Good 1992 Vibrations. 6th September. Best Things In Love Are Just Another Day

 Another semi regular week here and really the top ten look like it might be starting to get tight at the top again so let's start there, shall we? "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life)" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman retained number one for another week, it's still got a decent margin at the top but it's starting to face competition and that competition is coming in the form of "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown which climbed one place to number two, its slowly but surely pulling back the margins to our current number one, it's just a matter of when it will get there.

Also making a play is "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap which climbed two places to number three, I am not sure if this song is a player for number one yet but we'll see what happens. 

None the less it pushed back both Please Don't Go" by K.W.S two places to number four and "As Ugly As They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe back one to number five because it seems like both have thankfully peaked. 

In great news, "Everything's Alright" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens rose one spot to number six as it continues it's climb up the chart.

What's not so good is the continued rise for "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane which rose three places to number seven for unexplainable reasons then there's the four place gain for "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot to number eight, I expect this to be a hit somehow despite the obnoxious vocals.

Steady at number nine is "I'll be There" by Mariah Carey while "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins slipped two places to number ten as it's run looks finally done.

Gains

Okay so when the gains start with Smart E's "Sesame's Treet" rising from 31 all the way up to 13...that's not a good sign, throw in "Take This Heart" by Richard Marx jumping from 22 to 15 and there's more problems.

Then there's "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Cyrus which of course got an eight place climb to number 22....sigh.

In better news, "Tennessee" by Arrested Development is up ten places to 24 however it also brought with it the really mediocre "Boy in the Moon" by Margaret Urlich which rocketed from 39 to 25 but win some lose some...I guess.

"Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" by TLC got a nice boost from 41 to 28

Losers

So a lot of hits earlier this year took falls this week like "Jump" by Kriss Kross slumped six places to 49 while 'Cry" by Lisa Edwards collapsed from 29 to 46 while "She's Got that Vibe" by R.Kelly and Public Announcement slipped from 37 to 44.

I am delighted that "Beauty and The Beast" by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson plummeted from 28 to 43 and disappointed that "I Don't Care" by Shakespears Sister slipped six to 38.

"ABBA esque" by Erasure fell nine to 33 while Michael Jackson is caught in a chart "Jam" down ten to 31.

"God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" by KISS suffered a nine place slump to 27 while "Save the Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams fell out of the top twenty to 23.

Finally former chart topper "Hazard" by Richard Marx dropped eleven places to 17.

New Entries

Four new entries this week, let's start with...

50. "Just Another Day" by Jon Secada

So we're starting our look at the new entries with this lead off single from Cuban American singer/songwriter Jon Secada and wow...I've never heard a love song sound this flat and emotionless, sure it's got a good bass groove and the drums do a lot here to try to give this song some weight but I can't get past the idea that this song is really just the 1992 version of "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi although as it least Secada sounds a little better here but again this song does nothing for me other than cause mild irritation.

41. "Indio" by Indecent Obsession

So a new single from that sophomore album from Indecent Obsession and this isn't bad? Even though I can absolutely tell they've been inspired by George Michael because it's a dead ringer for the sound that George Michael has used on songs like "Too Funky" but hey, this is catchy and has a solid groove to it, I'll certainly take it over the previous song. Yeah, I can be jamming to this. 

39. "Best Things in Life Are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson

Well this is a collab that makes some sense especially if you look at the music both Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson have been releasing and the minute this song starts the chemistry between Vandross and Jackson is there for all to see, they sound so god dang comfortable together its insane. Throw in the guest verse from Bell Biv DeVoe and this song is just all over a summer feel good jam. Yeah, I've been looking for more high energy pop/hip hop grooves like this. Thanks Luther and Janet!

32. "Love Is in The Air" by John Paul Young

So a 1977 disco song from John Paul Young that originally peaked at number three in 1978 has been given a remix for the film Strictly Ballroom therefore this song is back on the charts..yet I just don't feel anything when I listen to this? I don't know,,,the lyrics just hit the spot where it becomes cringe especially with JPY shrieking "LOVE IS IN THE AIR!" on the hook but at least there's passion here and the song has a pretty memorable melody and production.

And it's because of the production that it's spared worst of the week with that going to "Just Another Day" by Jon Secada.

However the best falls out easily...that's going to "Best Things in Life Are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson

ARIA Singles Top Ten/Chart Review: 6th August, Woman Get Into It with Donda (Yuh)

Fair to say the chart this week has been absolutely massacred thanks to the release of Kanye West's new album "Donda" on Monday and as a result we got nineteen of twenty four songs from that album on the ARIA singles chart...then you remember there's likely to be a Drake album bomb next week and Lil Nas X in a couple of weeks time so the charts are about to get pretty god damn messy and that's not even counting the number of big scattered singles we're going to get from big names in the lead up to the end of the year....still expecting, Adele, Kendrick Lamar and maybe Rihanna to release singles or albums before the year is over. 

Let's get to the top ten where remarkably in spite of the best efforts of Kanye, the top two remained stable with "Stay' by The Kid Laroi feat. Justin Bieber maintained the number one spot for an eighth week, it's going to be interesting to see if it's streaming can hold up against the onslaught that's Drake next week.

The challenge may not come from "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran which remains at number two but it's numbers on streaming while steady aren't challenging those of "Stay" right now.

