All 4 1994 10th April. Hush, Is It Love, My Sweet Lover? I'm Ready so Sail Away

Let's not waste time and get stuck into this week because the top four pretty much remains the same as last week. Of course, "It's Alright" by East 17 remains number one for a sixth week and it's sales aren't as steady as they once were, things might be about to get interesting.

This could pave the way for a challenge for number one by "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion which held at number two and is gaining strength across the board, it's just a matter of time as to when it will make it's move.

"Without You" by Mariah Carey remains at number three whi,e "Whatta Man" by Salt 'n' Pepa feat. En Vogue is stuck at number four. 

Up two places to number five is "Dum Da Dum" by Melodie MC while "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen remained rooted to the number six spot.

"Dum Da Dum" made an effective swap though as "Sing Hallelujah" by Dr Alban fell back two places to number seven while rising two spots is "Loser"
 by Beck to  number eight.

One of the biggest gains of thr week belongs to "The Sign" by Ace of Base which climbed from forty one to number nine this week, this song is going to be huge and will probably make a play for number one within in weeks, you have been warned here. 

Rounding out the top ten is "Said I Loved You...But I Lied" by Michael Bolton down two spots to number ten...thank god the traction for this song is rapidly dying out and this awful drudge of a song is going away. 

Losers

Cut 'N' Move's "Peace, Love & Harmony" down eight to forty eight while former chart topper "All For Love" by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting slipped eleven to forty one, the same goes for "Movin' On Up" by M People which slipped from twenty four to thirty two. 

While "Asshole" by Denis Leary slipped from sixteen to twenty one.

Gains

So outside of the  massive gain for Ace of Base's "The Sign" into the top ten, what other major gains occurred? Well, somehow people are in love with 2 Unlimited's "Let the Beat Control Your Body" even if I am not so that's up from forty seven to thirty nine. 

"Dry County" by Bon Jovi jumped eight to thirty one while Engima's "Return to Innocence" jumped nine places to twenty four. 

Finally the second biggest gain of the week belongs to Toni Braxton as "Breathe Again" jumped ten places to number twelve. 

New Entries

Four new entries all in the lower quarter of the chart this week so let's begin with...

49. "Sail Away" by Urban Cookie Collective

You can all relax this is not a knock off of Enya's 1989 hit "Orinoco Flow"...thank god but it is more hedonistic dance music where it's more about the beat than anything that is said in the song because the vocals can barely be made out over the thumping electronic music and what sounds like somebody trying to burp politely over and over again (See Ginuwine, this is how you burp in a song). Next!. 

46, "I'm Ready" by Tevin Campbell

Another Tevin Campbell song and can only hope that this one is better than the previous effort and yeah, it is better! There's a gentle r'n'b groove that kind of works here and even if Campbell's voices on the second verse bug me, they still sound like a lamb bleating but the chorus sounds good and he does sound believeable as he begs this girl to make a conmitment to him and acknowledge that she's ready to love him. It's fine, check it out if you are curious.

45. "Hush Sweet Lover" by K.D Lang.

I was really looking forward to checking out this song especially after Urban Cookie Collective and Tevin Campbell so what did we get? A pretty gorgeous love ballad that verges on almost being jazz where Lang begs her lover to be quiet and just let her love them and them to share their love with her and she is just owning this song vocally. This is exactly what I needed. CHECK THIS OUT!!

40. "Is It Love?" by Twenty 4 Seven feat. Stacy-C and Nance

And from KD Lang's beautiful vocals straight back into eurodance and big beats although I will say "Slave to the Music" is a decently good song so I was curious as to what the follow up  would be like and yeah, I definitely like this softer sound that make the vocals clearer and its actually really nice song where it's somebody wanting to know if the other person is seeking love and genuine connection from them on the dancefloor, I do buy it especially given the vocals are surprisingly emotional and that kind of works. Good song.

