New Music Friday Review: 5th February Glad You Exist is What GLAM! People Say

 Okay...first off before we dig into some reviews, I must apologise for it being so late this week..mostly because I haven't felt inspired to write anything for a lot of the new stuff that appeared on Spotify's New Music Friday playlist especially when you consider I don't cover what is likely to chart here, the choices are limited here but I did manage to pull out a few releases worth a few words so here goes..

"What Other People Say" by Sam Fischer and Demi Lovato

So what the hell is Demi Lovato doing? She's released song after song with there being no sign of an album coming any time soon and it's not like any of the songs she has released have had any kind of chart run or success, it feels like she's just releasing music for the sake of it (granted a lot of artists are due to the fact they cannot tour because of the pandemic) so why not team up with Australian singer/songwriter Sam Fischer for a song about caring about what other people have to say about them.

The problem is that Demi is an overwhelming vocal presence on the track that you'd barely know Sam is on the track, it really should have been credited as being by Demi Lovato featuring Sam Fischer because she really does steal the show. It's not a bad song but both Demi and Sam have done better.

Rating: 6/10

Onto something a bit brighter and very much 80s inspired....

"GLAM!" by Allie X

So Allie X, a Canadian indie pop singer/songwriter who has been around for a large part of the 2010s and into the 2020s, returned with this track from the upcoming deluxe edition of her underwhelming "Cape God" album and my god, Allie X might just have joined the category of acts that do The 1975 sound better than the actual The 1975, Allie X has got the sound down pat here and she sounds great over this mid to late 80s style production with the slightly modern touch. Love it!

Rating: 8/10

Time to turn down the energy for some boyfriend country

"Glad You Existed" by Dan & Shay

At some point, Dan & Shay are going to have start writing interesting songs that are a little more than bland pop country, sure "Tequila" is pretty good but they've not really impressed me at all since then so with this new song and I don't know, the production is closer to pop than country and the lyrics play to them being glad their loved ones exist but I don't know it just feels like typical polite Dan & Shay fodder where it's not particularly bad but it's at all interestingly.

Rating: 6/10

Good 1992 Vibrations: 9th February. Tip of My Tongue Loves You, Right?

So a week where there's SEVEN new entries and plenty of movement up and down the chart (some of it good, some of it pretty terrible) however let's get stuck into the top ten first where things might be starting to get interesting even with "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt -n- Pepa spending a third week at number one and while it's still pretty strong, it's going to come under some pressure from Euphoria's "Love You Right" which climbed three places to number two...I wish I understood the appeal of that song.

"Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by George Michael and Elton John remains steady at number three. I kind of want to say this is still a player for the top spot but it feels like its hanging back waiting should either song above it collapse.

What is on it's way out is "Cream" by Prince and the New Power Generation which slipped two places to number four...more on Prince and the New Power Generation later in the new entries. 

In the most surprising news of the week, Julian Lennon's "Saltwater" climbed four places to number five. It's not a bad song and right now given where 1992 is trending, I'll take it.

"Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen climbed four places to number six mostly due to the film "Wayne's World" and it's placement in the movie which is utterly hilarious by the way.

Also staying in it's slot is "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana at number eight.

"Black or White" by Michael Jackson collapsed five places to number nine which is unsurprising (there's something we'll get to related to this song in the new entries) while "Ain't No Sunshine" by Rockmelons feat. Deni Hines slipped four places to number ten. Both songs are on the way out...bit of a pity as both songs are damn good to great.

Gains

The biggest gain of the week belongs to the pretty tepid and bland ballad "If You Were With Me Now" by Kylie Minogue and Keith Washington and also rising hard was "If You Go Away" by NKTOB as it climbed eight places to 38...WHY?

The other major gain probably also falls in the category of not good with Freaked-Out Flower Children's "Spill the Wine" up six places to 34.

The one gain I am delighted about is "One Word" by Baby Animals "One Word" up eight places to 15...that is just AWESOME.