Then there's "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa which rose spot to number three thanks to solid streaming and being sales behemoth...people on iTunes love this song...wish the song was better.

The first of three Kanye West songs in the top ten pops up at number four courtesy of "Hurricane' which features Lil Baby and The Weeknd (weirdly neither are credited as features on Spotify) and looks like the one getting the biggest push on streaming right now. Close behind that is "Jail" by Kanye West feat Jay Z at number five...now unlike "Hurricane", I don't expect this one to hang around.

"Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow got pushed back one spot thanks to Kanye but it should rebound hard because it has the album coming. 

"Beggin'" by Maneskin held onto number seven thanks to mostly consistent streaming this week despite the Kanye impact. 

However Kanye did impact Olivia Rodrigo here as "Good 4 U" slipped two places to number eight however that might have happened anyway as the song is starting to fade naturally.

The third Kanye song to hit the top ten is "Off the Grid" featuring Fivio Foreign and Playboi Carti in at number nine...again...should fade when Drake turns up next week.

Glass Animals returned for another week in the top ten with "Heat Waves up one spot to number ten.

Gains

The biggest gainerthis week was "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals climbing that one solitary place to number ten

Re entries

We did see one re entry with a remix by Megan Thee Stallion helped "Butter" by BTS return at number 47...I kind of also suspect it will go with most of the Kanye next week when Drake shows up.

Losers

Oh good fucking lord, I am going to start from the bottom here and work my way up because there is a LOT of losers here, we begin with "Friday" by Riton and Nightcrawlers feat. Mufasa and Hyperman down 25 spots to 50.

Former chart topper "Peaches" by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon got pushed back 22 spots to 48.

"Rumours" by Lizzo feat. Cardi B got hit with a 25 place plunge to 45. I am hopeful this rebounds in the weeks ahead.

"Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf drowns 20 spots to 43 while "I Wanna Be Your Slave" by Maneskin is on bended knee down 18 to 42,

"Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo slumped 18 spots to 40 while "Leave Before You Love Me" by Marshmello and Jonas Brothers fell 11 to 39.

The falls continue with "Little Bit of Love" by Tom Grennan slipping 15 to 36 and "Take My Breath" plunging 18 to 35 (I have some concerns over the longevity of "Take My Breath") while The Weeknd's other song "Save Your Tears" drops 12 spots to 27.

"Guess I'm In Love" by Clinton Kane held on pretty well all things considered only dropping six places to 33 while "Without You" by The Kid Laroi feat. Miley Cyrus slipped 13 spots to 32.

"Missing Piece" by Vance Joy collapsed 10 places to 28 and "2055" by Sleepy Hollow down 12 to 25. 

"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X skidded nine places to 23,,,again not worried as this song should rebound in a few weeks time. "Levitating" by Dua Lipa fell six places to 18.

"Visiting Hours" by Ed Sheeran dived out of the top ten down 13 to 16...sales is really doing wonders for this song.

Drop Outs

So lets deal with likely year end list makers that probably won't be concerned at the early exit like "Goosebumps (remix)" by HVME and Travis Scott, "Cover Me in Sunshine" by Pink and Willow Sage Hart, "Body" by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne, "Deja Vu" and "Drivers License" both by Olivia Rodrigo and "The Business" by Tiesto, Although there's an argument to say that "BED" by Joel Corry, RAYE and David Guetta is also likely to make year end list.

In doubt for year end is "Rasputin" by Majestic and Boney M...I am okay if it doesn't.

Then there's the songs that had some momentum but had it cut short like "Love Tonight" by Shouse, "Dumb Love" by Mimi Webb and "Cloudy Day" by Tones and I.

"Don't Go" by Skrillex feat. Justin Bieber and Don Toliver also left (that song's lack of promo is surprising...maybe Bieber's fans don't care for it either)

Those took with them scattered songs like "Not Sober" by The Kid Laroi, Polo G and Stunna Gambino, "Mood Ring" and "Solar Power" both by Lorde and "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac (that song had an impressive run for something was spawned by a viral meme last year)

Then there's the cuts from 2018/19/20...some that have stayed long enough to likely have made the year end for 2021 like "You Broke Me first" by Tate McRae, "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi, "Watermelon Sugar' by Harry Styles, "Mood" by 24kGoldn and Iann Dior and "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran

Okay, that last one won't make this year's year end but still. Finally, the classic "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd also departed the chart. 

It's hard to say what will come back once these album bombs go away but some of this is song I'm kind of glad to see gone.

New Entries

There's twenty one new entries to the ARIA singles chart this week and given my album bomb rules, I only cover the top three charting songs from the album plus any songs that qualify for best or worst of the week so here's the full chart placements of the "Donda" album bomb from Kanye:

"New Again" arrives at 42, "Jesus Lord" at 44 (this was close to worst of the week), "Keep My Spirit Alive" at 41, "Donda" at 38, "Pure Souls" at 37, "Remote Control" at 34, "No Child Left Behind" at 31, 'Junya" at 30, "24" at 29 (so disappointed it didn't debut at 24), "Heaven and Hell" debuted at 24, "Ok Ok" at 22, "God Breathes" at 20 (another song that could have gotten worst of the week...it's not good), "Jonah' at 19, "Believe What I Say" at 17 (I liked this one...probably one of the better cuts from the album), "Moon" at 15 and finally, "Praise God" at 13.