However best of the week is going to KD Lang for "Hush Sweet Lover". Worst of the week is going to Urban Cookie Collective for "Sail Away"

ARIA Singles top 50 Chart Review: 7th April

 Let's dive into this week because it sure is an interesting one and it seems we do have a set number one for now so diving into our top ten where "Ordinary" by Alex Warren remains at number one for a second week, it has a lead on streaming but nowhere else which does make it vulnerable to other competitors.

That may not be the case for "APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars which held at number two but it's losing ground on streaming 

"That's So True" by Gracie Abrams rose one place to number three on the back of some residual streaming. Also up a spot to number four thanks to streaming is "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan although some of this might also be due to "Anxiety" by Doechii down two to five as it bleeds on streaming despite having a sales lead.

Standing still is "Messy" by Lola Young which is stuck at number six, its not got that much streaming or sales so it's pretty much inertia keeping it in the top ten. 

Speaking of inertia, "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish rebounded three places to number seven while  "Beautiful Things" by Benson Boone climbed one spot to number eight, they both took advantage of "Die With A Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars falling two spots to number nine.

Finally Drake completes our top ten with "Nokia" up one place to number ten and looks set to hang around in the top ten thanks to having some decent sales and streaming, Great. Not. (Yeah, that song has soured on me a bit, doesn't help it's on an album that is complete ass).

Gains

So not too much in the way of big gains this week but I will express some annoyance at the eight place gain for "Riptide" by Vance Joy to thirty six...so tired of old songs clogging the chart if I am to be blunt. 

I don't mind the five place gains to thirty two for "Love Me Not" by Ravyn Lenae, the same for "Indigo" by Sam Barber and Avery Anna to twenty nine. 

Re-Entries

Two returns this week with "Mr Brightside" by The Killers back at forty nine and "Busy Woman"  by Sabrina Carpenter at forty seveen

Losers 

Lets blow through some of these big losers this week with "TV Off" by Kendrick Lamar down seven to fifty. Unsurprisingly but sadly, "The Giver" by Chappell Roan is down fifteen to forty three. 

"Denial Is A River" by Doechii slumped seven places to thirty seven as it's streaming is surprising slowing down. 

Drop Outs

So apart from the two Playboi Carti left overs that left this week, we also lost longstanding hit in "Stargazing" by Myles Smith and other songs with a shorter run like "Abracadabra" by Lady Gaga, "Like Jennie" by Jennie and "Burning Down" by Alex Warren

New Entries

Four new entries this week, beginning with...

45. "Dandelion" by Ariana Grande

First of two songs from the External Sunshine deluxe album that charted this week and I cannot be the only one who thinks this song is as wonky as hell, right? From the weirdly out of tune trumpet to that weird drum noise and Ariana sounding needlessly thin and compressed on a song where she's telling this guy he can blow her away because she'll be his dandelion and no, Ariana, you've got a beautiful voice and really the production needs to be better. I'm moving on. 

35. "Undressed" by sombr

Breaking on to the charts this week is an American singer songwriter Sombr and right now he has two songs gaining traction with this one being the better one, it sounds like a better version of an indie pop/rock song with the backing vocals and Sombr actually sounding like he has space and room to breathe in the mix surrounded by guitars and a gentle keyboard and especially with lyrics about a relationship on the edge but he isn't quite ready to let go, she still means a lot to him and he isn't ready to move on. Decent song. Worth checking out. 

23. "Mutt" by Leon Thomas

The second of our two debutants on the chart this week is Leon Thomas, a GRAMMY winning singer songwriter and producer with this song being on his sophomore album and well...I am not as much of a fan of this as I would like to be mostly because it just doesn't click in the production especially with some of those choices and while the lyrics play to lack of trust through drug use etc, I just can't get my head around this, check it out if you are curious but I am going move on pretty quickly about this. 