Losers

So ALL of the losers this week are1991 songs that are making their way out like "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" which collapsed down from 29 to 47, Gang Starr's "Lovesick" which slipped from 33 to 46. C&C Music Factory's "Just a Touch of Love (Every Day)" lost a lot of love plummeting from 27 to 41.

Lisa Stansfield's "Change" dived from 26 to 40 and "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred is heading south down nine to 20. 

New Enties

So we have a tonne of new entries this week so I am going to endeavour to keep my thoughts on these pretty short...starting with...

49. "I Can't Dance" by Genesis

I have an odd relationship with Genesis, I don't mind some of their eighties material even if I find Phil Collins solo work to be mostly mediocre at best (hey, that's being kind...I know people who absolutely despise his music) however "I Can't Dance" being the second single from their album called "We Can't Dance" behind "No Son of Mine" which peaked at 29 in 1991.

So how is "I Can't Dance"? Honestly, its a pretty catchy goofy number that's not anything close to being serious, it's Genesis poking fun at themselves and the video cements that. I don't mind this, it's a bit of fun. Check it out.

48. "Do You Feel Like I Feel?" by Belinda Carlisle

So looks like this week is replacing the bland ballads of last week with up tempo numbers with this song being the second single from Carlisle's album "Live Your Life Be Free" and honestly I want to like this song more than I do...Belinda Carlisle's vocals and the delivery don't match the energy of the song, she doesn't sound as good here as she did on a song like "Summer Rain" or even "Heaven is a Place on Earth" which is a bit of a shame because I do like the music here but even so I don't see this sticking around so let's just move on.

43. "Once Bitten Twice Shy" by The Angels

Ahh finally...some Australian rock courtesy of The Angels except that it's a cover of a 1975 song from Ian Hunter and this just isn't doing anything for me at all especially as I don't really care all that much for the original, look, The Angels have done better even as recently as  1990's "Beyond Salvation" but here the vocals are grating as all hell without having any of the visceral power and the music itself is pretty ehh... I am going to forget this exists beyond "Good 1992 Vibrations"

42. "Remember The Time" by Michael Jackson

So we're dealing with Michael Jackson twice this week, we'll get to the other thing a bit later but "Remember The Time" is the second single from "Dangerous" and honestly I really like this. Michael Jackson is delivering the kind of performance where his charisma shines all over the track and the production is honestly pretty great using that new jack swing to great effect and the lyrics play to the reminiscing about the moment of meeting and falling in love with someone. This is good! Hope it does well!.

28. "Tip of My Tongue" by Diesel

Oh look more Aussie music, this time leaning into more of the pop/rock sound coming from Diesel and another single from the impressive album :"Hepfidelity" and look, this might well be one of the best singles from that album, I love how the guitar matches his nervous energy as Diesel sings about the moment he wants to express his feelings to this girl, he knows in his heart what he wants to say but can't find the way to say, its right there but for whatever reason he can't. Also that guitar solo is fantastic. Check this song out!

21. "Diamonds & Pearls" by Prince & The New Power Generation

Ohh boy...Prince is another act I have mixed views on, I love a LOT of his 80s sound, he brought an energy to his music that I got swept up with songs like "1999", "Raspberry Beret", "Lets Go Crazy" etc however I'm sorry I don't like "Cream" AT ALL...that hook just rubs me up the wrong way so for the follow up, we get this and I'm sorry even if the critics are rushing to praise this, I just can't, Prince sounds flat here and ends up getting outshone by his female backing vocalist Rosie Gaines who sings her nut off and doesn't go with the flat, lowkey vibe of the song which is weird because its a song all about offering up love yet it feels I'm listening to a funeral. Pass.

Finally...