That leaves us with just five new entries to talk about but we're not starting off with Kanye because...

49. "Get Into It (Yuh)" by Doja Cat

So I won't lie, I am impressed by how well "Planet Her" has done on the charts around the world since it's release and it looks like Doja Cat is having a number of songs from the album land on the charts with this going viral apparently which I don't mind because it is one of the better cuts from the album, for one thing it plays to the more playful side of Doja Cat with the twinkling piano keys and knock of percussion, it gives the song a rather British street feel which is yeah pretty cool for a sex song and the reference to Ariana Grande's 'yuh' in the verses is actually pretty funny, it's also one of the songs where Doja's vocal delivery works. Check this out.

26. "Woman" by Doja Cat

Now this is the cut from "Planet Her" that I didn't like all that much, a tropical beat with an unspired chorus where Doja begs this guy to let her be his woman and ends up drumming the word 'woman' into our ears in the most annoying fashion. Also the percussion over any obvious melody is really kind of annoying here. I'll stick with "Get Into It (Yuh)"...thanks

9. "Off the Grid" by Kanye West feat. Fivio Foreign and Playboi Carti

So let's begin with the first of three Kanye West songs we'll be looking at and this might be the worst of them where Kanye brags about being off social media and about moving away from 'secular music' to devoting himself to religion and making music that is aimed at worshipping God but than Playboi Carti shows up to brag about how much money he gave away to women dancing at a strip club and getting a tattoo with his son's name on it which doesn't feel very in line with being off the grid or as Christian (more in line with the prosperity gospel that was "Jesus is King") as the song wants to try to be. At least Fivio Foreign shows up to get the song back on track even if you get the feeling the verse about being in prison was meant for another song on the album but this is just a forgettable nothing of a song. 

5. "Jail"  by Kanye West feat. Jay Z

Now this is better, this has an actual groove and hook here...I can see that hook being belted out live and sounding amazing. It's a song where Kanye knows that he is most likely going to fail in his walk with Christianity but is relying on God to help eg: bail him out...it's a bit of a nod back to "Life with Pablo" and tracks on there and from there Kanye references his recent divorce and how being single may well have it's benefits, then Jay Z shows up to reiterate what Kanye has already said, reference an interview Kanye did with Zane Lowe in 2013 and past Kanye tracks. Look, this is pretty good, probably one of the better tracks on the album.

4. "Hurricane" by Kanye West feat. Lil Baby and The Weeknd

There are ten unreleased versions of this song out there apparently but the official released version on "Donda" is the one featuring both Lil Baby and The Weeknd. The song opens with The Weeknd singing the hook begging God and Jesus to not let him drown and references himself walking on water then Lil Baby raps about his personal struggles like the deaths of three of his friends before noting the fact that in his come up he has gone from sheepskin floor mats to biiying expensive luxury cars (again, I question how bragging about wealth here on a Christian album is really all that Christian)

Then Kanye shows up to brag about his influence on pop culture and how he dropped out of school and yet still become successful. Again I question how much all this bragging about money and homes is really all that Christian or fits within the realm of Christianity. "Hurricane" is fine...I guess.

And that completes our week and best and worst kind of fall out a lot easier than I thought with "Off the Grid" by Kanye West feat. Playboi Carti and Fivio Foreign taking the worst of the week.

I'm giving Doja Cat the best of the week though for "Get into it (Yuh)" mostly because I can see myself coming back to that one.

Next week, the unpleasant task of finding something to say about a Drake album bomb. Joy. Hopefully we get some ABBA or even Little Mix to make things tolerable and it's not just all Drake. Find out at 5pm AEST on Friday when ARIA updates their chart. 

Good 1992 Vibrations. 30th August. Take this Candyman's Achy Breaky Heart Treet

 We got a pretty standard week here even if the new entries look like being nightmare from Elm Street stuff but we'll get to that because our top ten saw some interesting moves just not at the top where "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman held the number one spot for another week, it's looking pretty strong right now. 

It thankfully held up over "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S which remains at number two this week (the sooner this plummets from the top ten the better) as there's no way it could have clawed back that sales margin that "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)" has on it.

However it may well be coming under threat from "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown which climbed from its debut of number 10 up to number three!. This looks like it could make a play for number one unfortunately (I still don't like this song all that much) in the next few weeks.

All that left both "As Ugly As They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe and "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap static at numbers four and five respectively.

However the big move by "Humpin' Around" is cause "Hazard by Richard Marx to slump three places to number six while "Everything's Alright" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens climbed one place to number seven...I'm happy this is becoming a hit, it's infinitely more interesting than a lot of the songs that have become hits this year. 

It pushed past "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins which fell one to number eight while "I'll be There" by Mariah Carey remains stuck at number nine.

Finally moving up seven places somehow to number is "Life is A Highway" by Tom Cochrane...yikes.

Gains

So apart from the big gains I've already mentioned in the top ten, what else gained...well "God Gave Rock n Roll to You II" by Kiss broke into the top twenty up from 21 to 18 as did Euphoria by jumping an impressive ten places to 19.

The same goes for "How Do You Do" by Roxette which leaped ten places to 20...I'm fine with that! The song is damn good.

I'm also fine with "It's Not Over" by The Rockmelons feat. Deni Hines climbing six places to 25 or "Tennessee" by Arrested Development jumping eight to 34.

