIloveitIloveit" by Bella Kay mostly because I do think the lack of pushback on some of the themes expressed in the song just don't sit well. 

Pretty Fly (For 1999): 21st February. Everlasting Touch Night Don't Impress Me Much

No horses were actually harmed in the making of this week's look back on the charts of 1999.

Yippee yo kiyay! We are down for a showdown for the number one at high noon...Cher riding the horse "Believe" hangs on to the number one spot this week but it's a margins game becasuse Britney Spears riding "...Baby, One More Time" is making a play cantering up two spotss to number two and is within a short half head of the number one spot. 

"Jackie" with BZ and Joanne riding her held steady at number three but it's coming under pressure which won't be coming from The Offspring all riding "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" as it bucked two positions to number four. A new entry rides into town at number five thanks to Shania Twain riding "That Don't Impress Me Much"...more on this new filly later but she racked up an impressive pedigree in sales.

It;'s just as well Shawn Mullins isn't singing to put his horse "Lullaby" to sleep as it trotted up a cautious one spot to number six. 

The next three are bucking and are seeking pastures at the Past Hits Retirement home with Boyzone on "No Matter What" down two to number seven, "When You're Gone" by Bryan Adams and Melanie C tossing it's head around so much it's down two to number eight and "How Do I Deal" didn't like what it was seeing and walked back one spot taking it's rider Jennifer Love Hewitt with it. 

Lauryn Hill has entered the top ten showdown ring with :"Doo Wop (Dat Thing)" up eagerly observing up one spot to number ten.

Losers

Smash Mouth apparently are tired of the charts because "Can't Get Enough of You Baby" slipped from thirty seven to forty three. 

People are not convinced anymore by Stardust's "The Music Sounds Better with You" so it's taken a six place stumble to thirty seven. 

Jennifer Paige's former chart topper "Crush" got crushed nine places to twenty nine while Honeyz might be losing their grip with "Finally Found" down from sixteen to twenty two. 

"Goodbye" by Spice Girls is beginning it's goodbye as it slipped seven to seventeen. 

Re-Entries

So I am reasonably happy with the return of "Miami" by Will Smith at number forty six. 

Gains

Wish I could be that nice about our two big gains this week though. When the best of them is "Have You Ever" by Brandy up nine to fifteen...that's not a good sign.

The other big gain is "This Kiss" by Faith Hill up ten to number twelve. 

New Entries

Three new entries beginning with...

46. "Everlasting Night" by Danni Minogue

So this song was the theme for the 1999 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and you know what? Apart from the title being blasted into your head harder than an a nail being hit into wood by a hammer but for what it's worth, this is a pretty fun disco track that calls upon the late seventies in sound so yeah, it's a little dated but it somewhat works in the song's favour.

What doesn't work in the song's favour is how low Danni sounds on the verses in the mix. it just takes away from the song but at least it's not...

32. "Touch It" by Monifah

Oh god, this song is just levels of creepy and that synth that sounds like a dying cow passing it's final fart before death does not help things especially as the mood of the song is supposed to be all about Monifah showing this guy what he is doing to her wrong in the bedroom...yet this song has all the sexual appeal of spending a night at the cheapest brothel in the world. i

This song is just yikes all over and no amount of Monifah cooing over it saves it. 

5.  That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain

So we are ending off the week with some Shania Twain and I'll be honest here, I don't care for Shania's ballads "From this Moment On" is definitely a weddidng song and wil end up walking so many people down the aisle but it stripped one feature that I think is the key tit Shania;'s songs working...her charisma, she can sell songs like "If You're Not in it (For Love)" with a cheeky wink etc and thankfully this song gives us back the charismatic Shania because this song is Shania wanting a man who is himself and can keep her warm ar night, being a rocket scientist or having delusions that he is Brad Pitt is not going to impress her at all. Great song. Check this out

It easily takes best of the week. The worst also falls out easily...it's "Touch It" by Monifah.