18. "Black or White (Clivilles & Cole (C&C) Remixes)" by Michael Jackson

Oh come on...I dealt with Clivilles & Cole last week and their horrendous butchering of U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)"...I really didn't want to have to deal with them again this week and considered leaving this out given that I love the original version of "Black Or White" and that its a 1991 song but we may as well deal with the remix here and look...this remix is HEADACHE inducing and manages to make Michael sound like a chipmunk here. Yeah this is garbage.

It's also easily the worst song here given the second worst song new this week is forgettable/mediocre. As for the best...it's a toss up but I'm giving this to "Tip of My Tongue" by Diesel over "Remember the Time" by Michael Jackson, both are really damn good though. 

ARIA Singles Top Ten/Chart Review: 8th February. The Business of My Head & My Heart

 So we have a cool down week here where we find out what is settling in to become smash hits long into 2021 and while we'll get to the bad signs in our gains in a second but there's some positives in our top ten like "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo holding on to the number one spot for another week, this song looks pretty comfortable at the top for now, it's got streaming and sales for now as I don't see what in the top ten right now could challenge it.

It's comfortably ahead of "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals which remains at number two as it lost out on sales and its streaming has not been able to match that of "Drivers License", the same goes for "Without You" by The Kid Laroi which thankfully remained stuck at number three despite it's parent album "F*** Love" going to number one on the ARIA albums top 50 and meant that The Kid Laroi is now the youngest artist to have ever taken the number one spot on the ARIA album chart.

Rising two places to number four is "Fly Away" by Tones and I, it needs to get streaming back onside in order to rise much further but it got to number four on good sales numbers and decent if not robust streaming.

Well it got ahead of "Mood" by 24kGoldn and Iann Dior which slipped to number five as it's losing ground in all channels now as is "Levitating" by Dua Lipa feat DaBaby which also stumbled one spot to number six although I expect this will get a boost following the release of the deluxe edition of "Future Nostalgia" on February 12th.

In good news, returning to the top ten is SZA's "Good Days" rising five places to number seven, this song appears to be doing well even if Australia radio is ignoring it unfortunately.

Cracking the top ten this week is Tiesto's "The Business" which also jumped five places to number eight. Sigh. I just don't like this song and think the vocals sound absolutely miserable.

"So Done" by The Kid Laroi remains at number nine while Justin Bieber's "Anyone" stays at number ten

Gains

The gains are a mix of good and bad. The good being that "Streets" by Doja Cat jumped from 27 to 14 this week and I'll also take "Save Your Tears" by The Weekend up eleven to 18.

However why is HVME's atrocious remix of Travis Scott's "Goosebumps" up six to 16 or "Best Friend" by Saweetie feat Doja Cat up eight spots to 40. Ugh. 

"Looking for Me" by Paul Woolford, Diplo and Kareen Lomax rose eight to 32 because of course it did.

Re Entries

Just the one return this week with "My Ex's Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly and Blackbear back number 46

Losers

The biggest losers are off the back off the Hottest 100 with Flume's "The Difference" feat Toro y Moi down 18 down to 41, "WAP" by Cardi B and Megan The Stallion down to 25,

Drop Outs

Both "Get on the Beers" by Mashd n Kutcher feat. Daniel Andrews and "I'm Good?" by Hilltop Hoods left and probably won't be back either.

New Entries

So we've only got the one new entry to discuss so how about we check in with a song that's rising in Belgium before we get to it...

Number 18 in Belgium: "Strangers" by Laura Tesoro and Loic Nottet feat. Alex Germys

So to explain both Laura Tesoro and Loic Nottet are household names in Belgium, both have competed for Belgium at Eurovision. Laura with "What's the Pressure" and Loic with "Rhythm Inside', they linked up with fellow Belgian Alex Germys who is a producer for this song and...this is solid stuff, it's got a solid groove and Loic and Laura have a decent chemistry and those harmonies for the chorus are outstanding. The song tells the story of a relationship where the love has clearly gone out of the relationship and now it feels like they are two strangers sharing the bed. Its a mid tempo song that hooks the listener in. Give it a listen, it's not bad!