"It's Probably Me" by Sting with Eric Clapton continues to climb, this week it climbed from 41 to 36...kind of weird considering how flat the song is. 

Then there's the questionable gains like "All I Want is You" by Bryan Adams which rocketed up eleven places to 38 or "Boy in the Moon" by Margaret Urlich picked up from 45 to 39. 

Losers

Not a good week for Kriss Kross here as "Jump" plunged from 25 to 43 while "Warm It Up" slumped from 24 to 40...Ouch.

"Just Take My Heart" by Mr Big looks like its taking it's leave as it fell six places to 50 while "That Word (L.O.V.E)" by The Rockmelons feat. Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks and Deni Hines slipped six places to 49.

"Clunk EP" by Frente fell nine spots to 48 while "I Don't Care as Long as We Beat New Zealand" by Andrew Denton and The Live & Sweaty Team hit a hurdle and stumbled down nine to 47..

Elton John's "The One" collapsed eleven places to 46 while En Vogue's "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get it)" got hit with a fall from 36 to 42. 

Sadly "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" by TLC lost all it's gains to fall from 28 to 41 while former top ten hit "Cry" by Lisa Edwards cried from 22 to 29 this week. 

"Sexy MF" by Prince and The New Power Generation fell out of the top twenty down to 26. 

Finally "Too Funky" by George Michael fell five places out of the top ten to number 11. 

New Entries

Four new entries this week beginning with...

44. "Candyman" by Ratcat

This is the third single taken from Ratcat's third album entitled "Insideout" and well...I'm not sure how I feel about this one where the vocals sit behind these whirring guitars as Ratcat begs for mum and dad to give them a pill because they are feeling ill so I guess its a drugs related song? It's fine but it does feel like a fragment of a song...given what else is new on the chart thiis week, I guess I'll take it.

31. "Sesame's Treet" by Smart E's

Oh joy a remix of the fucking Sesame Street theme has show up on the chart...lovely...and the worst part is this song an annoying slapdash dud. The Sesame Street theme is sung by kids whose pitches are already pretty high up and those drums mixed way to loud and don't go with the rest of the song at all...it's a mess and then you get to the implied drug use and yeah I have no need for this...NEXT!

30. "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus

So this is the breakout single from American singer songwriter and actor Billy Ray Cyrus with the song being written by Don Von Tress with Cyrus recording it in 1991 and releasing it on his debut album called "Some Gave All" yet all this song is is a guy having a sulk because this girl is leaving him yet doesn't want her to tell his heart because his heart might blow up and kill him...like seriously grow up and be an adult about it, dude. She doesn't want you anymore. The way the lyrics are structured here is this guy having a massive tantrum and over reacting to the end of their relationship...like dude, grow up already and oh yeah...the song sucks....NEXT!

22. "Take This Heart" by Richard Marx

Wow, did this week decide to suck so bad we're ending it off with this limp love song from Richard Marx where the guitars sound so limp behind a vocalist who can barely sell the song? It sounds like Marx returned to his 80s sound and come up with a limp rip off that doesn't do much. This doesn't work at all for me so yeah let's just move on.

That ends our week and just wooow, the new entries sucked hard...I'm giving best of the week to "Candyman" by Ratcat by virtue of having a lot more going for it than the rest. Worst of the week, that's tough...I'll give it to "Achy Breaky Heart" because yeah the song is as juvenile as it is gets.

ARIA Singles Top Ten/Chart Review: Guess Visiting Love Hours Don't Go is a Mood Ring

So this week feels a little weird more because I was expecting a lot more than what we got and it feels like the chart is getting ready for an upcoming onslaught of big releases in the weeks ahead eg: Kanye is supposed to be dropping 'DONDA' in Kanye time or something like that but we'll worry about that when or if it happens so let's not waste any more time and get stuck into the top ten where yet again its "Stay' by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber spending a seventh week at number one, now it's starting to lose ground on streaming but not fast enough to lose the number one at this stage.

"Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran remains stuck at number two as the gaps on streaming remained, it's not getting any closer to "Stay", I am not certain it's going back to number one. 

Right behind it is a new entry also from Ed Sheeran called "Visiting Hours", more about the quality of this song later, but this debuted so god damn high thanks to those incredible sales with some support on streaming, its going to need those sales margins and then some to stay in the top ten next week though.

I say that because "Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa climbed three places to number four, folks, this song has some genuine traction going forward, it could overtake both Ed Sheeran songs to make a play for number one...warning you all now.

This pushed it past "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow remaining at number five, now this could also make a run for number one with Lil Nas X finally announcing that the debut album will be dropping on 17th September (I am really looking forward to it too)

"Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo slumped three places to number six as it's losing strength across the board and her label is more focussed on pushing both 'Traitor" and "Brutal' while there was also a three place slip for "Beggin'" by Maneskin to number seven because similar bleeding on streaming is happening for it where it's showing signs that it's run is done.

"Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish suffered a two place fall to number eight although I will say this song is falling much more slowly than normal for a Billie Eilish song.

Remaining where it is is "Need to Know" by Doja Cat at number nine while "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat and SZA looks to be headed out as it tumbled two places to number ten.

Gains

There's not too much in the way of major gains this week with "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix" being the biggest gainer of the week up to number four as I already mentioned but beyond that...that was really the only significant gain.