16. "Twilight Zone" by Ariana Grande

So this might surprise some people but I think this song from the deluxe edition of "Eternal Sunshine" is Ariana Grande's best song since "No Tears Left to Cry" back in 2018. I just love the sound and gentle cooing singing from Ariana Grande here even though the production is more compressed and tinny than it needs to be around her vocals which is weird considering she has one of the best voices in pop music today outside of Adele, there's frustration that works well here. This is excellent. Check it out.

Yeah, it also gets best of the week just edging out "Undressed" by Sombr. Worst is also going to Ariana Grande for "Dandelion"...I just cannot stand how wonky that song is. 

All 4 1994: 3rd April. Dry Sign Since I Lost The County

 Let's just jump straight into this week because yeah, it's really not all that interesting apart from a few shifts in the top ten because for yet another week, "It's Alright" by East 17, it's now spent five weeks at the top and doesn't look like slowing down any.

Remaining at number two is "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion because it's just doing steady on sales but will be a decent threat to top spot should "It's Alright' sales start to slow down or stumble.

Also in decent position is Mariah Carey's howling "Without You" up one to number three, it pushed past "Whatta Man" by Salt 'N' Pepa feat. En Vogue which slipped to number four...frankly I am surprised this really isn't making a bigger push for number one, it's got number one hit written all over it. 

Up one to number five is the grading "Sing Halleluljah" by Dr Alban, its just making steady gains and should continue to improve it's position.

The most pleasing news in our top ten this week is that Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" had an eleven place rise to number six! I know it's because of the movie but I am just thrilled that this song is here. It's a great song. 

Melodie MC's remaining at number seven with "Dum Da Dum" while thankfully Michael Bolton's rising tide of ass "Said I Loved You...But I Lied" fell three to number eight...thank goodness for that!

Finally I have mixed feelings on our two new arrivals to the top ten with "Things Can Only Get Better" by D:Ream up four places to number nine. Fine song so reasonably happy to see it here.

Wish I could say the same for "Loser" by Beck which also rose four places to round out our top ten at number ten. 

Losers

Not as many losers this week and what of our losers, most of them were just continued losses of momentum like "Feels Like Heaven" by Urban Cookie Collective down from thirty eight to forty three while "What is Love" by Haddaway down from thirty seven to forty two. 

"Shoop" by Salt 'n' Pepa just utterly collapsed from twenty five to bit thirty eight...ouch!

Former top ten hit "Stay (Faraway, So Close!" by U2 slipped from twenty eight to thirty four while former number one "All For Love" by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting copped a nine place dump down to thrty. 

"Hey Mr D.J" by Zhane slipped nine places to twenty nine. 

Gains

This week was an incredibly busy one for gains and while I am not thrilled that "Twist and Shout" by Chaka Demus & Pliers with Jack Radics and Taxi Gang got a ten place boost to seventeen, we did see "Cornflake Girl" by Tori Amos jump from twenty six to nineteen and Chocolate Starfish climbed twelve spots to 21 with "Mountain" 

Right behind all of that is "Breathe Again" by Tori Braxton which jumped eight places to twenty two, I can see this breathy r'n'b song being a top ten hit and it's on it's way to becoming one.

Also not thrilled that "Let Me Show You" by K-Klass got a seven place boot to twenty eight however "I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff jumped nine spots to twenty seven which I am absolutely delighted about. 

Finally "Helping Hand" by The Screaming Jets jumped from forty one to thirty six because Aussie pub rock apparently still has a place on the charts.

New Entries

Thankfully a much lighter week in terms of new entries with just three new songs this week starting with

49. "Since i Don't Have You" by Guns 'N' Roses

I think it needs to be said that I have a mixed at best relationship with Guns 'N' Roses music. Sure "Sweet Child of Mine" is great but damn they have some absolute stinkers as well and I wasn't expecting much given they  are covering a 1958 song by The Skyliners that was also covered by Don McLean in 1981 and then by country singer Ronnie Millsap in 1991. Also seems like this ballad about having lost love and trying to move on from a lost relationship is just a good excuse for a guitar solo from Slash and Axl Rose to turn crooner. It's not terrible but this is just a little odd from Guns 'n' Roses.