Getting back to the ARIA singles chart and our only new entry of the week....

47. "My Head & My Heart" by Ava Max

Oh thank god this finally showed up, Ava Max is absolutely killing it in Europe with "Who's Laughing Now" breaking into the top ten in Belgium and I have been wondering when Australia is going to give her another top ten hit after "Sweet but Psycho" in 2019, well here's 'My Head & My Heart" a song that interpolate's the ATC 2000s classic "All Around the World (La La La La)" and does it well that it honestly makes this song a lot of fun, the lyrics describe a confrontation Ava Max has had with an ex and she can't get it out of her head and now wants him to repair her broken heart. I'll take this, let's take this opportunity to give Ava Max a hit this time, hey, Australia?

So that wraps up this week on the singles chart. Next week, it looks like Cardi B's new single and the collab between Sam Fischer and Demi Lovato will show up but we'll see when the chart updates on Saturday at 5pm AEDT

Good 1992 Vibrations: 2nd February. If you were with me now to talk about sex

 We got a busy one here this week...the top ten changed a fair bit and we got some...interesting...shifts and new entries that said not all of those shifts were for the better but anyway let's get stuck into it beginning with the top ten where the top two didn't shift at all with "Let's Talk about Sex" by Salt-N-Pepa remaining at number one for a second week, it held up strong over "Cream" by Prince and The New Power Generation mostly because "Let's Talk About Sex" sales are pretty strong as "Cream" may well be starting to slide a bit on sales.

That could leave room for "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" by George Michael and Elton John to make a play for number two at least as it climbed one spot to number three, this song has potential to be a number one hit as its still building strength, hell it marched right past "Black or White" by Michael Jackson which slipped one spot to number four as sales slowed.

Holding it's place at number five is Euphoria's "Love You Right"....kind of annoyed by this mainly due to not liking the song all that much. Also holding steady is "Ain't No Sunshine" by Rockmelons feat. Deni Hines at number six...this cover has grown on me a bit, Deni sounds great on this.

The big mover in our top ten though and one I am delighted about is "Justified & Ancient" by The KLF climbing from number eleven to seven this week, seriously...this song has a chance at going top five. 

Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" climbed one spot to number eight because it looks like being a grunge classic, it moved past "Saltwater" by Julian Lennon which slipped back to number nine.

Also joining the the top ten is Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" up two spots to number ten.

Gains

CeCe Peniston's "Finally" broke into the top twenty up eight places to 15 while Kate Bush's cover of Elton John's "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to be a Long, Long Time)" climbed twenty one spots off its debut last week to 28...nice to see as it's a decent cover.

Unfortunately what also climbed off it's debut last week is "I Adore Mi amor" by Color Me Badd up sixten places to 30!. Guys, we do not need this miserable shit of a song to be a hit. Fuck it off.

In much better news, Naughty by Nature's "O.P.P" climbed twelve places to 36 which is really damn good news.

Re-Entries

Boom Crash Opera are back at number 50 with their EP called "Dreams on Fire"

Losers

This week saw continued losses for the hits of 1991 like PM Dawn's "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" down nine spots to 47, "Lovesick" by Gang Starr which tumbled from 25 to 33, "When Something is Wrong With My Baby" by Jimmy Barnes and John Farnham slipping from 22 to 29, "Rush" by Big Audio Dynamite II which skidded down from 37 to 44, "Just Like You" by Robbie Nevil down twelve spots to 39 and "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred down five spots to 11 (effectively getting replaced in the top ten by a far better song too...just saying)

However there were also losses for 1992 songs with "I've Had You" by Jenny Morris which is losing grip down ten to 39 along with crap like "Martika's Kitchen" by Martika which collapsed from 29 to 42...thank goodness, "Spill the Wine" by Freaked-Out Flower Children spilling eight slots to 40

New Entries

Five new entries this week starting with

48. "Peace" by Sabrina Johnston

So Sabrina Johnston, an American soul singer, who is having some success in the UK with this song and honestly this isn't bad, she sells it well and the production is a bit what you would expect for the early nineties especially given the era of big doofy dance beats but this song is so big it really comes together quite well and Sabrina's vocals almost convince me that this could have been a gospel song although I will say the pronunciation of  'peace' does get pretty damn annoying at points but still, this is pretty good. 