Re entries

Got three re entries which can be explained easily with "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran back at number 49 thanks to the release of "Visiting Hours" and people probably going back to this song. 

"You Broke Me First" by Tate McRae returns at number 42 because well something needs to fill the number 42 slot...I guess.

The other return is "Solar Power" by Lorde which returned at 39 courtesy of the release of the album and we do have more Lorde to talk about in the new entries. 

Losers

So let's work our way through these starting with "Goosebumps" by HVME feat. Travis Scott down nine places to number 50 while "Not Sober" by The Kid Laroi feat. Polo G and Stunna Gambino slipping nine spots to 46,

Then there's "Body' by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne on the way out anyway as it tumbled seven to 45 while "BED" by Joel Corry, RAYE and David Guetta continues to fall out of its chart bed down six to 41.

The run of "Deja Vu" by Olivia Rodrigo is done as it slides down ten to 38 while "Rasputin" by Majestic vs Boney M is mercifully not becoming a hit down six to 36

Finally "Take My Breath" by The Weeknd slipped six places to 17 as somehow it looks like this song may not be catching on which is kind of disappointing.

Drop Outs

The drop outs are kind of all over the shop, it includes songs like "Rapstar" by Polo G, "Your Love (9pm)" by ATB, Topic and A7S and possibly "Favourite Crime" by Olivia Rodrigo (Kind of hope it has)

Then there's songs that likely won't make the year end from here like "Your Right" by Doja Cat feat. The Weekend and "Heartbreak Anthem" by Galantis, David Guetta and Little Mix.

Then there's the older songs or past hits that left like "Head & Heart" by Joel Corry and MNEK and also "Mr Brightside" by The Killers 

New Entries

Four new entries this week, let's unfortunately start with an easy target...

43. "Don't Go" by Skrillex with Justin Bieber and Don Toliver

Oh look, two thirds of the collab responsible for one of the worst songs of 2015/16 have reunited and brought Don Toliver along for the ride so yeah no surprise that this absolutely sucks. The production from Skrillex is some of the cheapest I've heard in a song in any genre this year with the flat buzzing noises and trap sound so much so you don't notice that Bieber is crooning his way through the song with so little charisma or passion because of how atrocious the production is and Don Toliver really is not that much better than Bieber here so yeah...this sucks. NEXT!

29. "Mood Ring" by Lorde

I've heard a lot of the discourse about the new album from Lorde especially from those disappointed with it in light of how brilliant Lorde's sophomore album "Melodrama' was with this being another single from it and honestly this isn't one of my favoured cuts from "Solar Power", it feels weirdly wispy in a way that I wouldn't expect coming from Lorde (even if I do like the new sound on "Solar Power" more than most). The song is trying to be all thoughtful about how the world is in the midst of the pandemic but really ends up saying a whole load of nothing,..it's weirdly forgettable.

27. "Guess I'm In Love" by Clinton Kane

So I was kind of surprised that this song is the first time Perth's Clinton Kane has charted on the ARIA singles especially when "Chicken Tendies" charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year, anyway Kane is more commonly known as working with Martin Garrix before branching out on his own this year with spare piano ballad "Guess I'm In Love" being his latest single and honestly I am a bit middled on this one...I do understand why this would click with some people, it's tapping into that emotion of falling in love with somebody for that first time and believing that they've found the one and Kane is singing this with more passion and emotion in his voice than I've heard on a few other songs in this vein but I kind feel like this could have been better with more of an orchestral swell going into that final singing of the hook. It's good but could be better.

3. "Visiting Hours" by Ed Sheeran

So here's the biggest new entry of the week, a song that Ed Sheeran wrote while in hotel quarantine in Melbourne and performed it at the state memorial service for Australian music promoter Michael Gudinski for whom the song dedicated to. Jimmy Barnes and Kylie Minogue provide backing vocals on the song and yeah this song hits hard as the vocal production allows for Ed to sound really raw and really emotional as he sings about wishing he could visit heaven even just for a couple of hours just to share with Michael how Sheeran's daughter is growing up and get those last words of advice. I think what I appreciate more is the spare production that allows Sheeran's voice and raw emotion to shine through but I'm not going to lie for people going through a rough time especially with the pandemic going on, this song may cut a little close to home right now.

That wraps up the week and both the best and the worst fall out easily here. The worst is going to "Don't Go" by Skrillex with Justin Bieber and Don Toliver for being a cheap slice of lazy trap that doesn't have the balls to at least be interesting.

As for the the best, it's going to Ed Sheeran for "Visiting Hours"...not really a contest as the song does hit hard.

Next week, well I imagine "Butter" by BTS returns thanks to the Megan Thee Stallion remix, we may well get some impact from that Halsey album but we'll have to find out on Friday at 5pm

Good 1992 Vibrations. 23rd August. I Don't Care as Long as Baby Don't Cry Humpin' Around

 So we've got a pretty diverse week in the new entries and the top ten...ughh,..actually let's get to the top ten because for a second week "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life)" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman held onto the number one spot, this looks locked for a long stay at the top here, folks and in a way that's kind of relieving because right behind it at number two is "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S which returned to number two because people are still dignifying this stupid song.

Anyway it pushed back "Hazard" by Richard Marx to number three while "As Ugly as They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe has stalled at number and its under threat of being passed by "Rhythm is Dancer" by Snap which jumped seven places to hit the top ten at number five this week!