41. "The Sign" by Ace of Base

So here we have the lead single from Swedish pop group Ace Base, it's from their debut album called "The Sign" and fuck, I don't know if I have heard a catchier pop song in a while! That hook is sticky as hell and combines a lot of sounds from reggae and europop. The song hits on themese of exploring the moment that a couple realizes that this relationship is probably over and yeah it does so maybe the catchiest and kind of fun way yet. Expect this to be heard everywhere!.

39. "Dry County" by Bon Jovi

Sixth and final single from Keep the Faith and it's a long song for sure clocking in at six minutes and thiry seven seconds where over gentle piano, guitar and drums, Bon Jovi laments the then decline of the US oil industry and how the decline affected thoses who relied on the income that the industry provided them in order to support their families. It's certainly an impassioned performance from Jon Bon Jovi. This is good but I am not sure that I will ever come back to it. 

That wraps up the week and I am going to give worst of the week to "Since I Don't Have You" by Guns 'n' Roses as that song probably just doesn't hit me as much as the other two do.

Best of the week is going to "The Sign" by Ace of Base and that's not even a contest. It has the potential to be a massive hit going forward in 1994. We'll see what happens next week and whether East 17 can hang on to the top spot. 

ARIA Singles Top 50 Chart Review: 31st March

So we have a comedown week albeit one that is still incredibly interesting because yet again we have a new number one and a first for the artist involved so let's dive straight into our top ten where "Ordinary" by Alex Warren climbed three  places to take number one, it's streaming that got this song over the line for number one because while it's got consistent sales, it's the streaming margins that got this song over the line.

It put it ahead of "APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars which held steady at number rwo thanks to still being a good sized player on streaming with formr number one "Anxiety" by Doechii which slipped two places to number three while "That's So True" by Gracie Abrams down one to number four.

Remaining at number five is "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan while holding at six is "Messy" by Lola Young.

Up two places to number seven is "Die with a Smile" by Lady  Gaa and Bruno Mars because people aren't sick of this song somehow while "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA held at number eight.

Unfortunately with the receding of the Playboi Carti album bomb, it allowed for the mass that is "Beautiful Things" by Benson Boone to return to the top ten up two to number nine.

Finally holding on at number ten for another week is "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish at number ten.

Gains

So there were a tonne of gains mostly smaller ones that were because the Playboi Carti album bomb however most of the big gains this week belonged to Teddy Swims with "Bad Dreams" up eighteen to twenty seven while "The Door" is up ten to twenty six and "Lose Control" rebounding eight places to fourteen.

It was a good week for Alex Warren with "Carry You Home" rising eight to break into the top twenty at number twenty. 

Re - Entries

Three returns this week with Zach Bryan the main beneficiary with "Something In the Orange" at number forty eight and "Pink Skies"  at forty six. 

The other new entry is "Stargazing" by Myles Smith at fifty

Losers

So lets get past the big losses for Playboi Carti with "Evil J0rdan" down twenty six spots to thirty three and "Rather Lie" featuring The Weeknd down twenty to thirty six.

"The Giver" by Chappell Roan fell fourteen to twenty eight which was to be expected considering it is a detour from Chappell in terms of her sound. 

Outside of that, "TV Off" by Kendrick Lanar slid down nine places to 43 while "Abracadabra" by Lady Gaga tumbled eight to number thirty nine. 

Drop Outs

Look, I am not complaining that we lost all but two of the Playboi Carti entries from last week nor "Emergence" by Sleep Token. 

A little disappointed that "A N X I E T Y" by Sleepy Hallow and Doechii.

New Entries

47. "Burning Down" by Alex Warren

A third Alex Warren single hitting the charts and this one is probably the best of the three to the point that I am surprised that this song didn't hit the chart earlier this year especially with the popularity of both "Ordinary" and "Carry You Home" but yeah, this song has a fire about it which makes it work for me as Warren is singing about how a person in his life isn't who he thought they were and as a result the relationship is burning down around him and he is left to pick up the pieces. All up good song but he is up against some competition for best of the week because...