48. "If You Go Away" by NKTOB

So I've never really cared for New Kids on the Block, I always have found their writing to be the worst kind of patronising and pandering eg: "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" is probably the biggest example of the patronising garbage NKTOB have come up with but anyway here's their new single and yeah the patronising nonsense is back only the chorus throws in added guilt tripping in the chorus in spite of the fact that this girl would have every right to walk away from him if he has hurt her. 

Throw in the production being this bland piano percussion heavy thing and yeah...there's a reason NKTOB have never impressed me at all, it's slurry pop music aimed at pleasing their fanbase...pass!

41. "If You Were With Me Now" by Kylie Minogue and Keith Washington

So the second of the ballads new to the chart this week and I got to be honest this feels like Kylie replacing Jason Donovan with American singer Keith Washington taking Donovan's role and I am just not convinced that these two have any chemistry whatsoever. The song itself is this pretty piano and strings ballad that probably should hit harder than it does with two people being apart and wishing they could be together...its not all that bad but this could have worked even better if it were two singers who had some vocal chemistry...that's all.

38. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Jimmy Barnes

Jimmy Barnes covering a 1967 Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell classic for his album Soul Deep released last year and honestly I actually kind of like this...its not ever going to be magic that Gaye and Terrell created but this is still really damn good for what it is, the production and Jimmy respect the hell out of the original all while Jimmy still manages to put his own spin on the song and you know what if covers were more like this then hell, they might just make my best list. Nice one, Jimmy.

However we're finishing with a cover that should not exist at all with...

25. "Pride (In the Name of Love) by Clivilles & Cole

Okay, Did this really need to happen? Did we really need a cover of what is one of U2's best songs where Bono sings that chorus with so much passion in his voice that it's infectious with the guitars and drums backing him the whole way. This cover from American record producers Clivilles & Cole which turns a song about civil rights on both sides of the coin into an electronic beepy mess and no, Deborah Cooper's vocals do not have the power or the passion to carry a song like this. This is what would happen if rock songs being attacked by the Imagine Dragons was a thing in 1992.

It's easily the worst of the worst week while  Jimmy Barnes just edges out Sabrina Johnston for best of the week with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"

New Music Friday Review: 29th January. All You Ever Wanted was a Girlfriend so C'est La Vie

"C'est La Vie" by The Killers

No, this is not the lead off single for that album that's apparently coming from The Killers this year, this is from their deluxe edition of "Imploding the Mirage" and as somebody who is becoming a fan of The Killers thanks to that last album, I am glad "C'est La Vie" is not the lead single for that next album because to put it in a polite manner, this song is a mess to the point where Brandon Flowers does not sound good here at all and the instrumentation is all clunky and not all in line with how amazing the rest of "Imploding the Mirage" was.

Avoid this song if you possibly can...

Rating: 4/10

"All You Ever Wanted" by Rag 'n' Bone Man

Fair to say that I wasn't looking forward to hearing this song given what Rag 'n' Bone man had done in the past especially with how "Human" just faded harder than the bluff and bluster of a certain former US President so I pretty much went into this with no expectations whatsoever so how was "All You Ever Wanted" by Rag 'n' Bone Man?

Holy shit! I was not expecting this from somebody like Rag 'n' Bone Man of all people, he has pivoted toward more of the rock sound that The Killers embraced on "Imploding the Mirage" and my god he does it so damn well...it sounds awesome and was one of the best new songs that was released on Friday. Check this out!