Hell, "Rhythm is a Dancer" has got that much momentum it pushed "Too Funky" by George Michael back to number five this week. 

Sophie B. Hawkins slow and steady climb up the top ten continues as "Damn, I Wish I was Your Lover" rose one spot to number seven. 

In the second of four songs ("Rhythm is a Dancer" being the first) spending their first week inside the top ten, "Everything is Alright" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens up five spots to number eight...nice to see as I still really like that song. 

Rising two places to hit the top ten at number nine is Mariah Carey's version of "I'll Be There"...I'm cool with that as well. The song is fine even if I think Mariah over does it vocally on the song.

Finally the fourth song is a new entry and it comes from Bobby Brown with a song called 'Humpin' Around" debuting at number ten, I'll have more to say about this song later but this looks like it may well be on the road to being a hit...wouldn't surprise me if it made a run for number one in the weeks ahead.

Gains

"Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Guns 'N' Roses continues to knock it's way up the chart, this  week its up six places to 14.

I am not impressed that Sir Mix A Lot's "Baby Got Back" rose from 23 to 16 and "Life is A Highway" by Tom Cochrane jumped from 24 to 17...we can do so much better than both these songs, Australia.

En Vogue's "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" leaped from 41 to 36 this week while "It's Probably Me" by Sting with Eric Clapton climbed seven places off it's debut last week to 41. 

Losses

Alright...XTC get us underway here because "The Disappointed" slumped six places to 50 while "Deeply Dippy" by Right Said Fred dipped seven places to 47 (thank god, this is unlikely to be a hit here) 

2 Unlimited's "Workaholic" isn't quite working out a hit for them as it plunged from 39 to 46 while Mr Big sky dives from 38 to 44 with "Just Take My Heart",

The Rockmelons massive hit earlier this year with Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks and Deni Hines "That Word (L.O.V.E)" slipped from 36 to 43 this week. 

"Clunk EP" by Frente" clunked out eleven places to 39 as its on its way out...again I don't have a problem with that. 

"She's Got That Vibe" by R. Kelly & Public Announcement slipped six places to 37 while "The One" by Elton John tumbled eight places to 35 and "Beauty & The Beast" by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson stumbled nine places to 27...thank goodness.

"Cry" by Lisa Edwards continues to lose momentum as it fell from 15 to 22 while "Sexy MF" by Prince and The New Power Generation slipped ten places to 19, "Save The Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams slipped six places to 13 and "Heaven Knows" by Rick Price tumbled six places out of the top ten to 12...a pretty sudden fall for that last song unfortunately.

New Entries

Six new entries this week, let's begin with.

49. "All I Want is You" by Bryan Adams

So here we go again with Bryan Adams..oh god, what's with the shrill guitars that can't build any sort of solid momentum and Bryan Adams yelling that if this girl doesn't want love she must be nuts or crazy not to want it because all Adams wants is her, it's love or bust according to Adams. Yeah, this is not even close to romantic, this is just yuck. Maybe I was too harsh on "Ihought I died and gone to heaven" because somehow this is even worse than that. SKIP IT!

40. "Baby Don't Cry" by INXS

Ahh a second single from that forthcoming INXS album, this time with a more memorable melody but again it's the placement of the vocals in the mix around the hook that bother me here, they sound almost compressed or buried by the guitars and when the most charismatic lead vocallist in rock like Michael Hutchence sounds like he is recording his vocals three rooms over...it's a bit of a worry. It's not completely bad but this doesn't work the way I think INXS were hoping it too. 

38. "I Don't Care As Long as We Beat New Zealand" by Andrew Denton and The Live & Sweaty        Team

Oh god, how to explain this? Alright, this song comes courtesy of ABC's part sports talk part comedy show "Live and Sweaty" that is hosted by Andrew Denton. Now it should be stressed that this song is a novelty song parodying the sporting rivalry between Australia and New Zealand so I'm going to judge it on the level of it being a pretty silly novelty song that even samples Norman May shouting "Gold! Gold! Gold" at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and Denton bemoaning the fact that Australia no longer had the Olympic stars like Shane Gould and Dawn Fraser to get the country that bounty of gold at the Olympics anymore but it according to Andrew Denton and the Live and Sweaty team...they don't care as long as Australia beats New Zealand. Look, the song is kind of funny but it is going to age kind of badly in the months ahead beyond the Olympics.

31. "It's Not Over" by The Rockmelons and Deni Hines

Oh finally a song that is actually pretty damn good, The Rockmelons choosing to go a slightly softly route here with Deni Hines taking lead vocals on a song where she's expressing regret for mistreating this guy in that she was cheating on her partner and now is hoping that this partner will open his heart and forgive her even though she knows she can't turn back time to fix the mess she's made of the relationship. Yeah this is pretty solid even if I think the hook is a little repetitive but there's enough emotion in that that hook from Hines to make it pretty good. Check it out!

29. "Do For You" by Euphoria

Alright, the latest from Euphoria and it turns out its a pretty snazzy little pop rock number with Andrew McFarland taking the lead vocals and yeah it fits here because this is honestly the best thing Euphoria have released even it sounds directly ripped from the eighties and even if the "Na na na" part of the song doesn't sound like it fits and it is a pretty basic love song, it still all works well. Yeah this song is a bit of fun, check it out!