37. "Love Me Not" by Ravyn Lenae

So we finally get American R ' n' B singer Ravyn Lenae on the Australian singles chart and I have to be honest, I didn't pay a lot of heed to her album "Birds Eye' from last year although after having heard this song in particular...I am left wishing I had because this song is damn great! Yeah, I love how Ravyn's spy vocals bounce along with the rather strong groove of the track, it reminds me a lot of what Amy Winehouse was doing before she passed. If this goes on to become a hit, it will be high on my year end best list.

22. "Dark Thoughts" by Little Tecca

Long time no hear from Little Tecca until now with this song hitting the charts and really there is not a lot to be said given that I do get the appeal of a song like this,it carries a solid energy that does work and the production does feel decent. Shame the content doesn't rise much above Lil Tecca's shameless bragging and his relationship woes with this girl. All up, I don't think this song is outright bad as the beat saves a lot but it is certainly not anything I am going to be coming back to.

That wraps the week and yeah "Dark Thoughts" by Little Tecca gets worst of the week although it's not really that bad. Best of the week goes to "Love Me Not" by Ravyn Lenae.

All 4 1994: 27th March Feel Like You Made Me Twist and Shout

 So this week is all change in our top ten and we do have our regular allotment of new entries that somehow don't seem to slow down any however the only thing that hasn't changed is that "It's Alright" by East 17 remains at number one, now it's got good sales but it really is now a matter of how long it can hang on because it's now got a song with genuine momentum behind it. that being "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion which climbed one place to number two.

It moved past "Whatta Man" by Salt-n-Pepa feat. En Vogue down one two number three while 'Without You" by Mariah Carey which climbed two places to number four and looks to have some solid momentum unfortunately, it pushed "Said I Loved You...But I Lied" by Michael Bolton back one place to number five. 

"Sing Hallelujah" by Dr Alban rose three places to number six while "Dum Da Dum" by Melodie MC climbed four places to number seven this week.

All of this saw "Slave to the Music" by Twenty 4 Seven feat Stay-C and Nance slide three spots to number eight while Cut 'N' Move's "Give It Up" continues its graceful exit from the top ten down two to number nine

Also down two places this week is "Feelin' Alright" by EYC to number ten and it's looking like it's time in the top ten is done. 

Losers

Down to forty five from thirty eight last week is "Dirty Dawg" by NKOTB. "Feels Like Heaven" by Urban Cookie Collective continues its slide toward the ecit down eight to thirty eight while "What is Love" is being asked even louder by Haddaway as it tumbled nine to thirty seven.

"Will You Be There (In the Morning)" by Heart took an eight place tumble to thirty two while "Shoop" by Salt 'n' Pepa slipped eight to twenty five. 

Finally "All For Love" by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting slipped seven to twenty one. 

Gains

A lot of big gains were for recent new entries with the first of those being a nine place gain to thirty six fot Jimmy Cliff's "I Can See Clearly Now" while "Let Me Show You" by K-Klass climbed from forty one to thirty five.

"Breathe Again" by Toni Braxton got a seventeen place boost to thirty while "One Night in Heaven" by M People climbed six to twenty three. 

"Mr Jones" saw a ten place gain to twenty two for Counting Crows but in great news this week, Bruce Springsteen's emotional "Streets of Philadelphia" climbed up to seventeen from thirty one. Happy to see it. 

Beck's "Loser" jumped eight places to fourteen while D:Ream's "Things Can Only Get Better" rose six to thirteen. 

New Entries

50. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and RuPaul

No, stop...can we not do this? What the hell? Elton John teaming up with drag artist Ru Paul for a cover of his own song "Don't Go Breaking my Heart" and honestly this seems to have more novelty value on first glance especially with involvement of RuPaul and yeah...this is a novelty version of what was originally a damn great song just messing with the production and instrumentation enough to water it down into this trending chasing Eurodance number that really does not do anything to help Elton John's vocals at all so yeah...skip it.