Rating: 9/10

"Girlfriend" by Rebecca Black

It's been pretty clear for awhile now that Rebecca Black is trying to walk the path of being a serious musician since she was some marketing mob's plaything when "Friday" escaped into the public consciousness so I was curious to check out this song and yeah, its a pretty damn solid pop song that Rebecca sounds good over this production and lyrics about getting back with a partner (in this case, Rebecca's girlfriend) so yeah this is a decent pop song. Might be time for people to start taking Rebecca Black as something more than the "Friday" song girl.

Rating 7/10

"Higher" by Clean Bandit feat. Iann Dior

So we have the first Clean Bandit in awhile, they've brought on board Iann ior for this one so after Dior's feature on "Mood", I was weirdly optimistic that this one would turn out alright and yeah...this is pretty good, the only issue I have is with the production that's occasionally louder than the vocals but yeah there's a bounce and groove to this song that works well and Dior's delivery matches the production well even if it reminds me in parts and the harmonies at the end work well...it's just a nice song to have around...good job Clean Bandit and Iann Dior

Rating: 7/10

"Everything We Need" by A Day to Remember

I'll keep this short. A Day To Remember has been treleported to the world of the Imagine Dragons and looks highly unlikely to comeback, although this song reminds of that One Republic song "Something I Need" and I didn't like that song either. Not going to enjoy hearing this in shitty car commercials and phone company ads.

Rating: 2/10

Finally...something I need to address...

I will not be reviewing songs released from the soundtrack of the film "Music"

Normally I would not refuse to write about a song that come from an unexpected source but I won't be reviewing the song that was released on Friday from the soundtrack for "Music" due to the issues that I have with this film eg: a film about autism that has no actual autistic actors cannot be authentic to what autistic people experience (only got to look at the music videos for a song like "Together" to discover that they aren't at all friendly to autistic people with sensory overload), the use of prone restraint to deal with a meltdown in the film, Sia's unwillingness to listen to those who are actually autistic and their justified and well thought out criticisms of the film and I am concerned that this film might play into some romanticised and Hollywood styled stereotypes and tropes about autism.

That is where I feel comfortable leaving it for now. Go watch films about autism that have real representation of autism not this Hollywood stylised representation of it.

ARIA Top Ten Singles/Chart Review: 1st February. No need for a Booster Seat to Get on the Beers after Hottest 100

I was expecting chaos following the reveal of the 2020 Hottest 100 countdown by Triple J last week and yeah we got muted chaos that can be correlated to the Hottest 100.,,some of it not so much but let's get to the top ten where "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo reigns supreme for a third week, it's got streaming in its favour and while it's not dominating on sales...its still a solid player on that angle.

Now this is where we confront the first impact of the Hottest 100 because the Hottest 100 number one "Heat Waves'  by Glass Animals surged up nine places to number two on the back of massive sales and streaming off the back of the Triple J countdown...I just wish the song was good.

The same could be said for The Kid Laroi's "Without You" which fell one place to number three thanks to the monster streaming by Glass Animals. In fact "Mood" by 24k Goldn and Iann Dior at number four and "Levitating" by Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby at number five also fell one place thanks to the rise of "Heat Waves"

A song that has the potential to rise even further is "Fly Away" by Tones and I which rose two places to number six, this song is doing incredibly on sales and on Apple Music...just needs to improve on Spotify and it might well challenge "Drivers License" in a few weeks.

Steady at number seven is "Head & Heart" by Joel Corry and MNEK, mostly because streaming hasn't completely moved on from this song yet.

We have a new entry at number eight and yes it's another impact courtesy of the Hottest 100 with Perth band Spacey Jane landing at number eight with "Booster Seat"...I'll have more on this song's quality later but it isn't built to stick aroudn unfortunately, it's mostly here due to the impact of the  Hottest 100 on streaming and sales with the sales already evaporating.

This means that "So Done" by The Kid Laroi could leap forward if streaming stays strong...needs sales to get on board properly though.