10. "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown. 

So here's the return of Bobby Brown with a new single and it's got all the hallmarks of having the new jack swing sound here combined with an interpolation of "Dancing Days" by Led Zeppelin, it's fairly obvious that Bobby Brown wants to be like Michael Jackson although its obvious he doesn't have the charisma to pull that off and let's be real here, Brown sounds more flat than anything else. Trade Bobby for Michael and this song could have been massive.

That rounds up the week and the worst falls out easily...that's going to "All I Want is You" by Bryan Adams for being utterly sleazy and worthless.

As for the best though, it's between two but "It's Not Over" by The Rockmelons feat. Deni Hines just edges out "Do For You" by Euphoria for the best. 

ARIA Singles Top Ten/Chart Review. 23rd August. Dumb Love Rumours for a Cold Heart

 A pretty quiet week here where things kind of stabilised a bit at least until next week when that new Ed Sheeran song shows up so let's begin with the top ten where "Stay" by The Kid Laroi feat. Justin Bieber remains at number one for another week because it's still crazy dominant on streaming but that may change next week thanks to Ed Sheeran.

Speaking of Ed Sheeran, "Bad Habits" remains at number two but there's a very real risk that with the new single "Visiting Hours" arriving on the charts next week, it could very well split "Bad Habits" streaming but we'll have to see. 

"Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo rebounded one spot to number three, it's doing a hell of a job sticking around on streaming but it's only a matter of time before it fades naturally as Olivia's management turn their attention to promoting "Traitor".

"Beggin'" by Maneskin rebounds back up to number four while "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow returned to number five.

The rebounds for the above songs happened because "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish slipped three places to number six as streaming took a dip this week.

There's a new entry at number seven..."Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa...now we'll talk about the quality of the song later but this song is an instant hit on sales right now. The sales battle between this and "Visiting Hours" is going to be interesting.

It pushed "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat SZA back one place to number eight because it's starting to overstay it's welcome in the top ten while Doja Cat's other top ten hit "Need to Know" climbed one spot to number nine.

That all meant "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals slipped two places to number ten and will probably leave the top ten next week.

Gains

Not too many major gains this week, "Dreams" by Jolyon Petch jumped five places to break into the top twenty at 18 while the original "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac climbed four places to 31.

"Love Tonight" by Shouse rose three places to 36.

Re Entries

"Mr Brightside" by The Killers is back at 49...I mean come on...I get it but why couldn't we get anything from that new Killers album on the chart?

Losers

"Favourite Crime" by Olivia Rodrigo slipped six places to 46...I am actually impressed by the longevity this song has had, it's been impressive. 

Down twelve places to 37 is "Not Sober" by The Kid Laroi feat. Polo G and Stunna Gambino because that album bomb is pretty much done now.

Drop outs

Unfortunately "Skate" by Silk Sonic left the chart this week...I'm really god damn disappointed...that song deserves to be massive. 

I"m not complaining about the exits of "Before You Go" by Lewis Capaldi, "Lose" by KSI feat. Lil Wayne or "Motley Crew" by Post Malone, the last of those songs has just had no traction whatsoever.

New Entries

Three new entries this week beginning with...

43. "Dumb Love"  by Mimi Webb

So Mimi (Amelia) Webb is a British singer songwriter best known on Tik Tok for her single "Before I Go" which featured another Tik Tok personality Charli D'Amelio however Webb has managed to find success in the UK with "Good Without" hitting the UK top 10 and the same has happened with this song over there. Now here's the thing, Mimi Webb reminds me a lot of Camila Cabello with her slightly raspy vocals which is why it's such a shame she sounds completely unsupported with there being no swell kicking in at least on the chorus and overall the song is just sounds like it takes itself way too seriously much like G Eazy and Halsey's "Him and I". A song called "Dumb Love" shouldn't sound this pretentious! Next...

16. "Rumours" by Lizzo feat. Cardi B

The much awaited return of Lizzo has finally arrived, I've been surprised at how quiet she has been especially after an incredibly successful mainstream break out year in 2019 so how is "Rumours" where she brought along Cardi B for the ride.

Honestly, this is a terrific song! It sees Lizzo tearing apart the culture of rumours and innuendo that have become a large horrible part of social media discourse around music and even ripping into the deep rooted misogynistic culture within the music industry. Lizzo just subverts a lot of the recent chatter about her life and does so impressively! Then there's Cardi B who actually brings a nice breather from the more in your face Lizzo with her verse similar to what Ariana did on the remix of "Good As Hell" and does so by addressing rumours around fake boobs etc and even using her top ten hits as a flex and the production makes all of this sound as cheeky and salacious as hell. Definitely check this out.

7. "Cold Heart (PNAU remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa

Well this is interesting and it's really more of a mash up than anything else because Elton is singing a section of "Sacrifice" while Dua Lipa performs "Rocket Man (I think it's going to be a long long time) over PNAU's remix with rather heavy percussion and what sounds like strings and piano involved yet lyrically I'm not sure this mash up works as much as I want it too, I get what they were trying to do but it just doesn't quite come together or work like I was hoping it would. It's definitely not awful but it's not really all that good either so I guess meh it is.

So best and worst fall out easily with "Dumb Love" by Mimi Webb getting worst of the week...that song could have been better but best of the week is going to "Rumours" by Lizzo feat. Cardi because yeah that song is excellent.