49. "Feel Like Making Love"  by Pauline Henry

Rough start but let's see if we can do any better with former The Chimes singer Pauline Henry's cover of Bad Company's 1975 song "Feel like Making Love" which surprisingly wasn't a hit here back then even though it did reasonably well in the US, Canada and New Zealand and that surprises me because the Bad Company version gets played a lot on the radio in 2025! Anyway, I dig this version, the more soulful verse delivery by Henry and then drops into this kick ass rock hook with the guitars delivering a hell of a punch, Henry makes this work! Check it out. 

48. "Let the Beat Control Your Body" by 2 Unlimited

Alright, for some more 2 Unlimited, the last couple of run ins I have had with this group haven't gone well so let's see if this newest single is any better and nope...still the same crappy annoyance with doofy euro club beats that don't change up or do anything different complete with nightclub lyrics about letting the beat control the way your body moves. I am done with this shit already.

43. "You Made Me The Thief Of Your Heart" by Sinead O'Connor

I was dreading having to review this song mostly because Sinead O'Connor as an artist was really complex and this song that was co written in part by Bono for a film called "In the Name of the Father" which starred Daniel Day-Lewis and it's this murky piano driven ballad about a woman murdering her lover just to keep him with her in the 14th century and yeah...this song is hard to listen to.  It's worth a listen as the song is definitely good but yeah it's definitely not an easy listen.

27. "Twist and Shout" by Chaka Demus & Pliers with Jack Radics & Taxi Gang. 

Oh god,,,no please no...this is a cover of a song that written and recorded in 1961 and wasn't a hit until the Isley Brothers reworked it and made into a hit, it has since been covered by The Beatles (The Beatles version is my absolute favourite) and Salt 'N' Pepa so what the charts did not require was this reggae infused version by Chaka Demus and Pliers where what sounds like yapping dogs feature prominently in the production and everyone sounds jacked up on too much marijuana to care about the music because dear god, at least The Beatles and the Isley Brothers infused their covers with some passion to show they cared, this is just a lazy, phoned in hack job of what is a pretty damn great song.

Yeah, it's the worst of the week by a country mile...I fucking hate it. Best of the week is going to "Feel Like Making Love" by Pauline Henry because at least she makes that song her own and it feels like less of a hack job, 

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart: March 24th. The Music Giver's Emergence Rather Lies to Evil J0rdan

Sigh...I knew it was coming...the Playboi Carti album for "I Am Music" but really, I wasn't expecting one of this size...guess there's a lot of people into rap where the production is at best amateur and the songs sound completely unfinished but we'll get to that in the new entries because we finally do have a new number one with "Anxiety" by Doechii taking number one thanks to solid streaming and decent sales but I don't think it's got a healthy margin at all, it's going to come under threat. 

It may not be from "APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars which slipped to number two but it still as some streaming and sales to continue hanging around for a lot longer than people might expect. 

"That's So True" by Gracie Abrams remains at number three while "Ordinary" by Alex Warren has vaulted ten places to number ten and looks the most likely threat to our current number one. 

Rising to number five is "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan climbed one to number five, this may have peaked but we'll have to see. 

Slipping two places to number six is "Messy" by Lola Young while there is a new entry at number seven with the first sign of the Playboi Carti album bomb with "Evil JOrdan" at number seven (yes, stylised like that) 

"Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA down three spots to number eight while the biggest plunge inside the top ten belongs to "Die with a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars which fell seven to number nine. 

Also slipping seven is "Birds of A Feather" by Billie Eilish which looks to be finally on its way out of our top ten.

Gains

So apart from "Ordinary" by Alex Warren gaining ten spots to number four, what about outside the top ten? "The Door" by Teddy Swims climbed five places to thirty six but that was about it for our gains this week thanks to what entered the chart this week.