Finally the big victim of all the shuffling is "Anyone" by Justin Bieber which fell six places to number ten.

Gains

So let's deal with the Hottest 100 correlated gains with there being a thirteen place jump to 18 for "WAP" by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion", a four place gain to 16 for "Therefore I Am" by Billie Eilish. 

In gains not related to the Hottest 100, "Streets" by Doja Cat looks to be a hit in the making as it rose 19 places to 27 while HVME's awful remix of "Goosebumps" by Travis Scott climbed seven spots to 22.

Re Entries

Both returns are off the back of appearances on the Hottest 100 with Flume's "The Difference" with Toro y Moi back at 23 and Hilltop Hoods "I'm Good" back at number 50.

Losers

Our losers are mostly all songs that suffered hard especially "Prisoner" by Miley Cyrus feat. Dua Lipa which plunged fourteen to 36, "Take You Dancing" by Jason Derulo which fell eight places to 33 and "Willow" by Taylor Swift" down nine to 28. 

The same can also be said for "Monster" by Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber which tumbled nine spots to number 45.

Others are just 2020 songs that are on their way out like "Midnight Sky" by Miley Cyrus which dropped six places to 41, "Savage Love" by Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo down six to 44, "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa down six to 49, "Watermelon Sugar"  by Harry Styles down seven spots to 35 and "What You Know About Love" by the late Pop Smoke down six to 32.

CJ's "Whoopty" tumbled six spots to 24 while "Afterglow" by Ed Sheeran slipped five to 19 while "34+35" by Ariana Grande lost traction to fall six places to number 11

Drop Outs

Well I am not all that upset about our drop outs this week, mostly because they are 2020 leftovers or utter trash. In the former category is "Some Say" by Nea and "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Jubel feat. Neimy depart after respectable runs.

In the latter, "Put Your Records on" by Ritt Momney and "Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)" by Jason DeRulo and Nuka also take their exits. Good riddance.

New Entries

Two new entries this week and they are both Australian...(the Rosalia and Billie Eilish collab didn't show up in the top 50), starting with...

39. "Get on the Beers" by Mashd n Kutcher feat. Dan Andrews

So this showed up on the chart this week thanks to ranking fairly high on the Hottest 100 but it even before that it had been a trending track on Spotify for a good couple of months. For those who don't know, Mashd n Kutcher are a dance and electronic duo who have previously charted on the Australian singles chart with "Do It Now" in 2014 and "My Sunshine" in 2018 xo these guys aren't newbies to the ARIA top 50. 

"Get on the Beers" is inspired by Melbourne's COVID lockdown in the middle of last year and a speech made by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews warning Victorians that "it was not appropriate to have all your mates around to your house" and get on the beers" due to the pubs being shut. 

This just seems the sort of laconic Aussie thing that would happen on the ARIA singles chart during the pandemic, I love what Mashd n Kutcher have done here, the music matches Daniel Andrews speech perfectly...this is good fun...check it out!

8. "Booster Seat" by Spacey Jane

So to explain this one, Spacey Jane are an indie rock garage band hailing from Perth with "Booster Seat" being their first song to hit the ARIA singles chart from their album released last year called "Sunlight" so how is the song.

Honestly I like it! The harmonies and that swirling guitar riff help to bring home the lyrics about feelings of depression and anxiety taking control away from you by using the metaphor of a child traveling in a car in a booster seat and that child relying on loved ones restraining him in the seat. Throw in that great hook and I honestly hope this sticks around even if I get the feeling it won't. Great song!

No worst of the week this week as both songs are pretty good but best of the week is going to Spacey Jane for "Booster Seat".

So that wraps up our week here. I'm not sure what's going to happen next week so we'll have to find out on Saturday at 5pm AEDT. 

Good 1992 Vibrations: 25th January: Rocket Man, it's been a long long time but I adore mi amor...wait, what?