Next week: Ed Sheeran returns, maybe something from that Lorde album...we'll find out when the chart updates at 5pm on Friday.

Good 1992 Vibrations. 16th August. It's Probably Boy in the Moon but Live and Learn

 Well, the top ten finally got interesting this week with changes everywhere including at number one that I didn't see coming so let's start there as usual with a first time number one for both these artists...yep, Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman take the number one spot with "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)" , a six place climb thanks to momentum coming from the Olympics and yeah the song does connect in a lot of ways.

It blew right past last week's number one "Hazard" by Richard Marx stepping back to number two as it just couldn't go with the momentum of "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life)" and it was pretty much the same case for "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S" shifting back to number three. 

Rising one place to number four is "As Ugly as They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe because of course it's still got some sales...yay...not.

All of this pushed "Too Funky" by George Michael back two places to number five, I kind of thought this song would have the momentum to take the number one a few weeks ago but it just hasn't happened.

Then there's the surprise five place rise to number six for "Heaven Knows" by Rick Price! Pleased to see this. Glad to see this song suddenly having a well deserved gain, it's one of the few ballads that hasn't made me cringe this year.

Speaking of cringe, "Save The Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams slipped three places to number seven while "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins stalls at number eight.

"Sexy MF" by Prince and The New Power Generation slumped three places to number nine while "This Used to be My Playground" by Madonna slipped one spot to number ten.

Gains

Mariah Carey's "I'll Be There" sits on the cusp of the top ten as it rose four places to number 11 while Snap's "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap climbed six places to number 12 (I'll back this to be in the top ten next week).

Smashing its way into the top twenty is "Everything's Alright" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens up eleven to 13! Nice to see!

Also nice to see is "Knockin' On Heavens Door" by Guns 'n' Roses up eight to 20. 

"Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot climbed six places to 23 while "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane jumped nine to 24. Not thrilled about either of those to be honest.

In much better news though, "How Do You Do" by Roxette got a nice eleven place boost to 29. Again, this song is good fun.

"Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" by TLC rose six places to 30 while "Tear Me Apart" by The Angels jumped ten spots to 35 (Come on people, The Angels are better than this)

En Vogue's "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" jumped nine places to 41 while "Barcelona" by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe climbed six spots off it's debut last week to 42. 

Losers

Alright so let's begin with "Twilight Zone" by 2 Unlimited falling ten places to 49 while "That Word (L.O.V.E)" by The Rockmelons feat. Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks and Deni Hines slipped ten places to 36...not too worried as that song is pretty well effectively locked onto the year end list. 

'Make Love Like a Man" by Def Leppard slipped from 27 to 33 while "Clunk EP" by Frente clunked down five to 28. 

Former chart topper "Jump" by Kriss Kross slipped twelve places to 26. U2's "Even Better Than The Real Thing" tumbled from 16 to 21. 

New Entries

Four new entries this week and it's a varied bunch this week, let's begin with...

50. "Live and Learn" by Joe Public

So we're leading off the new entries with this American group, who hail from Buffalo in New York, that embraces the New Jack swing sound and this song apparently sampling Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" along with various other samples of songs ranging from James Brown to Parliament so much so I was worried that this would just be mish mash of samples rather than it's own unique song so how is it?

It's fine...even if the vocals are not in anyway convincing and the lyrics are pretty cliche about living and learning in life...they don't do much for me but instrumentation works well here with the new jack swing sound definitely doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. Check this out if you are curious and not bothered by the cliched lyrics. 

48. "It's Probably Me" by Sting with Eric Clapton

Uh okay, this is an interesting pairing on a song. Sting with Eric Clapton...not sure why it doesn't say 'featuring' rather than 'with' but that's just a nitpick...let's talk about the song thesr two have put together for the film "Lethal Weapon 3". 

Well I kind of expected something a little more than a chill ballad that's more what you'd expect from Eric Clapton than Sting but Sting's vocals work well here. The saxophone and guitar work well off each other in the middle eight of the song. It's a pretty basic friendship song allowing a man to express his love and admiration for another man without losing his macho status, it's nothing special but not all that bad. 

46. "Tennessee" by Arrested Development

Our third new entry comes American alternative hip hop group called Arrested Development  with this song coming from the album "3Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of..." and I was curious given the title so how is the song? Well, my first thought upon hearing this song was how melodic and well crafted this song is but dig deeper and wow the lyrics cut hard...its written about frontman Todd "Speech" Thomas meeting up with his brother at his grandmother's funeral in Tennessee only to then lose his brother to a severe asthma attack shortly after with the song detailing Speech's experience with the pain losing two loved one's so close together and yeah this song clicks into a lot that's raw here. 

Incredible song. Please check this out and make it a hit!

43. "Boy In the Moon" by Margaret Urlich

Margaret Urlich is back! This is her lead single from her second album "Chameleon Dreams" and wow...ignoring the fact that the piano doesn't sound like it fits here, this song feels like a by the numbers pop song with inspirational cliches linked to looking up and seeing a boy in the moon. Yeah, Margaret Urlich has done much better than this. I'm going to forget it exists in record time

So that means our best and worst fall out easily this week..."Tennessee" by Arrested Development gets best of the week (DUH!) while "Boy in the Moon" by Margaret Urlich gets the worst of the week.