Losers

A large chunk of the chart lost this week so let's begin with the Sleepy Hallow and Doechii version of "Anxiety" which took a crash down twenty two places to forty one. "I Love You, I'm Sorry" by Gracie Abrams fell six to thirty nine while "TV Off" by Kendrick Lamar also fell six to thirty four.

Wasn't a good week for Lady Gaga as "Abracadabra" tumbled ten to thirty one while "Wildflower" by Billie Eilish skidded down six to thirty. 

"All the Stars" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA fizzled out six places to twenty six

Drop Outs

So we saw the exits of some long running hits with "Pink Skies" and "Something in the Orange" both by Zach Bryan gone alongside "Please Please Please" by Sabrina Carpenter, "Guess" by Charli XCX and Billie Eilish and "Stargazing" by Myles Smith.

Also exiting are pretty much the non hits like "Busy Woman" by Sabrina Carpenter, "Die Trying" by PartynextDoor and Drake feat. Yebba. and "I Know Love" by Tate McRae feat. The Kid Laroi.

New Entries

So we did get something of a Playboi Carti album bomb and in the guise of not really wanting to cover this album anymore than what I have to..."Crush" at 29, "Toxic" at 46,  "Philly" at 49 and "Good Credit" which rather questionably features Kendrick Lamar.

That leaves us with four new entries to review, beginning with...

38. 'Emergence" by Sleep Token

I was shocked this showed up on the charts considering just how much heavy music has fallen by the way side in terms of charting on an all genre chart like the ARIA singles but in retrospect this should have made sense as Sleep Token are the kind of heavy metal band to try to mix their metal sound with more pop and r'n'b flourishes and to me, it just doesn't work, it just sounds incredibly wonky.  I'd pass on this.

16. "Rather Lie" by Playboi Carti feat. The Weeknd

Now I thought Abel said he was done doing features on others songs? So why is he on this Playboi Carti song where it ends up sounding like a Drake knock off in terms of The Weeknd's own vocal delivery and Playboi Carti really not offering up much of anything especially as the song is just him complaining about women and bragging about being back on lean with all the flare of a two year old having a tantrum. I'll pass. 

14. "The Giver" by Chappell Roan

A brand new single from Chappell Roan with this having a decidely country pop flourish with the squealing fiddle that's on this song and cheeky lyrics about a lesbian relationship where she can make this woman orgasm or as the song says in the chorus "she gets the job done" in terms of satisfying this woman in her life, its such a fun cheeky song that couldn't help but like it on first listen, it's not quite Chappell's best but in a week like this, I'll take it. 

7. "Evil JOrdan" by Playboi Carti

Alright let's deal with this somewhat more industrial noise track from Playboi Carti and look, this just sounds unfinished like they just threw a bunch of sounds together and had Carti mumble his way through a rather rote and basic verse. 

 Yeah it's also the worst of the week however "best of the week is going to "The Giver" by Chappell Roan because...duh

All 4 1994: 20th March. I Can See Mr Jones and Loser Breathe Again Clearly Now, Let Me Show You

No preamble this week, straight into the top ten where to no one's surprise. "It's Alright" by East 17 remains at number one for another week, it's got sales and looks comfortable.

Right behind it is "Whatta Man" by Salt 'n' Pepa feat. En Vogue up three places to number two. The same three place rise occurred for Celine Dion's "The Power Of Love" to number three. 

Thankfully both songs pushed "Said I Loved You...But I Lied" by Michael Bolton down two number four while "Slave to the Music" by Twenty 4 Seven feat. Stay-C and Nance down one to number five. 

Moving up five places to number six is "Without You" by Mariah Carey because of course we need one overwrought love ballad in the top ten.

Former number one "Give It Up" by Cut 'n' Move slipped four places to number seven as it's making a s natural exit from the top ten.

Remaining at number eight is "Feelin' Alright" by EYC while up one place to number nine is "Sing Hallelujah" by Dr Alban.