So this week was interesting in terms of everything on the chart especially as to what gained traction and the two new songs that hit the chart (Oh boy...we'll get to that) but the big story is right at the very top of the chart where "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt -n- Pepa took the number one as sales momentum saw it climb two places to the top the charts.

Hell, it could also be that "Cream" by Prince and the New Power Generation is slowly starting to lose traction on sales but it was enough for it to hold on to the number two slot ahead of the six week number one "Black Or White" by Michael Jackson which slipped two places to number three.

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by George Michael and Elton John remains steady at number four however its starting to come under pressure from Euphoria's "Love You Right" which moved up two places to number five.

It was another steady week for "Ain't No Sunshine" by Rockmelons feat Deni Hines as it stayed at number six while "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred shifted down two places to number seven.

Surprisingly, "Saltwater" by Julian Lennon shifted up one spot to number eight while unsurprisingly rising three places to number 9 is "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana.

All this meant "Come to Me" by Diesel slipped twp spots to number ten

Gains

So most of the gains are on the good side with "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen getting an enormous boost off it's return to the chart last week all the way up to number 12 likewise for "One Word" by Baby Animals which rose twenty places to 24 and "Justified & Ancient" by The KLF rose seven to number 11.

However there are some gains on the crap side like "Addams Groove" by MC Hammer which rose all the way from 30 to break into the top twenty at 19...not good, the same can be said for "Martika's Kitchen" by Martika which jumped from 37 to 29 and "Spill the Wine" by Freaked-Out Flower Children up from 46 to 32. 

Richard Marx jumped from 42 to 34 this week while "I've Had You" by Jenny Morris climbed from 47 to 39 and Rozalla's "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" jumped from 22 to 15. 

Re-Entries

For some reason, "2 Legit 2 Quit" by MC Hammer is back at number 43...Sheeesh

Losers

Most of the losers are songs that are from 1991 like "Live Your Life Be Free" by Belinda Carlisle down 12 spots to 50, "Please Don't Ask Me" by John Farnham slipped eight places to 44. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch feat. Loleatta Hathaway aren't feeling the "Good Vibrations" anymore as the song slipped ten places to 42.

"I'll Be Back" by Arnee and The Terminators collapsed from 29 to 40 while Extreme fell into a hole as "Hole Hearted" tumbled from 34 to 41 and PM Dawn's "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" skidded eleven places to 38

Robbie Nevil's increasingly annoying "Just Like You" fell seven spots to 27 and finally "When Something is Wrong with My Baby" by Jimmy Barnes & John Farnham crashed from 14 to 22.

New Entries

Just the two new entries this week so let's get this over with quickly.

49. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be A Long Long Time)" by Kate Bush

So we technically have two Elton John covers on the chart now with Kate Bush putting her own spin on "Rocket Man" and I will admit I was guilty of being dismissive of this after one listen but having gone back and re-listened to this song, its actually not bad and puts a different line on Elton's 'Rocket Man"...its a very respectfully done cover with the instrumentation while sounding very much Kate Bush managing to also keep with the melody of the cover. I don't mind it...check it out if you are curious.

It's certainly much better than...

44. "I Adore Mi Amor" by Color Me Badd

Alright so Color Me Badd are following up their success in 1991 with...possibly the most miserable sounding turd to be released in 1992...seriously for a song about adoring someone, this sounds more miserable and lethargic, "Addams Groove" by MC Hammer might not be good but it at least has energy and passion, something that none of the members of Color Me Badd seem to have.

Also for a song about being in love, there's nothing love struck about anything in this song, the instrumentation makes adoring this girl sound miserable and like the members of Color Me Badd all got a whiff of bad body odour hence the less than enthusiastic and bored vocal delivery.

Yeah this is worse than "Addams Groove"...avoid this shit like the plague, it's the worst of this week so given there's no other new entries, "Rocket Man (I think it's going to be a long long time)" by Kate Bush gets best of the week.