Finally a three place drop for "Asshole" by Denis Leary rounds out our top ten. 

Losers

A few big losers mostly down the lower end of the top 50 this week beginning with "Somebody Dance With Me" by DJ BoBo which slipped twelve places to fifty while former chart topper "All That She Wants" by Ace of Base took a six place slide to forty eight. 

?Boom! Shake the Room" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince tumbled from thirty four to forty three while the boring "Please Forgive Me" by Bryan Adams stumbled down ten places to forty two. 

"Got to Get It" by Culture Beat is reaching but falling nine to thirty nine while in the biggest fall of the week "Hero" by Mariah Carey just utterly collapsed from nineteen to thirty four.

"Feels Like Heaven" by Urban Cookie Collective slipped seven to thirty while "Stay (Faraway, So Close" by U2 tumbled from fifteen to twenty one and "All For Love" by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting fell from nine to fourteen.

Gains

It's a bit quieter on the gains front this week with "What's My Name" by Snoop Doggy Dogg up seven to thirteen while "Things Can Only Get Better" by D:Ream up five to nineteen.

Also having a decent gain is "Mountain" by Chocolate Starfish which had a seven place gain to thirty three. 

"Return to Innocence" by Enigma jumped from forty one to thirty seven.

New Entries

47. "Breathe Again" by Toni Braxton

We're starting with a single from American r'n'b singer Toni Braxton with this song being written by Babyface. The lyrics do strike me as being a bit clingy here with Braxton claiming that if her boyfriend were to break up with her, she'd have a nervous breakdown which yeah gives me icky vibes to a degree but I do like the song's production and how Braxton's vocals interweave easily with the backing vocals and how she almost sounds like she's letting out a breath upon singing "breathe again". I don't think it's great but it's fine enough. Check it out if you are curious.

45. "I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff

A cover of a 1972 Johnny Nash song has debut on the chart this week and it comes from  Jamaican reggae singer Jimmy Cliff, the cover was recorded for 1993 movie Cool Runnings (you know that movie about the Jamaican bobsled team?) and look, I generally give a lot of shit to bad cover version but honestly, I love this version especially as it's probably become the standard version that most people now sing. Its got that bright optimism and Cliff is matching that optimism in his vocal delivery.  I dig it!

44. "Helping Hand" by The Screaming Jets

So the fourth single from "Tear of Thought" and I think this one is definitely more memorable for that guitar lick that features quite prominently and that hook which does make the song memorable even though it; does take its damn sweet time to get moving which might make sense from a lyrical perspective as it appears all about wanting to find somebody who is willing to help him but he knows that that person could turn against him. It's an interesting song for sure.

41. "Let Me Show You" by K-Klass

British house act K-Klass with their take on eurodance and I'm sorry but what's so different about this one that hasn't been done before? Same piano with a thumping base and a screechy sounding female vocallist that really adds nothing to the song. I'd say move on from this quick but chances are you'll forget it exists. 

32. "Mr Jones" by Counting Crows

Debut single from American rock band Counting Crows which comes from their album "August and Everything After" and oddly this song kind of epitomises the dreams of wannabe rock stars, they want to be big stars so that they will never ever wind up lonely and everyone loves him when in reality life on the road as a rockstar can be inherently lonely and that fan love can get weird.

I really admire what this song is trying to do with the lyrics and the instrumentation especially when the song slows down to focus on the dreams of this rockstar kind of as a mirror. I like it! Good song!

22. "Loser" by Beck

I have been dreading covering this song from American artist Beck mostly because the song just doesn't resonate me with as much as it does with a lot of other people who I respect, there's only so much goodwill you can give that hook which does hold up the song quite well but when the verses are mostly just nonsense that lend no additional weight to the hook then it's going to leave me wanting at the best of times especially when he is saying to this girl that he is loser so she should kill him...yeah, not keen.

That ends our week so worst of the week goes to "Let Me Show You by K-Class while Jimmy Cliff gets best of the week for "I Can See Clearly Now"